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And do not forget that your kids are young and you really do not know them and what they might need in an educational institution yet. You might be surprised and what you think they need in HS when they are 7 years old may be very VERY different from the person you actually end up living with when they are 15! Stay flexible.
Very true.
I would echo the sentiment that "best" is what's best for YOUR child; there's no single best school in Austin.
I have experience with many of the options you've listed (Eanes, St. Stephens, other private) and I can honestly say that they've all been good for different reasons and at different seasons in our kids' lives. For elementary, public was a great solution for all of our kids. Based on our experience with Eanes' middle school, we started looking at other options for middle school, but there are a lot of things we like about Westlake high school, so it's definitely a very good option. I should also add that my kids are very different from one another, and a school that's a great fit for one may not be the best for another.
Having said that, let me share some differences I have noted. St. Stephens is more of a liberal arts school. The course catalog is much smaller than the catalog at Westlake (for example, there are mounds of computer science and digital technology courses at Westlake, whereas you could count the offerings at SS on your hand). On the other hand, St. Stephens wins hands-down in developing writing skills. My kid who attended Eanes middle school wrote ONE paper in all three years of middle school (graduated last year and was in preAP English). My kid at St. Stephens writes several papers a month. I am amazed at how his writing skills have grown and developed. Yes, they write at Eanes. But a lot of it is in their composition book or in class, and my son's composition book had no feedback from his teachers. Once they enter Westlake, there is more writing, but comparatively, still much less than you'll see in many private schools. Many of the teachers teach 6-7 blocks (out of 8 total), so as one of them explained to me, they just don't have much time to grade 150 long papers.
Along the same lines, I don't think my kid at St. Stephens has ever had a multiple choice test. There are no tests where he can memorize all the answers and get a top grade. Almost all non-math tests have a writing component where he must demonstrate ability to analyze an issue, take a position and defend it. There is a lot of independent thinking involved that he must apply to his studies. While not always the case, there has been more memorization and Scantron tests in our public school experience. These are some of the tradeoffs based on classroom size that I think is to be expected.
On the other hand, it's almost impossible to match the strength of some the extracurricular programs at a good public high school. Eanes, LASA, Westwood & other top public schools consistently bring home awards in activities as varied as robotics, Destination Imagination, Latin team, tech crew, science competitions, band, football, cheerleading, etc.. They have outstanding kids across many disciplines. Their list of awards will be much longer than you will see at some of the private schools. The flip side of that is that for most sports, if your kid isn't a top athlete in their sport by high school, they may not make the team or will be sitting on the bench. They may not make the UIL academic team either because only a small number do and the school has close to 2,500 kids. If they go to St. Andrews or St. Stephens, all of the kids can make the team, as they will have 3 middle school basketball teams to accommodate all athletic abilities, for example. In fact, team sports are a requirement at SSES (and possibly SAS as well).
Many would say that it is important for your child to find a "niche" at a big school like Westlake or they can easily get lost and get off track. I'd say the majority of kids do find a niche, but the few who don't are the ones who are often dissatisfied with their experience or get on the wrong track. I think you will know by 8th grade if your child has a strong niche that they can pursue and feel part of the bigger public school.
Some of the public schools are much better at addressing learning disabilities and different learning styles. Even if your kid doesn't have an identified learning disability, I think many public school teachers (at least in Eanes) are good at adapting to improve any kids' learning experience because they work with the whole spectrum. That's a plus if your kid doesn't fit in the box.
Lastly, let me add one thing that has been eye-opening for me. Over 1/3 of my son's class at St. Stephen's is on scholarship. I think they give out close to $2MM in scholarship money. Diversity is a priority. Ironically, while there is definitely a wealthy component there, the makeup in the class is MUCH more diverse than my Eanes' kid class. As a whole, I see fewer fancy cars. The public/private school stereotypical differences don't apply when you are comparing vs. districts like Eanes...in fact, oddly enough, it's a bit reversed!
I could go on, but these are the types of things to consider as your kids grow and you can identify what their needs are AND what your priorities are for your children's education. I have a good friend who will never send her son to St. Stephen's because he is an outstanding football player and football is not St. Stephen's strength! I know other people who want their kids to be in classrooms with 16 kids, not 30, so private school is a priority. It all comes down to your kid and your priorities, but the good news is that there are many good choices for both public and private education in Austin.
The mention of Trinity reminded me of one thing that I don't know if anyone or the OP has mentioned. IIRC, Trinity and both the "St" schools have morning service. This may or may not be an issue for those who are considering those schools.
Based on OP's posts, I really feel like St. Andrews would be the best choice and not just becauyse my kids go there. We agonized over the decision but in the end, chose it because of the academics and the SEL program that is Wonderful - social and emotional learning. I personally feel that EQ is just as important as IQ and they do a really good job at guiding kids through those issues. Also, I was pleasantly surprised at the economic diversity - all the way from the Dell kids to kids on full scholarship and lots of teacher's kids. Lots of families live in 78703 as you'd expect, but also a fair amount from 78731 and Westlake. Another school that doesn't get a lot of press but is excellent for some is St. Francis. Some UT profs that I know send their kids there.
Not like the OP would be interested, but I'm just mentioning it anyway. Charter is an excellent option as well. We are very pleased with our daughter's education. The class sizes are small, the teachers do not teach to the test, and analytical thinking is encouraged. My daughter is doing phenomenally well (though she seems to have the predisposition to do well probably anywhere). I can't say enough good things about a good charter school.
After pouring over your answers, I have a few things to add.
First, when I re-read my posts, they sounded a little elitist about St. John’s. The reason for that might be that I don’t know how to describe why exactly St. John’s worked so well for my family. We are definitely not looking for a snooty school.
Hound 109, thanks for letting me know that some kids go to St. Stephens when Westwood IB is too hard, that is great information. I’ll be looking into all the schools you mentioned which have been echoed on these boards.
Mesmer, good to know St. Stephens is collegiate.
Clarksville mom- good to hear your perspective on LASA and SA, and the prek tips for All Saints or St. David’s.
LakeTravisAlum, it’s helpful to hear your perspective echoing that LASA, Westwood, Eanes, and even LTISD are the best around. And also that there isn't a St. John's equivalent in Austin.
Idlewile I appreciate the +1
Riaelise thanks for the tips on home pricing and looking at RRISD and Steiner.
Hoffdano, thanks for sharing your family’s experience. You made me think more critically about my reasons for private school, since ‘religion’ and ‘sheltering’ are not the reasons by far. In Houston, the number one reason to send us to private school was that the public school system was overcrowded and didn’t have good teachers. If we were in Austin, some reasons for private school would be a lower student to teacher ratio, no multiple choice tests, and more papers written, which could lead to better critical thinking skills. But if I were to play the devil’s advocate I would say some of these public schools may actually have better resources than the private schools, possibly more diversity (real world experience), and they are far less expensive!
Austinnerd , you helped me think critically about what I actually want, thanks for the questions. I want them to remain happy kids. I’m not concerned with class rank and I don’t want them spending hours on homework or stressing about school. I hope they feel successful in a challenging environment that is stimulating rather than overwhelming. ‘Dog eat dog’ won’t work for us. BTW I don’t find your posts extreme at all. I really appreciate the tip about talking to teachers and the reminder that each kid is so different and will not be their toddler/infant selves forever. And I definitely see how subjective it all is. You may have already mentioned what school route your kids went but would you share again?
Green Plastic, Each one of your insights is greatly appreciated. The fact that you know families from Houston schools that I’m familiar with is really encouraging. Your post continues to encourage me about SSES and SA. SA really sounds like a family and that’s what I’m looking for. My husband and I only have a couple of cousins in Austin, and only a few friends, so we’re kind of starting from scratch. Having a very large network (mostly due to a massive family) in Houston, I’m really looking to expand our base in Austin.
Mimimox3, thanks for pointing out how the size of the city can affect the school. Honestly it hadn’t crossed my mind. I just assumed there would be an equivalent of St. John’s in Austin.
Scm, you had many great points and I really appreciate all the different options you put forth. I agree a lot of it comes back to the bottom dollar. Really, we can’t rely on scholarships. Who knows if our kids will get in, then who knows how much financial help they would get.
Centralaustinite- I went through all the reviews of the schools I’m interested in on greatschools and came back with a wealth of knowledge. Thanks
Blakely, your post was gold! I appreciate hearing about your family’s experience. Also, your comparison of the public and private schools was so helpful. The strong writing skills at SSES vs the extracurricular activities and science and technology courses at some of the top public schools is a great point. I can see strengths and weaknesses to both models and we may end up doing a mix of public and private for each of our kids.
Clarksville mom, the Social and Emotional Learning is exactly the kind of thing we’re looking for. EQ is definitely as important as IQ. I love the idea of St. Andrews, and really hope we get in, can make it work with our budget, and that our kids are the right fit for it.
I made this list below which could possibly help others trying to make these decisions. This list is definitely preliminary, and very specific to our wants, but may help someone nevertheless. Below I listed how much driving time it would take to get to other schools ('other options'). I calculated the driving time from the location that I listed where we would try to live. Other parts of the same school district would be a much longer commute to those schools.
Circle C (AISD)
School route: Clayton/Kiker/Baranoff/Mills elementary to Gorzycki middle to Bowie high.
Where to live: 71 at Southwest Pkwy.
cons:
looking for somewhere a little more naturally beautiful
reviews of Bowie were not all good
pros:
not too far away from central Austin
many houses for 300k (2000 square feet)
plenty of houses for 350k (2500-3000 square feet)
other options:
20 minutes to Westlake high school
30 minutes to LASA
20 minutes to St. Andrews elementary/middle
10 minutes to St. Andrews high
20 minutes from St. Stephens.
Lake Travis (LTISD)
School route: Lake Pointe Elementary to LTMS to LTHS
Live: 71 at Bee Cave
pros:
Love the nature in Bee Cave
homes for 300k (2000 square feet)
plenty of homes under 350k (2500 square feet)
fabulous reviews of lower/middle school
cons:
good reviews but not great re: administration for high school
It seems conservative/suburban. I grew up in the middle of the inner city of Houston; I can't do conservative suburbia. I could do liberal suburbia though if that exists(?). I really enjoy the arts and also attending lectures and I think the majority of that stuff is in Austin not Bee Cave. Please correct me if I'm wrong!
other options:
15 minutes from Westlake
30 to LASA
25 minutes from St. Andrews elementary/middle
10 minutes from St. Andrews high or St. Stephens
25 minutes to St. Andrews elementary/middle
Spicewood Springs (RRISD)
School route: Laurel Mountain elementary to Canyon Creek middle to Westwood high
Live: park at Spicewood Springs
cons:
prefer the 'vibe' of southwest Austin to northwest Austin
some of the reviews of Westwood insinuate that Westwood is a pressure cooker
others say that the area is really overcrowded
pros:
houses for 300k
many houses around 350k (2000-3000 square feet)
other options:
Westlake high is 20 minutes away
LASA is 25 minutes away
15 minutes from St. Andrews elementary/middle and St. Stephens.
25 minutes from St. Andrews high
Steiner Ranch (LISD)
School route: Steiner Ranch/River Ridge/Laura Welch elementary to Canyon Ridge middle to Vandergrift high.
Live: Quinlan Park Rd at Steiner Ranch Blvd
pros:
Vandergrift got amazing reviews
Houses for 300k (2500 square feet)
Plenty of houses for 350k (3000 square feet)
cons:
far out
conservative/suburban?
other options:
Westlake is 25 minutes away
LASA is 30 minutes away.
25 minutes to SA elementary/middle
30 minutes to SA high
20 minutes to St. Stephens
Eanes (EISD)
School route: any of the elementary schools to any middle to Westlake
Live: anywhere in Westlake
pros:
close to everything
great reviews
gorgeous
cons:
350-400k for 2000 square feet
other options:
25 minutes to LASA
15 minutes to SA elementary/middle
10 minutes to SA high
10 minutes to SSES
Last edited by VioletCody; 04-07-2013 at 04:43 PM..
FYI: all of your traffic time estimates are very optimistic! Especially for morning and afternoon dropoff/pickup. The short times are pretty right on but almost anything that you list as a 25 minute drive is more likely 45 minutes in real life and longer even than that if it rains or on a Thursday or if there is an accident/road closure etc.
good luck! Austin has a lot of great schools, you will find one that works for you.
I would add Doss/Murchison/Anderson (AISD) to your list. Anderson has an IB program that is highly regarded, and Doss is one of the best public schools in Austin. It's also very close to SAS lower school, SSES, and LASA. House prices start at $350K for a 2500 sf older house. It's worth considering!
I noticed you posted traffic time to LASA in your posts for Steiner Ranch, Eanes, etc. However, keep in mind that you must live in AISD boundaries for your child to attend LASA. It's an AISD magnet school. So it's not really an option if you live in Leander or Eanes ISD.
One of my neighbors recently moved to AISD so her son could attend LASA.
Not to hijack the post but any feedback anyone has on Magellan vs. those names in this thread would be appreciated.
Have you checked out Great Schools to see what people say? I think that it is too soon for those of us in the wider community (private school parents at other schools) to have an opinion of it. Is it a non-profit or for profit? Their tuition is very high for Austin.
I'm an IB skeptic and not a huge fan of dual language either (I think that the long term impact will be small), so I am the wrong person to ask.
If I were picking elementary schools again St. Andrews and St. Francis (sounds religious but its not) would be at the top of my list. For public, Highland Park, Doss or Gullet would be my top choices in AISD.
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Summary of the posts & follow up
