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.

Wow, what can I say, I feel like we won the jackpot when we found Magellan. our daughter started in…read moreKindergarten and although she isn't very good at adapting or transitions, she immediately fell in love with her teachers and school friends.. There are no cliques and no bullying and when we have had issues we have raised them with the teachers and they have jumped on them to solve them immediately, and unlike other private schools there's no sense of entitlement from the parents or students. Also, because the school is so good at awarding scholarships not everyone is 'rich'! The school also has a great parent teacher association which offer weekly meet-ups and play dates as well as adult only events. Each class also has a WhatsApp chat group so parents can easily communicate with each other. If it sounds like one big happy family you'd be right, that's exactly what it feels like. In terms of academics my adhd child has thrived. Diagnosed at 4 we thought she would struggle but the school has been amazing at supporting her needs and accommodating her. They also offer many different seating types from a bouncy ball chair, to cushions on the floor and other such. It's very holistic and non political and offers many diverse ways of learning. They have a calming corner, encourage reading and emotional open communication as well many other ways of teaching emotional and academic intelligence. They teach in Spanish from day one and introduce Mandarin from 3rd grade, they also teach following the international Baccalaureate which is amazing. It teaches the children self confidence through weekly presentations and teaches them autonomy. Honestly this school is amazing and now it goes until 12th grade we are obsessed and so you will be too. But, sshh don't tell anyone about our secret slice of heaven.

My son has attended Magellan since the age of three years old-- he is now in second and we have…read morealready registered him for third grade. Hands down, my husband and I feel it is best decision we have made for his education. Although it can be a bit pricey, we have felt that it has been worth every dollar. He is growing up to be a well spoken, well thought, caring little human. I love that he is bilingual, but I really love his open minded views and his eagerness to learn. The teachers... the teachers have all been so amazing. They are loving, caring and really take each student's personalities and abilities into consideration as they grow from year to year. As I said, it's not the cheapest option and we do discuss yearly if we will be renewing his tuition-- and, with each year this answer comes easier and easier with an astounding "YES". We love the school, the community, the parents and look forward to many more years at Magellan!

Update 2: Not much to add to my previous reviews. Kiddo is now in first grade, second year in the…read more"K-1" group after 2 years in preschool. He's continuing to thrive and love school. Attentive, engaged, loving guides are supplemented with well loved "specials" teachers in PE, gardening, music, and Spanish. And the educational model allows each kid to progress at his own rate without isolating or stigmatizing the differences. The parent community is engaged and generally quite pleased with the school. Is it perfect? No, because it involves humans. But the administration seems to look honestly and regularly at its own strengths and needs, and makes improvements in a structured way. For our money, Headwaters continues to offer our little guy a great start in education, and that feels like the most important investment we can make at this age. ---------- Update: It's been over a year since my review below and things keep getting better. Thanks to the combination of attentive, loving guides and Montessori based curriculum, our little guy has really blossomed. He's headed into kindergarten in the fall and he's both socially and academically ready. And I mean really ready... he's already reading at the complexity level of "Elephant and Piggie" books, and doing addition and subtraction,all before spending a single day in K and with admittedly very little prodding at home. Mostly we're trying to keep up! (Side Note: if you're a parent of littles and haven't yet discovered Elephant and Piggie, you're missing out! But I digress.) Unsurprisingly, we're staying with Headwaters. It's a commitment and a significant expense, but given what they've done for him so far, and what we see coming based on several visits, it's an easy decision. By my reckoning it's one of the best parenting decisions we've made, and that counts not letting him run with scissors and hiding the chocolate syrup. ------Original Review--------- Headwaters is the new name for the school which operates three campuses in Austin, together spanning pre-k through 12. This review is for the "Springs" campus on Manchaca and Berkeley, which serves the preschool population. Our son started in another local, well-regarded school, but we pulled him out because it was such a "strict" Montessori program that forced our bright, happy, highly verbal little one to work in solitude for hours at a time. I am so glad we got a spot here. The guides are caring and knowledgeable, and strike a balance between kids working alone and working together. The Montessori approach we wanted is here, but in a "follow the child" sense, as opposed to a "dogmatically do exactly what you think Maria Montessori did a hundred years ago" sense. Since MM's fundamental idea was in fact "follow the child," for my money, this is more authentically Montessori than the other program which boasted more certifications. There's even more to love here. The program includes mental, physical, and social & emotional development, but without pushing kids past what's age appropriate. They're encouraged to challenge themselves but also to play and be kids. After 7 months, the positive effects on our kiddo are apparent. He's learning, he's being guided and cared for, and he loves it. As I write this, he's on spring break and asking daily when he gets to go back. As an added bonus, we've also enjoyed the parent community and the many opportunities to join the class for some holiday songs and a party here and there. We have one more year on this campus before moving on to the early elementary level. But all indications from parents and my own investigation is that it's as good over there as it is where we are. I think we're in it for the long haul.

I worked there for 13 years and only left because I got married and relocated. It is truly a…read morecommunity. My realtor was a former parent, our campus manager was our officiant. This place is a family and I miss it every day. Every child is known by everyone who works there.

This is a special gem of a place. It's filled with kind, caring compassionate people who teach your…read morekids how they learn. They have a rigorous academic environment while having fun. What a special place to learn and grow.. Truly one of a kind. And the impact on my son and our family has been life changing. The kids learn manners, kindness, friendship, & teamwork on top of the academics.

I wanted to love Magnolia. We carefully chose this program because it presented itself as a place…read morethat understood autistic children and used modern, supportive, ABA-informed practices. Unfortunately, our experience did not match those expectations. During a trial day, a young autistic child became upset after a developmentally typical frustration in a new environment. Instead of observing the calm support, co-regulation, and individualized approach we expected from a program with this stated level of expertise, we experienced a response that felt escalating rather than supportive. There were also concerns with the emotional regulation of the leading staff member, and online records that reinforced concerns related to emotional regulation and safety. The biggest concern was the disconnect between the program's stated philosophy and what we observed in practice. A moment that could have been handled as an opportunity for connection, regulation, and teaching instead left us questioning whether the environment was truly equipped to support autistic children in the way it represents, or any child. Ultimately I did not feel comfortable trusting my daughter to Magnolia. I am grateful we had the opportunity to see this before the school year began, but it was disappointing to have to reconsider so close to the start of school after believing we had found the right fit. Every child deserves a program whose practices match its promises.

If you get a teacher called Mr. Rerucha then run! This man convinced me and then entire class of…read moremostly boys that everyone had adhd! We all took our kids to doctors and got them on the medicine that made them zombie like. This man should not be teaching kids! He is a monster and I will never forgive myself for listening to a "teacher" and giving my child these medicines for one month. If you cannot get an entire class to pay attention then it is for sure the teacher not the children. Shame on you Mr. Rerucha and the principal you had during that time. You were a horrible teaching and shouldn't be allowed there. Like I said people, if you see this name -run!

Becker represents the best of an urban school - very diverse population, wonderful central location…read moreand a fantastic dual language program enabling kids to become bilterate and bilingual in Spanish and English, while learning all core academic material. Becker is rated EXEMPLARY by TEA! There are lots of enthusiastic and motivated parents! Becker has the Green Classroom, a chicken coop and a parent academy where parents can also learn Spanish and English as a Second Language.

Well run institution with a great culture…read more Pro: - Long Term: with over 35 years in operation, they've had time to build a strong program that will last through economic downturns. - Culture: teachers, students and parents are fully bought-in to the schools values (see school site for details). - Student attention: lower than average student/teacher ratios plus a dedicated, free-standing tutoring building adjacent to the school. Con: - Playground: nice but not inline with the quality of the rest of the institution. - Admissions: it's a centrally located, high quality private school in a growing city, meaning demand is high Personal lessons from our school search: After spending 12 months searching for the 'best school', we realized the importance of finding the 'best school for our child'. Initially, I was too tied up in rankings to spend the time to understand what was important for our family and how that lined up with each program. In the end, we loved the goals at St. Francis of (1) excellence without exclusivity, (2) a meaningful commitment to diversity and (3) attention to the needs of every student. Covid-19 update: School is really stepping up to deliver for students in a difficult time. The teachers are really going above-and-beyond.

Our family loves St. Francis School (SFS, a pre-K through 8th-grade private nonprofit…read moreinterdenominational school operating for 30+ years near the ACC Highland campus in north-central Austin). After a mixed but ultimately disappointing experience in 1st - 3rd grades at a crowded, overpriced, chaotic start-up foreign language immersion school, our family needed a fresh start. Our once confident and joyful learner of a child had been reduced to an overstressed student who loathed school and struggled through hours of tedious homework each night. St. Francis provided the small, truly diverse and welcoming community environment we wanted for our child, with a balance of challenging academics, ethics reinforcement, and attention to the nurturing & development of the whole child by experienced educators who really know how to differentiate instruction to many types of learners. This approach has totally turned around our child's experience of school and his learning & achievement have skyrocketed over the past 2 years. His school grades are now more in line with his always high standardized testing results, and homework no longer comes to tears! Another parent reviewer said it well when she described the diverse and "unpretentious atmosphere" at SFS. Every imaginable demographic is represented in both the student body and faculty. People are kind and friendly and welcoming, and individual differences are celebrated. Every time I'm on campus, I just feel inspired and hopeful. Because SFS keeps class size (max of 15) and total enrollment (around 400) in check and teachers love the place so much they stay for decades, the small, cohesive "neighborhood school" feel is maintained. Huge props go to the incomparable founding head of school, Barbara Porter, who has since 1985 guided SFS on its core mission of "excellence without exclusivity." SFS backs that sentiment up by supporting 25% of the student body with scholarships and charging one of the lowest private school tuition rates in the Austin area, while consistently graduating their students into the most competitive public school magnet programs and private high schools. Another wonderfully unique feature among area private schools is the SFS Learning Center, where students with special needs can receive tutoring and additional services to support their success in school. Kids with learning differences are fully integrated into SFS classrooms and are able to thrive as part of a truly diverse school community. At the same time, a large proportion of the student body would be described as "gifted & talented," demonstrating highest performance in academics, the arts, and sports. Each Friday morning, an optional hour of "chapel" is held in which the entire student body and faculty, as well as any parents & family members who wish to attend, gather together in the gym to share an uplifting community-building and/or character-building assembly or pep rally to celebrate that month's achievements. It's not actually religious (although some religious content is shared from time-to-time; the school is named for St. Francis of Assisi, after all). The 8th-grade year culminates in a transformative Spring Break trip to Italy to visit the hometown of St. Francis (among other sites), and the kids raise all of the money for the trip themselves over the course of their years at SFS. I could say much more about all the reasons we love SFS, but if you are considering private school or are just looking for a better school for your unique learner, I encourage you to take a tour and see for yourself. Curriculum and other details are available on the school website at http://www.stfrancis-school.org.

My ASD son has never been as happy as he is in this school....we did the public school, Catholic…read moreschool, French school. We did everything and then we found....THIS AWESOME SCHOOL . He is happy and engaged. He is growing as a person and as a productive member of society. All good.

Love this school. Both of my kids started attending here at Kindergarten age, and it's been such a…read morebeautiful environment for them to grow in. Highly recommended if you trust that children have a natural, inherent impulse toward learning, development, and moving toward their full potential.

My child is part of the Deltas, the middles years. Since starting at AHB, he actually loves…read morelearning and wants to continue here for the rest of middle school. We came from the public school system, and the difference is night and day. I love the cooperative learning environment and the small class size. His two teachers actually know him as a person and not just one of many students. He is challenged and engaged. I see the joy of learning in him that I didn't really see in public school. Although he scored very high on the reading section of the Texas State Assessment Tests, his writing skills were not really up to par. Since starting at AHB, I am confident he will be more than well prepared for high school. I am really impressed with the Delta teachers and the quality of education he is getting at AHB. As someone mentioned previously, parents are free to come and go. The kids are taught to be kind and respectful. The staff actually care about the kids and follow through if they say they will do something, not just saying what you want to hear and dropping the ball. I had an older child that went to 6th grade at a local public school, and I can honestly say my younger son is getter a better 6th grade education then his sibling did. Also note, my child is not outgoing but the environment is very accepting & warm; he was able to join mid year without any issues. We are so thankful to have found this community school.

After some time at this school, I can no longer -- in good faith -- say that it has been a 5-star…read moreexperience. The people are (mostly) lovely and kind, but they are surely not openminded, innovative or fully transparent.

Our son started Kirby Hall this past school year in 3rd grade after spending his first 3 years of…read moreschool in our local public school. While we loved our public school, he was not being challenged and was getting bored and started disliking school. We are not private school snobs. Both my wife and I are public school products and our oldest daughter is finishing 7th grade at a public school ... but this was just not a good fit for our son. When we started looking at other options, a friend told us about Kirby Hall. We are so glad we looked into this school! Fast-forward a full school year and our son is thriving. Not only is he being challenged in the classroom, but he is enjoying learning and school. Everyday he comes home and makes some sort of comment about how awesome his teacher is or tells us about a cool thing he learned in class. This is a kid who used to come home grumpy most days while stating that he hadn't learned anything. He even takes it upon himself to do his homework without us prodding him! Not only are the academics top notch, but they kids get plenty of outside time throughout the day (this seems like a shrinking occurrence in public schools). My son's peers are bright and eager to learn. The teachers are creative and passionate about their craft. The location is as central as you can get, too!

We absolutely love Kirby Hall. It has been a great fit for our child, who transferred from a strong…read morepublic school that wasn't able to meet his needs academically. He came in passionate about math, art, and sports and in the time he's been at Kirby, he's grown to love history, Spanish, and drama. He's developed deeper skills as a writer and his passion for reading and discussing diverse books has expanded tremendously. His classmates are academically curious and creative: they have the opportunity to write, perform, and build for the stage each semester. Their grade-level performance yesterday was incredibly funny and sweet, definitely exceeded my expectations! Overall, Kirby Hall is academically rigorous and welcoming, the teachers and staff are kind, accessible, and open, and the athletics are inclusive, positive, competitive, and well-run by the excellent PE teacher. The teachers and staff know each child so well and work hard to bring out the best in each-- and they chat easily with parents in the hall after school. The education has inquiry-based components, and they take multiple field trips each semester. The academic offerings for upper grades are constantly evolving as they are building a thoughtful and unique middle school. Most faculty have advanced degrees. I can't imagine a better education. I'd recommend Kirby Hall to anyone looking for a well-rounded, rigorous, inspiring education for their child.

My children love Hyde Park. They left public school in after 1st and 3rd grades. The new public…read moreschool in the new neighborhood was disastrous. Their HP classes are small. Their teachers and the staff are warm, attentive and aware of my children's academic, social and emotional needs.

Terrible school, fails to prepare students for life after high school. While some may say that they…read moremoved to Hyde Park to avoid vaping and smoking, Hyde Park has a huge vaping problem and the staff continues to look the other way.