What's the skinny on Westlake and Eanes? (Austin, Round Rock: school districts, live in)

[Hill Country]

Half or more than half of you property tax is paid to school district, hence you are not supposed to attend other district.

You might want to check with AISD on their transfer procedure. LASA seems not on the transfer frozen list.

[scm53]

Originally Posted by Suebee51

I have searched the forum, but I guess I haven't been astute enough to ascertain what options exist in Westlake if it turns out that WLHS is not a good fit for your child.

You have multiple options, just none of them are public schools. Many excellent private schools in the SW area.

I apologize - I don't know what AISD's policy is on out of district transfers into LASA. As an AISD taxpayer, I would be upset if they were permitted.

There is another possibility. There are parts of the "Westlake" area that are not in EISD, but are in AISD. The areas along Stratford Dr are in AISD, but in the 78746 zip. That would allow you to apply for out of district transfer to WHS, but still have the option of LASA if you so choose.

Just an option that frequently isn't thought of. Check with a RE agent if that sounds like a plan.

[FueledByBlueBell]

So you have a few options. You could move anywhere and go private- maybe spend $800k on a home and then you'd have funds for school. You could look in 78731 that feeds into Anderson if you want to stay public.

[hoffdano]

Originally Posted by Melissa78703

My impression of Westlake:

If my Best Half and I had kids, I would want them to go to Eanes. I'm sure that other people will explain why. It's just an exemplary school district all around. Competitive, but you can bet that if your kids do well, they'll be able to choose what universities they wish to enter.

West Lake itself has a sort of snooty, offish vibe, IMHO. It's very New Money, compared to the Old Money you find in places like Pemberton and Tarrytown, and it shows. It's not the kind of neighborhood that I think of when I think of "easy to make friends" unless we happened to be in the same income bracket, and we definitely don't make the grade.

It's a speed trap, too ...

Nice shopping -- you have everything you need right in the immediate vicinity, including Barton Hills Square (the "nice" mall) and movie theatres, Zilker Park, Barton Springs, etc. The location is just perfect.

Aesthetically, the homes are quite luscious; not McMansions, but not turn-of-the-century fixer-uppers either. Well built, and most are pretty large, accommodating a family of your size. And oh -- quite expensive. West Lake is one of the more spendy parts of Greater Austin. There are some realtors who can speak to the issue of the cost of homes in West Lake compared to the cost of homes in Austin proper.

West Lake is its own city, and it does have a distinctly "different" vibe than Austin, even though it's very close by. I'm not sure that we would fit in well there as singletons without children, but ... as I said, if we'd done the family thing, it would be my first choice. Second choice: Hyde Park.

You deserve a prize for listing the area as West Lake, not a nonexistant city called Westlake.

West Lake Hills is a distinct incorporated city. So is Rollingwood, both of which are part of Eanes ISD.

[centralaustinite]

If you live in EISD (Eanes district) you cannot attend LASA, plain and simple! LASA is only available to residents of AISD.

EISD does accept some limited transfers from other districts but EISD is a rarity in this regard. Private schools (St. Stephen's, St. Andrews both highly regarded Episcopal Schools are a convenient option if you are in West Lake Hills).

You could buy in Tarrytown and have the Global Academy at Austin HS as well as LASA and the Fine Arts Academy at McCallum HS (all in AISD as options, as well as private schools and the outside option of transferring to Eanes).

If your kids are typical learners, middle of the road kids, they will do fine in Eanes schools. It is a mistake to rule out Rollingwood, location cannot be beat and Eanes schools, otherwise, Tarrytown.

[sloppymeg]

I can't comment on Eanes or Westlake, because we ruled those areas OUT based on our commutes and destinations of everyday like as we didn't want to spend our lives in our vehicles.

BUT, what I will caution you is to do your homework regarding gifted programs. NOT EVERY PROGRAM is the same. You will want to make sure that the school system/district you are targeting has they type of program will work for your kids. My personal example is with Round Rock ISD and Leander ISD. RRISD's TAG program only has accelerated content; it lacked the creative and critical thinking component (IMO). LISD has 2 programs: PACE (for acceleration) and QUEST for the gifted kids.

So, find what works best for you all.

[hound 109]

Originally Posted by Suebee51

We could probably spend $1.5 million on a home. Currently we pay $25k in property taxes on our home, plus the state income tax.

......................

We're coming from just outside Boston where we live in a fairly small enclave of apple orchards and horse farms. We appreciate our excellent public schools and loads of privacy, but are hoping to be closer to the city and all the things to do downtown, as well as enjoying a shorter commute to work.

We're leaning towards the area that is served by Eanes ISD because of both proximity and excellent schools. I've looked for info on this, but what I'm trying to glean is what sorts of opportunities might exist educationally there if the very large Westlake HS doesnt turn out to be a good fit for our kids. My concern is mainly size and opportunities for gifted kids. Our high school here is quite small (too small in my opinion) at about 600 kids in grades 9-12. However, I'm worried about them in such a large HS. 2500 kids seems so huge, and I worry about their opportunities to participate fully in the life of a school where only 30 girls may be able to play soccer, or where only a few kids get a part in the play. If it turns out that the mega school model doesn't work for them, are there other options if you live in the westlake area? Like charters, magnets, or applying to other school systems? I'm not set on Eanes, but fear moving to a house just for a great school, only to have the town redistrict and end up someplace not very good. With four kids, private schools are not an option. We would need to be someplace with a little space and just wouldn't be able to make a microscopic lot with no privacy work.

Given these comments, it would seem your options are unlimited. A home of 1MM-1.5MM would get you into 4-6 very good to great HS paths.

Two possible limitations:

- you want "a little space".
- you want flexibility in case the HS isn't a fit (probably only doable in a district with 2+ HS)
- (or you can go with the district with the one HS & shell out for private for the kiddo who doesn't fit it)


That said, if you had stated that you want:

- Superlative schools,
- 1/2 - 3 acres.
- a reasonable commute to NW, SW or Downtown Tech Centers.
- a home in the $1.0-1.5MM range.

....you'd get alot of different opinions. Mine are:

- Vandegrift Feeder (Riverplace or the enclave areas next to Riverplace).
- WWood Feeder (Select the nicer more exclusive areas - maybe on a golf course - with bigger lots)
- LT feeder (lots of beautiful areas would fit your bill, but a longer commute & only one HS)
- Anderson HS feeder (Cat Mt. ? Jester? probably 2-4 other areas, plus if kiddo has brains he/she can snag a LASA spot).
- WLake feeder (just search for "the Home" on "the Lot" that fits the bill...but only one HS)
- DS & Gtown are WAY out there (commute wise) & a small step down academically, but you can get a little ranchette & impress the family visitors with land.

But you've got LOTS of options, most are good to great! I'd spend a good month looking & visiting before I'd pull the trigger. And here's another thread on HS's in Austin.....& on public vrs. private.

Best School Academically (on the level of St. John's School)

.

[hoffdano]

Originally Posted by centralaustinite

If you live in EISD (Eanes district) you cannot attend LASA, plain and simple! LASA is only available to residents of AISD.

EISD does accept some limited transfers from other districts but EISD is a rarity in this regard. Private schools (St. Stephen's, St. Andrews both highly regarded Episcopal Schools are a convenient option if you are in West Lake Hills).

You could buy in Tarrytown and have the Global Academy at Austin HS as well as LASA and the Fine Arts Academy at McCallum HS (all in AISD as options, as well as private schools and the outside option of transferring to Eanes).

If your kids are typical learners, middle of the road kids, they will do fine in Eanes schools. It is a mistake to rule out Rollingwood, location cannot be beat and Eanes schools, otherwise, Tarrytown.

The only reason EISD accepts transfers from out of district is that they have capacity and every added student increases their WADA (weighted average daily attendance) figure. That helps their Robin Hood calculation.

[Austin97]

there was a thread not to long ago where people compared westlake high commutes and quality vs st andrews st stevens etc.

I think they had gone to st johns in houston and wanted to replicate that experience.

I think it might be this thread.

Comparing top Austin schools to top schools elsewhere


People ended up posting drive times and alternate schools

[Suebee51]

Thank you so much for all the info and suggestions. I'll continue researching with these points in mind!