| Briarwood School | |
|---|---|
 The Briarwood School front exterior | |
| Location | |
 | |
12207 Whittington Drive , 77077-4999 | |
| Coordinates | 29°44′50″N95°35′45″W / 29.7472°N 95.5957°W /29.7472; -95.5957 |
| Information | |
| Type | Private |
| Founded | 1967 |
| Founder | Yvonne and Dave Streit[1] |
| NCES School ID | BB912602 |
| Grades | K-12 |
| Enrollment | 337 (2024[2]) |
| Colors | White, Blue, Gray |
| Athletics conference | TAPPS |
| Mascot | Mustangs |
| Yearbook | Focus |
| Website | www |
| Last updated: July 17, 2025 | |
The Briarwood School is a private school inHouston, Texas, in the Briar Forest community. Briarwood serves students with diagnosedlearning disabilities, includingdyslexia,dysgraphia,dyscalculia, and/orADHD.[a] The school was founded by Yvonne Tuttle Streit in 1967. Streit also founded The Brookwood Community, a Christian-affiliated residential and work community for adults withintellectual and developmental disabilities located inBrookshire, Texas.[3] Briarwood has been accredited by theIndependent Schools Association of the Southwest since 2025.[4]
Yvonne Tuttle Streit started The Briarwood School out of necessity to educate her daughter, who developed intellectual disabilities and brain damage following complications fromencephalitis andmeningitis at fifteen months. She and her husband traveled across the country for doctors and resources.[3] Eventually, Streit and three other mothers founded Briarwood in 1967, originally located at Memorial Drive Baptist Church on Piney Point Road (now home to Ecclesia Church) next toSt. Francis Episcopal School. The school later shared a space with a daycare center in 1968.[5] As of 1969, Briarwood had moved to St. Philip Presbyterian Church, 4807 San Felipe. For the 1969–70 school year, the school had a full-time enrollment of 88, totaling around 130 students. Tuition ranged from $80 to $110 monthly.[6][7]
Briarwood, nationally renowned by the 1970s, moved into its current building on Whittington Drive in April 1973, although the east wing was still under construction as late as 1978. The addition was to host Briarwood's technical programs, including a greenhouse, in a campus expansion project estimated to have cost $1.85 million.[8] Briarwood had 210 students during the 1974-75 school year, and tuition was $180 per month.[9] By 1978, the campus building's expansion was complete, and school staff had assisted in implementing similar innovative curricula to that of Briarwood’s internationally in countries such asWest Germany,Mexico, andEngland. This coincided with the first senior graduation exercise, which took place that May. Over 300 students were enrolled in 1977–78.[10] The two-story east wing currently houses the Middle and Upper Schools, grades 6–12.
In 1996, students at Briarwood adopted Flash, anAmerican Bashkir Curly horse. Originating fromCheboygan, Michigan, Flash arrived in Texas that March and became the school's live mascot. Flash was the subject of a literary magazine, which included a short novel (see External links). Select academic courses included Flash and the subject of horses as part of their lesson plans, including biology, Spanish, and art. The arrival of Flash also jumpstarted Explore, an experimental learning program fostering responsibility, cooperation between different classes, self-confidence, and positive risk-taking. The “Flash Fund” was also established to create tuition scholarships.[11]
Briarwood celebrated its 50th anniversary during the 2016–17 school year, a feat recognized by Houston news media. Renowned journalistLinda Ellerbee spoke at an event hosted by Briarwood at the Junior League of Houston on November 15, 2016.[12] During halftime at the annual alumni basketball game on January 6, 2017, formerKKBQ (93Q) personality and 2005 alumnus Al Farb read a declaration from Houston MayorSylvester Turner designating January 6 as Briarwood Day.[13]
Briarwood is located on Whittington Drive in west Houston, Texas, next to Ashford Elementary School. The campus building, built in 1973,[8] is two stories tall and contains two gymnasiums, three lunch rooms, and three academic wings. An athletic field is also used for flag football, soccer, and physical education classes. Attached to the athletic field is a small tennis/pickleball complex.
The Briarwood School utilizes academic curricula as recommended by Texas academic standards plus the addition of multiple classes unique to the school for all three divisions.
The Lower School, grades K–5, introduces core curriculum classes to students with English literature, language arts, math, history, science, art, music, and physical education classes. Unique to Briarwood's Lower School division are "Focused Intervention Time" (FIT) classes designed to help students with their academic weaknesses. These classes and programs center aroundreading comprehension, math, and writing interventions. Lower School also has a specialty class called Teaching Opportunities in Pragmatic Skills (TOPS). TOPS centers around buildingsocial skills,character development,bullying prevention, and understand learning disabilities.[14]
Throughout Middle School, grades 6–8, students are exposed to a more sophisticated curriculum centering around core classes, electives,academic advisory, technology, interscholastic athletics, and student clubs. Junior high students at Briarwood are afforded elective classes for the first time, including technology-centered courses,family and consumer sciences, and theatre. Middle School is when students first receiveChromebooks.[15]
Upper School (grades 9–12) expands on the lessons achieved throughout Middle School. High school students are given the same academic and extracurricular opportunities as junior high and then some, including public speaking, yearbook staff, and acollege readiness course. One required course endemic to Briarwood is Choices: a one-semester class for freshmen which focuses solely on students' LDs. Beginning in 9th grade, Briarwood students are required to complete a designated amount ofcommunity service hours. Seniors will write an essay reflecting on these experiences which is presented at the Senior Breakfast near the end of the school year.[16] The Assistance League of Houston, who has served Briarwood since at least 1970,[17] annually gives out college scholarships to select Briarwood seniors.[18][19]Vocational training in auto mechanics, woodworking, and drafting was offered to Middle-Upper students in the 1970s.[20]
The Briarwood School has a full theatre and arts program highlighted by one professionally directed production every semester. Previous plays have included classics, such asWelcome to Four Way: The Town That Time Forgot,[21] and original performances, includingBroadway Comes to Briarwood, performed in November 2014.[22]
Briarwood had an elective class revolving aroundWilliam Shakespeare that was started by teacher Bob Ives in 1993. The class was a combination of traditional academics and theatre production, which prompted Ives to offer the class to all students rather than only those with more advanced language skills. Bob Ives recruited several of his past colleagues fromRice University,Alley Theatre, andHouston Community College to volunteer and help produce a fullShakespearean play in 1995. He also invited professional actors, includingCorin Redgrave and a professional fighting director, to Briarwood as educational guests for the specialty class.
The production of the first play,A Midsummer Night's Dream, presented challenges. Ives' management included a "multi-sensory approach" taking into account the different learning styles of LD students, including flash cards and videos forvisual learners and repetitive practice of scenes forkinesthetic learners. The students were fully involved in the play production process, including costume and set design, making and selling tickets, and cooking food as part of adinner theatre. The play was performed in May 1996. One student brought her reading scores up by four grades as a result of the class.[23][24][25] Bob Ives is currently an associate professor of special education at theUniversity of Nevada, Reno as of 2025.[26]
Briarwood holds the distinction of hosting its famous alumni basketball game every January. The annual event takes place between the JV and varsity boys basketball teams and a makeshift alumni team. The highly anticipated event and often close scoring outcomes create vast camaraderie for both Briarwood students and alumni.[27][13]
Briarwood selects students to visit Houston-area colleges and universities, such as theUniversity of St. Thomas andHouston Christian University, to discuss their perspectives on dyslexia and other specific learning disabilities.[28][29] The school has also hosted dyslexia panels on campus, which have included former students, staff members, and school alumni.[30] In January 2017, select students spoke at the Dyslexia Summit, an event sponsored by theHarris County Department of Education. Both the 2015 and 2017 cohorts of student ambassadors and administrators presented the 2012 documentaryThe Big Picture: Rethinking Dyslexia, which focuses on a dyslexic individual seeking to attendMiddlebury College.[28][29] The documentary also stars famous individuals with dyslexia such asDavid Boies,Richard Branson,Gavin Newsom, andCharles Schwab.
Briarwood hosts an annual fundraising gala during the spring referred to as the Annual Benefit. The Benefit typically includes a sit-down dinner, speakers, musical entertainment, and a silent and live auction. From its inception in 1970[31] until the early-2000s, the Annual Benefit was traditionally held at large Houston-area theaters, includingJones Hall and theWortham Theater Center, and was headlined by celebrity singers or entertainers. Some celebrities who have performed for the Annual Benefit includeHenry Mancini (1979),John Denver (1987),Gladys Knight (1992), andThe Pointer Sisters (1999).[32][33][34][35] Special patron ticket buyers were occasionally treated to an afterparty, including the 1988 Benefit withJohnny Mathis, whichNinfa Laurenzo notably attended.[36] The Annual Benefit regularly raises six figures in donations; for example, the 2001 Benefit featuringLou Rawls raised $600,000.[37]
Briarwood provides an all-inclusive selection of sports for Middle and Upper Schools. The Mustangs are associated withTAPPS, competing as a 2A member, along with the Texas Christian Flag League (TCFL) for flag football. Flag football has won back-to-back state championships in 2023 and 2024. Boys tennis was a small-school powerhouse in the 1990s, winning five straight state championships from 1991–1995.
| Boys sports | Girls sports | Coed sports |
|---|---|---|
| Basketball | Basketball | Winter Soccer |
| Cross Country (9–12) | Cross Country (9–12) | |
| Flag Football | Golf (9–12) | |
| Golf (9–12) | Swimming | |
| Swimming | Tennis | |
| Tennis | Track & Field | |
| Track & Field | Volleyball |
Championship was a TAPPS championship unless otherwise stated.
| Sport | Year | Source(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Boys Cross Country | 1991 (1A), 1992 (1A) | [38][39] |
| Boys Flag Football | 2023 (TCFL), 2024 (TCFL) | [40][41] |
| Boys Tennis | 1991 (1A), 1992 (1A), 1993 (1A), 1994 (1A), 1995 (1A), 2000 (1A/2A), 2024 (1A) | [42][43] |
| Boys Track and Field | 1989 (1A), 1990 (1A) | [44][45] |
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