Paragon Prep School is truly phenomenal, and we give it our highest recommendation! One of the…read morefirst things that caught our attention when visiting schools was seeing how Paragon graduates--after high school and even college--return to visit their teachers. That speaks volumes about the lasting relationships and sense of community the school creates. We love Paragon's motto: "Work Hard. Play Hard. Be Kind." It perfectly reflects what life--and education--should be about. The school is also wonderful for busy families, offering a wide variety of before- and after-school programs, enrichment classes, sports, and summer camps. Paragon's Valor program ensures that new students immediately feel welcomed and connected. The school year even begins and ends with a pool party! There are countless fun traditions and celebrations, including Elvis Day, Chinese New Year, Día de los Muertos, and even a full week of roller skating. Students are placed into "colleges" and love earning points through school spirit, volunteering, and community service--culminating in friendly competitions to see which college wins at the end of the year. Engaging field trips are an integral part of the curriculum, and the school also offers international trips for families during the summer. We accompanied the sixth graders on a trip to Colonial Virginia, and it was a truly marvelous and enriching experience for the students and for us! Our middle school son is proud to be taking all honors classes, and even with the academic rigor, he is able to play three school sports while also practicing another sport outside of school. With Valor and study hall, students have ample time to complete homework and stay organized. We would also like to give a heartfelt shoutout to the incredible educators and staff: Mrs. Lype and Mrs. Correro for being outstanding math teachers; Coach Josh and Coach Nick for being terrific coaches; Mrs. Behr for being an inspiring World Cultures teacher and for teaching invaluable organizational skills; Mr. Wyatt for being relatable and humorous; Mr. Stubblefield for encouraging students to pursue their passions through English; Mr. Aidan for being a wonderful Valor teacher and Rutgers coach; Mr. Cory for planning impactful field trips and summer camps; Mr. Joey for being such an influential Dean of Students; and Mrs. Hay for being a truly one-of-a-kind Head of School who expands learning through meaningful travel experiences. Our son will undoubtedly become one of the many Paragon graduates who return to visit the teachers, staff, and administrators who have made such a lasting difference in his life.

The staff at Paragon make all the difference. You can see their commitment to the school and…read morepassion for the kids. We have 2 kids attending and like the diversity, high expectations, and school culture. They both love this school and enjoy events like "roller skating week", pool parties, lots of after school sport options and overnight trips. This helps them bond with both students and teachers. Paragon offers high academic standards mixed with life skills. We like the focus on a well-rounded education with academics at least 1 grade level above the standard. In elementary, they are also developing good social skills, learning responsibilities, and planning skills for future academic success. (For example, Paragon gives kids a daily planner to track their homework assignments and get parent signatures for visibility). In middle school, there are lots of team projects, hands-on opportunities, presentations, and field trips. (Projects like running a small business during lunch and breaks.) There are many resources for parents and a great community within and around the school. We recommend this school to friends also.

We are new to Highland Park Elementary this year. Love it. The transition into the community has…read morebeen easy for all of us- parents and 2nd grader. The teachers work together and git r dun! The PTA is a force to be reckoned with. Our heads literally spin trying to keep up with all the activities and enrichment, but in a good way. Truly inspired. If you are shopping schools/neighborhoods- you owe it to your family to pay HP a visit. 60 years of providing a top notch, well rounded education and counting. We are happy to be a part of the impressive legacy. Go Scotties!

I miss this school so much. I am in seventh grade but I went to highland park from grades Kinder…read morethrough Fifth grade and enjoyed it very much. The staff is very nice which is great. The principal knew everyone's name which I thought was crazy considering how many people were there! If you are considering taking your child there for Elementary school, I would strongly recommend doing it. This school truly deserves 5 stars.

I can't express how wonderful AJA has been for our kids over the last 5 years. They use a…read moreProject-Based Learning (PBL) curriculum, where my kids have gained skills crucial to success later in life: teamwork, communication, creativity, executive functioning, but most of all CONFIDENCE. PBLs take a kid's natural curiosity in a subject and show them how to combine ALL their school subjects (STEM, Social Studies, Language Arts, Hebrew, art and music) to present what they've learned. The kids learn how to present starting in kindergarten-- I'll never forget the first time my kid presented their Portfolio, I had no idea this 5 year old was capable of being so prepared, articulate, and confident. My jaw must've dropped a foot. I was just blown away!!! This child comes with some extremely unique, diagnosed developmental and learning challenges that, I've realized in the years since, would likely be too challenging to work with in a public school class three times bigger than his is. At AJA my kids get so much individual support, not just from their teachers but from every adult in the building. Academically, my kids are thriving. The expectations are high, and the teachers have been so talented and creative in their approaches to supporting my kids (not by coincidence-- they are constantly doing new faculty trainings). Our more neurotypical child has thrived and been encouraged to really push herself as well, and as a result has discovered proclivities for math specifically. I've wondered if, in a much larger class, this kiddo might have been kind of lost in the mix as a good-enough B student. Money well spent in my opinion! And then there's what brought us here: the Jewish education. I can see the way the school integrates Jewish values into the kids' daily lives. I see my children actually enjoy participation in Jewish culture and tradition, and apply lessons from our ancient texts to their modern day lives. They know exactly who they are and where they came from. They teach me stuff now!!! It makes a Jewish mother proud.

Awful and abusive admin with no experience. Subpar teaching with unqualified teachers. Very little…read morematerial covered academically. And despite deep promises, absolutely no support for ADHD and other special needs. These people cannot get their stuff together! I love that my boy got a quality religious education. But his regular academics were beyond awful. Terrible classroom management. My son was bullied and nothing was done about it. They finally have a new board, but I would wait 5 more years to see if they iron out their issues before I sent my child there!

At the heart of the Brentwood and Crestview neighborhoods, Brentwood Elementary is one of the best…read morekept secrets in Austin. Brentwood was built in 1951 and hasn't changed much since then. The classrooms are quaint, the teachers are friendly and communicative, and the administration is extremely pleasant to work with! We love Brentwood for their commitment to building community both in and outside of the classrooms. The emphasis on lifeskills (like integrity, honesty, courage, etc) and the Tribes curriculum have spilled over into our daily home life. I catch my kids saying, "Mom, thanks for displaying the lifeskill of friendship by making macaroni for lunch!" Sounds dorky, but it has worked for us! We also love Brentwood's diversity, both economic and racial, and the extra mile that the teachers and staff put it to build bridges across the divide. We're proud to say that our kids will attend through the 2020's (damn, we're gonna be old)....

Our current 7th grader attended Brentwood for 4th and 5th grade. We loved the community, the…read moreteachers, the music teacher, the physical education, the effort that was made to go green! Our 4 year old will be attending Kindergarten next year, and while some of our neighbors have chosen Gullett, I am truly commited to Brentwood. The diversity there is very important to my husband and I and my now 7th grader really learned a lot about other cultures. Highly recommended. Why drive to another school when it is in our neighbor and walking distance. We love Brentwood!

I am a co-teacher/mom at Austin Classical and fall more in love with the school and community each…read moreday. The classical curriculum is not only engaging and challenging but has shown me that this is how children are meant to learn (especially after experiencing a public school education). The community is one of love and support, each family is there for a deeper purpose and that shines in the relationships that are built not only in the children, but in the adults as well. "For Christ and His glory" goes much beyond a motto and is truly the cornerstone and mission of ACS. We are so thankful to be a part of this beautiful school and community!

Austin Classical School has been an incredible blessing for our family. We changed schools half way…read morethrough the educational journey part of our parenthood and came in cautiously after having a poor experience elsewhere. Austin Classical met and exceeded every hope and expectation we could have for our 4 children who are different learners. I couldn't name all the wonderful things but: incredible leadership, quality educators, beautiful and thorough curriculum, and stellar community are true benefits of this school. My children are thriving and love school. We are so grateful for ACS!

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.

AHB is an amazing school! My son went here for 7th and 8th grade. He made quality friendships with…read morefriends that he has managed to stay in touch with. He experienced no bullying and only kindness from his peers. The teachers are warm and loving folks that enjoy teaching. I'm very happy that we chose to send him to AHB.

My son started his preschool classes in 2022 and I was so hesitant to put him into school. After…read moretouring the establishment, meeting Steffani, seeing how wonderful the school is I fell in love. I knew my son was in good hands. My son wasn't speaking too much before starting school but after his first year he was speaking full and complete sentences and writing. The teachers there are amazing! They all either had their own kids go through FFP or have taught there for 10+ years. Everyone just seems to be one big family there. My son is now onto kindergarten and my daughter will start her first year there come August. I have nothing but nice things to say about FFP and the wonderful people there.

First Foundations served as our family's first experience with preschool, and for that we are so…read moreextremely thankful. Our shy little daughter just blossomed at this school, to the extent that our friends and extended family remarked on the change in her confidence and demeanor. I'm admittedly a pretty anxious mama bear and I am still, a year later, so shocked at how seamless the adjustment to going to preschool felt for both my daughter and for myself. There were no tears from my little one when I dropped her off, but on more than one occasion she was adamant that she didn't want to leave the school when I picked her up. I could write paragraph upon paragraph, but I'll try to keep it short and sweet because I know firsthand how much energy it takes to search for that perfect fit. Here are some of the aspects that stood out to me! - The whole entire staff here is so wonderful. The director, Mrs. Wilkins, truly pours her heart into her school. She knows and loves each child and greets them by name. She also personally ran my daughter's lunch box/jacket/show and tell item down to her classroom on the more than one occasion that I completely forgot those items in a sleep deprived haze. Our daughter's teachers, Mrs. Gamoneda and Mrs. Pallota, were so kind and loving. Our kiddo can be stubborn, and she started the school year insisting that she didn't want finger paint on her hands. Mrs. G and Mrs. P worked with her, encouraging but never pushing (they even asked my husband and myself if there was any sort of alternative glue or paint she might find more tolerable), and our daughter was beaming with pride when she presented us with a finger painted keepsake a few weeks later. I said I'd keep this short, so bullet points for the rest. - All of the teachers are very qualified. - The school is clean and the teachers had the children wash their hands several times every day even in a pre-coronavirus world. - There are all sorts of fun theme days, class parties and a Christmas program. - This was my daughter's takeaway from our initial tour - two playgrounds! Here is my takeaway - two safe, age appropriate playgrounds that are fenced in. - In addition to the classroom, the children attend Chapel, Spanish and music class (we had the opportunity to observe a bit of the music class on our tour, and the kids were having so much fun). - A perfect combination of play based learning and learning skills that will be needed in kindergarten (our 4 y/o is now able to write her name but she had a lot of fun at school too) - The teachers incorporate super cool activities (a volcano, a caterpillar that turns into a butterfly, a classroom full of tents, reading Biblical stories via blacklight) into their daily lesson plans. - The school is safety minded. This was huge for me. - If you have a baby on your hip, everyone will help you. :) There is a wonderful drop off program, actually, in which teachers are in charge of getting kids from your car. It's very safe and coordinated well. - The school has a bridge program and a kindergarten program. This is actually how I learned about First Foundations. It's seriously the best school, and the only thing I would ever change about it is that I wish our kids could attend for a couple more years.

Wow, I have never been treated so badly at a school than I have at Summitt Elementary. Nicole who…read moreworks in the front desk needs to work on her customer service skills. She rudely interrupted me when I was trying to explain to her why I was trying to get into the school. I was appalled to think that someone can be like that. It didn't get any better once I arrived inside the main office. She was very clipped and short with me. Not sure if it was because I am a person of color but I have been told that she treats other parents of color the same way. I hope Ms. Greco reads this and talks to her about her manners because everyone else at Summitt is respectful and polite.

One front staff, Elizabeth, is extremely rude, ESPECIALLY towards Vietnamese parents. Love this…read moreschool but can definitely do without her nasty attitude. Not sure why she feels so entitled that she can treat and speak to student's parents the way she does but she sure do need to clean up her attitude or find another job to where she's not dealing with people. Perhaps one may get better treatment if they're not Vietnamese.