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This year, Westlake Lutheran Academy’s first graduating class has climbed to sophomores as the academy continues its high school expansion, Head of School Stacey Walter said.

What’s happening: Since 2016, the school has enrolled students up to eighth grade. Before that, it was elementary-only. But back when the middle school was opened in 2016, parents had been promised a high school, too.

Since there was a high demand, Walter started planning for the high school expansion in 2023. Last school year, Westlake enrolled its first high school students as freshmen. In 2027, those students will have their own building, currently under construction on campus.

Why it matters: Middle and high school Principal Tim Gast said the school is growing rapidly, which he attributed to a combination of population growth in the Katy-Fulshear area and the increased accessibility of private schools through the Texas Education Freedom Accounts program.

As part of that experience, Gast and Walter said Westlake puts emphasis on preparing students for a variety of future careers.

Chinese restaurant Busy Noodles has opened in Katy, restaurant officials confirmed.

What to expect: The eatery specializes in Chinese comfort food such as dumplings, handmade noodles and street-style bites as well as boba tea to drink, according to its website.

Guests can try the restaurant’s signature black truffle soup dumplings, which feature a black skin crafted from squid ink and are filled with pork and black truffle.

• 1223 Grand W. Blvd., Ste. B113, Katy

All 26 Cy-Fair ISD schools located in Harris County Precinct 4 are now accessible through sidewalks developed through Commissioner Lesley Briones’ Sidewalks 4 Precinct 4 initiative.
The gist: Precinct 4 held a celebration at McFee Elementary on Aug. 13 to celebrate the completion of 25 miles of new sidewalks ready for the 2026-27 school year in CFISD. Per a news release, the new additions are aimed to create safe pathways to schools, parks and neighborhood hubs.
The Sidewalks 4 Precinct 4 initiative was developed out of a data-driven sidewalk gap analysis and has completed 80 miles since its March 2024 launch aimed at prioritizing closing gaps within one mile of:

• Schools

• Parks

• Bus stops

• Healthcare providers

The need: Briones said she is particularly excited about the five miles of sidewalk added near Greenhouse Road, touching five schools, as they were “desperately” needed. According to a Precinct 4 news release, the Cypress area has seen 79 pedestrian crashes with 10 of them deadly since 2021.

Need to catch up on Community Impact’s coverage from this week? Check out these trending stories across the southern portion of the Greater Houston area from Aug. 10-14.

Simply South opens Katy location: Simply South opened its new location in Katy, according to the restaurant’s website.

The restaurant features vegetarian dishes from throughout India including a range of soups, curries, biryani, as well as desserts and chai.

Thousands of Fort Bend ISD families apply for new education accounts: As Fort Bend ISD prepares for a new school year, district officials are waiting to see how the new Texas Education Freedom Accounts affect enrollment.

State lawmakers created the TEFA program in 2025, and accepted students will receive some funding for education opportunities that include: private school tuition and fees; tutoring and therapy; homeschooling; and other services.

The Texas Education Agency released public school accountability ratings for the 2025-26 school year on Aug. 14.

"We use [A-F ratings] as a way to evaluate our own performance as adults, and then build action plans so that the way that we run our schools next year can be even better than last year," Education Commissioner Mike Morath said during an Aug. 14 news conference.

The overview: Across the state, 85% of campuses received a C rating or higher, which is considered “acceptable" academic performance.

Schools are rated based on three criteria: student achievement, school progress and closing the gaps.

Zooming in: At least one district, Austin ISD, is at risk of being taken over by the TEA after two of its middle school campuses received their fifth consecutive failing grades this year. State law requires the agency to shutter those campuses or take control of the district.

Any potential state-mandated closures or takeovers will not happen immediately, as districts with concerns about their ratings have through Sept. 11 to appeal scores to the TEA.