One of the major factors that homebuyers take into consideration when moving is what school their children could attend. In fact, 22 percent of realtor.com visitors age 35-44 identified the desire to be near good schools as one of their top reasons to purchase a home. 

Niche, a neighborhood and school analysis website, recently released its 2018 rankings of Houston-area elementary schools, and residents within the Katy Independent School District are in luck. Elementary schools in the Katy ISD took up the top 15 spots on Niche’s rankings.

The website creates the rankings based on weighted factors:

• Academics, which are based on state assessment proficiency and survey responses from students and parents
• Teachers, which measures a number of details, including teacher salaries, absenteeism, state test results and survey responses from teachers themselves
• Overall District, which looks at academic and student life data
• Culture and Diversity, which reviews racial and economic diversity
• Parent/Student Niche surveys on the overall experience 

The top elementary school in the area is to Fred & Patti Shafer Elementary School, which boasts a 95 percent proficiency in reading and 96 percent proficiency in math. It is ranked No. 42 out of all elementary schools in Texas and No. 66 for best public elementary school teachers in Texas. Although the school has more than 1,000 students, it boasts a student-to-teacher ratio of 15:1, which is lower than the national average of 16:1.

Katy ISD was the highest rated Houston-based district on Niche’s list of 2018 Best School Districts in Texas, coming in at No. 14. Pearland Independent School District followed closely behind at No. 16.