Houston, Texas

Houston is the largest city within the state of Texas, fourth in the United States, and the second-largest economic area of the Gulf Coast region. The city is the county seat of Harris County, the third most populous county in the country. A portion of southwest Houston extends into Fort Bend County and a small portion in the northeast extends into Montgomery County.

Education

Colleges and universities

See also: List of colleges and universities in Houston

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Houston is home to the prestigious Rice University, a private institution boasting one of the largest financial endowments of any university in the world and ranked the 17th best university overall in the nation by U.S. News & World Report http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/college/rankings/brief/natudoc/tier1/t1natudoc_brief.php. The small undergraduate student body is among the nation's most select and has one of the highest percentages of National Merit Scholarship winners. Rice maintains a variety of research facilities and laboratories. Rice is also associated with the Houston Area Research Center, a consortium supported by Rice, the University of Texas at Austin, Texas A&M University and the University of Houston.

Related Topics:
Rice University - Financial endowment - U.S. News & World Report - National Merit Scholarship - University of Texas at Austin - Texas A&M University - University of Houston

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Houston is served by the University of Houston System, the largest urban state system of higher education in the Gulf Coast. The system has four universities, all but one of which are in Houston, and two multi-institution teaching centers. Their flagship institution is the University of Houston, the only doctoral degree granting extensive research institution in Houston and the third largest in the state of Texas with an enrollment of more than 35,000. The University of Houston is also home to more than 40 research centers and institutes. Among the most prestigious of the University of Houston's colleges is the University of Houston Law Center (law school). The University of Houston Law Center's Health Law and Policy Institute is ranked number one in the nation while its intellectual property law program is ranked fifth, according to U.S. News & World Report.

Related Topics:
University of Houston System - Gulf Coast - Universities - University of Houston - University of Houston Law Center - U.S. News & World Report

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Houston is the seat of the internationally-renowned Texas Medical Center, which contains the world's largest concentration of research and healthcare institutions including Baylor College of Medicine, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston and The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. The M. D. Anderson Cancer Center is widely considered one of the world?s most productive and highly-regarded academic institutions devoted to cancer patient care, research, education and prevention.

Related Topics:
Texas Medical Center - Research - Healthcare - Baylor College of Medicine - The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston - The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center

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Much of Houston is served by the Houston Community College System, which is one of the largest community college systems in the United States. HCCS serves the HISD portion of Houston and other areas. Parts of northern Houston are served by North Harris Montgomery Community College District. Parts of eastern and southeastern Houston are served by San Jacinto College. Many of Houston's suburbs also have their own community college systems.

Related Topics:
Houston Community College System - Community college - North Harris Montgomery Community College District - San Jacinto College

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Texas Southern University is a historically black college in Houston.

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Houston also is home to St. Thomas University, a Catholic Liberal Arts college following the Byzantine tradition, located in the Montrose district. Another religious college serving Houston is Houston Baptist University.

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Schools and libraries

There are many school districts serving the city of Houston, the largest of which, the Houston Independent School District, serves a large majority of the area within the city limits.

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A portion of west Houston falls under the Spring Branch and Alief independent school districts. Aldine and North Forest independent school districts take up a part of northeast Houston. Parts of Pasadena, Clear Creek, Crosby, Cypress-Fairbanks, Fort Bend, Galena Park, Huffman, Humble, Katy, Klein, New Caney, and Sheldon independent school districts take students from the city limits of Houston.

Related Topics:
Spring Branch - Alief - Aldine - North Forest - Pasadena - Clear Creek - Cypress-Fairbanks - Fort Bend - Katy - Klein

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Houston has several well-known private schools. Well-known private schools include Strake Jesuit College Preparatory, Saint Agnes Academy, St. John's School, The Kinkaid School. In nearby Bellaire is Episcopal High School.

Related Topics:
Strake Jesuit College Preparatory - Saint Agnes Academy - St. John's School - The Kinkaid School

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The Houston Public Library has 36 branches throughout the city, plus the Central Library, located Downtown. The Harris County Public Library has 26 branches, mostly in areas outside the city limits of Houston.

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