Founded in 1956,The Awty International School is a

private school Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

located in Spring Branch, western

Houston, Texas Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 i ...

, United States. Awty allows its students to receive the

International Baccalaureate The International Baccalaureate (IB), formerly known as the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO), is a nonprofit foundation headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, and founded in 1968. It offers four educational programmes: the IB D ...

or the French Baccalauréat, and is the only school in Houston fully accredited by the

French Ministry of Education French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Fran ...

, making it the only overseas school for French national students in the Houston area. It has age three to 12th grade students. Awty is the largest

international school An international school is an institution that promotes education in an international environment or framework. Although there is no uniform definition or criteria, international schools are usually characterized by a multinational student body an ...

in the United States and the largest private day school in Houston. It is part of the

Agency for French Education Abroad The Agency for French Education Abroad, or Agency for French Teaching Abroad, (french: Agence pour l'enseignement français à l'étranger; abbreviation: AEFE), is a national public agency under the administration of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs ...

(AEFE) network of schools for French national students abroad.

History

Awty opened at 3736

Westheimer Road Westheimer Road () is an arterial east–west road in Houston, Texas, United States. It runs from Bagby Street in Downtown and terminates at the Westpark Tollway on the southern edge of George Bush Park, stretching about long. The street was ...

on September 10, 1956.Hughes, Kim.
Awty school marks its 50th
" ''

Houston Chronicle The ''Houston Chronicle'' is the largest daily newspaper in Houston, Texas, United States. , it is the third-largest newspaper by Sunday circulation in the United States, behind only ''The New York Times'' and the ''Los Angeles Times''. With i ...

''. September 8, 2006. Memorial News. Retrieved on May 17, 2014. Originally a pre-school,About Awty

Archive
Awty International School. Retrieved on May 16, 2014. it was founded by Kathleen "Kay" Awty.Behrens, Tom.
Awty building planned for elementary grades
" ''

''. November 19, 2013. Updated November 26, 2013. Retrieved on May 16, 2014. The school initially had 27 students at the kindergarten and prekindergarten levels. The school moved to 1615 Garretson Street in 1960. By 1970, It served grades preschool through sixth. By that same year there were 250 students enrolled. The upper school division opened in 1975, and in 1976 four female students graduated from the high school, forming the first graduating class. In 1979, Awty merged with the French School of Houston and began offering a bilingual program.Farrar, Ross. "International school pupils to perform." ''

''. Sunday, April 16, 1989. Section C p. 1W.

NewsBank NewsBank is a news database resource that provides archives of media publications as reference materials to libraries. History John Naisbitt, the author of the book ''Megatrends'', founded NewsBank.Andrews 1998, p. 17. The company was launched ...

Record Number 04*16*616464. Available from the

Houston Public Library Houston Public Library is the public library system serving Houston, Texas, United States. History Houston Lyceum and the Carnegie Library The Houston Public Library system traces its founding to the creation of the second Houston Lyceum in ...

website with a library card. That year, the school moved to its current campus. In 1984 the school received its current name, the Awty International School. A preschool facility opened in 1990. Kay Awty died in 1996. On the school's 50th anniversary in 2006, a $5 million athletic complex including a 1,400-seat stadium, 85 parking spaces, and tennis courts were constructed.

Affiliations and accreditation

Awty is affiliated with the Mission Laïque Française. Agencies accrediting Awty include the

(IB), the

Independent Schools Association of the Southwest The Independent Schools Association of the Southwest (ISAS) is a nonprofit association of 89 independent schools located in the U.S. states of Arizona, Kansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas. ISAS is a member of the National A ...

(ISAS), the Ministry of National Education of France, and the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science of the

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.Accreditations, Affiliations, & Memberships

Archive
. Awty International School. Retrieved on May 17, 2014. Awty is also affiliated with Agence pour l'enseignement français à l'étranger (AEFE), the

Council of International Schools The Council of International Schools (CIS) is a membership organization aimed at international education. CIS was formed in 1949. It has over 1,360 institutional members consisting of over 740 schools and 610 colleges/universities, located in 122 ...

(CIS), the

National Association of Independent Schools The National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) is a U.S.-based membership organization for private, nonprofit, K-12 schools. Founded in 1962, NAIS represents independent schools and associations in the United States, including day, boa ...

(NAIS), the Association for the Advancement of International Education (AAIE), the

Southwest Preparatory Conference The Southwest Preparatory Conference (SPC) is an athletic conference for certain private high schools in Texas and Oklahoma. It is composed of the following schools: * The Awty International School in Houston, Texas *Casady School in Oklahoma Cit ...

(SPC), Houston Junior Preparatory Conference (HJPC), Houston Area Independent Schools (HAIS), and Texas International Baccalaureate Schools (TIBS).

Curriculum

The school offers the IB Diploma, the French Baccalauréat diploma, and a general high school diploma. As of 2021, Awty is the only school in Greater Houston offering both tracks to the International Baccalaureate and French Baccalauréat diplomas, and the only school in Texas requiring all seniors to take the final exams in one of these two programs.Wilkinson, Emily.
Houston private schools struggle with boom in applicants
" ''

Houston Business Journal American City Business Journals, Inc. (ACBJ) is an American newspaper publisher based in Charlotte, North Carolina. ACBJ publishes The Business Journals, which contains local business news for 44 markets in the United States, Hemmings Motor New ...

''. April 18, 2014. Retrieved on May 18, 2014. The AEFE accredits Awty. Preparing students for the global lives they are sure to lead, all students are immersed in the study of a second language. The form of immersion varies depending on the grade level. Students in PK3 through Kindergarten are immersed in either English/French or English/Spanish. In 1st grade through 5th grade, language immersion is with core subjects taught in the primary language of either English, French, or Spanish and specials such as art, gym, and library are taught in the second language, as well as the daily hour-long second language class. Students in 6th grade through 12th grade attend a daily intensive second language class, and have extensive third language options. Languages in addition to English, French, and Spanish often include Arabic, German, Hindi, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, and Russian. On any given year, Awty typically offers ten different language options.

Campus

The main campus, with of land, is in Spring Branch in western Houston. It is in proximity to the intersection of the

610 Loop Interstate 610 (I-610) is a freeway that forms a loop around the inner city sector of the city of Houston, Texas. I-610, colloquially known as The Loop, Loop 610, The Inner Loop, or just 610, traditionally marks the border between the i ...

and

Interstate 10 Interstate 10 (I-10) is the southernmost cross-country highway in the American Interstate Highway System. I-10 is the fourth-longest Interstate in the United States at , following I-90, I-80, and I-40. This freeway is part of the originally p ...

,Baird, Annette.
Awty starts expansion project
" ''

''. June 14, 2011. Retrieved on May 17, 2014. and is northwest of it.Baird, Annette
Awty International opens new $7 million sports complex
" ''

''. May 19, 2008. Retrieved on May 17, 2014. The campus buildings together have 120 classrooms. A three-story, , 33-classroom facility, called the Levant Foundation Building, is located near the school's entrance. Opened in 2012, the building includes administrative offices, a dining hall, two art rooms, and a digital photography room. This facility replaced the preceding temporary buildings. The Levant Foundation Building and a five-story parking garage were the first phase of a four-phase, $50 million building program of facilities designed by Bailey Architects. The second phase of the project was completed in 2014 with the opening of an elementary building, which includes a computer lab, a media room, an infirmary, two art rooms, and a teacher's lounge and workroom. Awty historically relied on the use of temporary buildings, and elementary school classes were originally located in the school's original building, "Big Blue." Demolition of "Big Blue" was completed in August, 2014 to make way for the new Student Campus Center. In 2017, a second 5-acre Early Learning Campus was added nearby for students in PK3/PS, PK4/MS, Kinder/GS, and 1st grade/CP featuring 26 classrooms, dedicated indoor spaces for art, music, dining, after-school program, and technology, as well as a full gym. Outdoors, the facility features two playgrounds, learning gardens, and three decks for class activities. The former campus on Garrettson Street was west of the

,"''Texas Monthly'''s Guide to Private Schools Part Two." ''

Texas Monthly ''Texas Monthly'' (stylized as ''TexasMonthly'') is a monthly American magazine headquartered in Downtown Austin, Texas. ''Texas Monthly'' was founded in 1973 by Michael R. Levy and has been published by Emmis Publishing, L.P. since 1998 and is ...

''. Emmis Communications, October 1974. Vol. 2, No. 10. ISSN 0148-7736. Start pag
83
Cited: p
89
"The Awty School/ 1615 Garrettson, Houston 77027" in what is now the

Uptown Houston Uptown (more commonly called The Galleria Area) is a business district in Houston, located west of Downtown and is centered along Post Oak Boulevard and Westheimer Road ( Farm to Market Road 1093). The Uptown District is roughly bounded by ...

district.Uptown Houston
Map
Archive
. ''Uptown Houston''. Accessed July 22, 2008. It was in proximity to River Oaks and

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Student body

As of 2021, the school's enrollment was over 1,717 students. This makes it the largest

in the United States and the largest private school in Houston. As of that year the students originated from the United States, France, and 48 other countries.Awty International picks interim head to lead school
" ''

''. February 4, 2014. Retrieved on May 15, 2014. 54% are U.S. citizens, 12% are U.S. citizens with multiple citizenship, and 34% are from one or more of 50 other countries. Over 60% are bilingual.

Transportation

the school provides bus services for students to and from the Dairy Ashford area, Greater Katy, the Lakes on Eldridge/Lakes on Eldridge North/Twin Lakes area,

Memorial A memorial is an object or place which serves as a focus for the memory or the commemoration of something, usually an influential, deceased person or a historical, tragic event. Popular forms of memorials include landmark objects or works of ...

, Shadowbriar, Sugar Land, and the Town and Country Mall area in Spring Branch.

Athletics

In 2019-2020, The Awty International School joined the

(SPC) and Houston Junior Preparatory Conference (HJPC). Awty Sport

The athletic campus, Awty Field, is located at 1255 North Post Oak, adjacent to the main campus. Its opening ceremony was held on April 22, 2008. The athletic compound includes a stadium with 1,400 seats, four tennis courts, a press box, a polyethylene soccer pitch, 80 parking spaces, locker rooms, a storage facility,Hveem, Todd.
Athletics: Awty to inaugurate new stadium Tuesday
" ''

''. April 20, 2008. Bellaire Sports. Retrieved on May 17, 2014. offices of coaches, and a concessions stand. In addition it has a running track that circles around the other facilities. The track is long and has eight lanes. It has wide turns and a Beynon 1000 urethane surface. Stuart Holden, a midfielder for the

Houston Dynamo Houston Dynamo FC (formerly officially, but still commonly, called the Houston Dynamo) is an American professional soccer club based in Houston. The Dynamo compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. Establish ...

and an alumnus of the school, attended the 2008 opening ceremony. Prior to the opening of the athletic compound, each athletic team practiced off campus. Home tennis matched were played at the tennis courts of other schools in the 5A district of the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools. Practice for the tennis team was held at the Memorial Park Tennis Center at Memorial Park. The track team historically practiced at several stadiums of TAPPS 5A schools; in 2008 the team was practicing at the St. John's School. The soccer teams played only "away" games (games held at other schools or stadiums) before the opening of the new compound, and practiced on a soccer field on the Awty premises. Annette Baird of the ''

'' describes the former soccer field as "an undersized bumpy pitch". Currently, students competing in swimming at Awty practice at Dad's Club. Awty Athletics Team Championships

Notable alumni

* (Class of 2010) - sports anchor for SportsCenter (ESPNDeportes) in Mexico City *

Ted Cruz Rafael Edward "Ted" Cruz (; born December 22, 1970) is an American politician and attorney serving as the junior United States Senator from Texas since 2013. A member of the Republican Party, Cruz served as Solicitor General of Texas fro ...

(attended middle school) - United States

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

* Stuart Holden (Class of 2003) - midfielder for the

and

Bolton Wanderers Bolton Wanderers Football Club () is a professional football club based in Horwich, Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in . The club played at Burnden Park for 102 years from 1895 after moving from their original home at Pik ...

* Clint Smith (Class of 2006) - writer, poet, and activist

Notable faculty

* J. Fred Duckett - coach and history teacher * Ryan Harlan - NCAA National Champion in the Decathlon

References

External links

Awty International School official site

Architectural information on the renovation of Awty's lower school
{{authority control Private K-12 schools in Houston Independent Schools Association of the Southwest Preparatory schools in Texas French international schools in the United States International schools in Texas European-American culture in Houston French-American culture in Texas Educational institutions established in 1956 Spring Branch, Houston Bilingual schools in Houston 1956 establishments in Texas