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Bikes on a train: The thrills and frustrations of commuting in an eco-friendlyway in car city

The end of the line, whence I disembarked.
Photo by Whitney Radley
A free single ride rail ticket, gifted by a compassionate stranger.
Photo by Whitney Radley

Once upon a time, I lived in Austin and in Denton, where my bike served as my primary mode of transportation.

But Houston? No way. It's scary out there! Drivers are mad! Potholes could swallow me! Plus, on my maiden voyage into Houston's treacherous roadways, I popped my tube in a Rice Village parking lot.

However, participation in the FotoFest Bike Scramble last Saturday gave me confidence (and an excuse to finally get that tire fixed). And when Clifford Pugh, CultureMap's editor in chief, took the METRORail to work earlier this week, I decided to take on a personal challenge: Riding my bike to the train, and taking the train to work.

My first problem was logistical — METRO only allows bicycles onboard light rail cars after 9 a.m. in the morning and after 6 p.m. in the evening, and I typically arrive at the office around 8:30 a.m.

Bike in Houston? No way. It's scary out there! Drivers are mad! Potholes could swallow me!

The second, sartorial — what to wear on a day that necessitated several miles of biking and acceptable appearance and hygiene at an afternoon press conference?

After resolving those trivial issues, I was ready.

Just after 9 a.m. on Thursday morning, I arrived at the Ensemble/HCC station. The train pulled up, a friendly disembarking stranger (who must have seen me hurriedly punching buttons on the ticket kiosk while balancing my bike) gave me his single ride rail ticket, and I was off.

From there it was a breeze: The rush hour crowd had dispersed, and the designated area on the train offered plenty of space to stand with my bike; I lost balance only twice, and before I knew it I was at the end of the line.

In all, the bike-train-bike mode added less than 10 minutes to my commute.

Plus, the carefully-avoided eye contact and subtle body language so peculiar to public transportation, combined with the short bike rides that bookended my commute, proved more interesting and significantly less stressful than sitting in my car, by myself, in traffic.

Verdict? I recommend it.

As long as you can make those time restrictions work for you.

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schools with high achievers

These 15 Houston K-8 schools rank among Texas' best for 2025

T.H. Rogers PTO/Facebook

Congratulations are in order for the Rams.

Several Houston elementary and middle schools are at the top of the class when it comes to educating and preparing the next generation for a successful life and career, according to U.S. News & World Report's just-released list of 2025 Elementary and Middle Schools Rankings.

One such school – T.H. Rogers School in Houston ISD – is the No. 8 best middle school in Texas for 2025.

U.S. News ranked over 79,000 public schools on the state and district level using data from the U.S. Department of Education. Schools were analyzed based on their students' proficiencies in mathematics and reading/language arts on state assessments, and tie-breakers were decided based on student-teacher ratios.

Texas' best middle schools for 2025
Three Houston middle schools achieved spots among the top 10 best Texas middle schools for 2025, according to U.S. News.

T.H. Rogers School has a total enrollment of 1,063 students, with 87 percent of the student population scoring "at or above the proficient level" in mathematics, and 90 percent proficiency in reading. The school has a student-teacher ratio of 17:1, with 62 full-time teachers.

T.H. Rogers School also topped the district-wide list as the No. 1 best middle school in HISD.

Houston Gateway Academy - Coral Campus also ranked among the statewide top 10, coming in at No. 9 with a total enrollment of 914 students. U.S. News says 82 percent of HGA students are proficient in math, and 80 percent are proficient in reading.

"Houston Gateway Academy - Coral Campus did better in math and better in reading in this metric compared with students across the state," U.S. News said in the school's profile. "In Texas, 51 percent of students tested at or above the proficient level for reading, and 41 percent tested at or above that level for math."

Right behind HGA to round out the top 10 best Texas middle schools is Houston ISD's Briarmeadow Charter School. This middle school has 600 students, 69 percent of which are proficient in math and 74 percent are proficient reading.

Briarmeadow's student-teacher ratio is 16:1, which is better than the district-wide student-teacher ratio, and it employs 38 full-time teachers.

U.S. News also ranked Briarmeadow as the second best middle school in Houston ISD.

Six additional Houston-area schools ranked among the top 25 best middle schools in Texas, including:

No. 18 – Cornerstone Academy, Spring Branch ISD
No. 19 – Mandarin Immersion Magnet School, Houston ISD
No. 21 – Smith Middle School, Cypress-Fairbanks ISD
No. 22 – Seven Lakes Junior High, Katy ISD
No. 23 – Houston Gateway Academy
No. 25 – Beckendorff Junior High, Katy ISD

The best elementary schools in Texas
Jesus A. Kawas Elementary school in Laredo was crowned the No. 1 elementary school in Texas for 2025, while two Houston-area schools made it into the top 10.

Tomball ISD's Creekside Forest Elementary in The Woodlands is the No. 7 best elementary school statewide, boasting 656 students, 42 full-time teachers, and one full-time counselor. Students at this school, which U.S. News designates is situated in a "fringe rural setting," scored 90 percent efficiency in math and 94 percent efficiency in reading.

Following one spot behind Creekside Forest in the statewide ranking is Sugar Land's Commonwealth Elementary School in Fort Bend ISD, coming in at No. 8. Commonwealth has a student population of 954 with 55 full-time teachers, and two full-time counselors. The school's student-teacher ratio is 17:1, and 90 percent of students are proficient in math, and 94 percent in reading.

U.S. News says student success at Commonwealth is significantly higher than the rest of Fort Bend ISD.

"In Fort Bend Independent School District, 59 percent of students tested at or above the proficient level for reading, and 47 percent tested at or above that level for math," U.S. News said in Commonwealth's profile. "Commonwealth Elementary [also] did better in math and better in reading in this metric compared with students across the state."

Other Houston-area schools that were ranked among the 25 best in Texas are:

No. 13 – Bess Campbell Elementary, Sugar Land, Lamar CISD
No. 20 – West University Elementary, Houston ISD
No. 23 – T.H. Rogers School, Houston ISD
No. 25 – Griffin Elementary, Katy ISD

"The 2025 Best Elementary and Middle Schools rankings offer parents a way to evaluate how schools are providing a high-quality education and preparing students for future success," said LaMont Jones, Ed.D., the managing editor for Education at U.S. News. "The data empowers families and communities to advocate for their children’s education. Research continues to indicate that how students perform academically at these early grade levels is a big factor in their success in high school and beyond."

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