barton hills elementary vs. zilker! (Austin, Howe: low income, house, transfer to)

[wi2tx]

if you had to choose one...which would you choose?

anyone very familiar with either/both?

i have done tours and tried to talk to parents as much as i can. but it's never the same as really being "inside"

the plan is to move to barton hills (more affordable/more spacious) and then either attend BHE OR try to transfer to zilker. either way i think we are in pretty good shape as far as schools.

zilker does *seem* a bit more vibrant and open....?

thanks!!

[Danbo1957]

Zilker and Barton Hills are under threat of closing, as AISD looks to shutter schools with low local attendence for budgetary reasons-- as you can imagine, parents of children who go to each campus are trying to keep them open. Zilker is downright beloved, being there in Travis Heights for so long. Both schools accept a lot of transfer students, both have been Blue Ribbon schools (Zilker still is), each with really good teachers. Right now, status quo...

An overview from last January of what AISD has considered:

http://www.austinchronicle.com/news/...x-aisd-budget/

Go to an open house night or attend a PTA meeting, get to know some of the parents personally. Sometimes it's just a matter of "fit" for you and your child. Also, each school has its own "personality" and ways of doing things, much of that set by the principals (Randall Thompson at Zilker and Kati Achtermann at Barton Hills).

One thing though, as I've said before concerning neighborhoods: live within your financial means ond only where you really like it. If you do not like the part of Austin in which you live, you will soon not like living in your house, and the quality of school won't matter.

[centralaustinite]

Zilker is in the Zilker neighborhood! Not Travis Heights!

You are asking us to compare Toyota Camry to the Honda Accord! (stole that comparison from Austin-Steve!) Much too similar for a 3rd party who doesn't know a thing about you to really help. You are down to a level of detail that we can't provide. Meet the principals, attend some events.

And yes, AISD has considered closing Zilker and the community rose up and defended their school and other schools too! And it is still open and you haven't heard a peep about closings since! Note that the link above is from January 2011. But it is something to ask the parents about.

[buffettjr]

I thought Barton Hills elem was the higher rated school by TEA. Zilker is rated recognized, while Barton Hills is Exemplary.

[phone man]

Best thing you can do is move out of AISD.

[centralaustinite]

Originally Posted by buffettjr

I thought Barton Hills elem was the higher rated school by TEA. Zilker is rated recognized, while Barton Hills is Exemplary.

That's just a function of demographics! BH is smaller, nearly all white and well-off. Zilker is a bit larger, more diverse, with more english language learners, and more low income kids. But if you drill down into the test scores, the anglos kids do just as well at each school. Zilker has a more arty rep and more working musicians as parents . . . but really it comes down to style. And not knowing more about the OP, it is hard to recommend one over the other.

[yam]

I moved to Zilker a while back and am confident that it's a good choice for my kid. However, during the rallies last year I was amazed at the Barton Hills turnout for such a small school. They bat way above their league.

[wi2tx]

i just wanted some scoop from someone inside about overall culture, feel, etc etc. i would be just fine at either. but since i have a choice, i wanted to really know each one best i could

i get that zilker is hipper as far as the parents, and much bigger...beyond that i am still not sure which is right for us, i guess.....i like how teeny tiny BHE is....not sure i love the 1950's feeling, but that could just be the building itself. (dark, small little kinder rooms, sigh). i liked the principal.

in the end, though, since i want a neighborhood school, i am probably gonna shy away from transfers and go for where we own a house. (bizarre, i know )