When your kid is insisting to go to school even though he is under the weather, you know you found…read morea special place. My son is now a second grader at School On The Rise and I am so happy about how he is nurtured and loved in this small school. The teachers are very experienced Waldorf teachers and the environment is homey and safe. Nature and outdoors is main pilar and movement is another. These all make the school a magical place to grow in. Highly recommend this school.

We are so grateful we found The School on The Rise. Our son joined it last year in the middle of…read morethe school year as a 9 year old who didn't read, write and was not able to do any math beyond adding, subtracting simple numbers. Even tho he still has learning difficulties, he is reading at his level now, he is doing difficult math problems, understanding fractions, and slowly starting to write. Kids play in the woods, build things, make things, the art and creativity is very present. You cannot underestimate Ms and Mr Darcy's 30 years experience in woldorf education. They have seen it all and they are incredible at what they do. The school feels like a little piece of haven for kids to play, learn and developed. And probably the biggest reason we are such big fans is School on the Rise is the small classroom environment, where kids were able to cultivate strong friendships. They truly care for each other, it is the sweetest environment. We highly recommend.

Waldorf is such a wonderful education. Unfortunately if the teacher is not great (or going through…read morepersonal crisis and has a large and demanding class) your child will suffer. Steiner's view was to nurture the soul of the child and unfortunately Austin Waldorf is seeming more budget focused and the teacher for our grade certainly really let us down and did not even have the care for us as a family to speak with us directly. I would avoid this particular Waldorf.

Beautiful campus with beautiful traditions. It is easy to get swept up in the idea of the school…read more Met the most wonderful, involved, and caring parents and a couple of wonderful teachers too. This school, however has absolutely failed my children academically. If you have a child that is neurodiverse, this school cannot meet their needs. If you have a child that is gifted, they will not be able to meet their full potential. The class sizes are at 30-33 in 1st and 2nd grade! My child's teacher assured us multiple times that my child would get the help they need. In the end my child's teacher, who had been his teacher for 1.5 years "strongly encouraged" us to find a new school midyear, with no warning. All of the previous reassurance, that they had resources for his learning needs, from her swept away. Now the same teacher is asking for parent volunteers to go in and teach children, not their own, to read. She cannot meet the needs of these children, yet you will not hear this, when the class size concern is brought up at parent meetings. You will be reassured over and over until your child has fallen so far behind, they need multiple interventions to catch up to where they should be or where they were before they started this school. My daughter was advanced for her age before this school. She requested to go back to homeschooling. She would sit in class, at AWS, with her hand raised and never get any help. She was quiet and not one of the louder children yelling out for help. She said she could not focus and would get pushed around by the boys on the playground. The school purposely holds children back from progressing "too fast." They have reasons for this. The issue is the class sizes hinder the children from moving as quickly as they need to, given the Waldorf methods, when they reach the appropriate age/grade level to do so; and they refuse to change. You will hear promises of expanding the grades to have fewer children in the classroom. This has been a promise for years. They have yet to follow through and deny any issues, even though there are many. The teachers do not fight for their students. The office staff is sweet, but when you get down to the people truly in charge, they only care about money.

education: 10/10. they spend so much time with you, its directly 1 on 1 and anything you need help…read morewith they will assist you with. the education is so flexible with different teaching methods, whatever helps you learn is how you'll learn it. theres never a boring day and and its never stressful to ask questions or be confused. community: everyone is so kind and nice, its a true community and everyone helps everyone. there is no bullying and absolutely no tolerance for it. unfortunately some kids take advantage of the no bullying and can be annoying, but its overall a really safe community. teachers: each one cares about you, and you can create your own bond with each teacher. they WANT to help you learn and you can feel that. theyre so fun to talk to as a person and teacher, and i love all the teachers there. such kind souls. this school is perfect for neurodivergent kids, or if youre seeking to get away from the stressed out school days and bullys at public school. nobody will judge you and you will find so many friends.

This is the place. If you're reading this, you're wondering what are the right steps when it comes…read moreto helping my child with finding their way in the world. If you're here, you've obviously grown tired of the rote, inflexible education of the masses based on measurements, guidelines, or even politics. If you're considering a different direction and want to know where to find forward-thinking people (educators, parents, and the kids themselves), then you have to give Appamada a good look. It's been said that we live in interesting times and, thanks to a global pandemic, that couldn't be any more true. For our family, as we tried to navigate the challenges that came along with it, we needed to find a school that would work closely our two children, separated by just under two years, and help them learn (of course), grow (definitely), and become the person they were meant to be versus an "institutional follower." Our children are nearly as different as night and day. But, at Appamada, they found individual paths to advancing their education and developing their personalities that we couldn't find elsewhere. This 'home away from home' has been their place of learning for over five years and I can see that the path they are both on, to college and beyond, has been paved nicely, with enlightened thinking, challenges big and small to overcome and learn from, and focused matriculation to help them become the best they can be, but even more importantly, the best they want to be. The staff at Appamada, across all disciplines and includes the program director, the owner, and all associated with the school are truly top-notch individuals whose sole purpose is to help the students flourish. They have repeatedly shown how much they consider and care for the individual student and have demonstrated this through their communications, program adaptation, and customized course scheduling to meet the kids where they are help them recognize where they want to go.

Inside Outside School has been such a blessing for our family. Our kindergartener describes it…read morebest: "My favorite thing is that the weather is perfect there and we get to play outside all of the time. I also like that our classes have rainbow centers." This school has truly transformed the way our tender-hearted, introverted daughter feels about education. She used to dread school every single day, but now she cries when it's time to leave. The nurturing environment, emphasis on outdoor play, and creative learning spaces like the "rainbow centers" have made her feel so safe, happy, and excited to learn. We couldn't be more grateful to the teachers and staff for creating such a magical, supportive experience for her. Inside Outside School is a place where children truly thrive.

We LOVE the Inside Outside School! I have been following the school since it's opening year, and as…read morean educator (former public school teacher), I love the blend of academics and outside time. From all that I can tell, they are taking the educational research that talks to what truly works in the best interest of children and applying it in all aspects of the school. The class sizes are small, there are many opportunities for mixed-age learning, there is direct teaching of core concepts, highly individualized learning, lots of outside and student-led activities, and an integrated social/emotional component that is woven throughout the structure of the days that helps our children learn one of the most valuable skills that will serve them through life - emotional intelligence! This is not an unstructured school - there is structure and academics happening even when it can appear unstructured. For instance, I volunteer once a week for Nature Literacy in "the woods" as my daughter calls it. I have watched students create amazing learning opportunities for themselves that are completely self-initiated. I've seen them perform experiments on the flow of the creek, figure out how to construct a dragon's lair with tree branches, create mud homes, and compare/contrast plants and rocks. This is all proof to me that these kids are learning HOW to learn and LOVE LEARNING! All things that make both my mommy heart and my teacher heart very happy. :) Our daughter is currently in the 1st grade in a 1st/2nd grade classroom. She came with a high reading level and (in my mind) a low math ability which was compounded with a self-esteem issue from her kinder experience in a local charter school. Her teacher has done an excellent job of finding out what she needs and providing her with opportunities to expand her learning and fill in the gaps she had. Within the first semester the esteem issues I was worried about have all but vanished, and she truly enjoys math as well as reading now! I love the way IOS approaches assessment of the students - there are no grades (which did make this former teacher a little nervous at first), but it has been replaced with anecdotal records that are far more meaningful than a single page of letter grades! I received a 10 page document that took me through the semester, explained what was learned in class and how my daughter is progressing. We used this document to review our previous goals and set new ones as a team - teacher, parents, and student. This is authentic learning at its best! I really cannot say enough about this school. Parents are encouraged to participate in the school day, and I love that this school is as welcoming to the parents as it is for the students. This school may not be for everyone, but I am confident that this is the school for our family and for our daughter. :)

My second child will be graduating from SMS next week and I can't believe our time here is coming…read moreto an end! The SMS staff and families have been such a huge and wonderful part of our lives for 8 years. It was hard dropping my older son off for the first time (at 3 months), but when it came time to drop my younger son off for the first time (also at 3 months), I knew he was going to be in such great hands, it really was like leaving him with family! I also believe that my older son's smooth transition into kinder was thanks to the 'academic' and social learning he experienced at SMS.

Choking back tears we said goodbye -not to our kids- they're in the backseat arguing about…read morecrackers. We were going to miss the warmest daycare with heart that exists. They got us through Covid with an infant, prepared her to thrive in kindergarten. They seamlessly worked with us to help our son with special needs. Their staff was a natural extension of our kids community. The infant room teacher attended her PreK graduation. This daycare is one of the few that is actually worth the cost.

My 2.5 year old son has been attending Good Earth Farm school for 6 months and we're just in love…read morewith it. As a single full-time working mom, I had a really hard time getting used to the idea of sending my son to a full-time school at such a young age. But I can honestly and truly say that he has blossomed there. His language and social skills have developed so much. He's in the Saplings class and loves talking about all of his little friends and teachers when he's at home. My absolute favorite thing about farm school is how they spend so much time outdoors. My son comes home tired and dirty and talks about his "nature walks". I love that it's play-based, and that they don't send home dozens of art projects per month. I love the all-natural materials, the wooden toys, and the home environment in a center setting. My son helps make lunches, wash dishes, clean up the tables, sweeps. And the ANIMALS! He's always raving about the goats and the bunnies and the cat. It's just such a wonderful, loving preschool. And the food for the young kids is vegetarian, organic, local, and seems to be quite tasty. I can't recommend this school enough.

Our experience with Good Earth Farm School has been outstanding. The staff genuinely care about the…read morekids, and it shows in how attentive, organized, and consistent they are every single day. The attention to detail--from communication with parents to the learning environment--is far better than what we've seen elsewhere. On top of that, their rates are competitive without cutting corners on quality. It's rare to find a preschool that balances great people, strong structure, and fair pricing this well.

Starbright is the VERY BEST preschool that a parent who wants the best for their child(ren) can…read morechoose! There are a LOT of options available in ATX, and preschool paves the way to the future: This is a HUGE decision for parents of young children to make! If you want your child to embrace their childhood exposed to and graced with age-appropriate experiences and learning opportunities, to learn about who they are and how to interact with & respect others, and to know what it's like to be loved and appreciated for who they are as an individual, then you found the best that Austin offers! I call Starbright the "Waldorf Prep School," as this is the underlying premise/"curriculum." My children now attend AISD vs. Waldorf, because we don't necessarily ascribe to Waldorf concepts when it comes to grade-school education/philosophy vs. the overall public school experience. For a preschool-age child, the freedom to be a kid --having fun, learning life-skills and experiencing Life, having bountiful learning opportunities, and feeling secure and cared for-- matters! Obviously for a Waldorf-minded parent, this is your preschool! For a parent wanting a preschool to solely/directly to "mold"/"prep" their child for their grueling academic future (which I personally believe subtracts from ultimate well-roundedness and childhood development), then Starbright is NOT for you. For a parent wanting your child to learn, grow, have fun, and be ready for public/private school, keep reading! The Director and the teachers at Starbright: The Director is AMAZING! Her experiential learning and degreed background (well over 30 yrs) as a teacher and guidance counselor are a big part of WHY Starbright is so awesome. She highly scrutinizes and hand-picks each staff teacher, identifying matching qualities included in their background/educational degree, and for a "whole person" concept and presence that exudes love, caring, and respect for others on all levels. Believe me, if a staff member doesn't "measure up," they won't last long at Starbright. But more importantly for a parent "shopping" for a preschool, rest assured that turnover rates are really low because the selection of staff members is so stringent. The teachers/staff at Starbright are there for 1 united purpose: To provide the very best growing/learning experience for the children at Starbright, period. Parental-involvement greatly enhances your child's experience at Starbright, just as it "should be" in the development of your own child. The more you can contribute in any capacity, the more the class (& your child) excels as a whole. I don't want to say it's a "make or break" (for those who have full-time working parents), but some of the extraordinary events that happen at Starbright REQUIRE parental involvement for the greatest experience overall. We attended for years (from 22 months to 6 yrs old x 2 kids approx. 2 yrs apart - both at Starbright) that included a plethora of involved parents: Our experience was far & beyond anything we could have imagined possible in a preschool! Bottom-line: YOUR involvement is what helps Starbright to fulfill its mission & vision FULLY! Starbright Preschool is an extremely valuable, enriching, and loving experience that I wish I had as part of my own childhood. It's not the cheapest, and it's not a specifically academically-focussed preschool. But what it IS at its core -what it provides to each child, your child - is a safe, fun, kid-based/age-appropriate learning environment that develops your child as a WHOLE person, adequately preparing your child for all-around success in grade school, Life, and the future. This review was written as my kids are currently in 3rd & 5th grade. I felt the need to post this after seeing fellow parents of Starbright "graduates" at a middle school (MS) for the writing test portion of application to the MS Academy. We parents couldn't stop talking about how much we loved and appreciated Starbright Preschool!!!

I waited a few years to write this review to have clarity on the situation and not just write with…read moreemotion. Four years later, I still have an extremely negative impression of this school. The blame, I believe, lies entirely with the director at the time, Jean. Perhaps she's still there. I get the feeling my son was accepted for an afternoon slot so Jean and Starbright could get extra money. There was no other explanation for why a new toddler would be accepted if there was no support available for him. My wife took him to the preschool for only 1.5 hours of the 3 hours we paid the first week so everyone could get used to the new situation. She would stay after to talk with teachers and let our son play on the playground. The second week, our son was there for 2 hours. At each pick up, we checked in with the teachers who assured us that our son was progressing as expected. This was his first experience with out-of-home child care. We knew he cried when we left, and we left quickly to make the transition easier for all. We also let everyone at the school know our son cries loudly and they should not be alarmed. On the Friday of the second week, we were pulled into Jean's office and told "this is not working out." She said that one teacher was out pushing him on the swings for the two hours he was in the school's care. The other teacher was with the rest of the kids. I don't blame the teachers, who seemed to lack experience, but the director for putting us and the teachers in such a situation, then not keeping us in the loop and "firing" us with no notice. And when she asked us not to return, she didn't even know our son's name! Our son went on to a fabulous preschool after this horrid place for 2 wonderful years and is now a successful elementary student. I strongly urge you to reconsider when thinking of this school.

St. Mark's provides an environment for children to thrive. Combining experiential learning and…read moreWaldorf style methods, the teachers ensure that the students get a holistic, well-rounded education while having fun. My daughter is in her second year with St. Mark's and she loves school! She teaches me new things all the time. And she's started writing words, knows some Spanish, counts to 20, and has even started adding and subtracting. On top of that she gets a good amount of outdoor time, movement, and adventurous play. We love the teachers. They feel like family.

I feel so lucky to have found St. Mark's. It is such a wonderful, positive learning environment…read more The class size is small and the teachers are AMAZING! My daughter has learned so much in the last 2 years academically, socially and spiritually. The tuition is very reasonable as well. If you are looking at preschools, you owe it to your child to look at St. Mark's.

This is a very personalises education. Small groups which a love it, plus the multiple languages is…read morea plus. The place is perfect, very organise and super clean. The art area in the back is my son favourite place!

From the owner: We are a multilingual preschool, incorporating Spanish, English and French in all our curriculum…read more 60% in Spanish, 30% English and 10% French. | Preschool registration is Now Open. | Schola International is a micro-school that incorporates the Montessori, Waldorf and Reggio Emilia philosophies, principles and methodologies to create an innovative and unique learning environment. | We strive to provide a family environment to ease the transition from home to school, and can't wait for your children to join our schola. | "Many things can wait. Children cannot. Today their bones are being formed, their blood is being made, their senses are being developed. To them we cannot say "tomorrow." Their name is today." -- Gabriela Mistral

We are so thankful for the prep! We moved from NY a year ago and started at the bee cave location…read moreand then switched to dripping springs once our house was built! The school is beautiful and new and kept clean. Each class has a lot of natural light which is important to me. They have a cafeteria for the older kids and a technology room with fun activities. They also have many big outdoor spaces for the kids to play and each space is for a certain age group. The staff at both locations are the biggest reason that we love the prep. All of the teachers are welcoming, warm, friendly and smart! The pre k and kinder teachers have been great as well and seem like they take great pride in what they do! Lastly the administration staff is amazing and easy to talk to! I love them anD again am so grateful for these amazing people who take care of my precious babies!!

Can't say enough praise for this place. We were so nervous to put our first child in daycare…read moreanywhere, even at 12 months. We were worried it was "too soon" and he "wasn't ready", but really it was us who were scared, our little boy LOVED the teachers and the other kids pretty much instantly. He's been there a year now and in the morning when we ask him if he wants to go to school he says "cool! cool!" (for school) and gets his PREP t-shirt and points to the letters on the front. He recognized that's his school shirt! I have to start at the top and say that the current manager there, Brittany, is hands down the best at her job (and we're talking now having seen her handle the pandemic shutdown and reopening and masks and all this craziness). Through it all, and all the personnel changes, Britanny never drops the ball when it comes to the care of the kids OR prompt responses to the parents with literally ANY concerns (for example, when my little one has a diaper rash problem for a few days, I literally call and ask them to put certain creams on in a certain order and then I'll even double check throughout the day and ask them to randomly check his diaper, etc etc - if you're reading this and think I'm crazy, you're not a mom :) - but seriously it's never even a bother. They're SO NICE at the front office. They totally understand my concerns and they TRULY want the kids to be happy. FACILITIES - clean (really clean!), new, modern TOYS - constantly introducing new toys/books/age-appropriate learning materials ACTIVITIES - they do SO MUCH stuff that I can't possibly even think of replicating at home. From outdoor play, to art projects, to sing-alongs and racing games... MANAGEMENT - just excellent. As I said, while some people have come and gone, everyone in the front office is always kind and responsive, and Brittany, the manager, runs a tight ship. I'm clearly overprotective (as you can tell by this review, I'm sure :) And I've never once had a situation where I thought Brittany wasn't 100% on it or ahead of it. TEACHERS - all have been really sweet! Again, some have been young college students here for the summer that went back to school, so there's some transition (which is totally normal for this business) but to their credit, from day one, all the teachers were really friendly and caring and responsive to my many many questions. (how long did my boy nap today?what did he eat? what are his favorite sing along songs? etc etc). Can't say I didn't like a single one. We literally had some very good reasons to MOVE out of state, and the top thing BOTH my husband and I instantly said was "not till all our kids finish daycare here! No way are we going to a different daycare". That's how strongly we feel that the PREP is just awesome...and our second kid will be starting there soon! If anything, wish I started them BOTH sooner..but you know, new mom guilt :)