West University Elementary School

3756 University Boulevard

School District

Houston Independent
Grade

PK, K-5
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:18
Type

public

School Map for Houston Independent School District

GreatSchools Rating

The school rating calculation is based on four ratings: the Student Progress Rating or Academic Progress Rating, College Readiness Rating, Equity Rating, and Test Score Rating each designed to show different facets of school success. Learn more about GreatSchools Ratings

Reviews

Submitted by parent on March 21, 2024

Absolutely outstanding school. Our daughter learned a ton in the gifted / talented program.
Submitted by parent on September 14, 2023

My son attended this elementary school and the atmosphere and environment were stuffy, unwelcoming, toxic, and cliche! This school falls under HISD, but seems to operate as they please in a negative fashion. Diversity was non-existent and real learning was not taking place here. Staff were not warm or friendly and may even be intrusive at times. If you are not wealthy, you and your child may be written off here. Attending this biased school did not provide a positive learning experience for my bright, fun-loving, intelligent, and friendly child. In fact it may have had a negative impact on him. I truly REGRET sending my son to this school!!!!
Submitted by parent on May 26, 2022

We are finishing four years at this school. The high quality of teachers we have experienced has been the highlight. Three years we had very experienced teachers and one year a first year teacher (who had degrees in education). All were extremely dedicated. The last three years have been under leadership of current principal who was breath of fresh air. While the PTO fundraising can feel intense, they do provide a lot of support to teachers and also a lot of volunteer opportunities for parent engagement. I hear of special education limitations from other parents that may be related to overall district failures in that area. Our student receives 504 accommodations in GT classes and has received all the support needed from teacher and counselor. The AP over 504 Ms. Simpson also appears very student centered (and major improvement over former person in that role). The school is large but it helps student make a lot of friends. We love being at neighborhood school where students see friends from school on the street, at park, at pool, etc. The homework is on the high end for HISD, which requires support at home. With two working parents and other extracurriculars, it took a while to figure out a plan to get everything done without too much stress. The school uses a couple grammar and reading comprehension books not common among other HISD schools. We have no concern that our student will be ready for middle school. I sometimes fear the impact of student being in privilege bubble, but there are community service projects, efforts to celebrate different cultures, and overall community of nice people that help allay fears.
Submitted by parent on November 09, 2021

My child says it's the best school he's ever been to.
Submitted by parent on October 29, 2020

Moved here from private school and couldn't be happier. School is large but feels so small because of the community feel and involvement. Best teachers in town.
Submitted by parent on May 02, 2019

Awesome, love it, best decision ever. Our son is so happy!
Submitted by parent on April 11, 2019

Overall, my children have been learning and appropriately challenged and have had caring, good teachers. When I have had concerns about bullying, it was well addressed.
Submitted by parent on January 30, 2019

Despite the great reviews I've seen in writing and word of mouth, what we experienced was far from expectations. A complete lack of organization, communication and accountability was witnessed. Bullying and other inappropriate behavior tolerated and ultimately any blame will be reverted back to you, the parent. Problems are never addressed, calls and emails hardly returned. I got the impression that racism may be at the core of what I experienced, the only probable explanation of all the other great reviews. Do yourself and child a favor and do not enroll here.
Submitted by other on June 06, 2018

The PTO was very active, and they, rather than the actual school, organized, funded, and coddled the administration. Due to this, the children of PTO parents or parents who donated high amounts, were favored and often given an invisible pass by teachers and the school. West U is one of the richest neighborhoods in Texas and that shows in the teachers as well. There was talk of parents buying teachers luxury goods and giving them exorbitant amounts of cash, something that is highly plausible. Also, the scores are good because most of the time is spent covering STAAR, instead of actually educating the children. Extracurriculars are basically nonexistent here as well. Speaking from a Vanguard standpoint, GT students were not "mocked" per se, but definitely looked down upon. Furthermore, if you are not an upper-middle-class family, I kindly suggest a different school. While your child may not be interested in the expensive things West U kids indulge in, they may be affected by it. For example:A child left his jacket home. He called his mother, who just delivered a brand new one to the school. That jacket was around $100.We talked about ourselves in class. One child had been to Hawaii more times than he could count.Most of the girls there wear a lot of Lululemon. I have nothing against the brand, but in the case your daughter also becomes hooked, be aware that a pair of leggings are $128+, and shorts are $50+. Furthermore, there was basically no diversity. Almost everyone was rich and white, or rich and Asian. There were 2 African American people in my entire grade. There is also a definite social hierarchy, placing the rich children with PTO parents on top.If it weren't for the overtly passionate PTO, West U would be in shambles from a nonexistent principal. This results in bias towards the children of the aforementioned PTO. This adds to the already incredibly wealthy and white population of the school. Unfortunately, the scores aren't representative of the actual education here, either. They prepare you for STAAR, but nothing else. To the other parents and students not understanding the problem, there is definitely something wrong with West U and it's administration. Often, while we stay in the school, that is something that we are blind to, but we must recognize and change these faults, rather than deny them.
Submitted by parent on September 28, 2017

I think both the good and bad reviews of this school are largely accurate. If your family fits the West U mold, then things will likely go well for you. If not, well you may want to look elsewhere. That said, my kids really like it there although my oldest rightfully complains about the homework load. It's not value add and I find that they push the kids hard. For some it's a blessing, others a curse. The school is large and impersonal but effective for most of its students. The Tiger Moms are also a bit of an issue although they do help the school in many ways.
Submitted by parent on November 22, 2016

After reading these reviews it is hard to ignore some of the complaints & criticisms by several parents. This is a very good school with many excellent teachers and a strong PTO, but agree with statements made by several about the emphasis on test scores, little administrative interaction (principal has utter disregard for women and is not in tune with what parents want as far as well-rounded education) and poor communication with parents, hiring of brand-new teachers with no experience and poor track record with kids and a lot of political maneuvering. Many teachers who have been complained about repeatedly remain in their jobs b/c the deliver good test scores each year. I do strongly disagree about the PTO criticisms and community service projects done throughout the year. The PTO is active, organized and raises a tremendous amount of money that goes directly back into the school. The community service projects are for excellent causes and at least show some of the kids who live in a bit of a bubble that there are many people in need outside the perimeter of our neighborhood. I do also agree with one reviewer that it is really sad that this school has no foreign language ancillary class and a pitiful art and music program. Overall, a good school.
Submitted by parent on August 21, 2016

Principal has his own personal agenda and anyone that gets in the way will be thrown under the bus. The average ratings is because the teachers are awesome!
Submitted by parent on April 29, 2016

WUES is a public school, which means it's big (as a matter of fact, a little overcrowded) and VERY impersonal. I have kids there right now and let me tell you how rude and cold most of the staff and most of the teachers are to the parents, unless you are a PTO officer. Don't be fooled by its rankings. Those ratings are based off standard test scores. Given it's in one of the wealthiest neighborhoods in Texas, the caliber of the student body is high to begin with, so I believe even if the teachers didn't teach anything, these mostly privileges kids would have done wel anyway. The school is a big bureaucracy and they really don't care about the people who send kids there, unless again if you are a PTO officer or, presumably, a generous donor. Teaching quality is inconsistent, as are the grade curricula. Many (most?) kids get outside tutoring - and their families can well afford it. I should have sent my kids to private schools - in fact I'm looking to transfer them out. If you can afford it, go private school and don't send your kids here to become standardized test guinea pigs - unless you are the PTO/PTA parent type.
Submitted by parent on April 17, 2016

I have had two children go through WUES over the last 8 years. It has been great for my kids. I agree that there is a certain rigidity in the program, but these kids leave and are prepared for any school they will attend. I believe there is a lot of value in that! We have had many great teachers and the school does an amazing job of attempting to create a solid match for students and teachers, based on descriptions that parents provide. Some kids need more structure while some need more nurturing. There is an active PTO with many parent volunteer opportunities. When HISD cut art and music funding, the PTO crested a far superior art program! Overall, I am very grateful to WUES for helping us to educate and socialize our children. Thank you!
Submitted by other on January 12, 2016

Everyone that works in the school seem extremely unhappy! I wouldn't trust my children going there!
Submitted by parent on December 08, 2015

Strong academic foundation and tough discipline on kids prepare them well for middle school. No school around, private or public, except TC Rogers/ROE can touch WU kids' test scores, and switching classes from 3rd/4th grade onwards gets them ready for block scheduling.
Submitted by parent on November 09, 2015

Though the school is located in the wealthiest neighborhood, it is shocking to find out WUES does not have music and art classes! It is ironic and pathetic to see that those "affluent" parents did not realize the importance of music and arts from the early children even though the PTO has around $400K retained earnings!! Shocking, shocking, shocking! Most administrators in the school are rigid, bureaucratic, ignorant and absurd arrogant without knowing their limitations and how behind this school is comparing to other really good schools. The teachers' email address cannot be found on the school website. Parents have to send in the notes to the teachers and wait for the teachers' call. Playing phone tags are quite often which is extremely inefficient.For any new students, there are no evaluation of the students' level so that proper placement is to be done. Even if the students have totally mastered the knowledge from the prior study, the student will still be placed in the regular class. The school refuses to at least evaluate the student to ensure him/her is properly challenged. Horrible!!!The sad truth again illustrates that the economic affluence does not necessarily translate to the cultural enrichment.A significant portion of the homework are non value added. Students spend a lot of time decorating the pages of the homework rather than spending time learning the knowledge itself. No school bus is provided. The school starts at 7:45 am and the kids will not have lunch until after 1:25 pm!!! The kids will be sent out for recess even when the temperature is over 110 and the humidity is over 85%!
Submitted by parent on October 15, 2015

Mix of the films Stepford Wives and Disturbing Behavior. If you're not in page 6 of the Chronicle or going to the Soirees then you're ignored or treated poorly. The neighborhood screams nouveau riche and treats the school kids like they are there to only follow instructions. No critical or creative thinking. Only worksheets and not age appropriate homework. This school is bizarre.
Submitted by other on September 03, 2015

The school is a reflection of the community it serves, and I'm very pleased so far with the education my child is getting at WUE.The teachers do an excellent job, and my child is influenced to want to learn from her respect for teachers in kinder and 1st grade. She has looked forward to her days at school, which makes my life easy in getting her motivated...she loves it.
Submitted by parent on March 30, 2015

I'm a working mom who travels often and recently moved to this area. I don't know anyone at the school prior to my son attending and I still do not know that many people and am not associated with the PTO. I read several reviews and almost enrolled my son in a private school. Curriculum- curriculum is more difficult- that's true and I wish there was more time for the kids to adjust out of pre-k into kindergarten or the school. My son was in a pre-k program that although it was private it still did not prepare him for week2 of kindergarten... Teacher - I've been very luck that my son is in a class with a wonderful and patient teacher. I really couldn't ask for more. Staff- I have had to communicate with staff outside of teachers. inst. Coordinator Daphne Rawlinson, Tracey Wyatt, They have really been phenomenal. PTO- my person opinion is that the PTO is a bit enclosed to those who know each other. i don't have the time to volunteer in the PTO but for those who do, might take a little effort. PTO does do a lot of things that elevate our kids opportunities, for that I'm thankful. Overall great school, you will not find one that meets 100% of your desires.