This school may look beautiful and impressive on the surface, but my experience with the enrollment process was deeply disappointing and, frankly, heartbreaking. My daughter's enrollment was handled extremely poorly. When I began asking about scholarship opportunities, communication essentially stopped from Sara Solomon knowing that I was on a timeline for Tefa vouchers to choose a school. I text messaged her from 9 in the morning till 9 at night five text messages and she did not respond until I said I had the money to pay for the other half of enrollment tuition by that point she probably couldn't get a hold of the director but instead of taking accountability, she completely ignored me after saying she would reach out to director of the school to accept the Tefa voucher. My calls and emails went unanswered, and even after I contacted Barbara, the owner directly, I experienced the same lack of response. I spent a week trying to get information, not knowing if the enrollment was accepted from their end for our voucher That was especially troubling when the situation involved a child's education and future. What disappointed me most was the apparent lack of consideration, transparency, and basic professionalism. Families deserve to be treated with honesty and respect, particularly when they are trying to make important decisions about their child's education. If financial assistance is not available, that can be communicated honestly. Ghosting a family instead is unacceptable. The campus may be aesthetically impressive, but appearances mean very little if the people responsible for serving families do not communicate or demonstrate compassion and integrity. I would strongly encourage prospective families to look beyond the beautiful presentation and ask how the school actually treats families when circumstances become complicated. Based on my experience, I did not feel valued, respected, or treated with the level of decency I would expect from an educational institution entrusted with children's futures. I'm a big believer of karma and how you treat others. What goes around must come back around. This is not the way you treat human beings. Very disappointing experience. I would not recommend this school based on how my daughter and I were treated. read more

AESA Prep Academy - Elementary Schools Near Me - Austin, Texas

We loved AESA Prep and the entire staff. They've created a loving and supportive environment for students to thrive in. The small classroom sizes made it possible for our daughter to get the individualized attention she needed. We loved Ms Caro, both Mr Leals, Mr Garcia, Ms Carrie...... Thank you all for loving and caring for our girl. read more

AESA has been a life-changing school for my child and our family! The teachers are exceptional! Our family is so thankful for this amazing school! AESA has provided an environment where my child is nurtured, inspired, and taught with hands-on experiences that accompany creative lessons. His teachers truly care about him as an individual, and communicate with me regarding his progress and growth needs. I so appreciate the kindness shown daily to my child, and the wonderful friendships he has developed with the other children. AESA never ceases to amaze me at the activities offered to my child to enrich his learning such as rodeo day, guest speakers, field trips, and cultural activities of all types. Our family loves attending the many events offered to us as well. It truly is a warm and welcoming community for us all! We are so thankful for AESA! read more

I've been teaching at AESA for four years now, and it's been a wonderful experience. The small class size creates a close-knit community and affords teachers the ability to customize learning to individual students. The campus is picturesque and has a laid-back hill country vibe. There's nothing like teaching outside on a deck under live oaks to add some relaxation to a lesson plan! For a school this size, the extracurricular offerings are impressive. Popular programs include soccer, E-Sports, D&D, a math and algorithms club, and the Aussie magazine. The AESA faculty are simply the most capable, hardworking group of teachers I've ever worked with, and the administrators here truly care about their employees and are constantly striving to maintain excellent standards of education and to cultivate a wholesome, enriching school culture. Students here are positive, upbeat, and motivated. Many of them engage in demanding extracurriculars outside school, and our team works hard to provide scheduling flexibility to our tennis players, equestrians, gymnasts, musicians, and artists. I consider it a great privilege to work at such a special place. As we continue to grow--a new elementary building is going up this year--I look forward to seeing AESA expand its offerings while continuing to maintain the intimate atmosphere that makes it such a warm, welcoming school. read more

Our family has been a part of the AESA community for five years and have had children in Elementary, Middle, and High School. To say they are an inclusive supportive community, is an understatement. Our family had a cancer diagnosis in our third year attending and the support they showed our children and our family is unsurpassed. The small class sizes gave me children the individual attention and compassion that they so desperately needed. Today my children are thriving and have supportive teachers and amazing friendships. At AESA my children are surrounded by students with college aspirations that are focused on personal growth and that spirit is contagious among the student body. You do not encounter the issues mainly schools have negative choices due to peer pressure-it is the opposite they encourage each other to make better choices! As a parent I cannot say enough good things about AESA. If you want your child to be seen and known-this is the school for you! The small class sizes ensure each child is challenged and encouraged at the level that best encourages their growth. read more

We pulled our daughter from DSHS and placed her at AESA - we are very happy and wish we would have done it sooner. the faculty and families are extremely supportive and we love the flexibility And small class size. read more

My son and daughter both attended AESA Prep Academy Fall of 2015 to 2019! What an Amazing SCHOOL we have here in Dripping Springs!! For most of their academic life, my son and daughter went to public schools with a 1 to 26 teacher to student ratio. However in high school this type of environment was not acceptable, oversize classrooms, hours of homework and the level of stress was unbearable on us as a family. Then we found AESA! The average class size was never bigger than 1 to 10 teacher to student ratio and sometimes even smaller. It's a community where teachers are not just teachers there are mentors and a role models. Small class sizes gave my kids the opportunities to focus on the concepts being taught and master them within the classroom without insane amount of homework to deal with at home. They became confident in their learning and demonstrated a sense of leadership among this small community of staff, teachers and peers. My son also had the opportunity to intern with the District Attorney's Office of Travis County for 2 years as well as intern with an International company in Mexico City during the summer of 2018. He applied to 4 different universities from Florida to Texas and was granted Presidential scholarships in ALL 4 universities!! These opportunities would have not been possible in a public school system! At the moment, my son is a Freshman at UT working towards a Business Degree with the focus on Business Law. My daughter is at College Station working towards her degree in English. Thank you AESA Prep Academy for giving my kids endless possibilities when it came to their education! Lisa W read more

Our son is smart, but has never enjoyed until he started at AESA. The small environment allows for an exceptional, engaging education experience. We are not the only ones who feel this way as the school was award the Hulafrog's most loved school award for 2019. Our son is now looking forward to and planning for his future in college and beyond. We are SO thankful for this wonderful school. read more

Great school with a caring faculty! Couldn't be happier with the experience. Tremendously well thought out programs. A+!!

My son and daughter have both attended AESA. My daughter is currently at UT Austin and my son is a senior. My kids have benefitted greatly from the smaller class sizes, their bonds with the teachers, the special programs (science fair, most important person and model UN, SAT prep and included college counseling). My daughter still hangs out and studies with her AESA classmates at UT and my son feels like he fits in despite his struggles with anxiety. This school has been a blessing! read more

My daughter has been attending AESA for over 3 years now. We love the small classrooms and nurturing environment. She is challenged in classes she thrives in and encouraged in classes she struggles in. My daughter is definitely prepared for college. I would recommend AESA to any parent looking to put their child in a private school environment. read more

Zero stars. Many teachers, parents and former students have come forward to say AESA doctors grades and helps w testing. That includes standardized testing. It's a pre-college grade doctoring scam for $$$$$ that sets kids up to be underachievers and unable to function at college or other schools. My child called it glorified babysitting, but even in this way AESA fails miserably: zero structure, kids surf on their phones all day, roam "halls" (it's in a house) and "campus," (dangerous parking lot and largely unmonitored private, alcohol-serving tennis club). If you want all As all the time and children unprepared for college/ unable to function at a public school level, send your child to AESA. If you want a good education and healthy environment, do not send your child to there. AESA is awful. If you've had a bad experience, please email me at AESAisawful@gmail.com. read more

I love teaching at AESA. The head of school has created a wonderful learning environment for all students. The small class sizes make it easy to work with individual students. In my time at the school I've had the amazing opportunity to teach so many young people who've gone on to amazing things! An excellent experience overall. read more

I wanted to thank Barbara Garza and the teaching team at Aesa Prep Academy for the incredible job they did teaching and molding my two kids who have attended Aesa Prep Academy. My daughter started attending Aesa in her 6th grade year after she was struggling with the public school system. My daughter had ADHD and was struggling in middle school to learn in 8 classes with 8 different teachers. She was also struggling socially to fit in and did not have many friends. After several meetings with the counselors at the middle school we decided that we were going to have to pull our daughter out of the school and find another educational system that would better suit her needs. After looking at several private schools we decided on Aesa Prep Academy in Dripping Springs. The Head of the school , Barbara Garza was so understanding and helpful with our daughter. She made sure that she felt welcome at the school and the focused in on her strengths as a student. Our daughter was also able to get more specialized attention when she needed it and this allowed her to strive in school. The school was also small enough that our daughter was able to be more socially accepted and she was able to make a strong group of friends throughout her years at Aesa. After our daughter graduated from Aesa she has attended college where she is excelling. She has a 3.7 GPA and is on the Deans Honor list at her University. We have also had our son in Aesa Prep academy since he was in the 5th grade and he is now a Senior in High School at Aesa. He has also excelled in school and is at the top of his class in GPA. This school has also allowed our son to focus on athletics in tennis and basketball. Thank you Barbara Garza and Aesa Prep Academy for taking such great care of my Daughter and Son and helping them to excel in both school and their passions of Art and Sports. Sincerely, Chris Ahr read more

I have had two children attend Aesa Prep Academy - both kids attended middle and high school at Aesa. They have both had great success at Aesa despite being extremely different in terms of their own learning styles and personalities. My oldest child greatly struggled in school prior to Aesa despite being smart and capable; traditional school was difficult for her to fit in. She did not retain information and she made very little progress in terms of academics. We tried another private school, but she fell further and further behind her peers (the other private school actually suggested that she is mentally retarded - which is far from the truth). My daughter started to fear school due to her perceived failures, and it was becoming a challenge to even get her to walk into school (school was becoming synonymous with tears and frustration). I credit Barbara Garza and the teachers at Aesa Prep Academy for completely changing the trajectory of her academic career. Literally the day she started at Aesa, her school anxiety completely disappeared (school became synonymous with smiles and positive outlook). Her teachers (for the first time) took the time to understand how she learns best and taught her in a way that enabled her to be successful. They noticed her gifts immediately and emphasized those. This technique helped her feel good about her abilities, and suddenly her mind was better able to learn the material. She quickly caught up in all academic areas and actually looked forward to school (I would never imagined this possible - she started at Aesa being way behind in reading/writing and is now advanced in both areas). This positive outlook on school started her first day and stayed that way until she graduated high school (seven years later). Barbara Garza will always have a special place in my heart for helping my child achieve not only academic success but self-confidence. Now, she attends a difficult university and is on the Dean's List. Aesa not only prepared her for college in terms of academics and study habits, but also with the confidence to participate in class discussions and reach out to her professors as needed. She would absolutely not have had this success without Aesa. My other child has benefited from Aesa just as much, even though he has not struggled with academics. He is confident, well prepared for college and has great study habits. He has good friends who are positive influences (overall great kids), wonderful relationships with his teachers, and the skills needed for his future. He made an excellent grade on the SAT that ensures him a good scholarship. The fact that both of my children (who are very different in terms of learning styles and personality) have achieved great things at Aesa points to the diversity of children that attend this school with success. The flexibility offered in this school means that every child is taught in a way that maximizes their potential. I feel beyond grateful for the wonderful staff at Aesa for helping my children for the past nine years. read more