St. Andrew's or St. Gabriel's in Austin - Which Would You Choose and Why? (Dallas: neighborhood, to buy)

[curious1111]

We were planning to move to Dallas, but are coming to Austin instead. We have just put a contract on a house. We would describe ourselves as Christian, but on the progressive end of the that scale (if it makes sense). Religously, we would be fine with an Episcopal or (newer/modern) Catholic school like St. Gabriel's. We recently researched may private schools and have narrowed down to these two. Please don't tell us about public schools or other private options -- it was hard enough to get down to these two!

We are interested in perspectives from families with direct experience, but also just indirect and general perception of these two schools. Pros, cons, reputation, etc. Our kids are elementary age, so would be going to the lower school at St. Andrew's, then upper. Or if St. Gabriel's, assume St. Michaels for upper.

If you were sending your kids to one of these, which would you pick and why?

Putting tuition, commute, etc. aside, which do you think is the better school and why?

We plan to apply to both, but really appreciate your perspectives.

THANKS!!!!

[GreenPlastic]

We chose St Andrews this past year. I think the problem with your comparison may be that parents pick these two schools for different reasons. Almost all the parents I know with kids at St Gabriels/St Michaels chose the schools for their Catholic affiliation. Not all, but most. From what i hear, it's a good school and has strong athletics for a private school.

Most of the parents i talk to at St Andrews chose the school (at least at the elementary level) over Trinity, Kirby Hall and Casis (public).

We have really enjoyed our short time at St Andrews. Lots of extras are offered and our daughter is flourishing. Let me know if you have specific questions.

[centralaustinite]

SAS no question! Smaller classes, better faculty particularly at the elementary level. St. Michael's can be a better fit for some kids at the HS level than St. Andrews but that is an individual thing (not every school fits every child) but in general SAS is the better school. If you were Catholic that might tip the balance to St. Gabriels/St. Michaels but otherwise . . .

[llkltk]

What do you mean by progressive Christian? I need to know to answer you question.

[ImOnFiya]

St. Andrew's ! I went there from 6th to 8th grade!!

[homeinatx]

St. Stephen's is better than any of the above in my opinion!

[A-Tex]

St. Andrew's. I think Green Plastic summed it up the best as there's quite a cultural difference between the schools.

The other consideration is the location. St. Gabriel's isn't close to many areas, and the commute in that area is a bear unless you live close by.

[curious1111]

thanks.

- st stephens doesnt have an elementary school
- By "progressive" Christian, I mean that we probably wouldnt be comfortable at Regents. I think that most people know what we mean by this. We are not particularly fundamentalist in our beliefs or needs for social environment for our kids. We have great respect other faiths, backgrounds, diversity of thought, etc.
- Our understanding is the St. Andrew's has students that are Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, etc. While we understand that St. Gabriel's is primarly Catholic. We are not really hung up on this point either direction.

Most interested in perspectives about academics and reputation. Found the commentary about strength of faculty at Elementary level helpful, smaller class size commentary, etc. Please keep that coming. We will probably be in Westlake, so doubt that the commute/drive is much of an issue either way.

They are both part of the ISAS organization. Thinking that ISAS offers a fairly high standard. I think the only other ISAS school in Austin is St. Stephens (?) What are the KEY differences in the school curriculum/extra curriculars...putting the religous and location issues aside? What else makes the culture different between the schools?

thanks!

[mimimomx3]

I would pick SAS based on the curriculum, class size, daily chapel, strong comittment to diversity, athletics that are in balance with academics, community service and location. In general, Episcopals are more tolerant of religious differences than other Christian faiths.

[blakely]

They are both good schools with different strengths and opportunities. I think both schools have a strong sense of community. Have you taken the opportunity to have your children shadow? Part of your decision may really just come down to finding the right fit for your family and your children.

My only "advice" would be to buy in a neighborhood with a good public school option in the event that the school you choose is not the right fit for one of your kids in the long run. While the public option isn't one you are considering now, you never know what could happen in 2, 5 or 10 years. Three of my neighbors moved to Austin a few years ago and all enrolled their kids at SAS. Of those three, two pulled their kids out after one year (it wasn't the right fit) and moved them to the public option. The third family has kept their kids at SAS and seems very happy. My point only being that each of them thought they were picking the very best private school for their kids at the time, but for various reasons, their kids are in different places now.

There are also a lot of kids at St Gabriels and SAS who stay private through 8th grade then move to public for high school. Just good to keep the options open.

Good luck with your decision!