My middle school days ended back when Madonna still had a perm, so I can't comment much on O…read more Henry's merit as an educational institution, although the public school is consistently rated as one of the best in the nation. I can tell you that the school is named for witty writer William Sydney Porter, better known by his pen name of O. Henry (yes, that's with a period after the O). This review concerns the school's purpose as a free community resource for fitness, and in that arena, O. Henry gets a solid 3.75 stars. The AISD campus is located on Exposition Blvd. just a few blocks north of Lake Austin Blvd. in the hoity-toity Old Austin neighborhood of Tarrytown (bordered by Mopac to the east, the Colorado River to the west, and 35th St. to the north). Within walking distance is a Randall's grocery store, the Lion's Club Golf Course, the West Austin Youth Association (WAYA) sport complex, and the Howson Branch of the Austin Public Library. The Austin Runners Club http://austinrunners.org/group-runs/ and Al's Ship of Fools http://alsshipoffools.com/weekly-runs/ running groups meet here most Tuesday and Thursday evenings for free workouts on the O. Henry track or longer tempo runs in the hilly surrounding neighborhoods. The cushy-surfaced track is well maintained and the parking lot facing Exposition serves as a nice rest, stretch, & hydration area. The track is about 62 meters shorter than the traditional 400 (it's about a fifth of a mile), but you can use your Garmin or other GPS device to track your true distance. Some common distances and the number of laps required: 1600M = 4.875 laps 1200M = 3.5 laps 1000M = 3 laps 800M = 2.33 laps 600M = 1.875 laps 400M = 1.25 laps Never run a track before? Here are some tips: http://www.runnersworld.com/run-faster/track-running-dos-and-donts Parking is very limited, so I generally park on the street behind the school. Check signs for time limits & restrictions so that you don't get towed! There are tennis courts on the back side of the campus off Norwalk Lane and they are always in use by local adults when I've been on site after school hours. Unfortunately, the buildings are not usually unlocked in the evenings, so restrooms are generally not available. Sometimes I get lucky and there's a volleyball game or something going on and I get to access those precious facilities. Otherwise, I run over to the library or Randall's (or in dire need, one of the many porto-potties in the yards of homes under renovation) for relief. Check the school calendar http://ohenrypta.org/o-henry-calendar/ for special events that may close public access to outdoor amenities.

I wanted to leave a google review but those are turned off. I really wanted to love this school,…read morebut sadly that didnt happen, this school and the whole AISD system is a joke, my daughter was sexual assault at this school, it took them the whole school year with a Tile 9 to try to get the student removed, finally June 2025 they let me know that yes they find the child responsible for sexual assault but they would only send her to ALC for 20days and keep a stay away order in place, mind you the stay away order doesnt do anything, the child was still coming into contact with my child, I would have to email every week, just to keep records for myself. and for the record this child didnt just sexual assault my child there were alot of other girls, I do wonder if a boy had done this if they would of taken this more serious, because the girl that was doing this was always in trouble, then to top it off someone broke into her locker stealing a pair of 120.00 shoes , the girl was so bold she even wore them to school and these shoes were not easy to come by my daughter was the only child in school to have these shoes when they came out, she was so proud of that. stay away if you can, I was so shocked how things went for our first year there, given the location and neighorhood it was in.

I'm only reviewing the tennis courts and track since I've never been inside the school…read more But everything is great! There's not too many places in Austin with 5 public tennis courts in one area. I believe they open after school hours until dark on the weekdays and then all day on weekends. Usually 2 of the courts are held by the Austin league(?) on Saturday so it may be crowded. Courts 1-4 are in really good shape in terms of the net and court condition. Only courts 1-2 have a back to hit against and there's not enough benches to sit if you want to say that's a con. Court 5's net is a little raggedy but still better than some of the other public courts out there. Plus it's by itself so you don't have to worry about hitting your ball into another court The track is just a regular old track but it's in great condition and the paint is very visible. There's always people running/walking on the track and sometimes people play soccer or football in the lawn in the middle. Great place to do a little recreational sports and if you get hungry, you can always walk to the Dart Bowl Cafe across the street!

Very friendly staff. Good seats. I am seeing H.M.S Pinnacle. It's a quaint theater.It was cool that…read morethey had a pre Talk. I learned a lot about this show from director and actresses. It is relevant to today. The director directed it 80 times. It's interesting.

Being the smallest school in the biggest district does affect the ability of a team to do its…read moreupmost. Being capable of making it to playoffs says a lot about our sports overall. Learning is the act of acquiring new, or modifying and reinforcing, existing knowledge, behaviors, skills, values, or preferences and may involve synthesizing different types of information. To learn you must take action and not be a lazy bum. "People being annoying" is a matter of opinion and I find people who say that are the annoying ones. "From 1881 to the 1930's, we had no particular mascot. We were the "Maroons" because our athletic team "colors" became maroon and white somewhere around 1920. By the 1930s, some Texas high schools decided they needed an animal mascot, but we resisted the trend until 1953 when two new high schools were formed in Austin. The students of the new schools chose to be the "Knights" and the "Rebels". Some began to ask "What's a Maroon"? To answer that question, then and now, we just tell them that a "Maroon" is someone who wears maroon and boosts Austin High. The first published cartoon featuring the modern mascot was in the September 20, 1957 Austin Maroon Newspaper, where the Mascot (about 1.3 meters tall and hairy) is attacking the football mascot of one foe or another. We think the artist/creator/ "father" of the mascot was Gilbert Reyes, a 1959 graduate of the school. Maroo appeared as an engraved "cut" in the September 28, 1956, and January 30, 1957 newspapers as part of a feature story about "picking a mascot". Artist Windy Winn is also mentioned as involved in the development of our cartoon mascot. Everyone draws Mister Maroo their own way. That's the way we get so many designs. Each of us has our favorites. The school Archives has a collection of more than 100 different versions. But, essentially, the Mascot is supposed to be the "embodiment of the Maroon Spirit". The "Mister Maroo" Mascot was officially adopted by the Student Council in 1965-66 during the administration of President Grady Rylander. Mr. Maroo is a symbol. He doesn't speak - you have to look him in the eye to see if he's your friend or your foe. He often is drawn wearing Adidas or Nike tennis shoes. And the beanie...beanies at one time were the traditional headwear for a freshman. Since Maroo never goes to class, he's still a freshman, more than 50 years later." http://austin.austinschools.org/our-school/history

I'm only rating the track at the school, not the school itself!…read more The track is great and already almost full stars for just being open to the public. There is an amazing view of the downtown skyline from the track and it's right next to the river. What a neat place for a high school. The track is standard and enough surrounding light at night that you can see where you're going. Ample parking along the street and parking lot so it's all very convenient.

Caring staff and great programs!…read more Pay your teachers more money. They work so hard to prepare our children for the world. ACC now is tuition free as well.

so to start, the admin are all miserable. along with the AP's who just all seem like they hate…read morechildren and their creativity. on top of it, going to this school is like walking to the gallows. Absolutely no freedoms for the students, terrible layout. Basically half the school blocked off because of unnecessary construction and getting to class takes longer than it should. then, the teachers get and if you are late when there is thousands of students taking the same route because there's literally nowhere else to go, obviously theres traffic. in no world should it take three minutes to get inside through a door to get to a class, then have to walk across the entire school the long way because of an unnecessary barricade. Teachers have attitude, admin hate when they have to do their job, and AP's are mad at everyone just because they have a sad and miserable life.

These tennis courts are funded by local taxpayers, yet they're locked and inaccessible to the very…read morecommunity that pays for their upkeep. If a facility is built and maintained with public money, it should be open to the public and not gated off for exclusive use. Tennis already struggles with a reputation as an expensive, country-club sport out of reach for lower-income families. Courts like these, funded publicly but kept locked, only reinforce that barrier. Kids and adults who can't afford private club memberships or lessons lose one of the few FREE ways to pick up the sport. Locking public infrastructure isn't just inconvenient, it's also a quiet form of privatization. The school gets the benefit of public funding without the obligation of public access. If liability or maintenance is the concern, there are ways to address that (posted hours, sign-in sheets, City of Austin partnerships) without shutting the gates entirely. Taxpayers deserve to use what they've paid for. OPEN THE COURTS!

Absolutely disorganized and not accountable at all. Was sick the first week of school but ended up…read moregoing Friday, went to every single class and the office during that day. By monday, my entire school id and and email was deleted. Every teacher and class that I had gone to and seen that day counted me absent after having conversation with them all. They said i was unenrolled for not showing up or leaving a note, but we I had showed up Friday and Left a doctors note for the week prior on Monday. Office staff had a very rude tone on phone and didnt help with anything in any sort of way.

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.

My teen is in their second year at Griffin and we feel so grateful for this school. The staff is…read moreamazing and have been so supportive. I feel they genuinely care about my child and they are very responsive. It is also really wonderful to have a place where kids are encouraged to be themselves. The education is also top notch - challenging, but not overloading kids with homework and busywork. Class sizes are very small and teachers get to know each child.

You know how sometimes you think it would be fun to try a new hobby but then decide it's equally…read morefun and less trouble to have drinks with friends instead? Art+Wine night provides a solution to this dilemma. Show up with your favorite wine and whatever art skills you do (or don't) possess and Natalya will provide all the supplies and knowledge you need to paint something worthy of displaying in your home. The website shows the project that will be taught on each date so you can pick and choose which nights you want to sign up for. The classes are small which allows Natalya to give everyone individualized instruction. I've been to four Art+Wine nights and I see SO much improvement since my first painting! I had never used oil paint and after taking a 2 session oil class I left with a legit fruit bowl painting. Artists of all skill levels come to Art+Wine night and everyone learns something new or improves their technique. It's a great way to spend a Friday night and accomplish something while drinking!

As a former high school teacher I have sent both my kids to Westwood. My oldest just graduated and…read morereceived special education services all 4 years (but only 2 in science) and is now enrolled at ACC. He struggled for years to find a subject he really enjoyed besides Theater which he took 2 different classes his final 3 years. Then, his senior year he took Forensic Science and Sign Language. He loved them both and had great teachers. He now wants to study forensic science. My youngest was a freshman last year and got to take Chinese, Intro to Engineering, and Biomedical Science. He loved every teacher and rarely had homework due to the flex period they have built into the schedule. They both ran/run cross country and track as well. The track coaches are nice and encouraging and the cross country coach cares about the kids. Both programs are very flexible with kids and their academics. Our experience at WWHS has wonderful! The teachers and staff all care immensely about the students and there is a huge of variety of classes for students to explore. My kids aren't top in their class but they make mostly A's and some B's. For me, I know they will be well prepared for college and have a good foundation of what they want to pursue for a career. Lastly, WWHS is diverse and my kids have been able to find friends easily. My youngest is very shy and quiet, but he was able to find a group of kids to hang with for lunch. There's great variety not just with classes but with the students as well. We didn't experience any bullying or judgment from kids.

Isnt all its cracked up to be....that being said if your a A student and quick learner it's a great…read moreschool for you as a top school. If you have average learning or a learning disability, it's not for you.

Westlake high school is an amazing public school, there's one thing that has me concerned. The…read morefreedom of the students and how they have many people watching there every move it invokes anxiety even paranoia sometimes, even if a student isn't doing anything wrong they make them feel like they're guilty of something there not.

The best part of Westlake High School are the teachers. They are truly amazing. The worst part of…read morethe school is the athletic program. It is a pay-to-play mentality. They also discriminate against student athletes that do not fit their mold.

(I am from Austin, idk why it says I'm from San Francisco but okay)…read moreLamar is an okay middle school. I am currently an 8th grader and I wish I could give this a 3.5 stars but whatever. Most of the teachers are pretty good. Especially the math teachers. I entered Lamar not very interested in math and now, I really enjoy it and I am taking Geometry. The ELA teachers on the other hand... the 6th grade ones are good and that's about it. Ms. Vouvray was my teacher and I have continued to be her student in writing electives in 7th grade and now in 8th grade. My 7th grade ELA teacher Mr. Teel is gone now, because he was so bad. Ms. Proffer is my current teacher and she is so weird. The science and history teachers are pretty hit or miss. The Fine Arts teachers... most are pretty good but one of the theater teachers is absolutely awful. He is bizarre and blows a whistle so loud, it's painful. Dr. Mondik, if you're reading this, please fire him. Very few students actually like him. Also the 6th grade PE coach. She must be on tenure because she is sexist and rude. How is she still teaching?! I love all the elective options and the school environment is pretty welcoming. If I had to recommend an elective, it would be either Culinary Arts or Essay Writing. One thing that I wish was different was the bathroom situation. Some teachers give you a limited number of bathroom passes per 6 weeks and that is very stressful. Also the bathrooms are straight up nasty. Overall, it's fine. Pretty safe, no one here is a murderer. (probably but we'll see). 6.9/10

Had to google this to leave my review, that's how bad it is. But glad to see there are others…read more The boys are ok. The girls are exceptional. Meanwhile in this society boys get five stars for existing, while girls get a mediocre applause for being exceptional. I'm so sick of this shit. Why do the choir ladies fawn on the boys so much? It's sick. Every director or other person who is presenting always talks about how the boys are their favorite. They literally say that. To the point that you were BOOed by the audience while praising the boys as your favorite. The audience is done - are you even listening? Can we please stop coddling the boys and finally give the girls the recognition they deserve?