I would caution all parents that are exploring this school to look closely at the behaviors and integrity of the administrators that are presenting their school and tuition program - make sure you get everything in writing and signed well in advance of your child attending school or you may find yourself on the first day of school with no place for your child to attend. My children were recruited by the school and 'accepted into their program' and suddenly without any documentation or warning I received a phone call from the Admissions Director telling me my children were suddenly academically inferior and were being denied access to the school. When I requested written understanding and documentation I was sent a certified letter from the schools attorney telling me to cease my communications and I would be prosecuted for trespassing if I came on the school's property! To date, I have no legitimate reason or documentation for the schools actions and my three children no longer have any schooling options of my choice available as they begin school this year and I have been forced to enroll them into a public school that does not support the IB curriculum my children have been educated in throughout their elementary school years! Beware - your children's educational futures could be greatly affected! read more

Magellan is an incredibly diverse community of students, teachers and parents that has far exceeded our goals of education for our two boys enrolled there. We are so appreciative of the learning environment and even more so during these times of home schooling where the teachers made the students feel both comfortable and challenged at the same time. The work load was just enough for their perspective grade levels and the lessons were fun and educational. Our boys are so happy at Magellan, they love the teachers, their friends and the sense of community the school has created for them. read more

I've been working at Magellan International School full-time for more than 6 years Pros I love the school's vision. As Teachers, we have the freedom to choose curriculum which we regularly review to seek out any improvement that will benefit the students. The environment is amazing, we teachers work extremley hard and we dedicate extra time to grow and improve our practices. At MIS we work as a team and we always exceed expectations. Now, with our new head of the school, our voices are heard. We regularly hold professional trainings that fit our needs. Cons Years ago we were trained in different courses of the IB program, now most of the trainings are internal. Despite the fact that these trainings are very helpful, I would like to have trainings by IB personnel who come from other schools and give us the appropriate certification. read more

My 6 year old is just about to complete her 3rd year at Magellan, and we couldn't be more pleased with the school. The Magellan community is fantastic...filled with parents and teachers all working toward one goal: provide world-class education to help create the leaders of tomorrow. Yes, my child is now pretty darn fluent in Spanish and is thriving in both English and Spanish. But Magellan is so much more than an immersion school. Their IB program is top notch and the focus the school has on teaching kids to be problem solvers is phenomenal. Her natural curiosity about the world around her is fueled by Magellan and it's so heart warming, as a parent, to see how kids can thrive in such a caring and supportive environment. I highly recommend this program for anyone with young kids...one visit to the school or one extended conversation with some parents will hook you! read more

My son has been in MIS for four years, We love it. More importantly, he loves it. My son is completely bilingual, he has a deeper understanding of others. his community and the world around him. The students work in group on projects and learn to collaborate and communicate at a deep level. The teachers are amazing. Very invested, creative and inspired. read more

We are so grateful and blessed to have found Magellan. When our son was 2, the school was recommended to us by a friend (an ex-employee of Dell) so we attended an open house to learn more. I got to meet the founder -- Erin Defosse -- and hear him speak about how and WHY he founded this school for us here in Austin, TX. I was blown away by this man and the vision he had for transforming the quality of education through language immersion, an IB curriculum, differentiated learning strategies, and a world-class international faculty. I walked away that night knowing Magellan was the school for us. The teachers are so loving and so nurturing and so committed to our children. The admin staff is open, supportive, and transparent. The parents are engaged and involved. The entire community is just AMAZING. We wish that Magellan wasn't so far away from our home -- and that it wasn't so expensive -- so those things will make staying at Magellan a challenge for us as the years go by, but for now (for our son's "pre-primary" education) Magellan has been well worth the drive and the money!! Our son continues to delight us with his intelligence, his compassion/caring for others, his singing/dancing skills, his artwork/creativity, and his use of the Spanish language in our home. He's also made some great friends and loves ALL of his teachers! In the morning, he can't wait to get to school, and in afternoon when it's time to go home, he always says, "5 more minutes please, Mommy!" If you can afford Magellan and handle the traffic on Mopac, this school can't be beat. read more

We heard about Magellan through another parent and initially went to an Information Session to learn more about the Spanish Immersion. We left the Information Session sold on the International Baccalaureate (IB) and the IB Learner Profile (http://www.ibo.org/benefits/learner-profile/). The thought of a school environment that would help our kiddos make real world connections with what they learn AND focus on developing characteristics that aligned so closely to our family values thrilled us. I've been a parent at Magellan for 7 of its 8 years. During that time, school has transitioned from startup to established organization and has experienced associated growing pains during that time (e.g., from organic communication through various less successful methods to a great tool - JoinOurClass), and while it's not perfect, I feel heard when I have a concern or suggestion. Through it all, the education has been outstanding, and that's my priority. My 4th and 2nd graders each started at Magellan in PP3 (the 3 year old class), and I'm astounded by their insightful comments, their critical thinking skills, and their language abilities. My kiddos are different learners, but the inquiry approach engages both of them. Quick anecdote: Last year, my then 3rd grader was teaching me how to say "Thank you." in Mandarin. Mom, it's "sh" then /ē/, like the Spanish "i", /e/, like the Spanish "e." If there was ever a doubt, that sealed the deal. I'm excited to see what they (and I) learn next. read more

My daughter started at magellan in 3rd grade without any spanish background. My wife is somewhat fluent in spanish, but we don't speak it at home, and not to our daughter. Magellan accommodated our daughter with extra tutoring and by the end of 4th grade is caught up with her peers. Two other kids with moderate spanish skills also came into 3rd grade and struggled, so I wouldnt necessarily recommend starting so late. In addition to the benefits others have written about, I would add that my daughter has to give presentations almost every few weeks (in spanish). As a result she is very confident standing up in front of an audience to give a speech. The curriculum is more focused on learning through projects which allows the kids to constantly practice leadership and teamwork. It is a very different philosophy from the test driven philosophy of the very highly ranked public school she attended until 3rd grade. One additional item which is new is the iLab. The iLab is a maker lab with 3D printers, power tools, laser engraver, CNC machine, circuits/electronics, robotics, photohraphy etc. Finally the music program also allows her to play electric guitar as her instrument (which she also plays outside of school). This is a huge contrast to public school where everyone learned the recorder. English, spanish, and mandarin cover about 25% of the world's population (more if you count those whose speak one of the 3, but aren't their native language). If you want your child to get an international education, becoming fluent and spanish and functional in mandarin, magellan is hands down the best option. As the low star reviewers have mentioned, magellan is not a great place for kids with extra educational needs and parents might find that they need to spend even more than the tuition to help their kids. I think their reviews are probably spot on. Some kids without special needs never become comfortable with spanish and struggle to learn in the environment. the first 8th grade class graduated in 2016 or 2017, and seemed to have great success going to various high schools. On balance, if you want your child to have a huge advantage operating in a multilingual world, magellan is the school to go to. If you are looking for a traditional test driven college prep school, magellan will not be for you. read more

My daughter is finishing her second year at The Magellan International School. The school is amazing! The care, attention, thoughtfulness, and love provided by the staff is unparalleled. The family community is strong and full of authentically genuine people. And, we find significant value in the internationally minded curriculum. We love the school and hope to one day see a high school campus. read more

There is simply no other school like this in Austin. I'm so happy my daughter is experiencing the IB curriculum and is fluent in Spanish and now learning Mandarin! The community of parents and teachers is exceptional. Our family loves Magellan. read more

Both of my sons have been students at Magellan since 2014. We are very happy with the unique environment catered to exploration and innovation that can only be created with the ingredients that the school has cultivated. Without the private school feel. Openness, curiosity, IB curriculum, spanish immersion, enablement, confidence, inclusion and many more. We are very happy with our experience and access to leadership that it is a very unique approach to learning in today's competitive world. read more

Please do your due diligence before putting your child in this school. They do not live up to the hype, nor hold their word on what they offer. They are extremely unorganized and do not know how to handle children that are hyperactive. This was the absolute worst decision I could have made for my son's education. After leaving Magellan at 1st grade, he started 2nd grade at an amazing public school with multiple resources.....that Magellan did not offer. He was way behind on reading only to discover he is mildly dyslexic, which of course Magellan was clueless. They only care about your money here and will not refund it if they are unable to accommodate for your child. They will instead insist on having your child get a psychological evaluation and not attend school for 3 weeks. This is not be ideal for working parents. Not to mention it being detrimental to a child to be pulled out of school for nearly a month in 1st grade. I will say that there are a few good things about this school; 1. The organic and healthy lunch service 2. The wonderful parents and their children. My son made many wonderful friends and the parents were very pleasant and involved. The only reason for so many good reviews here are because they constantly ask for the parents to write reviews for them. If you are putting your child in this school for the Spanish, save your money and put them in classes at Live the Language or Olas. There are plenty of options for much more established caring private schools in the area. read more

We enrolled our son in the PP4 class last fall and we will be continuing with Kindergarten. Magellan has been a fantastic decision for our family. Not only is the Spanish immersion program real and rigorous, but the educators are extremely caring and attentive to each child's learning style. We've been amazed how quickly our son has picked up initial Spanish-language concepts even though we are not fluent speakers at home. Though COVID-19 dramatically shifted the teaching and learning landscape for everyone last March, Magellan really never flinched. Within a few days we had the first week's lessons plans, which included online and at-home learning modules, and everything was well thought through and professional. Overall, we feel that the crisis was extremely well handled. The commitment they have shown to the kids' learning and continued development has been amazing. read more

This is a great school teaching much more than to a test, our child has been here 5 years and really become interested in learning, community, environment as well as the subjects taught in school but this place is much more than that read more

5 fantastic years at MIS! My son is completely bilingual (and was an excellent translator for us 2 years ago in Peru since we don't speak Spanish) which is why we originally came to Magellan, but we now stay because of the amazing IB curriculum. My son and his classmates think differently - I see it every day in the way they approach the world with inquisitiveness and the ability to draw correlations between seemingly unrelated topics. Can't say enough great things about this school and incredible community! This isn't your typical "private school." We're so happy with the education that we're staying through middle school and looking forward to another wonderful 3 years! read more

Our son went to the local public school for kindergarten which was rated exemplary. The curriculum was good but rigid. He is rule-follower so he fit very well into the factory-like mentality of the public system. But it did not satisfy his intense curiosity and only made him more introverted and reserved. So we looked at many private and charter schools before we finally decided on Magellan. The Spanish immersion was a nice bonus, but we were really looking for a curriculum that would allow him to speak up and think outside the box. We also needed the flexibility to accommodate for some of the areas that he exceeded or lacked in. Magellan was able to provide all of that. The small teacher to student ratio allowed the teachers to really differentiate and educate the children based on their very own abilities. The goal seems to be for each child to reach his/her personal best, not what the state of Texas thinks is best for the child. We were concerned about the language because Spanish is not spoken in our family at all. But after a few months, he seems very comfortable, confident and fluent! He has gone from being a shy reserved child to now thriving and raising his hands, volunteering to get on stage to perform! It's incredible to see the transformation. All of the teachers and staff have been amazing in nurturing him to allow him to be who he really is. We couldn't be happier with this school. read more

This is a good school, IB Programs are a proven success, my Son loves school and has become excited about learning since transferring from AISD. The Spanish is great, they work closely w parents like me who don't speak Spanish so we can still help with homework. My Son has become so interested in our community, different cultures and how we can be involved. He isn't just learning more, he is expanding his mind as a growing boy in ways we can be proud. The teachers are passionate and aware of each child, this has been a sacrifice worth making for our family, read more

I looked at several schools for my kindergarten daughter and The Magellan International school stood out. I now work for Magellan and I will try to be as objective as possible. This school stood out because it offers an accredited International Baccalaureate Program in Spanish. Starting in 3rd grade students are introduced to Mandarin. Its graduates will become fluent in Spanish and proficient in Mandarin, with all the benefits of bilingualism and having my child exposed to two of the world's major languages seemed like the best investment I could possibly make in her education. I am a native Spanish speaker and the language skills the students acquire are outstanding. I especially like that the school instills a love of learning at all levels, students, parents, teachers and staff. I feel blessed to have found such a welcoming place. read more

My twins have been attending Magellan since 1st grade; they are now rising 5th graders! We have loved the experience there. The first thing that attracted us was the fact that it is Spanish immersion, since I am Mexican (they also do Mandarin starting in 3rd grade, which is the cherry on top), but what made us commit to it was the excellent academics, in particular the International Baccalaureate's Primary Years Program (PYP), as well as the passion and experience of everyone from the founder and director down. As a mathematician, married to a scientist, I can say that they use the best way of teaching numeracy (Singapore math). My kids' math and language skills have developed at an astonishing rate. They are learning science, history, art, music and developing strong interpersonal skills, and a sense of responsibility and independence. The community is very involved, and the families are invariably warm, friendly, supportive, diverse and very "Austin". Teachers come from Australia, Mexico, China, Colombia, El Salvador, Spain, and the US (I may be missing some countries!). The families there are even more diverse. Just in my kids' classroom they have Russia, Poland, India, Ecuador, England, Mexico, Norway and Canada represented. The school is also truly committed to economic diversity as well. Highly recommended! read more

The curriculum at this school is amazing and the teaching staff are well qualified, but the administration is very poor. If you are extremely rich, then this school is for you. But if you are middle class, like most of us, you will not last long. Our child attended this school for 2 years. Each year the tuition was raised by at least $1000. Not to mention the supply fee going from $500 to $600 to a whopping $1200 for the 2013-2014 school year. And no, each child is not receiving an ipad with the "supplies" they are paying for. Where does any school get off charging such a ridiculous supply fee? Even after you pay the very expensive tuition and supply fee, the school asks you to donate every chance they get. I also wanted to mention, while the teachers are qualified, we found some of them to be very cold to the young students. One of the teachers yelled at the kids several times while I visited the classroom. Children in preschool classes through kindergarten should have teachers who are warm, inviting, and comforting. We did not get those qualities in all the teachers. Some were wonderful, while others were just plain cold! I do not recommend this school to anyone, unless you have thousands of dollars to throw away! There are other IB schools in the greater Austin area without such expensive rates, some are even public schools. I suggest to anyone looking for an IB education for their child to do the research before enrolling them in Magellan International school. IT IS NOT WORTH THE MONEY! AND THE RATES CONTINUE TO ESCALATE!! read more

We have been there for a year, 1st grade. I like the school, and my kid likes it too. In just one year, my child's Spanish is unbelievable! From 3rd grade, they start to have 20% Mandarin. Teachers and Staffs are open and nice to communicate; parents' opinion is valued heavily. From end of last year, I introduced Erica, deputy head of school to DI, destination Imagination. We both attended other schools' team daily management, served as judge and volunteer in this year's competition. Now school has decided to formally introduce DI next semester. what a great progress! I'm very happy that school cares about kids as much as their parents. read more

Magellan is a phenomenal school. The IB program is fantastic. It really teaches kids to be open-minded and curious. The teachers are great. We had Ms. Paula and Ms. Anna, and they are both so loving and caring and great with kids. The administration is really good too. Scott Hibbard and Julietta are the utmost professionals. I can't say enough good things about Magellan. My daughter thrived there. She did a presentation as a four year old, and she did an amazing job! This teaches her really helpful life skills about communicating effectively, using her voice, and being comfortable in front of an audience. If you are looking for a school with Spanish immersion, an IB program, and a very professional staff, Magellan is the place for you. read more

Best. School. Ever. MIS covers everything I want for my child. Except High School. If you have interest in progressing education, Dual/Tri Language education, this is the school you want your child to attend. hands down. We've attended schools in three states and this one is the very best i've come across in my research of the USA. read more

My twins started Kindergarten at Magellan and I can't say enough good things about this school. Spanish was new to them so I was concerned on how they would adjust. Especially being in seperate classes. It only took a couple of weeks and now they love it and are excited to go to school. They are actually teaching me Spanish! The teachers and staff are absolutely amazing and work hard to make sure each child is successful. read more

We've been at Magellan for 7 years. The Spanish immersion experience has been incredible (my husband and I do not speak any Spanish and both of our children are now fluent) and the core curriculum is rigorous. We've also been very impressed by the diversity of the student body, the public speaking component of the IB program and the Singapore math program. read more

This school is really wonderful!! We couldn't be happier with our son's development and how much he learned!

We have a preschooler at Magellan and just love the teachers, school, and community. Highly recommended, we'll be sending our second one there next year. read more

Our daughter started at MIS in Kindergarten. We anticipated some transition problems because she had no prior knowledge of Spanish but these never manifested. Between outstanding teachers and staff, low teacher-student ratio, a great didactic approach and materials, and strong parent engagement, it was all even smoother than we would ever hoped for. We had joined for the language immersion but have become even more convinced of the school as we've seen how superior IB is and how well they have implemented the PYP program. And the school really seems to have matured as well: policies are well thought out and established, the new head of school and the heads of primary and middle school are excellent (we do not know the preschool since our daughter did not attend) and the flow of information (specialized app, not Facebook or similar) is first class. read more

We love Magellan! This is our 4th year at Magellan and our boys just finished kindergarten and 2nd grade there. While we have always loved the school and the community there, our recent experience with the online learning during the stay at home order this past semester was absolutely outstanding. The school was so quick to adapt and to provide hours of activities, classes and extra practice for both grade levels on a daily basis. They even kept up with their PE, library, art and music programs! Every single staff member and teacher was available for both kids and parents. We are so fortunate our kids have such a talented team of educators whose enthusiasm is so contagious! They came up with so many creative ways to review material, learn new things, and just have fun, and all of this was for lower elementary students who had never spent time on a computer before. It was amazing and was a guiding light for our kids throughout the situation and an incredible help to our family trying to balance everything during these uncertain times. We love Magellan and we cant wait to start again next semester! read more

This is our son's second year at Magellan, and we're very happy so far. The IB curriculum provides a good foundation for lifelong learning. The school has attracted faculty that is both deeply experienced, and very passionate about their work. Spanish immersion is icing on the cake. read more

We've been at Magellan for 8 years now, with two kids. It's been an amazing journey as they've developed a more international perspective. We don't speak Spanish at home, and yet our children have become bilingual quickly. They are like sponges for learning. We love how caring the teachers and staff are, the sense of community we have, and how much the children really care about each other - more like a family than classmates by the time they're in 5th grade! It's really been an amazing journey! read more

We sent our first child to Magellan at 3 yrs of age. We were attracted by the Spanish immersion education. With our second child about to enter Kindergarten, I can solidly say Magellan has exceeded every expectation. What we grew to love was the inquiry based education. Teaching how to think critically and discover the truth vs. simply learning and repeating what you're taught is quite simply incredible. It is a skill, like being bilingual, that we have no doubt our children will take with them for the rest of their lives. If you have any children that are primary or pre-primary age I highly encourage to check out Magellan. read more

We love this school! If you're looking for an awesome educational experience in a unique and wonderful community of educators, children and families, look no further. We have two children at the school, the first of which began at age 4 in the pre-school 4 years ago. We were drawn to the school by the International Baccalaureate curriculum, but grew to also love the Spanish immersion aspect of the school. We've come to appreciate the various studies and research that highlight the advantages of bilingualism on the brain. Speaking no Spanish at home, we didn't know quite how it would go in that regard but have been amazed by how both children have embraced the Spanish language and are both speaking it now. Our 8 year old is now looking forward to learning Mandarin this year and our only worry is that the kids will eventually communicate with one another in a language that we don't understand (what could they possibly want to keep from us, right?!). Seriously though, the entire community of Magellan is the best and the teachers bring so much to the kids' education, I cannot imagine a better place to complete elementary and middle school. Beyond even the language immersion, the kids are exploring concepts from an inquiry based perspective. This is both challenging and rewarding for them. The school's emphasis on team projects and presentations is helping the kids become more and more confident in their abilities to come up with creative solutions and to present these and discuss both in English and in Spanish. Furthermore, the school places plenty of emphasis on arts, music and physical activity to provide a real well-rounded experience. It's amazing to see what the children are able to accomplish! read more