Areas with geeky families? Map included! (Dallas, Austin: how much, houses, layoffs)

[janineg]

My husband is going to be interviewing at a couple of companies in Austin. I've put red dots over their locations on this map:

I've done a lot of research on this web site, but it's still hard to know what commute times would be like to these areas. I think we'd be most interested in the Cedar Park/Round Rock/Avery Ranch type of areas with a budget of up to 350,000. He probably wouldn't need to be at a job like these until 9-10am, so that may help with commuting.
Mainly, I'm looking for an area that may somehow have a higher proportion of geeky kids. Maybe where a lot of tech workers tend to settle? My older daughter is 9 and not very social. She's not made fun of at her current school, but I could see how in a more snobby, social-piranha setting she could be. She reads all the time, doesn't know a thing about current music, but knows Fiddler on the Roof by heart, isn't interested in boys, but is very pleasant and energetic. I just wouldn't want a move to be harder on her than it has to be.
I noticed that Westwood has a high Asian population (a plus in my book) and is considered geeky. Are there other schools like this, particularly in LISD (it sounds like they have a better gifted program than RRISD). How does Cedar Park High compare, socially, to Westwood? Although right now I'm mainly interested in elementary schools and middle schools, I'm looking ahead to high schools, too. I tend to over-research! Thanks,
Janine

[centralaustinite]

By far the highest geeky-kid ratio in the Austin area is at Kealing Middle School and LASA HS, both are magnet programs and open only to residents of AISD.

Otherwise, I guess Westwood HS in RRISD but the stereotype is more cut-throat competitive academics (hence the nickname "stresswood") than pure geeky.

[ImOnFiya]

McCallum High School is where the AISD School of the Creative Arts magnet program is, but artistic kids aren't normally considered geeky, just different. If you move to central Austin, there are alot of alternative kids (because their parents are alternative) and no one will care. Good luck!

[FueledByBlueBell]

Westwood or Anderson feeder schools

[janineg]

I hadn't even thought of Austin Independent School District. I know that houses can be expensive there, but maybe yards are a bit bigger than the newer cookie cutter homes in Round Rock. And it could be risky to hope that your child gets into a magnet. The area looks closer to those workplaces, though.
So is the commute from Westwood or Cedar Park to the areas on the map bad? Any other recommendations for schools with bad football teams (yay!) and fewer drugs? Particular middle schools?
Janine

[Austin97]

Originally Posted by janineg

I hadn't even thought of Austin Independent School District. I know that houses can be expensive there, but maybe yards are a bit bigger than the newer cookie cutter homes in Round Rock. And it could be risky to hope that your child gets into a magnet. The area looks closer to those workplaces, though.
So is the commute from Westwood or Cedar Park to the areas on the map bad? Any other recommendations for schools with bad football teams (yay!) and fewer drugs? Particular middle schools?
Janine

you sound like me..

how much square footage are you looking for? there is a lot of older housing stock around oak knoll, barrington oaks etc. That are under 300K and run about 110-120/sq ft. They feed into kathy caraway, then canyon vista middle and westwood high school.

Westwood is pretty nerdy. My neighbors son is very popular and plays the violin, studies 2-4 hours/day, would rather read than go to dances etc.

in these large schools you will find all kinds, but westwood is heavily focused on academics and the football team is not very good.

Lasa is definitely the best nerd school in town.

[janineg]

I think a minimum of 3 bedrooms (we have the 9 year old and two 5 year olds). We live comfortably in an 1800 sf house with a good sized yard in San Diego. I think it will sell for $350,000. I'd rather have space around a house than a huge house. And we love trees.
Janine

[hound 109]

Westwood is pretty nerdy. My neighbors son is very popular and plays the violin, studies 2-4 hours/day, would rather read than go to dances etc.

in these large schools you will find all kinds, but westwood is heavily focused on academics and the football team is not very good.

Wwood actually has a very strong football team (one of the top 4-5 programs in the area). Went to the 3rd round in the 5A playoffs. Also has very strong baseball team, top ten state ranked tennis team & a high performing band.

Plenty of nerds, but also lots of high performing nerds & non-nerds.

[Austin97]

Originally Posted by hound 109

Wwood actually has a very strong football team (one of the top 4-5 programs in the area). Went to the 3rd round in the 5A playoffs. Also has very strong baseball team, top ten state ranked tennis team & a high performing band.

Plenty of nerds, but also lots of high performing nerds & non-nerds.

started pre season at 10th, now at 6th in region
TexasHSFootball.com - Rankings | Class 5A Week 6

pre season
REGION II
1
Dallas Skyline
2
Lake Travis
3
The Woodlands
4
Longview
5
Allen
6
Spring DeKaney
7
Austin Westlake
8
Lufkin
9
Dallas Jesuit
10
RR Westwood
11
Klein Collins
12
Plano
13
Mesquite
14
RR Stony Point
15
Klein Oak

current
Dallas Skyline (4-1)
2
Allen (4-1)
3
Mesquite (6-0)
4
Lake Travis (5-1)
5
Spring Westfield (5-0)
6
RR Westwood (4-2)
7
Lufkin (3-2)
8
A&M Consolidated (4-2)
9
Spring DeKaney (4-1)
10
The Woodlands (2-3)
11
Sachse (5-1)
12
Longview (3-2)
13
Dallas Jesuit (4-1)
14
Klein Collins (5-1)
15
Mesquite Horn (5-1)

[creepy]

I am curious why someone would move to Austin and not consider AISD? Is there some cultural baggage people are bringing from other areas that all city schools must be like the entrenched with violence and downtroddeness of Northern cities?

I also hear from soooo many Mom's moving here asking fro recs on where to send their kids to kindergarten. My thought was you send them to whatever school is in the neighborhood you buy a house in. That's what we did.That way you don't have a long drive to drop them off and you are part of your own neighborhood. It is simple?

As we do sustainability-speak more and more I hope folks will move here and make their local schools be all they can be by inputting their time and effort into that particular one. It is my dream of Austin's future.