Bias against Eanes neighborhoods -- real? (Dallas, Austin: fit in, house, to buy)

[bthsh]

There seems to be a real bias against Eanes ISD and the neighborhoods that feed to it. I read a lot about "keeping up with the Joneses", pressure to fit in, teaching to the tests, and snobby neighborhoods and neighbors.

Is this real or perceived? Anyone have personal experience?

We are moving to Austin and looking at Eanes ISD, including various neighborhoods like Lost Creek, Rolling Hills, Barton Creek West, etc. (we are just starting to look). I have two young sons (2 & 5) and schools are important. We are by no means wealthy, and I don't want my kids to feel a bunch of social pressure due to being surrounding by rich brats. I also have a bit of a more liberal bent and both of us work, so I don't want not to "fit." But we can probably afford the neighborhoods, want to be close to work (downtown), and, as I mentioned, good schools are important.

If not Eanes, what are our other options? (Prefer to stay under $600K for 4BR).

Thanks. I don't want to make the wrong decision here due to intangibles I can't see driving through the neighborhoods or touring a school.

[love roses]

I personally don't have a bias, but I do know some people who are very longtime Austin residents who do. I don't think it's against every neighborhood that feeds into Eanes ISD, only certain ones. And yes, it's because of the "keeping up with the Joneses'" aspect. But really, I wouldn't worry too much about it. Noone will personally attack you or anything. Just move to where you like and what works for your family.

[cmiller1014]

I've been keeping a close eye on these highly rated schools like Eanes. I am not a fan of teaching to the tests and that sort of thing and thats the only way these schools manage to get exemplary status like they do. What does it mean though, really? Wow, they are ok because some board says they are ok? Standards in this country are way too low, and when the kids don't meet the mark, they lower the passing grades. I'd rather send my children to a school that thinks outside of the box, rather than a school that produces a bunch of identical kids.

I'm a non-conformist and demand the same from my kids Don't take the spoon feeding, take nothing at face value, question everything, and don't become a lemming.

[atlanta hope]

You'll have to visit and see for yourself.

My realtor grew up here and when she was showing us around Austin Lake Estates, she said it was known as the "poor" neighborhood in Eanes and that other kids were mean to the poor kids that lived there. Maybe that is or isn't true today but there are so many other nice places in Austin, we didn't want to deal with it.

[mimimomx3]

There are parts of Westlake that are down to earth- I would put Lost Creek and Barton Creek West in that group. Then there are the gated parts of Westlake that most of Austin finds snobby and insular. Someone mentioned that long time Austinites have a bias against Westlake, and I agree. The Austin High vs Westlake football game is a great example of that. Huge rivalry. It has to do with a long timer vs newcomer thing, old money vs new, etc. I might add that if you're looking for diversity, you won't find much in Westlake/Eanes- if that's important to you. I agree with the poster above, though. Move where you want and forget about the rest. Good luck.

[centralaustinite]

Yes, as a long-time Austinite, I do feel some irrational prejudice against Westlake/Eanes. Some of that is just class resentment. It is an expensive place and most folks can't afford it. I believe that the original developments made the minimum lot size a third of an acre, so Westlake has a deliberate non-urban, non-walkable feel. It is beautiful, with winding roads, great views, a bit of canyon California feel that some people love. And even a crazy devoted central austinite like me can see the appeal.

Setting that aside, my biggest problem with Eanes is that the high school is too big! There is a tremendous amount of research that shows that smaller schools work better for kids. I attended a top-ranked public high school in another state that was similar in size to Westlake High, and I would prefer that my kids attend a smaller high school.

Realtors love Eanes because the test scores are so uniformly high. But I tend to think that it is primarily a reflection of the socio-economic status of the students. So I am not overly impressed by the test scores. Example, I live in an central neighborhood with an elementary school that is "unacceptable" yet all the Angelo kids in the school test in the 99 percentile!! The school is considered unacceptable because "economically disadvantaged 5th graders" and "Hispanic 5th graders" failed to meet the standard in science. Eanes does not have the economic and ethnic diversity that AISD does. (And AISD is starting to get some great results with several exemplary and recognized schools that are majority-minority, and majority economically disadvantaged).

So you have to dig deeper than just test scores. For another perspective on Eanes check out:
Keep Eanes Informed Home

A recent comment on the Regents vs other private school thread made many thoughtful comparisons about Westlake HS and other schools.

Other schools to check out would be: Barton Hills Elementary-o'Henry-Austin High in the Barton Hills neighborhood just south of the river, Zilker Elementary feeds to the same middle and high school and has a great school community (and very diverse too). I personally feel that McCallum is a hidden gem of a high school (smaller and more diverse than Anderson), Highland Hills or Gullet elementary track to Lamar Middle and then McCallum High.

Doss and Hill are both exemplary elementary schools (as are all the others I've listed in AISD) that go to Anderson High. Anderson has the IB program and a well-to-do student body that is somewhat similar to Westlake High but a bit smaller.

And don't forget Casis-O'Henry-Austin high in Tarrytown. (but a similar socio-economic vibe as Eanes).

We spent the summer trying to buy a house in the Anderson High or McCallum High area but couldn't sell our central house, so we may end up with private high school. It is probably a better fit for my oldest child anyway. Your kids are too young for you to know if a certain type of school would work better for you.

Lost Creek is pretty down to earth. I'd take Barton Hills over it though, but that's just me.

[springbean]

Originally Posted by cmiller1014

I am not a fan of teaching to the tests and that sort of thing and thats the only way these schools manage to get exemplary status like they do.

ITA. So what do these test scores say? Teachers are really good at teaching to the test? What a bunch of crap. TAKS testing doesn't (or shouldn't) be the judge of an exemplary vs. non-exemplary school. The whole TAKS thing just rubs me the wrong way.

[centralaustinite]

Originally Posted by springbean

ITA. So what do these test scores say? Teachers are really good at teaching to the test? What a bunch of crap. TAKS testing doesn't (or shouldn't) be the judge of an exemplary vs. non-exemplary school. The whole TAKS thing just rubs me the wrong way.

Me too!

It is one reason (but not the only one) that my kids are in private school. Their school uses the Iowa Basic Skills test as a yearly benchmark to help assess teacher performance and student achievement but there's no teaching to the test and no high-stakes labeling from it.

[TexasHorseLady]

Originally Posted by springbean

ITA. So what do these test scores say? Teachers are really good at teaching to the test? What a bunch of crap. TAKS testing doesn't (or shouldn't) be the judge of an exemplary vs. non-exemplary school. The whole TAKS thing just rubs me the wrong way.

Agreed. I attended a school that was, at that time, in the top ten in the nation (Highland Park in Dallas). I came there from small town East Texas schools, where I was an excellent student (and had excellent teachers).

I was shocked (and traumatized) to learn that we were most definitely NOT supposed to THINK about what we were being taught, but merely to memorize it so that we could regurgitate it on the test so that the school could maintain its high rating, which was, when you came right down to it, more important to the school than educating their students. Now, I've always been an excellent test-taker, so I had no problem with tests, but I really did want an education, as well.

There is SO much more to choosing a school than TAKS ratings.

[jobert]

I went to HP as well, and I wouldn't subject my kids to it. In the few dealings I've had with the people who live in the hills, they exude the same sense of entitlement.