Admissions FAQ

Students in grades 4-12 receive letter/number grades. Students in grades K-3 receive a narrative report.

All students in grades K-12 receive a quarterly report card.

We do not give the STAAR test, nor do we require scores from the STAAR for admission.

Students succeed at Briarwood. Once accepted, we will do everything possible to ensure the success of that student.

Check out our summer program, Project Briarwood, designed for grade levels 1 through 6. We are introducing Project Briarwood Junior this summer, for kids in PreK 4 and Kindergarten.  Project Briarwood and Project Briarwood Junior are four weeks, June 5 through June 30. For more information, go to www.briarwoodschool.org/academics/summer.

Yes. Many of our students come to us having grappled with long hours of nightly homework. Briarwood teachers may make individual homework assignments with the skills and pace of each student in mind.

For students in the Lower School (K-6), an After School Program is provided on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday from 3 p.m. – 5 p.m. Mustang Madness offers several classes including art, music, sports, tutoring, and speech supported classes.

Students in grades 7-12 may participate in Briarwood’s interscholastic athletic programs. Sports activities include track, basketball, flag football, tennis, soccer, golf, cross country, and volleyball.  Students in 6th grade may participate in spring track.

Briarwood offers need-based tuition assistance through Blackbaud Financial Aid Management. The application and acceptance process is separate from the tuition assistance process. An application for tuition assistance may be submitted only after the contract is accepted. (Please see tuition assistance procedures below.) Tuition assistance covers only a portion of the tuition.

While tuition assistance is offered, it is important for the family to assume primary responsibility for financing their child’s education.  Both parents/guardians, if applicable, are expected to contribute to tuition.  When completing tuition assistance documents, both parents/guardians are expected to include all assets.  This includes parents who are divorced, separated or not married. 

Briarwood strives to offer tuition assistance to as many families as possible through grants and donations.  Our funds are limited to the amount raised and families who are awarded assistance are expected to sell raffle tickets, secure sponsorships and participate in volunteer activities.

An application for tuition assistance can be made after the student has been accepted and all required enrollment paperwork is received by Briarwood.  Assistance is granted on the basis of the financial information provided.  The Briarwood school determines tuition assistance annually.  Amounts may change and are not guaranteed from year to year.

Briarwood uses BlackBaud Financial Aid Management to process tuition assistance applications for parents of current students only:

Financial Aid Management For Parents

At various grade levels, there may be openings throughout the school year.  Applications may still be accepted after speaking with either Beth Anchondo, Director of Admissions, or Ashley Ackerman, Admissions Associate.  Please email for a phone appointment to discuss your child further.

Acceptance is based on our ability to meet the educational, emotional, and social needs of each student, and the availability of appropriate classroom placement.

Click here to go directly to the Admissions Process page.

Thank you for your interest in the Briarwood School. The application deadline for first round admissions decisions for the 2023-24 school year has passed. Applications may still be accepted after speaking with either Beth Anchondo, Director of Admissions, or Ashley Ackerman, Admissions Associate.  Please email for a phone appointment to discuss your child further.

After re-enrollment is completed for our current students in late February, Division Directors and the Director of Admissions will meet to discuss how many spots are available for each grade level.

Acceptances will be offered on March 10, 2023

Students may be considered throughout the year as space allows.

All students enrolled at Briarwood shall be immunized against vaccine preventable diseases caused by infectious agents in accordance with the immunization schedule adopted by the Texas Department of State Health Services. A student who fails to present the required evidence shall not be accepted for enrollment. The only exception to the foregoing requirement is a medical exemption signed by a licensed physician (M.D. or D.O) authorized to practice in the State of Texas, which includes the physician’s license number. The Briarwood school nurse will review the immunization status of all enrolled students.

The Briarwood School does not accept exemptions based on conscientious objections.

Homerooms are limited to 10 students per teacher. Many classes have far fewer than ten, as additional teachers are incorporated into students’ schedules throughout the day. The overall faculty: student ratio is 1:5 for all grades.

Each school (Lower, Middle-Upper, and Tuttle) has their own lunchroom. Road Runner Foods is our school caterer. On Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, they provide a hot lunch. To set-up an account, go to lunchdirect.com and enter the Briarwood registration code 122071.  Students may also choose to bring their lunch.

LUNCH FAQ

ALTERNATIVE MENU

ROADRUNNER LUNCH FLYER

Briarwood students travel from all over Houston and the surrounding areas.  There are many ways that students come to school each day.  Briarwood parents have organized buses, van services, and carpool.  StarKids Express is a bus service that will provide transportation for your child to and from Briarwood.  Please call the front desk at (281) 493-1070 for more information.

We are in the process of changing the school uniform vendor.  Please stay tuned for updates!  

Middle and high school students dress out for P.E. Lower school students do not. All students are asked to wear non-marking tennis shoes on the gym floor.

The school day is 7:55 am to 3:00 pm for all children every day except Wednesday. On Wednesdays, students are dismissed at 12:00 p.m. Students may arrive by 7:45 a.m. each morning.

Wednesday afternoons are reserved for staff development and teaching-team meetings to plan for individual students. We tell our parents that these are good afternoons for playdates or doctor appointments.

Briarwood has a regular school calendar from August to May. Regular holidays coincide as closely as possible with other schools in Houston.

Yes, we have certified speech and language therapists on staff. All new students are screened to see if this is a service that would be beneficial. There is an additional fee for this service. If you already have a therapist, our teachers do collaborate very effectively with speech and language therapists that work outside of Briarwood.

We do not have occupational therapists on staff at Briarwood.

We ask that all professional evaluations be done outside of Briarwood. We feel that this gives us a more objective view of each applicant.

Yes, we can certainly provide names of several professionals that do an excellent job evaluating students. Call the front desk at 281-493-1070 for information.

Yes, many students come to us working below grade level. Our goal is to get them on grade level as quickly as possible.

It is impossible to predict the length of time it will take to remediate any child. They are all individual and unique. Learning differences are lifelong. With early intervention at Briarwood, children with learning differences learn compensatory skills and strategies to become successful, lifelong learners. The Briarwood Transition Team regularly evaluates the progress of each student. Parents will be advised when the time approaches that their student is ready to move to a more traditional school setting.

Yes. Many students return to both public and private traditional school settings. The Transition Team can assist parents with the change and the best choices of school environment for their child.

Yes. Some students need to stay and some who could transition out choose to stay. The students who are ready to transition and choose to stay wish to continue with classes that are on or above grade level and enjoy the individual teacher attention, as well as friendships made at Briarwood.

Approximately 89% of the graduates from Upper School attend schools of higher learning. Individual guidance is provided to all Upper School students.