Why should you consider BCS for your children?

Briarmeadow Charter School (BCS) opened in August 1997 as an educational choice for families.  We are founded on constructivist beliefs that welcome children in all-inclusive classrooms.  Students zoned to any HISD school can attend Briarmeadow, although we do not provide transportation.

BCS is the preferred school for Pre-Kindergarten through 8th-grade students who desire to construct knowledge by offering an inquiry-based approach to learning, nurturing classroom environments, and a commitment to develop internationally minded students.

PK - 5th Grade:

Briarmeadow Charter School is authorized for the International Baccalaureate (IB) Primary Years Programme.  IB World Schools share a common philosophy – a commitment to improving the teaching and learning of a diverse and inclusive community of students by delivering challenging, high-quality programmes of international education that share a powerful vision.

For further information about the IB and its programmes, visit www.ibo.org

BCS sets high standards for academic excellence while simultaneously developing the whole child.  We use the IB Learner Profile to focus our social-emotional learning and their Approaches to Learning to ground our Programme of Inquiry.

Mission Statement from the IB

The International Baccalaureate aims to develop inquiring, knowledgeable, and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect. To this end, the organization works with schools, governments, and international organizations to develop challenging programmes of international education and rigorous assessment. These programmes encourage students worldwide to become active, compassionate, and lifelong learners who understand that other people, with their differences, can also be right.

6th - 8th Grade:

Our middle school is an Advanced Academics program focusing on academic rigor and inquiry-based classes.  Our 8th graders leave Briarmeadow with high school credits for Algebra I and Spanish I.  Our 6th graders have two teachers, while our 7th and 8th graders loop with their five teachers for two years.

Other unique features: 

• K - 5th-grade teachers loop with their classes for two school years.
• Report cards for elementary school are narrative, standards-based report cards.
• Inclusive classrooms that incorporate all learners.
• Using research-based practices, we do not typically have homework for elementary school.
• Hands-on, inquiry-based instruction in all grades.
• Goes beyond state requirements to include 21st-century abilities such as creativity, innovation, critical thinking, problem-solving, communication, and collaboration.
• State-of-the-art facility in which classrooms are grouped in clusters to support the looping approach with student-focused spaces.
• All teachers are trained in Gifted and Talented English Language Learner strategies so that knowledgeable and caring professional addresses every student’s learning needs.
• All students participate in visual arts, music, oral language lab/creative writing, STEM lab, Spanish theatre arts, and physical education
• Advanced Academics Placement middle school that uses advanced technology immersion techniques and Advanced Academics learning strategies so that students are sought after by the high schools of their choice*

*Sixth through eighth grades only