A Houston-based nonprofit research group, Children at Risk evaluates public elementary, middle and high school campuses in eight counties in the Houston metropolitan area, ranking them by student test scores, attendance and other metrics. For 2012, 1,196 campuses were ranked.

The Children at Risk methodology differs from the Texas Education Agency’s accountability rating system, which looks at the percentage of students at each campus who pass standardized statewide tests, along with dropout and graduation rates.

Children at Risk looks at the percentage of students who score “commended” on state tests, indicating a mastery of the material. Other factors include attendance rates, class sizes, retention rates, and college-ready indicators.

Additional highlights among the Fort Bend ISD schools serving the areas of Telfair with active new-home construction include:

• Clements High was the top-rated high school in Fort Bend ISD.
• Both Clements High and Kempner High were ranked as Texas Tier One high schools in the top quarter of the state’s 1,171 high schools.
• Fort Settlement Middle School ranked 5th among 277 middle schools in the region, while Sartartia Middle School ranked 29th.
• Colony Meadows Elementary ranked 7th out of 769 elementary schools in the area. Cornerstone Elementary ranked 77th.

Located at U.S. 59 and University Blvd. Telfair offers new homes priced from the $250,000s to over $1 million. Opened in 2006, Telfair has consistently ranked among the top 10 communities in the nation for new-home sales, including in 2011.

Telfair Central, one of the last major neighborhoods in Telfair, opened this spring and features new models by Ryland, David Weekley and Village Builders. With 195 homesites surrounded by water, linear greenbelt parks and interior parks called mews, Telfair Central offers new homes priced from the $300,000s to $600,000s. For more information, visit www.telfair.com.

Telfair was the number one community for new-home sales in Fort Bend County and the third-ranked community for the Houston region for 2010, according to a report from RCLCO, a national real estate advisory firm. With 406 new-home sales last year, Telfair was also the sixth-ranked community in the United States for new-home sales.

Located at U.S. 5 South and University Blvd. in Sugar Land, Telfair has new homes priced from the $240,000s to over $1 million. Opened in 2006, Telfair introduced a new Model Home Village last year and introduced new patio home models this spring.

"Offering a diverse range of new-home products and fresh model homes has been key to the success of Telfair," said Heather Gould, marketing director for Newland Communities, developer of the 2,016-acre community.

Each year, RCLCO tracks the sales of over 400 master-planned communities (MPCs) across the nation for its annual MPC survey, which it has released since 1994.

Houston had the largest concentration of top-selling communities on the RCLCO list, with eight developments among the top 20. The RCLCO news release also noted that Newland Communities, the nation's largest private developer of master-planned communities, claimed 25% of the communities on the top 20 list, and was the only developer with top-selling communities in multiple markets.

Other Newland Communities in Houston on the RCLCO list included Cinco Ranch, which ranked number one in Houston and third nationally with 816 new-home sales in 2010. Newland's Summerwood and Eagle Springs communities in Humble, its Teravista community in Austin, and its FishHawk Ranch development in Tampa were also among the national top 20.

With architecture inspired by the 1939 Central State Farm building that houses the museum, Telfair Central Hall was designed to provide a recreational outlet for Telfair residents, as well as accommodate the very social nature of this master-planned community.

Highlights of this new 9,545-square-foot building include:

• A fitness center with cardio equipment, weight machines and free weights, open daily from 5 am to 11 pm.

• Seven multi-purpose meeting rooms and a catering prep kitchen designed to accommodate the many resident groups and special events taking place year-round at Telfair.

• Outdoor amenities including a water park, three tennis courts, a lakefront patio and a boat launch. 

• Onsite offices for TelfairLife and the Telfair HOA.

At first glance, Telfair Central Hall appears as a cluster of four separate buildings with varied heights, fronts and rooflines. This creates an organic look, as if each of the buildings had been added to the site through the years. Glass corridors tie all of the components together, giving Telfair Central Hall a cohesive and harmonious feeling, along with the ability to easily accommodate multiple groups at one time.

 “With its emphasis on hosting resident activities and special events, Telfair Central Hall reflects the unique spirit of community involvement among Telfair residents,” said Heather Gould, marketing director for Newland Communities.

A large multipurpose room will accommodate the biggest events and activities, while six smaller rooms can host a number of different activities at once. Each of the smaller rooms can be combined with the adjoining room, to create three medium-sized spaces.

While it has many glass-enclosed expanses, Telfair Central Hall is also highly efficient, designed and built to standards that will make it eligible for LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification.

Telfair Central Hall is among the many amenities available to residents of Telfair, located at U.S. 59 South and University Blvd., in the Fort Bend Independent School District. This 2,018-acre master-planned community devotes approximately 300 acres to recreation and open space, including scenic lakes, parks, recreation centers and miles of greenbelt trails.

Telfair won the 2010 “Houston’s Best Community of the Year” award from the Greater Houston Builders Association, and also won two 2010 Landmark Awards from the Houston Business Journal.

Telfair offers new homes priced from the $240,000s to over $1 million, with 11 decorated models showcased in a new Model Home Village and additional models located elsewhere in the community.

For more information, visit www.telfair.com.