Best School Academically (on the level of St. John's School) (Houston: house, buy)

[VioletCody]

I've read hundreds of posts on this forum, every one I can find, on schools in Austin. Thanks for all the info. From what I gather, the best schools academically are:

1. St. Stephens
2. St. Andrews
3. Eanes ISD

I went to St. John's School in Houston and hope that my children can get a similar education in Austin. I've heard from this forum and by word of mouth that St. Stephens is on the same level as St. John's. Is St. Andrews on that level? Is Eanes close? If you are unfamiliar with St. John's, basically it's the best school in Houston academically, one of the best in Texas, the teachers are mostly liberal, and the school is definitely focused on academics. Everything, including sports, takes a back seat to academics. I liked it that way and really appreciate the experience I had there. St. John's helped cultivate a love for learning and even schooling that has lasted well into adulthood. I also deeply appreciate that I've known my friends for more than 20 years now since many of us started in preschool or kindergarten together.

The only problem I had with St. John's is that they were very intolerant of kids who struggled behaviorally. Sometimes kids just need a lil' help. The problem was mostly (or entirely) due to an inexperienced and somewhat uncaring administration, so I'm interested in which schools in Austin have stellar administrators and teachers. Essentially I'm not only focused on academics at the cost of everything else. I know St. Andrews is focused on looking at kids holistically and I really appreciate that. I also really appreciate that S.A. is grades 1-12, so my kids may have friends they know for life like I do. By the way, my husband and I don't care about Ivy League admissions. I'd be happy (even prefer) if my kids go to UT or less prestigious colleges.

We are considering moving to Westlake almost solely because of Eanes ISD. We want a house big enough for 5 people, preferably with a guest house. I think 3000-4000 square feet would be the right size (any input on that?). We may be okay in 2000-3000 square feet but I'm not sure; I know layout makes a big difference. I'm under the impression that $500,000 would be the minimum for 3000 square feet in Westlake. Would we be able to get away with $300,000-$400,000 in a 2000-2500 square foot house? I haven't found much for under $400,000. With a guest house, I am guessing we'll be in the $600,000 range. Are those figures about right? We're looking for a relatively nice home. We want an amazing foundation foremost. We'd prefer if it were made of stone with nice floors, high ceilings, and lots of natural light. Alternatively, I'm considering getting a much cheaper house farther out and trying to get scholarships to St. Andrews or St. Stephens.

Our kids will be in elementary school when we move to Austin. We still have 2 more years before we can move unfortunately. I hear Eanes elementary schools are just as good as St. Stephens or St. Andrews, that the Eanes middle schools are not as good, and Westlake may be as good as St. Stephens or Andrews.

One last question, we will have one or two in pre-school when we move. Any thoughts on the best preschools?

Thanks for your help in planning our lives!

[austinnerd]

Originally Posted by VioletCody

I've read hundreds of posts on this forum, every one I can find, on schools in Austin. Thanks for all the info. From what I gather, the best schools academically are:

1. St. Stephens
2. St. Andrews
3. Eanes ISD

Sigh.

Short answer, NO. Even to your question about the elementary/middle schools.

Just some short points:

- with the $20K/yr/kid (lets see, $60K/yr for 3 kids x 7 years, that's a lot of benjamins) you'll be paying for St Stephens, you could buy a much nicer house anywhere (ditto St Andrews plus a few more years).
- we originally rejected (and know others who feel similarly) St Andrews because we didn't think it was academic enough for what we were interested in, FWIW.
- we know two families now (was just one until recently) that have left Westlake due to social issues and what they considered lackluster academics (i.e. they put up with the social issues until they got frustrated enough with the academics that they finally left).
- You totally left out the usual RRISD suspects of Spicewood/Canyon Vista/Westwood, you could theoretically get just as good an academic experience and have a pretty nice spread for $500K (or more if you factor in the first point).
- You also left out Kealing/LASA magnet programs, LASA was "ranked" higher than Westlake and Westwood in the last national high school rankings I saw (again, FWIW). Of course there are the issues with the campus', just depends on what you're looking for.
- a 3000 sqft house in Eanes ISD for $500K would be tough to find, there are a few pockets (e.g. Cuernavaca) of less expensive stuff, but I'd imagine anything in Westlake proper would have to be a near teardown for that price.

Perhaps it's the use of the word "best" that just hits me the wrong way. My anecdotes above aren't meant to imply that those schools are bad in any way, just to point out that there is often more to it than simply saying "school X is good/great/the best" and everyone's ranking system can be quite different. The schools you mentioned can definitely be good schools, but there are many other options as well.

Again, just some things to consider.

[hound 109]

- LASA
- Westwood
- St. Stephens
- Westlake

(my opinion)

I know of kids going to St. Stephens because Westwood IB (or AP) was "too hard". Also, the Line 1 tennis player is getting a full ride to Columbia....which isn't too shabby.

Not too many cut ups in class though. Probably would have to go private if there are "behavioral" issues & you want to excell (vrs. staying at Westwood or Westlake).


Ha.....looks like Nerd posted before me. Excellent info in his post.

[mesmer]

My impression of St. Stephen's from talking to some students is that it's much more of a college like experience due to the boarders - kids are not as hemmed in. That may help with some kinds of behavior problems but on the other hand they do have very, very high expectations of their students. A lot of schools are zero tolerance these days - public, private and charter. If the behavior issues are remotely serious, that's going to limit your options much more than academics will.

[clarksvillemom]

LASA and St. Andrews. Don't know about Westlake but in my opinion, private is better than public (LASA is like private). Try All Saints or St. David's for preschool/pre -K.

[LakeTravisAlum]

IMO, in Austin, private is not better than public. The quality of the private schools here just doesn't compare to the quality of the private schools in Dallas and Houston. Therefore, it's just not worth it to spend the extra money.

Good public high schools in the area:
LASA
Westwood
Westlake
Lake Travis
Vandegrift

I would rate all of these public schools at the same level or better than the private schools in the area. JMO.....

[Idlewile]

Would agree, generally, with the others. St. Stephens and St. Andrews aren't considered the best considering the competition. Perhaps 'better' for a particular student or family, but certainly not at the top of the list when people in the know are asked to rate the top 5 high schools in the Austin area.

[hoffdano]

A four bedroom house in West Lake Hills for $500,000 with a guest house?

Now that's what I find interesting about this thread. My only contribution otherwise is that 3000-4000 sq. ft. should be more than enough for most people. But then again I know people who think 5000 sq. ft. is barely enough for four. They think a child needs 300 sq. ft. in their bedroom.

[NativeTexan76]

austinnerd- can you elaborate on the social issues with the Eanes district? Are you specifically referring to the high school level?

[VioletCody]

Thanks so much for the replies.

Based on posts I've read before, I completely blanked on LASA and RRISD. I'm glad you brought them up austinnerd. Overall I find it really interesting that the public schools are more rigorous in Austin. I went to one of the top 3 public schools in Houston for a few years and it was an incredibly substandard education, even though I was in IB/AP classes. I suspect I left out RRISD and LASA because it's so hard for me to wrap my mind around the fact that Austin private schools aren't as academically challenging as public.

Any other thoughts on elementary and middle schools? Are the public schools academically stronger for those as well? Any suggestions on which ones specifically? I am currently researching this on the forum; I realize that this has been discussed a lot. I have a bit of a knowledge gap on elementary and middle schools since the majority of what I've read has been on high schools.

Behavioral issues are not a concern at the moment. The only reason I brought it up is that in my experience, St. John's administrators were a bit 'cold' at times (they no longer work there thankfully). I would hope for more caring individuals to run my children's school.

For housing, I was expecting 2000-2500 square feet for 450k in Westlake. But if Eanes isn't the best, I'm not interested in spending such exorbitant prices. I'd prefer to be in West Austin if possible. Lake Travis has piqued my interest.

One more thing to add. One aspect I'm looking for is a strong school/district K-12. I would hope that my kids can go to elementary, middle, and high school in the same area with more or less the same kids. That's a big consideration that I didn't mention before, not essential but ideal. As long as they could be in one place for k-8, going somewhere else for for high school might not be too big a hassle.

I know "best" school is all relative and there's no answer. I guess I am looking for 'most reputable school/district in terms of academics'. St. John's is considered the best and I think they live up to it.