Any thoughts on Canyon Ridge Middle vs. Four Points Middle (Austin: home, middle school)

[Stubobc]

Hi all. We're moving to the Austin metro area next spring. Have determined a general area we think we'd like to live in but are trying to fine tune it based on the right middle school. Any thoughts or personal experiences with CRMS and/or FPMS that you all might share? Are they comparable in quality and experience? I've read in a couple of posts that CRMS is very crowded and that this has created some problems. Thanks!

[CarnivalGal]

They are really quite comparable. CRMS is more crowded, but FPMS is going to be very shorty too. I would not use this as the sole determination on where to live. If you go to CRMS, that means moving to Steiner. I live and Steiner, and I love it, but that also means that you will have to contend with longer commutes and more traffic. If you go with FPMS, that means you will land in River Place, Grandview Hills, Westminster Glen, etc. The traffic is still bad, but not as bad as Steiner.

I have lived in Steiner for 10 years - before the high school and middle school were even in the works, there was very little development, and when there was little to no traffic. As much as I love it here, had I known how bad the traffic would become, we would have probably bought a home in River Place.

[Stubobc]

Thank you mm57553. They seemed comparable from online research but an opinion from on the ground is always nice to have.

I will be commuting to Cedar Park Regional Medical Center. Given that do you think the traffic/commute to there will be better coming out of River Place. Looking at a map I can see that Grandview Hills would be better than Steiner but it looks like RP might be worse.

My wife and kids really like Steiner but the drive does concern me.

[Trainwreck20]

Well, going to CP, you will at least be 'opposite' of the normal commute, which will help some. Avery would be so close, though, that it would be very tempting.

[10scoachrick]

Originally Posted by Trainwreck20

Well, going to CP, you will at least be 'opposite' of the normal commute, which will help some. Avery would be so close, though, that it would be very tempting.

Agreed...even Crystal Falls would be easy...and has some of the topo appeal of Steiner if Avery is too flat.

[CarnivalGal]

Originally Posted by Stubobc

Thank you mm57553. They seemed comparable from online research but an opinion from on the ground is always nice to have.

I will be commuting to Cedar Park Regional Medical Center. Given that do you think the traffic/commute to there will be better coming out of River Place. Looking at a map I can see that Grandview Hills would be better than Steiner but it looks like RP might be worse.

My wife and kids really like Steiner but the drive does concern me.

The biggest problem with the commute from Steiner is getting through the light at 620/2222. In the morning, it can take me almost 30 minutes just to go those two miles from the entrance of Steiner to that intersection. You will have to go through that intersection from River Place as well, but it's in the opposite direction of everyone else and really not too terribly bad.

Grandview Hills would not be my first choice. Again, that intersection is bad (not as bad as from Steiner, but worse than River Place). Also, it just doesn't have the amenities that RP or SR has. The latter is mostly personal preference though.

You could also check out Grandview Hills (half is in Leander ISD and zoned to FPMS and half is zoned to Round Rock). The biggest concern there is that I think there is a good chance it will be re-zoned to different middle and high schools eventually as Vandegrift and FPMS become more crowded and new schools are built. They actually almost got re-zoned to a different high school this past year.

[Stubobc]

Thanks for all the feedback guys. It was very helpful!