I cannot recommend Challenger School enough! We absolutely love the school and our daughter loves…read moregoing as well. It is academically phenomenal. Our daughter improved so much within a short period of time and it was measurable. We have been super impressed with the teachers and the higher level of academics. Kids at Challenger School are a year or more ahead of their peers who attend highly rated public schools. While the curriculum is excellent, what we love the most about Challenger School is how much our daughter's personality has blossomed. She has become more self-confident and independent. She was super shy and had major separation anxiety issues. Now she engages everyone in conversation, and she happily participates in school performances, speaking and singing in front of a crowd of her peers, teachers and other parents. We are super proud of her progress and achievements! Challenger School is costly, but worth every single penny! However, it may not be for everyone. It is a very structured environment. You won't find any hand-holding or coddling, as they strongly encourage independence and independent thinking. They teach every student about personal responsibility. It is the student's responsibility to make sure their homework is done on a daily basis and brought to the school, and they actually want the students to do their homework on their own. It sounds crazy, but my daughter truly loves doing her homework! We consider ourselves blessed that our daughter attends Challenger School. We couldn't be happier with the school and the teachers. We highly recommend it!

Challenger for my little ones has been nothing short of stellar. My kids are learning well beyond…read moreothers in their age group that do not attend Challenger. They are gaining the foundations for respecting themselves and others and they understand why letters make certain sounds or why numbers add up to a certain sum...not just bc that's the way it is. The teachers are awesome!!! Especially Margaret Zachary. She is always willing to let us voice our concern (if any), is extremely cordial and insanely nice. From the front desk seeing Ms. Sara to every teacher there, each interaction and experience has been very positive. The parents that have their children in there seem to have a similar sentiment. If I could add more stars to this review, I would. If I could add flying monkeys on spaceships to the stars on the review, I would. Don't be fooled by the negative reviews. I have had my kids in this school for over a full school year now as well as summer and it's the best decision I've made for them in their early childhood development and growth.

My oldest has been going to school here since preK she is about to start 5th grade and I can't…read moreimagine sending her anywhere else. The administration is the best out of any school I've been to. They truly love their students and families as their own. The cost of tuition is amazingly very low in comparison to the other private schools in the greater Austin area. The teachers are all amazing and have so much love and patience for all the students. They instruct their classes with so much grace. They take time to work with and help students who need extra help. They will be moving into their new permanent school building in July 2020 and I'm so excited to have both my kids attending in the fall!

My daughter just finished the Pre-K program here with Mrs. Iona Engelbrecht…read more She's our first child and our first experience with school. We checked out 8 different preschools and decided on RRCA for the curriculum, loving teachers who are all certified teachers, and their love for God. This pre-school was a good value for the level of academics she was receiving. I was SO pleased with my daughters experience. I will recommend this school to everyone!

I am on my mom's phone. I went to Gattis from pre-kindergarten to 5th grade. I love this school,…read morethe teachers, the education, and the amazing community. I definitely recommend this school. Gattis is my home away from home! :)

All my son's teachers did nothing when my son was getting bullied and he came to me every day…read morecrying saying people older and in his grade kept bullying my son I kept on speaking with the principle and they kept doing nothing so now I am done I'm am inrolling my son into a new school

I can't say enough wonderful things about Round Rock Montessori School. From the moment we walked…read morethrough the doors, we felt welcomed and assured that our granddaughter would be in the best of hands. The staff are incredibly warm, attentive, and professional. They truly go above and beyond to create a nurturing and stimulating environment for the children. My granddaughter is so excited to share what she's learning and is always excited to see her teachers and friends each day. The facility itself is bright, clean, and thoughtfully designed. The classrooms are large, engaging and well-organized. They have creative play, structured learning, and outdoor activities. Round Rock Montessori School is more than just a daycare, it's a place where children thrive, learn, and feel loved. We are so grateful to have found such a wonderful preschool/daycare where each child is cherished and grows in every way.

Terrible day care that I will never recommend. My 2 year daughter got hurt twice in a month, and…read morekept be sick for the whole month. The teacher changed frequently. And the environment is dirty and most toys are old and dirty too.

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!

I am so incredibly disappointed in Upstream's decision to no longer have staff wear face masks. We…read morewere extremely excited to have our infant son go to preschool here, but Monday I showed up to pick him up and his teachers weren't wearing masks. They had removed them during the day without notice, as they were no longer technically required. I pleaded directly with his teachers to see if they were open to wearing them voluntarily, then with the director Jeneffer. My husband and I decided to withdraw our son. Even if they agreed at that point they had broken our trust; there was no way of knowing if staff would wear their masks when we weren't there. My husband spoke with the owner Emily on the phone, who during a heated conversation had a few odd things to say about the pandemic (including saying that staff weren't wearing masks during our tour in January, so we can't expect them now. Like, what?). We paid half tuition in July to save our son's spot under Emily's assurance that they would take every precaution when he started school in August. One month in, I feel duped and I'm suddenly without childcare. This is an excellent school, but I can't recommend them during the pandemic.

Highly reconsider your thoughts after reading this, Before applying and working here or bringing…read moreyour child here. I didn't even last a month working here, There's a reason for their high turnover rate. 1. Don't believe everything you see, there's no cameras in the classrooms, not everything is all sunshine on the other side. When Jennifer "corrects" a child's behavior, Her way of doing so, Is by tapping a child on the head with a pen over and over until they do what they are told. Repeating herself over and over again until the child listens and also pulls them by their arms. 2. I've heard Jennifer yell at employees, Such as picking a crying child up after nap and holding them. 3. You are underpaid here, They do not pay enough for the amount of work they try to put on you. 4. Emily the owner also likes to go around to her favorite employees and talk about the employees she doesn't like and what she does not like about them. 5. They will try to take away time from your lunch and have you do other stuff for the job, as if I'm not here full time already and need my full hour of lunch to relax for me as I should. 6. I was being asked by Jennifer, Where am I going for lunch because I did not want to stay in the building for my lunch. When I am off the clock, That is none of your concern first and foremost. I had asked her where Easter eggs were and that's when she showed me in the shed and started questioning me with abnormal questions where no one else was around and could hear the conversation. My privacy felt violated, I felt extremely uncomfortable. 7. If you've never been with a certain age group before, they will throw you in a class by yourself and expect you to know how to do everything, then give you attitude for not knowing and micromanage you for not doing this or that. 8. I unfortunately thought maybe this would've been a good place for myself to work at. Don't be fooled by a smile, it absolutely disgust me with the way these "women" behaved towards me and other employees. When parents are out the building, they are different towards the kids and us employees. The lazy employees/ bossy employees get prioritized, But the hard workers get treated horribly. that's why they can't find assistant teachers to stick around long in classrooms.

Inside Outside School has been such a blessing for our family. Our kindergartener describes it…read morebest: "My favorite thing is that the weather is perfect there and we get to play outside all of the time. I also like that our classes have rainbow centers." This school has truly transformed the way our tender-hearted, introverted daughter feels about education. She used to dread school every single day, but now she cries when it's time to leave. The nurturing environment, emphasis on outdoor play, and creative learning spaces like the "rainbow centers" have made her feel so safe, happy, and excited to learn. We couldn't be more grateful to the teachers and staff for creating such a magical, supportive experience for her. Inside Outside School is a place where children truly thrive.

We LOVE the Inside Outside School! I have been following the school since it's opening year, and as…read morean educator (former public school teacher), I love the blend of academics and outside time. From all that I can tell, they are taking the educational research that talks to what truly works in the best interest of children and applying it in all aspects of the school. The class sizes are small, there are many opportunities for mixed-age learning, there is direct teaching of core concepts, highly individualized learning, lots of outside and student-led activities, and an integrated social/emotional component that is woven throughout the structure of the days that helps our children learn one of the most valuable skills that will serve them through life - emotional intelligence! This is not an unstructured school - there is structure and academics happening even when it can appear unstructured. For instance, I volunteer once a week for Nature Literacy in "the woods" as my daughter calls it. I have watched students create amazing learning opportunities for themselves that are completely self-initiated. I've seen them perform experiments on the flow of the creek, figure out how to construct a dragon's lair with tree branches, create mud homes, and compare/contrast plants and rocks. This is all proof to me that these kids are learning HOW to learn and LOVE LEARNING! All things that make both my mommy heart and my teacher heart very happy. :) Our daughter is currently in the 1st grade in a 1st/2nd grade classroom. She came with a high reading level and (in my mind) a low math ability which was compounded with a self-esteem issue from her kinder experience in a local charter school. Her teacher has done an excellent job of finding out what she needs and providing her with opportunities to expand her learning and fill in the gaps she had. Within the first semester the esteem issues I was worried about have all but vanished, and she truly enjoys math as well as reading now! I love the way IOS approaches assessment of the students - there are no grades (which did make this former teacher a little nervous at first), but it has been replaced with anecdotal records that are far more meaningful than a single page of letter grades! I received a 10 page document that took me through the semester, explained what was learned in class and how my daughter is progressing. We used this document to review our previous goals and set new ones as a team - teacher, parents, and student. This is authentic learning at its best! I really cannot say enough about this school. Parents are encouraged to participate in the school day, and I love that this school is as welcoming to the parents as it is for the students. This school may not be for everyone, but I am confident that this is the school for our family and for our daughter. :)

We can't say enough good things about INIC. Our older child started here at age 3 and stayed for…read moretwo wonderful years, and our younger one started as an infant, around 4 or 5 months old, when the older was 3.5. Our youngest is still here and about to turn 3, so we've trusted INIC with our family for years now. The teachers are absolutely wonderful. Most, if not all, are native Spanish speakers, and that's made such a difference in nurturing our kids' bilingualism. Watching both of them grow up understanding and speaking Spanish naturally has been one of the greatest gifts of this school. What we love is how the curriculum balances structure with play. The kids play all day, but they're also learning real concepts like colors, numbers, and letters woven into everything they do. They sing, they dance, and they even have Mandarin lessons. There's so much thought put into how the day is organized. The director deserves special recognition. She runs a safe, well-managed facility and stays personally involved with the kids. She knows them, not just their names. The staff also goes above and beyond to make the school feel special. They decorate beautifully and are always putting on themed events for the students, staff, and families. It creates such a warm, joyful community. After three years and two children here, we can wholeheartedly recommend INIC to any family. The teachers and staff have become like extended family to us, and we're so grateful for the care, warmth, and education they've given our kids.

The infant room was very well staffed and had a calm, nurturing environment. The teachers there…read morewere kind, attentive, and consistent about updating daily events and activities, which we truly appreciated. Unfortunately, our experience in the toddler room was very different. The front entrance door that uses a key code did not always close and lock properly, and the toddler gate leading to the right hallway did not lock securely, which raised safety concerns. A lot of times at pick up that hallway also smelled like a trash bag of poop was stored somewhere. Many toys were kept on high shelves and out of reach, leading children to climb on the shelf in order to access them. During transitions and diaper changes, children were often left without activities, resulting in restlessness and pacing. Cleanup also fell almost entirely on the teachers, as children were not taught or encouraged to help put toys away, which appeared to limit the teachers' ability to support children who were struggling emotionally. Communication was also difficult. At pickup, teachers were understandably busy managing multiple children, but there was little insight into how my daughter's day had gone. Messages sent through the app often had delayed responses. There was also a required supply list that included items such as a water paint kit, colored pencils, a paint apron, and crayons, but these supplies were never used in the classroom. My 2.5-year-old thrives in a structured environment. In this classroom, much of the day was unstructured free play, and she struggled significantly. During her final full week, she spent most of each day sitting and crying. She appeared overwhelmed, isolated, and unable to engage. On three consecutive days, photos shared as "gym activities" showed children sitting against a wall watching the teacher, whereas earlier in her enrollment gym time involved active movement and play. That earlier structure had been far more appropriate for her needs. While the staff were kind, the lack of structure and engagement negatively affected my child's well-being and ultimately led us to seek a different environment. Although another classroom was offered, seeing her cry consistently on the camera and struggle at drop-off made it difficult to continue.

Yay! I'm #1! I love…read morethis school. My son loves going to school and participates in the Y afterschool. I have been extremely satisfied. The teachers are great and I always feel like my son is safe. What more can you ask from in a school. Oh! And he has learned so much! My 1st grader can spell words like Shriek (I can't even spell that!)

Our experience at Paragon did not align with the individualized, child-centered education that was…read morepresented when we enrolled. While the school offers a structured and academically rigorous environment, we found that the approach was not as personalized as we had hoped for our child's specific learning needs. The Valor program, which was described as providing additional support, functioned primarily as a quiet space for students to complete homework rather than a program focused on building executive functioning skills, learning strategies, or individualized academic support. Paragon's curriculum moves at a fast pace, with significant homework and testing expectations. For some students, especially those who require a more tailored approach, this can mean parents may need to provide additional instruction and support at home in order for their child to keep pace. We also found that the staff's experience and approach to supporting a wide range of learning profiles varied, and the level of individualized support did not meet what we had hoped to find. That being said, Paragon's main strength is its activity calendar. The school provides a wide range of activities throughout the year, and we found both the teachers and students to be kind and welcoming. For families looking for a traditional, academically challenging environment with a strong focus on homework, testing, and keeping students on pace, Paragon may be a good fit. However, for families seeking a highly individualized, child-centered experience designed around diverse learning needs, I would encourage them to ask detailed questions about the specific supports available before enrolling.

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.