Convenience Big Store: A Woodlands private school is among the best in Texas, new ranking shows

Woodlands' John Cooper School is the third-best K-12 private school in Texas, per Niche.

The Woodlands' John Cooper School is the 27th-best K-12 private school in the United States, according to Niche's 2024 Best Schools in America list.

The school was Niche's top-rated K-12 private school in Montgomery County, ranking second in the Houston area behind St. John's School and third in Texas. With its Rock Center facility completed in 2015, the school ranked as the second-best high school for STEM in the Houston area.

Other Conroe ISD schools to make the cut include Conroe High School and The Woodlands High School, which are Texas' second- and fifth- largest high schools, respectively.

The Woodlands' iSchool High has the best public high school teachers in the Houston area, per the report, while The Woodlands' Sam Houston State University Charter Schools has the second-best elementary school teachers in Texas. The Woodlands Christian Academy made the cut as the fourth-best Christian high school in the Houston area. Read the full story here.

Are there any other local schools you think deserved a shout out? Let me know at claire.partain@houstonchronicle.com.

Claire Partain, Suburban reporter producer

Claire.Partain@houstonchronicle.com

Growing The Woodlands

Howard Hughes Corp. and Montgomery County have released renderings of what the new library and community center will look like at the former Grogan's Mill Shopping Center.

Photo by: Montgomery County

New renderings show $16M library, community center in The Woodlands.

Montgomery County and Howard Hughes Corp. officially released visual plans of a $16.5 million renovation for part of the Grogan's Mill Village Center in The Woodlands with a new library and community center.

Education

Photo by: Jerry Lara/Staff Photographer

Splendora, Willis ISDs join 100 districts across Texas in lawsuit over TEA ratings. What to know.

Houston-area schools have joined other Texas districts in a lawsuit against the Texas Education Agency to prevent the agency from applying new rules and methodologies to its A-F accountability scores.

Need to Know

Photo by: Houston Chronicle

Woodlands day care worker indicted, accused of spanking, bruising 3-year-old boy.

A Woodlands day care worker was indicted Tuesday for allegedly spanking a 3-year-old boy, leaving bruises and red marks on his buttocks.

A drought stressed tree is seen in an apartment complex, Thursday, Sept. 21, 2023, in New Caney. Many trees leaves have turned brown a drought conditions and several days this summer with temperatures of more than 100 degrees have stressed the vegetation across the region.

Photo by: Jason Fochtman, Staff Photographer

Conroe residents raise alarm over dead trees from drought and heat.

Multiple days of triple-digit temperatures paired with the lack of rain this summer has delivered a wallop to Montgomery County trees. Here's how to know if there's any hope for a distressed tree.