Advice on Austin Elementary schools (Canyon, West: transfer, preschools, colleges)

[tataphani]

Hello All ,

I have a 3 year ( by Apr 2016 ) old girl . Planning for elementary school , Not sure how to start my process for right school . And also I have question regarding Pre School Vs Monastery school ( Which one is better for Kid ) I know later is expensive but I am looking for the Merits of it .

And I heard about a Blue Ribbon Elementary school near Austin Downtown ( do not know the name ) , Does any one here had their kid went to that school , if so what is selection process , How tough it is to get in ?


Thanks
Kumar

[ashbeeigh]

I'd start by finding out what schools you are zoned for. You can do that https://www.austinisd.org/schools/sara. There are possibilities of transferring into schools, or relocation into those boundaries. However, transfers can be capped, especially for the more desirable schools....as the one you gave described sounds. Montessori schools are a whole other ball game that I know little about, aside from that they are private and can be competitive.

[JackParker81]

Originally Posted by tataphani

Hello All ,

I have a 3 year ( by Apr 2016 ) old girl . Planning for elementary school , Not sure how to start my process for right school . And also I have question regarding Pre School Vs Monastery school ( Which one is better for Kid ) I know later is expensive but I am looking for the Merits of it .

And I heard about a Blue Ribbon Elementary school near Austin Downtown ( do not know the name ) , Does any one here had their kid went to that school , if so what is selection process , How tough it is to get in ?


Thanks
Kumar

I don't think they have a path to Sisterhood at the elementary level.

[Glenn Ross]

In terms of data, here are two web sites that can provide info: SchoolDigger.com - the Easy Way to Evaluate K-12 School Performance and
GreatSchools - Public and Private School Ratings, Reviews and Parent Community As suggested earlier, start with the school you're zoned in. It may be perfectly fine. Check also which middle school it feeds into.

Good luck!

[austinnerd]

@tataphani, I assume you mean a Montessori school vs a "monastery" school. Which is better for your kid is entirely dependent on your kid and you. Read up on the Montessori program and start thinking about whether or not you think your kid would benefit and it matches what your goals are. There are plenty of non-Montessori preschools that are also very good, again, it really depends on what you're after.

As for the "blue ribbon elementary near downtown", Austin has many "blue ribbon" elementary schools. I would highly recommend (as others have above) that you first start with your locally zoned school. If it is not adequate and you decide that it's worth the annual hassle of doing an in district transfer, you may consider simply moving. Also, while you're at it, you may want to look beyond elementary schools and look at the complete elementary-middle-high schools. An example of this would be Spicewood Elementary->Canyon Vista Middle School->Westwood High School. If you were to determine that you like what that feeder chain has to offer, then you would want to consider (and might need to if RRISD is still not taking out of district transfers) moving into that area.

There are tons of options, to start with, though it can be daunting, just read up on all the options (public and private) and get a feel for where your kid is tracking and what your priorities/goals/budgets are. There are plenty of bright kids getting into great colleges through the public school system and there are plenty of not so bright kids coming out of the private school system and any kids success tends to be more dependent on the kid and parents than the exact school they go to so don't get too caught up in rankings and awards like "blue ribbon" (pretty worthless measures IMHO once you understand EXACTLY what they are measuring).

Once you get a much better feel for things and have more specific questions, coming back here can yield better insights.

[tataphani]

Thanks a lot AUSTINNERD for your Reply . A friend of mine was referring to Elementary ART school in downtown area that requires an entrance exam to get in . I missed the name of school .

Thanks a lot for your replies and valuable suggestions

[AMJ27]

I think you are referring to Blackshear Elementary.


Blackshear Elementary Fine Arts Academy

[tataphani]

Thanks a lot AMJ27 , you are right, it is "Blackshear Elementry ". Do you know any one who went to this school ? It say ART school , so is it different from others ?

[pop251808]

My kids went to a grammar school in a "bad area" part of town. Their teachers were fantastic. Their fellow students exposed them to other ways of life. The other kids' parents made my kids' parents fear for the future of the human race.
It all worked out ok.

[78745gm]

pop251808 - how are your children doing now?