A Unique School
Rainard School is Houston's only non-profit private school for academically gifted children. We offer a school-year program designed to meet the academic, social, emotional and intellectual needs of exceptionally bright students ages 4 1/2 - 14. The students meet in small classes of 12-15 students. The classes are mixed-age and non-graded, so students can be with other kids who are their peers both intellectually and socially.
Rainard is a very small school. In the fall of 2008, the school's total enrollment, lower school and high school combined, is approximately 70 students. The high school's enrollment is 12 students.
Meaningful Work
Gifted learners need intellectually engaging activities that are:
- Complex, in that they require the linking of multiple discipline and intellectual areas
- Invoking the need to use higher-level thinking skills, which require analysis, synthesis, evaluation, and application of basic information
- In-depth, as they allow students to explore a subject in detail and to develop highly technical skills
- Opportunities for creative production, in which the learners are producers as well as consumers of information
- Respectful of a gifted person's capacity to work at a faster pace and to skip tedious repetition and review
We focus on lessons that are motivating and that develop high levels of skills, avoiding busywork. Our teachers work to show the children that learning is fun and hard work pays off. To achieve this, we:
- provide a secure environment for students not only to take intellectual risks but also for students to learn to deal with their intense emotions in socially acceptable ways.
- balance active and quiet activities in order to address the high energy levels of the students and maximize student productivity
