There is/ there are

Hello

I have been asked this question by a non-native speaker and need some help!

Is this sentence correct "There are a high school and a primary school in my town?" Although it sounds wrong to me, I think it may be grammatically correct. A simpler version would be "There are a cat and a dog in that house."

The reason I think it may be correct is that I think (though am not sure) that "There are your mother and father." is correct and this sentence seems similar.

I said that, in fact, I wouldn't say this but would rephrase it to "There is a high school and also a primary school in my town."; or, "There are two schools in my town, a high school and a primary school.".

Thanks for help with this one, regards, Louise