I cannot say enough wonderful things about this privately owned and locally operated French School of Austin - École Jean-Jacques Rousseau! This school is truly a hidden gem in the Austin area. From the moment you step onto the campus, you feel the warmth, structure, and passion that the teachers and staff bring every single day. Furthermore, the wonderful owners of this school are incredibly engaged, very hands-on, and extremely committed to the academic excellence of each student. I am overwhelmed with gratitude for the academic contributions that EJJR continues to provide to my children, day in and day out. The curriculum is top-notch, blending rigorous academics with a nurturing environment that allows children to thrive. This French immersion program is absolutely incredible -- my child is picking up the language so naturally, and it amazes me to hear them switch between French and English with ease. On top of that, EJJR even offers the option to learn a third language -- Spanish, Arabic, or Mandarin -- which is such a rare and valuable opportunity for young children! What I love most is the personalized attention this school passionately demonstrates. The teachers truly know each child, their strengths, and where they can be encouraged to grow. The small class sizes make a huge difference, and the community feels like family. Parents are engaged, and you can tell that everyone -- staff and families alike -- takes pride in being part of this school. The extracurriculars are also fantastic! From chess club, to piano, violin and cello classes, to STEM learning workshops -- EJJR is constantly adding new and unique educational offerings. They continue to grow and evolve in alignment with the needs and requests of the students and parents attending the school. Altogether, there are just so many enriching activities to stimulate the young minds attending EJJR. It's incredible to see children challenged academically, while also being encouraged to explore their creativity and physical development. If you are considering a bilingual education in Austin, look no further. The French School of Austin offers an authentic, world-class education in a supportive environment that sets children up for long-term success. We feel incredibly fortunate to be part of this community! Feel welcome to check out EJJR's dedicated website to gain more insight into this incredible school. And -- what's most exciting -- they just opened up 15 new slots for student enrollment in various grade levels! I suggest setting up a consultation today to see firsthand how amazing this school is. We were absolutely enthralled after our very first consultation and applied immediately before slots filled up. That said, please don't hesitate to reach out to me directly with any questions or feedback. As a parent of two attending students at EJJR, I understand we only want the best education for our children -- and that's exactly what you will get at EJJR. https://www.frenchschoolofaustin.org read more

Ecole Jean Jacques Rousseau - Preschools Near Me - Austin, Texas

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Bro the amount of times I got put on rouge is crazy. I would like to apologize to all the teachers who had me in their class. I didn't actually act up that much, but there are still some moments that will live in my head until I die. Great experience here except for that one kid that bit me that one time. Seeing the classrooms in those pictures really brought back the memories. It's unfortunate that I have forgotten 90% of the French I learned here, but that isn't the schools fault. Really nice little school. Will always cherish the great (and bad) memories I made here. read more

Update to my reviews from 2018 and 2021: Still love this school and still love the progress I am seeing in all of my kids! Some new teachers have come and some have gone and some have continued through or returned. Yet the overall feeling at the school remains and the academic excellence continues strong. I think that says a lot about this school and that you can count on having a consistent experience across the years. My children have really started showing how they take ownership and responsibility of their learning and work and they are proud of their efforts! That's something this school teaches that they will carry with them forever. I also want to make note of my children's musical skills. They are beginning to excel and find joy in playing their instruments. It's gone from the scratchy beginning player sounds to music that is starting to have some feeling and beauty behind it. I'm glad music is a mandatory part of this curriculum. It's been wonderful to see how practice and lessons pay off! Highly recommend this school! read more

Lovely school! The staffs are great. The school and the classrooms are small. Some may prefer the biggest school but for us, we knew our children would have all the help they can need because of the ratio of teacher/students. This is a real family school where we, as parents, are feeling part of. The academic is top-notch in French and English. We can't ask more for our children! This school is a gem! Keep up the good work EJJR! read more

My child has attended this school for six years, and we have had nothing but wonderful experiences. The academics are top-notch, and it is astonishing how quickly the children can pick up French even with no previous background. The teachers also have the emotional intelligence to work with each child in a way that is most suitable for that individual. Children also learn a string instrument through a Suzuki approach, and there are many projects that mix visual art and academics. Students also have opportunities to work on performance skills, whether reciting a poem in class or singing and dancing for a school concert. Highly recommended for any family looking for a great education in a small, comfortable setting. read more

EJJR is such a wonderful program for our child, who started in the entry level, TPS program. We considered many different programs -- Montessori, play-based, and others -- and believe The French School and associated curriculum has the perfect balance of structure, and creativity. They are kind and loving while also maintaining order and teaching self-discipline. read more

My kids started going to this school when they were 3 and 4years old. We have never looked back since then. They speak immaculate french, they are doing high grade Singapore math and English. We have created lifelong relationships with the school admin and she is fully invested in our kids future. The school has been our biggest blessing! read more

It's our first year at Ecole Jean-Jacques Rousseau and we couldn't be happier to have found this gem of a school for our daughters. They both came from a traditional American neighborhood school and in a just a few months Dr Louali's team has managed to catch both of our daughters with their current grade levels. It's a perfect blend of academic excellence and growth mindset philosophy. I absolutely recommend this program for a well rounded education where stem and fine arts are placed on the same level. read more

This is our 3rd year at EJJR and we have no complaints. Our kid loves his class, is doing great academically and is learning the language very well. read more

This is our fifth year with Ecole Jean Jacques Rousseau/French School of Austin. Our oldest attending is in fourth grade now, followed by his sister in second grade, and the youngest in preschool. We like the small class sizes, the challenging coursework, and the personal attention to each child's academic growth. Our children return home happy and excited about the things they are learning. We took them to France last summer and put them in camps with native French speaking children. We are pleased that they adapted well and had no trouble communicating or playing with the other children.Thanks to the school, they are well on their way to becoming fully bilingual and it is exciting to see! The school itself is in a very modest building with limited resources, but the education provided, and the teachers themselves are excellent! The environment is warm and nurturing and they genuinely care about kids. We are so glad we found this wonderful school for our children. read more

After 3yrs, this school remains a gem. We now have both of our children enrolled and have referred several families to the school who are also delighted. The school offers a string instrument program which our son will start next year as well as Arabic classes, a language we are excited for our kids to learn formally. read more

A wonderful school where my daughter (in grade 2) is thriving. She tells me how "fast the day goes by" because of how engaging and fun it is. The classes are small and the French language education is outstanding. read more

This school is awesome, it's a gem! The focus is on the student and with the small class they are able to go to the rhythm of each child. My two kids go there. My older one began there in PreK 4 and she is still there, now she is in 4th grade. So it's been 6 years that we are at that school and the kids love it! I'm a French Canadian so for me it's was very important to find a school where my kids would be able to learn a very good French. And we find it! The teachers are greats and everything is focus on the kids needs. I highly recommend this school. read more

I strongly recommend EJJR. We are extremely pleased with the strength of academics and the engagement of their educators. Our children were able to learn and communicate fluently in French, spite the fact that neither myself not my wife speak French. We can see excellent progress in all academic matters, including Math and English. The community is culturally diverse and welcoming. The school provides a safe environment, so our children can develop their social skills as well. To sum up, EJJR is an excellent choice for families looking for a strong academic program in a culturally diversified environment. read more

Challenging, diverse, & focussed on the student. As francophiles, we chose EJJR as a way to continue our daughter's French language development when moving from New Orleans to Austin. We were impressed by the coursework examples provided during our tour, but also equally impressed that they have been able to quickly and seamlessly transition our son (2nd grade) from a Spanish immersion program into their French immersion curriculum. We feel that both of our kids are thriving at EJJR and we are very happy that we're fortunate enough to have them enrolled here. The classes are small, which allows for the teachers to give the kids the attention they need. The curriculum follows the French system of coursework. This was new to us and different than your average "immersion" school in the States where they simply speak French for a portion of the day. The focus on conceptualization as a teaching method has further fueled our kids' passion for discovery and challenged them to think more critically when solving problems, especially re: the Singapore Math programming. Homework can be bulky for the middle school students, but there is an after school program where kids can get support with the work if needed. Unfortunately, due to COVID-19 we haven't been able to take full advantage of the small community of families with kids here. But this should also be noted as a credit to the rigorous nature of how the faculty approaches the health and safety of the students, teachers, and school families. They've been able to maintain in-person learning nearly the entire school year so far - an incredible task on top of all of their normal responsibilities (Bravo, Team EJJR!). We're looking forward to the days when a more normally socialized school environment is in play. It can only lead to even more positive impact on our kids learning and development. Highly recommend! read more

I enthusiastically encourage anyone interested in a full French Immersion education to visit Ecole Jean Jacques Rousseau. Once you get a chance to see the school and meet with the teachers, you will know if this special school is the best fit for you and your family. After spending 5 years at JJR, my family and I have truly had many opportunities to experience all the benefits of the school. My daughter began during preschool and quickly progressed to full fluency in both speaking, reading and writing French. Her years of hard work have been recognized through medals awarded by the National French Contest Le Grand Concours. I was initially attracted to JJR because of the profound benefits that dual language education brings to young minds. My wife and I attended an orientation session with mild interest in the school. Once we saw firsthand the dedication and devotion of the teachers to their students, there was no question that JJR was the absolute best option for my daughter's education. My favorite benefits of the school include the small class sizes, the one-on-one attention, extracurricular opportunities and sense of community shared between families. As we spent time with families outside of the classroom, we found rewarding friendships, fascinating intellects and rich cultural events that have impacted our family for the better. Our only challenges were a result of my limited French skills. (Je parle un peux mais ma fille me dis "Papa, tu ne peux pas parler Francaïs. Sa me fait mal aux mes oreilles!") Once my daughter achieved a solid foundation (around age 8), she was able to take full ownership of her studies and begin completing all her assignments independently. I'm eternally grateful to the teachers at Ecole Jean Jacques Rousseau for making their school a place where children are setup to succeed in every aspect: academically, socially, intellectually, physically and even geopolitically. The impact on my daughter's life is immeasurable, and she looks forward to making her teachers at JJR proud of all her future accomplishments. read more

Our experience at JJR has been wonderful and rewarding. We have seen a tremendous difference in our kids' performance in as little as 3 months into the program. There is no doubt that personalized education and small class numbers are the way to insure a child's success in school. We really hope we can go as far as high school in this setting. read more

Ecole Jean Jacques Rousseau - Preschools Near Me - Austin, Texas

Our son is currently in second grade at EJJR, having been there since kindergarten, and we couldn't be happier with the education and attention to his well-being that they provide. The French curriculum, augmented with English reading and math and the string program, have provided an environment in which he has flourished far beyond what he would have in a regular elementary school. The Loualis have created an amazing place for children to blossom, and we count ourselves very lucky indeed that we get to be a part of it. read more

My daughter attended this school for three years and I would have given it four stars up until this summer. As a parent, the communication with the administration was always OK but lacking. It was easy to deal with that because my daughter seemed happy there. One strange rule is that the parents are not allowed to communicate with the teachers at all, so every communication must be filtered through one person - Hind, the administrator. Though the curriculum at its core seems fantastic there is a "sink or swim" quality to how it's administered to the kids. My daughter became worried about asking questions and generally lost confidence. Additionally, I learned that her second grade teacher was verbally snapping at the kids frequently during the second half of the school year. When I withdrew my daughter I did not receive a response for over a month. My ex-husband wrote in as well and no response to him either. Finally I wrote asking for a response regarding our deposit asap and Hind responded only to my ex-husband even though for three years I was the primary parent managing all school related things. It was awful and unprofessional. I really wanted to remain at the school despite some of the oddities and things that bothered me because my daughter had a great peer group and was doing well speaking French, but ultimately I can say that the head administrator drove us away. read more

After spending two years at JJR, our son made great progress at the school. He not only acquired great French languages skills but also basic thinking/logic/numbers skills that would certainly help him in the future. Motivated teachers, students and parents make this school amazing and our son loves going to school every morning. The teacher to student ratio is very low, and teacher are generally very approachable. The school is well diverse in many aspects and that help student become well rounded. We are pleased with the curriculums and we consider sending our son to this small private school to be a very good investment in his future. read more

My daughter had a wonderful experience for the past 3 years at JJR. She got to go on and amazing trip with her teachers last summer. 3 weeks at a summer camp and then a week in Paris with her teachers. We feel so lucky to have had such an amazing experience, educationally and culturally. read more

I visited MANY schools, before I finally decided on JJR. My goal was to find a full-immersion language school, with a strong academic program, individual attention , small classroom size, and parents and teachers I could feel connected with. Most of the schools I had visited did not fit this. While their social/emotional environment might have been good (teaching compassion and empathy), their teaching curriculum was practically non-existent and was very poorly structured. Others had very strong curriculum, but all students had to "fit the mold", and those who did not had very little chance of survival. Furthermore, the student population was not diverse, and it would only expose our son to a very thin slice of society. JJR, instead, has wonderful and diverse student body (this is very rare in private schools!). The curriculum is OUTSTANDING; it includes the "usual" subjects but also a very strong program in art and music. Children get individualized teaching, and faculty and staff work closely with parents to ensure success. Finally, most schools we visited use a system of "rewards" to motivate children. While I feel it is essential to be encouraging towards children, I feel that using rewards to entice learning teaches the wrong values and reduces intrinsic motivation and satisfaction for a job well-done. JJR, instead, values intrinsic motivation, which was very important to us. Overall, I was very happy and sad to leave. The main reason for us leaving is the distance of the school from our home and work. read more

My daughter has attended JJR from kindergarten through 5th grade, with results that include a passion for learning, love of the French language and culture, a strong academic foundation, enthusiastic pursuit of math, science, and literature at levels advanced for her age, self-confidence, and healthy friendships. She says her favorite things about JJR are the awesome school administrators and teachers, mix of academics and arts, small class sizes, opportunities such as singing/dancing/theater arts performances, and extra-curricular activities such as seeing French films and being involved in group functions where the students have active roles in decision making. She was especially shy when she entered JJR at age four. Her confidence has steadily grown and this is in large part due to the caring and nurturing environment created by the JJR school administrators. Students find joy in achievement and benefit from being appropriately challenged in a way that feeds their curiosity and lights their passion for learning. I highly recommend JJR and know the outstanding experience and life-long benefits students receive are far greater than what I've conveyed here. read more