Higher Education

Texas A&M University

Bush School of Government
George Bush Presidential Library

With its proud traditions, its record of academic research and athletic excellence and its status as the third largest university in the nation, Texas A&M University could have no better home than Bryan-College Station. Fall 2001 enrollment was a record 44,618. Texas A&M is expected to continue to rank among the five largest universities in the nation, but comparative figures are not yet available for the current academic year. It was the fastest growing university in the nation until an enrollment-management plan was initiated to maintain high standards of teaching excellence. Women account for almost half of total enrollment, African American and Hispanic students account for approximately 11 percent of the student body. TAMU ranks among the top dozen U.S. institutions in enrollment of new National Merit Scholars. Overall student body includes about 700 National Merit Scholars.

With a 5,200-acre campus housing more than 100 buildings and a 434-acre research park, the value of the campus exceeds $1 billion. A&Ms colleges of agriculture, business administration, engineering, geosciences and veterinary medicine are among the largest in the United States, while its Corps of Cadets is the nations largest uniformed student organization outside of the service academies. A&M has come a long way since its establishment in 1876 as the first public institution of higher education in Texas. From its early focus on agricultural and mechanical studies, it has expanded to encompass 10 colleges offering 151 fields of undergraduate study, 147 at the masters level, 105 at the doctoral level and two professional degrees: doctor of medicine and doctor of veterinary medicine.

In 1995, A&M added a $36.4 million Student Recreation Center to its campus. The center includes a state-of-the-art natatorium that has already hosted national swim meets. In the fall of 1996, A&M joined the Big 12 Conference, lending its name to significant exposure. In November of 1997, one of the most significant events since the founding of the university was the opening of the George Bush Presidential Library and Museum which continues to attract large numbers of visitors to the area.

A&M is a component of the Texas A&M University System, headquartered in College Station. Other member universities include; Prairie View, Tarleton State, Texas A&M International, Texas A&M - Corpus Christi, Texas A&M - Kingsville, West Texas A&M, Texas A&M - Commerce, Texas A&M - Texarkana and the Baylor College of Dentistry. System institutions include the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station, the Texas Agricultural Extension Service, the Texas Animal Damage Control Service, the Texas Engineering Experiment Station, Texas Engineering Extension Service, the Texas Forest Service, the Texas Transportation Institute and the Texas Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory.
Located in College Station: 979-845-3211 www.tamu.edu

Blinn College

Blinn College is the premiere community college in Texas. Blinn boasts:

The highest transfer rate in the state

The highest percentage of students who go on to earn bachelors degree

Transfers more students to TexasA&MUniversity than does any other college

Has among the highest pass rates in the state (95%+) on board and licensing exams in technical education.

Deep Roots. Strong Commitment. Blinn has been educating Texans since 1883 when it opened in Brenham. It began offering classes in Bryan/College Station in 1970. There are also campuses in Schulenburg and Sealy.

Enrollment at the four campuses is 14,000 with 10,000 of those taking classes in Bryan/College Station. Blinn also offers dual credit college courses to students in area high schools.

Blinn offers three types of educational programs:

Transfer: Courses offered in the Associate in Arts and Associate in Science degrees are designed to transfer to four-year institutions.

Technical: An Associate in Applied Science degree prepares the graduate for immediate employment in criminal justice, nursing, physical therapist assistant, radiologic technology, child development, business, dental hygiene, fire science, emergency medical technician, information management, legal assistant, and computer network technology. Many of these programs also offer one-year certificates.

Workforce: Programs are available in many health-related and industrial fields, real estate, and food service. Workforce education also has many online course offerings.

Blinn College . Proven.

Located in Bryan: 979-209-7200, www.blinn.edu

Public Sector - Elementary and Secondary Schools

BRYAN I.S.D.

The Bryan Independent School District strives to fulfill their motto, Developing minds that think, and hearts that care, throughout each and every school year.

The first Bryan campus opened in 1877, and now more than 13,000 students attend Bryan I.S.D. schools. There are 16 elementary schools, therefore, children attend school in their own neighborhood. Bryan High School expanded its space, and all schools are technology advanced with Internet access in the Kyle Field Texas A&M libraries and classrooms. Facilities continue to be improved along with every other aspect of the Bryan I.S.D organization. The Bryan school district continually strives to hire the best classroom teachers available, and their success is largely attributed to the quality of faculty and staff that has been assembled.

Bryan ISD has 11 campuses that Texas Education Agency has recognized for academic excellence. Six of those schools have achieved the TEAs highest rating of Exemplary. They are Bowen, Crockett, Sam Houston, Johnson, Navarro and Sul Ross elementaries.

The non-profit organizations Texas Business Education Coalition and Just for the Kids has recognized three campuses for their continuing success. Houston and Bowen were named to the annual Honor Roll, an award given to only 26 elementary schools in Texas. Bryan ISD was one of only four districts that had more than one school on that list. Johnson Elementary was featured in Texas Monthly magazine after the two groups tabbed the school as one of the Top 10 in its category.

Bowen and Johnson are also the only National Blue Ribbon Schools of Excellence in the area. Johnson received its award in 1999, with Bowen achieving the award in 2001. The honor, designated by the U.S. Department of Education, is considered the highest award for academic achievement.

Bryan High School is one of only 70 high schools in the nation that is named a National Service-Learning Leader school by the Corporation for National Service. This is a presidential initiative that recognizes schools for their excellence in service-learning, where academics are combined with service to the community. Also, Bryan High School has a statewide recognized Advanced Placement Program offering 16 courses including, calculus, foreign languages, computer science, physics, history, and economics.
Located in Bryan: 979-361-5200

College Station I.S.D.

The mission of College Station Independent School District, in partnership with the community, is to provide a quality education that prepares students for the challenges of life. With an enrollment of more that 7,300 students, CSISD is a growing district that is constantly changing to meet the needs of its current and future students. Students attend classes in one of five elementary schools (Head Start/Pre-K through fourth grade), Oakwood Intermediate School and Cypress Grove Intermediate School (fifth and sixth grade), A&M Consolidated Middle School and College Station Middle School (seventh and eighth grade) and A&M Consolidated High School (ninth through twelfth grade). CSISD’s programs also include an Alternative Education Program. The Texas Education Agency rates College Station ISD a Recognized district. The Texas Education Agency rated Oakwood Intermediate as Exemplary and College Hills Elementary, College Station Middle School, Pebble Creek Elementary, and South Knoll Elementary as Recognized campuses and all other schools as Academically Acceptable. Since 1998, the district has been ranked as a Blue Ribbon School District by Expansion Management Magazine in its annual “Education Quotient” issue. Also, the high school UIL academic team won district and placed in state competition. Dozens of students received regional or state music awards.

A&M Consolidated High School won the prestigious Siemens Award for outstanding student and teacher accomplishments in advanced placement science and math courses. Seventytwo students were named Advanced Placement Scholars. A&M Consolidated was named among the Best 500 High Schools in the nation by Newsweek magazine.

District-wide, CSISD students scored well above average on the 2000 TAAS tests. Seniors also outperformed their peers on both the SAT and the ACT college entrance exams. Ninety-two percent of the 2000 Consolidated senior class had plans for college; they were offered about $2 million in academic and athletic scholarships. Seven of the 2001 graduates were named National Merit Finalists and 25 were Commended students.
Located in College Station: 979-764-5400

Private Sector - Elementary and Secondary Schools

Allen Academy

Founded in 1886, Allen is committed to its vision of remaining one of the most desirable preparatory schools in the southwest. The school and its programming are driven by three core values:

Allen is exclusively college preparatory our students prepare for entrance into and success within the better colleges and universities in the country. They encounter the best practices in educational theory on a daily basis and are comfortable in the forefront of innovation. The Pre-Kindergarten through Twelfth grade curriculum culminates in the junior and senior year with only Honors or Advanced Placement courses offered to students in the core content areas.

Allen provides focused resources for each child we know that success in the newmillennium is dependent upon student understanding of a global economy andrelationship, emerging technologies, and the need for an educational environmentthat provides a competitive advantage in college and the workplace. Allens programs focus upon these realities.

Allens culture is inclusive, responsible, and transparent our philosophy is to enrollfamilies, not just students. Our commitment to character development, leadership, and civic duty is paramount in our programs, our curriculum, and our daily interaction with one another and the BrazosValley.

Allen is accredited by SACS (Southern Association of Colleges and Schools) and is a member of NAIS (National Association of Independent Schools). To secure your childs future success, please call (979) 776-0731 or visit our website at www.allenacademy.org.

Brazos Christian School

Fully accredited, BrazosChristianSchoolis now in its 26th year of providing superior results without compromising its original Christian purpose.BrazosChristianSchooloffers Pre-Kindergartenthrough twelfth grade programs with approximately 250 students on a well-equipped twenty-four acre campus. Highly qualified, state certified teachers compassionately develop students in truth, wisdom, and virtue.

Our rigorous educational approach is Classical, integrating learning objectives according to the students natural development. Students learn not just subject matter, but how to think, reason, and communicate from a biblical worldview. Success for us begins when our students acquire both the tools for and joy of learning. It culminates when they make a passion for Christ their life-long pursuit.

At BrazosChristianSchool students are given a strong foundation in the Scriptures and taught by certified faculty who care about each student. We are a Christian community and consider ourselves an extension of the Christian home. Students are challenged to learn and develop in the context of love. Additionally, our environment is safe and conducive for learning.

School of Grammar (PreK-5)
The Brazos Christian Grammar School is a great place to be! What an exciting adventure we take each day looking into the world that God has created. The Grammar School has two broad objectives. First, it seeks to train children as they develop the foundational skills for learning. Second, it seeks to cultivate in each child the joy of learning that will last a lifetime! In a classical instructional program, students in these foundational grades master the basic knowledge and skills needed to prepare them for our Schools of Logic and Rhetoric. In the Grammar School years, students are challenged, as well as nurtured academically, physically, and spiritually .

School of Logic (6-8)
Brazoss ChristianSchools 6th through 8th graders are taught formal logic and learn to develop their reasoning skills. Their understanding of logic will equip them to recognize valid and invalid arguments, and provide them with the tools to understand and articulate their ideas and opinions in rational discourse. Their desire for independence in thought is stimulated and challenged as they interact with their peers and teachers on the basis of sound and true arguments; thus equipping them to face an ever changing world with unchanging truth.

School of Rhetoric (9-12)
Brazoss ChristianSchools 9th through 12th graders are trained to bring their learning together and to articulate eloquently in oral and written expression. Students are trained for leadership through rigorous academics, community service, and a wide-range of cultural experiences. The School of Rhetoric teaches student to engage their culture from a position of understanding the ideas that have influenced the shaping of all cultures. Students engage in the great conversations of history as they study the Western tradition of art, literature, history, theology, and philosophy chronologically. The School of Rhetoric curriculum prepares students for college and life thereafter.

Nearly every graduate has gone on to the college or university of their choice, furthermore, some are receiving significant academic and athletic scholarships to universities such as the Air Force Academy, Baylor University, Blinn College, Citadel, Purdue University, Rice University, Sam Houston State University, Texas A&M University, Texas State University, University of Mary Hardin Baylor, University of Texas in Austin, and the University of Wisconsin.

Brazos Christian School welcomes inquiries and enrolls year-round. You are invited to visit the campus at 3000 West Villa Maria Road in Bryan. Ask for Admissions Director, Kelly Rogers at 979-823-1000. You can also visit our website at www.bcseagles.org

Brazos Valley Adventist School

Children are our most important resource! The future of our community depends on the quality of education they receive. At Brazos Valley Adventist School we cherish each child as a gift from God. Since the 1860’s the development of the whole person in Body, Mind, and Spirit has been the goal of Adventist education. Over the last century we have built the second largest Christian School System in the world. With the opening of Brazos Valley Adventist School we bring to the Bryan / College Station area a real alternative in Chrisitan Education. We use a multi-grade system that builds the knowledge of students each year and allows students to advance as quickly as they are able. Fully accreditted, with an award winning curriculum, and loving Christian Teachers, BVAS is a great place to invest in your child’s future. Academically the national Iowa Test of Basic Skills (a test similar to the TAAS) results have shown Adventist Education to be a premier private christian education. The majority of students in Adventist Schools go on to college and many of them persue graduate and post-graduate degrees. The Seventh-day Adventist Church supports a system of Colleges and Universities throughout the world with such well known campuses as Loma Linda University and Andrews University. Pacific Union College was recently in a list of top ten colleges in the USA right behind Harvard. We invite children of all faiths in grades K through 8 to join us for the next school year. For more information contact Dr. William Davis at 693-5055 or the school at 595-1115, or visit our website at www.nadeducation.adventist.org .

St. Joseph School

Since 1894, St. Joseph Catholic School has provided a rich heritage and Catholic environment of excellence in educating the mind, body and spirit of 3-year-olds through the 12th grade. St. Joseph boasts two campuses enrolling over 421 students, instructed by 45 teachers. As a member of the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools (TAPPS), varsity competition is provided in academics and athletics. Small class size and a low studentteacher ratio enforce the high academic standards placed in basic, enrichment and college preparatory classes. The school is fully accredited by the Texas Catholic Conference.
Located in Bryan: 979-822-6641ST.

St. Michael’s Academy

Providing a college preparatory education for Brazos Valley students since 1972, St. Michaels Academy is affiliated with the Episcopal church but has a non-denominational enrollment. The more than 160 students who attend St. Michaels during the 2001-2002 school year are enrolled in nursery school classes through 12th grade and are instructed by 30 teachers. Twenty-five percent of the 2001 graduating class were named National Merit Semifinalists. All courses are considered honors or advanced placement level. The school is accredited by the Southwestern Association of Episcopal Schools.
Located in Bryan: 979-822-2715