Explore some Favorite Reading Resources
Sold a Story Podcast
by Investigative Education Reporter Emily Hanford
The entire podcast series is wonderful! I chose this particular episode for a good overview of reading. Below are highlights, and ALL of these things are addressed in EBLI instruction.
8:07 “Another big take away from decades of scientific research is that while we use our eyes to read, the starting point for reading is sound. What a child must do to become a reader is figure out how the words he hears and knows how to say connect to print on the page. Writing is a code humans invented to represent speech sounds. Kids have to crack the code to become readers.”
17:48 "Once kids can isolate the sounds in a word their next task is to understand how letters represent those sounds. In English we have 44 different speech sounds, or phonemes. Each phoneme is represented by a letter or combinations of letters. Research shows when kids are explicitly taught how letters represent phonemes, they become better readers.”
18:14 “But phonics isn’t enough. Kids can learn to decode words without knowing what the words mean. To comprehend what they are reading, kids need a good vocabulary too. Scientists came up with a model to explain the relationship between a person’s ability to decode text and their ability to comprehend what they are reading. Scientists called it the Simple View of Reading…..
Reading Comprehension = Decoding Skills X Language Comprehension. Language Comprehension is what develops naturally in children when people talk (and read) to them. Decoding is what kids have to be taught.”
45:56 “In fact research shows, phonic instruction helps them become better spellers. This doesn’t mean that phonics is all kids need….kids also need to know a lot of words and what they mean. And that’s why reading to children and surrounding them with good books is (also) really important…”
47:35 “The kids who suffer most... are kids with dyslexia. They have an especially hard time understanding the relationship between sounds and letters.”
Non-traditional education options for families in
The Woodlands, Magnolia, Spring, Tomball, Cypress, Waller, Katy, Richmond, Sugar Land, Houston and on-line.
Empowering Houston area families with Innovative Education Options
[ List updated 5/27/25]
Hello fellow parent,
The following is a list of education options N, NW, W, and SW of
Houston (and online) of what I call “people doing school
differently”. While raising my children, I found it hard to know all
the alternative forms of education that existed because only a
small fraction of them show up on Internet and map searches. I
continue to come across parents having the same experience,
and recently I discovered a wonderful organization, VELA, that
exists to support people redefining education. These innovative
schools/programs also would like more people to know they exist.
I am proud to say I am a member of VELA with my company
Empowering Learners, and one of my goals is to help connect
families with *VELA Founders, as well as other non-traditional
programs.
This list is an on-going process. It is nowhere near being
complete. The encouraging thing is I kept waiting to have a
complete list before publishing, but I kept finding schools! That is
good news for everyone looking for something different!
Please join me as part of the process and email me with any non-
traditional education programs/learning pods/schools that you
know of that are not on this list, and I will add them.
Feel free to pass this list on to others.
Happy school hunting :-),
April @ Empowering Learners
https://empowering-learners.net/—————————————————————————————————
Non Religious-Based School/Programs
—————————————————————————————————
Legacy Oaks
https://legacyoaksacademy.com/
4714 FM-1488, Unit 205, Conroe 77384
M,Tu,W Middle School
M,Tu,W,Th High school
*MindSprout Montessori
200 Noble St., Ste 5, Spring 77373
1-5 days
ages 3-13
Continuum Learning Homeschool Hybrid
https://www.continuumlearningschool.com/home
Spring
Tues, Wed, Thurs
PK-5th grade
Apogee Tomball
https://apogeetomball.com/home
21207 Hufsmith-Kohrville Rd, Ste B, Tomball 77375
1-5 day options
ages 4-14
Great Oak School
715 Carrell Street, Tomball 77375
6 months-3yrs old for parent and child
Preschool: 3, 4, or 5 half day/full day options
K (ages 4 - 6½): 5 days a week half day/full day options
grades 1-8: 5 days
CTL
https://www.centerforteachingandlearning.com/
10431 Hufsmith Rd., Tomball 77375
5 days a week
PK-12Lone Star College-Tomball Homeschool Dual Credit “ONLY” (solely for
Homeschool Students; students not mixed with college students)
https://www.lonestar.edu/TomballHomeSchool.htm
30555 Tomball Pkwy, Tomball 77375
M/W or T/TH High School
Our Creative: Homeschool Away From Home
14339 Torrey Chase Blvd. Unit E Houston 77014
half day, full day, and drop in
elm.-high school
*PEAK Academy
https://www.peakacademytexas.com/
10410 W Hidden Lake Ln, Richmond 77406
5 days
K-8 currently and developing & enrolling for a high school program
*The Coolnerds
https://www.facebook.com/thecoolnerdstribe
Richmond
Mon-Wed
grades 9-12
Fusion Academy
https://www.fusionacademy.com/about/customized-options-academic-
flexibility/
Galleria, Sugarland, Woodlands
Middle-High School
Acton Leadership Academy- 3 locations, ea. 5 days/wk
Woodlands/Magnolia: 33227 Forest West St., Magnolia 77354
Now serving ages: 5-18
Creekside/Tomball: 8202 Creekside Timbers Dr., Tomball 77375
Now serving ages: 5-16
Klein/Champions: 4820 Strack Rd., Houston 77069
Opening Fall 2025, ages 5-12———————————————————————————
Religious-Based School/Programs:
———————————————————————————
True North
https://truenortheducation.weebly.com/classestuition.html
6265 Shadowbend Pl, The Woodlands 77381
Tuesday academic classes, Thursday enrichment classes
grades 1-12
Legacy Prep
9768 Research Forest, The Woodlands 77354
2-3 days
PK-12
Regina Caeli Academy
7202 Farm to Market 2920, Spring 77379
on campus 2 days; at home learning 3 days
PK-12th grade
Libertas Classical Academy
https://www.libertasclassical.org/
8103 FM 1488, Magnolia 77354
3 days on campus, 2 at home scholastic days
grades K-12
Extraordinary Education
https://www.extraordinaryeducation.org/
9522 Carraway Lane | Magnolia 77354
1-5 days a week; Summer Camps
K-12
New Hope Christian School
http://new-hope-baptist.org/school/
32103 Decker Prairie Rd., Pinehurst 77362
PreK-12
Faith of NW Houston
https://www.homeschool-life.com/tx/nwhouston/
21022 Rosehill Church Rd., Tomball 77377
Wednesdays
K-12
Tomball Classes
http://www.tomballclasses.org/index.html
Tomball Bible Church, 400 N. Walnut, Tomball
1-2 days a week
? upper elm.-high school
Archway Christian Learning Center
https://archwaychristianlearningcenter.org/
Tomball
? 5 days a week
age 3-high school
Southwinds Christian Academy
16811 FM 2920, Tomball 77377
K4/K5 Tues, Wed, Thurs; grades 1-6 Mon-Thurs
K4-6th grade
Step By Step Christian School
https://www.stepbystepchristianschool.org/
1119 South Cherry Street Tomball 77375
5 days a week
infant-8th grade
*Heart of Christ Academy
https://heartofchristacademy.org/
Cypress
Tue, Wed, Thurs on campus, 2 at home school days
PK-8
Texas Freedom Academy
https://www.texasfreedomacademy.us/
13000 block of Cypress N Houston Road Cypress 77429
Mon.-Thurs. K-12*The Book Hooks Schoolhouse
10609 Grant Rd., Bldg G, Houston 77070
grades 2-5 M&W, 6-9 T&TH
grades 2-9
Heritage Preparatory School
2922 Cutten Rd, Houston 77066
5 days
Pre-K - 8th grade
S.H.I.E.L.D.
https://www.homeschool-life.com/tx/shield/
7710 Cherry Park Dr STE T, #213 Houston 77095
Friday enrichment classes; also offer a separate social membership of
activities for kids and moms
Nursery - 12th grade
Texas Christian School—has a University Style Schooling option
https://texaschristianschool.org/university-style-schooling/
17810 Kieth Harrow Blvd., Houston 77084
M, W, F
grades 1-12
Bluebonnet Home Scholars Collaborative
https://www.bluebonnetscholars.org/
St. Martin’s Lutheran Church, 1123 Burney Rd., Sugar Land 77498
Tue, Thurs, and Fridays
K-12
Second Baptist School (6 locations offering 2-5 days)
https://www.sbsum-cypress.org/
29900 Hwy 290, Cypress 77433 (and 5 other locations across Houston)
M/W or T/TH
PK-12PREP Classes
Cypress: 11711 Cypress N. Houston
Katy: 1351 S. Mason Road
Elementary-High School
Classical Conversations
https://classicalconversations.com/
several locations
ages 4-12—————————————————————————————————-
Online Schooling:
—————————————————————————————
Clonara (offer optional accredited courses)
https://clonlara.org/our-programs/
“Off-Campus Program” : they help you make whatever courses you want
your children to take fit into a transcript and be accredited if you want; even
retroactively apply to courses finished
“Online Courses” : they offer unique courses
Outschool
srsltid=AfmBOooT0VC8wqW84bcG0Anx6_1GRfYioo61-4ajPHtUu7QE09iFj
ZuJ
Fusion Academy—offers an online hybrid and online only options
https://www.fusionacademy.com/about/customized-options-academic-
flexibility/
Galleria, Sugarland, Woodlands
PennFoster
https://www.pennfoster.edu/high-school/diploma
high school
KeyStone
https://www.keystoneschoolonline.com/
K-12
ABEKA
https://www.abeka.com/Homeschool/Products/AbekaAcademy/
K4-12
Liberty
https://www.liberty.edu/lp/online-academy/why-luoa/
K-12
BYU-Dual Credit (high school and college credit earned same time) and
you do not have to be enrolled in the college
High School—————————————————————————————————-
School/Programs Specifically for Neurodivergent Students:
—————————————————————————————
*Paradigm Development Center
https://paradigmdevelopmentcenter.com/index.html
Houston
5 days
ages 8-22
*Practical Education and Knowledge LLC
4701 FM 2920 Ste. C5, Spring 77388
3 or 5 days
K-12
Gateway Academy
https://www.thegatewayacademy.org/
Gateway Academy-Young Adult Program
3721 Dacoma St., Houston 77092
MISCELLANEOUS
Though the original intent of this list was for schools/programs, along
the way I found other helpful resources I decided to include:
—————————————————————————————————-
Lists of Resources:
—————————————————————————————
Lists of Unconventional Schooling Options:
https://greaterhoustonmoms.com/nine-unconventional-schools-houston/
Lists of Homeschool Options:
https://texashomeeducators.org/resource-directory/
https://www.joyandvalorlife.com/homeschool-groups-in-the-houston-area/
homeschool-groups-in-the-houston-area
List of Homeschool Electives/Enrichment/Sports/Arts:
http://www.tomballclasses.org/Resources.html
—————————————————————————————————
Homeschool Organizations:
—————————————————————————————
G-HAH: Greater Houston Area Home Educators
https://texashomeeducators.org—————————————————————————————————
Homeschool Social Activity Groups:
—————————————————————————————
S.H.I.E.L.D.
https://www.homeschool-life.com/tx/shield/
7710 Cherry Park Dr,STE T, #213, Houston 77095
social activities for kids and moms (also have separate Fri. enrichment
classes)
Nursery - 12th grade
—————————————————————————————————
Summer Camps for 2025:
—————————————————————————————
Extraordinary Education
https://www.extraordinaryeducation.org/summer-camps-2025
9522 Carraway Lane | Magnolia 77354
*MindSprout Montessori
https://www.mindsprout.me/summercamp
200 Noble St., Ste 5 | SPRING 77373
ages 3-12
*Practical Education and Knowledge LLC (unsure if only for neurodivergent
students or not)
https://www.practicaled.org/special-events-camps
4701 FM 2920 Ste. C5, Spring 77388
*Paradigm Development Center (for neurodivergent students)
https://paradigmdevelopmentcenter.com/events.html
14420 Sylvanfield Drive Suite 140, Houston 77014
ages 11-17, 18+
Education
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