Experience with Sommer Elementary? (Austin, Round Rock: low income, for rent, how much)

[applepiesf]

Hello! We are close to choosing a home in Northwest Austin, and one factor in our decision will be the assigned elementary school. We've narrowed down our search to homes that feed into England, Sommer, Rutledge, or Reagan.

My first choice would be Reagan based on some very positive things I've read on this forum and after seeing their staff end of the year musical (OMG so cute!!). I'm not sure we're going to find the perfect house in that attendance zone though. Rutledge would be my second choice because of it's size, but we're not finding many homes to meet our needs for that school.

That leaves us with Sommer and England. I was pretty put off by the PTA recruitment video on the England website and some things I read about the school in general. I'm worried about both schools because they are so huge, and I can't get a feel for what the school environments are like. Are parents and teachers friendly? Is it all about test scores, or are there enrichments for the kids too? How much homework do the kids have? (My son will be entering 1st grade.)

If you have any personal experience with these schools, I would so appreciate hearing it. Thank you!

P.S. We also have an upcoming 6th grader who will be entering Pearson, Henry, or Stiles MS. If you want to share anything about those schools, too, I'd love that!

[janineg]

My kids are at Reagan and Henry. I believe that Sommers has a pretty high percentage of Asian (Indian) families. I don't know if that necessarily means it will be more competitive. I don't know anyone whose kids go there, though.
I've heard great things about Rutledge. They have a very active community facebook page. I know that they easily raised $30k one year for a school program (leader in me). At Reagan, parents aren't as tight knit. Maybe because our parking lot is under-sized and most parents stay in their cars in the car pick up line. But you can easily park across the street at a stadium or church and walk over, chat with parents as you wait for the kids.
Reagan has a great principal who works hard at making sure his teachers are supported and happy. He is able to snatch good teachers from other schools because of this I've heard from a district volunteer, who visits local schools regularly, that the staff at Reagan is uniquely happy and friendly towards each other. I'd think this can only be good for the kids. The principal is progressive and doesn't encourage a lot of homework, FYI.
Stiles I've heard can be snobby (but I've only heard that from one person, most love the school). Henry is more economically diverse than Reagan. It's a good mix. The Henry principal is GREAT! The best I've seen. He's firm, people respect him (used to be in the military and has gravitas), and he's very involved.

[applepiesf]

I can't tell you how helpful this is. Thank you!!

I didn't come out and say it, but I don't want to be at a snobby school! We're very low key and casual, and I would like to avoid joining an uppity neighborhood and school community. Can I ask what neighborhood you live in? We're looking at a house in Silver Oak that is assigned to Reagan and Henry, and it's one of my top choices because of the schools.

We're trying to find a house on a super short timeline because we want to get here before school starts. If we don't find the right home now, we can just rent in the attendance area we want until we find the right place to buy. Reagan/Henry were already my favorites, and you helped solidify that. There is also a limited area that has Purple Sage elementary and Pearson Ranch MS, which is also appealing. I hope our kids will be happy wherever we end up.

Thank you for taking the time to help me!

[therehanz]

Got one entering 2nd next year at England. Has been there for K & 1st. I have actually wondered when the homework is going to start (probably this year). Not sure what PTA video you are referring to. We both work so we aren't really as active in PTA as others. Have only had good experiences with the school. Administration good, teachers good, and always seems to be something going on at school, family night stuff that we do attend semi regularly.

No problems with the bus or picking up / dropping off, though it will be interesting to see how the new Pearson Ranch MS and Pearson Ranch Rd extension to 620 will change that this year.

Our neighborhood Enclave at Highland Horizon is closing out the last few homes right now. Not sure what your housing needs are, but the current pattern is England ES> Cedar Valley MS> Round Rock HS.

Hope that helps a little. Good luck on the search.

[janineg]

We live in Silverado Ranch. I like it a lot, especially because you can walk to all 3 schools, and it's so close to 1431, with lots of shops. We actually bought here without renting first. I spent a lot of time researching on this forum. I think Silver Oak is well-liked, too.

[sloppymeg]

I'll chime in on Stiles. (We've done Rutledge-Stiles-now both at Vista Ridge)

I did not find Stiles (or Rutledge) to be snobby at all. Neither did my kids. I find the income distribution to be pretty wide, especially given the areas it covers (specifically Stiles). Some new, some expensive, some old, some pretty low income.

The band directors at Stiles are top notch. I wish the band directors taught all of the classes. (Not that the other teachers weren't great - we've not had ANY bad experiences - but the band directors are just more intense and want the best out of all of the students)

What's your price range for homes?

In terms of Sommer Elementary, I have a few friends who moved from the RRISD side of Avery Ranch to the LISD side of Avery Ranch because of the competition. They felt like their kids weren't getting what they needed to be successful students.

Good luck with your hunt!

[sloppymeg]

(OH, and FYI-there will be a home coming up for rent in the Brookside neighborhood of Avery Ranch in the next few weeks. It's not marketed yet)