Help choosing good elementary school (Houston, Austin: appointed, big house, neighborhoods)

[looselynyc]

We are planning a move to Austin from NYC. The schools that I have liked the look of so far are:
Bridgepoint/Barton Creek/Eanes and would love someone to compare these three for me. Bridgepoint is the closest to the house that we are looking at in that area but if the other two are better than I would be willing to go out of my way.
On the other side we are looking at Cassis (sp?) and St Andrew's School.
Any thoughts about living in Tarrytown versus living on the other side of the river (Westlake area??).
Is one school out of all them truly better? Which is the most progressive and innovative?
We are off this weekend to make a decision and would so appreciate some feedback from people who really know.

[sanmiguel]

Originally Posted by looselynyc

Any thoughts about living in Tarrytown versus living on the other side of the river (Westlake area??).

At the elementary and middle school level it is a wash. Westlake High, however, is more highly rated than Austin High which Tarrytown feeds into.

[chickenfry]

compare them using just4kids.org............this site compares schools to each other with demographics factored in. apples-apples rather than apples to oranges

[theloneranger]

Originally Posted by sanmiguel

At the elementary and middle school level it is a wash. Westlake High, however, is more highly rated than Austin High which Tarrytown feeds into.

However, Austin High is far from a bad school, and your kids will get an experience much more closely resembling the real world than at Westlake. Austin High is where a lot of Austin's real money send their children, but there are also middle class families and working class families in the district, and much more racial diversity as well. If you're familiar with Houston at all, Austin High and Lamar are very similar schools.

[mimimomx3]

Originally Posted by looselynyc

We are planning a move to Austin from NYC. The schools that I have liked the look of so far are:
Bridgepoint/Barton Creek/Eanes and would love someone to compare these three for me. Bridgepoint is the closest to the house that we are looking at in that area but if the other two are better than I would be willing to go out of my way.
On the other side we are looking at Cassis (sp?) and St Andrew's School.
Any thoughts about living in Tarrytown versus living on the other side of the river (Westlake area??).
Is one school out of all them truly better? Which is the most progressive and innovative?
We are off this weekend to make a decision and would so appreciate some feedback from people who really know.

What exactly do you mean by progressive and innovative? My definition might not be the same as yours. I can offer you my opinion, but I'm really not interested in debating this too much- it's too personal....

If you mean a curriculum that is academically challenging while still focusing on social, emotional and community experiences, then I would look very seriously at St. Andrew's rather than Casis or Bridgepoint.

SA, CA and BR are comparable academically, except for the fact CA and BR have to deal with the TAKS test, a standardized end of year test for all Texas public school. There is a school of thought that the teachers have to teach 'to the test' so that the kids pass. SA has the luxury of teaching what they think is important.

SA has organized athletic teams that compete with other private schools starting in 5th grade. CA and BR don't- but you can join neighborhood leagues, or do it privately.

If it's important to you, SA has daily Episcopal chapel. Episcopalianism is a failry open and accepting relgion, so you are expected to be respectful but not necessarily participate. I know lots of atheist, Jewish, Muslim, Catholic, etc. families at SA/SS.

Community service is a huge component of SA. It is not at AHS or WHS, although of course kids who are motivated to do so on their own, do.

Because it's a smaller school that can self select, SA has fewer discipline/drug problems, and those are handled easily...they are expelled. BR and CA can't, and consequently have more discipline issues.

Smaller class size also is a huge factor in the amount of help that a kid will receive from their teachers.

As for diversity, BR is not as diverse as CA. I know lots of diverse people who are at SA, but they are more culturally and ethnically diverse than economically diverse. I think you'll find that same kind of divesity at BR.

Other private elementary schools to consider are Trinity (Episcopal) on Bee Caves Rd in Westlake, Regents (Christian) on SW Parkway, Hyde Park Baptist (3 locations...not exactly sure where they are other than the one in Hyde Park..central), St. Theresa's (Catholic) in NW Austin off 2222, Waldorf (in Dripping Springs) and maybe otheres I can't remember.

Again, these are my thoughts, and I'm sure many will disagree. As for neighborhoods, where are you working? You'll get a big house with land in Westlake for the same money in Tarrytown, you'll get a charming older house that's close to restaurants, arts, etc. Again, subjective. Most of my friends who've come from the East Coast settle in the central areas. Most of my ex Southern CA friends go Westlake or Circle C. Ex-SF friends have gone central.

Anyway, good luck!

[GreenPlastic]

Basically agree with MiniMom. All those schools are excellent and any difference is minimal, with the exception of St Andrew's which has the advantages that come with being private. I would not consider any of them progressive or innovative, but St Andrew's, like any private school, has the freedom to supplement their curriculum with more types of outside activities than public schools.

Westlake and Tarrytown are both wealthy parts of town, but being central, Tarrytown has a more eclectic mix and is a little more liberal. Hope that helps.

[looselynyc]

Thanks to everyone for consistently helpful responses. I have not educated any of my children in the public school system but this one seems a good one to try.
And although we like the look of St Andrew's it is full at the moment in our D's grade so it's not really a realistic option.
We really appreciate everyone who took time to give us their advice.

[looselynyc]

We went to visit St Andrews and the Casis in the same day last week and I have to say that we were not in the least disappointed with the public school option. Patty, the school's principal, toured us around and we were especially impressed by her simplicity, strength, and kindness. How can a school be bad with that sort of leadership?
Of course the facilities of St Andrew's blow the rest of the schools we visited out of the water. They seem to have a great program going there too.
All in all, we left Austin really impressed by the options. And as New Yorkers we are hard to impress!

[mimimomx3]

I think you can't go wrong with most public elementary schools...the challenge comes at the middle school level. Most families who choose the private school option at the elementary level do so with the thought of middle school coming down the road. Glad you had such great visits!

[looselynyc]

Just want to report that after two weeks at Casis our daughter couldn't be happier. Her teacher is wonderful and the school seems really well run. After spending 13 years in the private school world of NYC the lack of pressure at this school is a breath of fresh air.