100000 stars!! There aren't enough words to say how AMAZING this school is!!! Athena is a special,…read moremagical gem and we feel so absolutely lucky to have found it. The teachers and the atmosphere just radiate peace and positivity. The quality of education is incredible. My son turned 5 yesterday and is already about to start reading!! The amount of personal attention and care each student receives is incredible. My second child is about to "walk through the gates of life" this May and head to kindergarten.. I am honestly heartbroken to not go there everyday anymore lol! We have had a child there for the past 5 years and if I could keep them there forever, I would! We have had the honor to get to know Ms. Alex, Ms. Jazmin and Ms. Morgan over the years and these women are absolutely INCREDIBLE! They have huge hearts and really LOVE what they do, and it shows!! They have a magic way of connecting, communicating and relating to the kids. We are so THANKFUL for the values and knowledge they have bestowed in our children that will shape who they become forever!! We love each of you so much!! My kids made me promise to always take them back to say hello as they grow...that speaks volumes in my book. Athena is a purely magical place!

We have been blown away by our experience with Athena. The support and caring from the staff has…read morebeen amazing. Our son has flourished at the school. The growth from August until now has been exponential on all fronts. He is more independent, communicating more and becoming a member of his classroom community. The other parents as well have created a lovely community and support system as well. My husband and I didn't realize just how lucky we were to get a spot in the school!

This is my daughter's second year at Long-View Micro School and we couldn't be happier. She spent…read morethree years at a traditional public school and became disenchanted with a system that didn't provide opportunities for her to advance her skills in math and language arts at the pace she desired. Long-View is STEM focused and includes an incredible literacy program. The students enjoy a reduced schedule (9:00am-2:30pm/M-TH) and an hour long lunch break at a nearby park. The top-notch faculty encourage the students to ask thoughtful questions, challenge each other, and collaborate to work through problems in all of their subjects. LV offers many after school class options (tennis, golf, robotics, writing, etc.) and no school Fridays allow our family to supplement music and Spanish. I highly recommend touring the school if you are seeking a unique learning experience for your child.

We were looking for alternatives to traditional school where our child was treated as a passive…read moreaudience member. Long-View Micro School teaches children to actively participate in their educations. Students are taught to collaborate with each other to solve complex mathematical equations (and to love doing it). They apply the same teaching philosophy to science, coding, reading and writing. If your child loves a challenge and has focus, Long-View is the perfect fit for your family.

This was our first year at Austin Rising School, and it has been a truly wonderful experience. Our…read morechild tends to lose interest easily and hasn't stuck with many programs in the past, so we were pleasantly surprised to see how engaged and happy they were all year long. The school environment is warm, creative, and thoughtfully designed to support each child's individuality. The teachers and director clearly care deeply and foster a genuine sense of connection and curiosity. We're so grateful to have found Austin Rising and are excited to return next year!

We love Austin Rising School! My daughters both have very different learning needs, yet both girls…read morethrive at this school! Their lessons have been sensory rich and in-depth, pulling multiple academic subjects into their lessons. The teachers are fabulous, and as parents themselves, they are truly invested in the school and the progress of the students. I really love the math curriculum (taught by a math specialist) and the project based learning! The take-home bonus is that the students' handmade textbooks for each unit are absolutely incredible and keepsakes for life! This has been a very affordable option for our family, and a better option as I work too much to homeschool full time, and need some support for developing curriculum. I'm especially grateful for the social-emotional learning curriculum and mindfulness lessons the children receive as a group! It makes for a kind and inclusive community!

Our daughter is off to kindergarten in a couple of weeks, and I am feeling so emotional saying…read moregoodbye to Renaissance! I tell everyone I know about this wonderful school. The teachers here take such pride in what they do, and such care and focus on each child. My daughter loves it so much that she asked if she could go back to school even on summer break. We are so grateful to Ms. Erin, all the teachers at Renaissance, and Cassidy's stewardship. Renaissance is such a gem of a school, and will be missed dearly!

As we come to the end of our time at this Montessori school after six wonderful years, I wanted to…read moreleave a review. Both of our kids went here, and now that our youngest is moving on to kindergarten elsewhere, it feels bittersweet as we're really going to miss this place. The school has been amazing at meeting each of our kids where they are. They found ways to challenge and support them as individuals, helping them grow socially, emotionally, and academically. They built strong relationships with their teachers and classmates, and saying goodbye hasn't been easy. Our eldest started kindergarten well ahead of where the typical curriculum begins and we're confident our youngest is also set up for similar success. We're incredibly thankful to Cassidy, Mr and Ms. Wallin, Ms. Erin, and the rest of the teachers during our time there for the years we've spent at this school and wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to other families.

education: 10/10. they spend so much time with you, its directly 1 on 1 and anything you need help…read morewith they will assist you with. the education is so flexible with different teaching methods, whatever helps you learn is how you'll learn it. theres never a boring day and and its never stressful to ask questions or be confused. community: everyone is so kind and nice, its a true community and everyone helps everyone. there is no bullying and absolutely no tolerance for it. unfortunately some kids take advantage of the no bullying and can be annoying, but its overall a really safe community. teachers: each one cares about you, and you can create your own bond with each teacher. they WANT to help you learn and you can feel that. theyre so fun to talk to as a person and teacher, and i love all the teachers there. such kind souls. this school is perfect for neurodivergent kids, or if youre seeking to get away from the stressed out school days and bullys at public school. nobody will judge you and you will find so many friends.

This is the place. If you're reading this, you're wondering what are the right steps when it comes…read moreto helping my child with finding their way in the world. If you're here, you've obviously grown tired of the rote, inflexible education of the masses based on measurements, guidelines, or even politics. If you're considering a different direction and want to know where to find forward-thinking people (educators, parents, and the kids themselves), then you have to give Appamada a good look. It's been said that we live in interesting times and, thanks to a global pandemic, that couldn't be any more true. For our family, as we tried to navigate the challenges that came along with it, we needed to find a school that would work closely our two children, separated by just under two years, and help them learn (of course), grow (definitely), and become the person they were meant to be versus an "institutional follower." Our children are nearly as different as night and day. But, at Appamada, they found individual paths to advancing their education and developing their personalities that we couldn't find elsewhere. This 'home away from home' has been their place of learning for over five years and I can see that the path they are both on, to college and beyond, has been paved nicely, with enlightened thinking, challenges big and small to overcome and learn from, and focused matriculation to help them become the best they can be, but even more importantly, the best they want to be. The staff at Appamada, across all disciplines and includes the program director, the owner, and all associated with the school are truly top-notch individuals whose sole purpose is to help the students flourish. They have repeatedly shown how much they consider and care for the individual student and have demonstrated this through their communications, program adaptation, and customized course scheduling to meet the kids where they are help them recognize where they want to go.

We been with INIC for almost a year now , my baby started when she was 11 months old! She loves it…read moreand is always excited to go, she loves her teachers. Our family loves everything about this school, and we get to check on what activities she's doing throughout the day in real life time. After touring multiple daycares, this was hands down the best decision we could have made.

My family was part of the INIC community for nearly four years. I sent both of my daughters there…read moreas infants and previously left a 5-star review. I would have enthusiastically recommended this school. Today, I cannot. The issue is not the teachers. The teachers have been exceptional and are the reason so many families choose this school. Despite years of tuition increases and persistent concerns from teachers and families, the school has not made the investments necessary to retain them. In early March alone, at least 7 teachers left or announced their departures--nearly 20% of the teaching staff by parents' count. Both of my daughters experienced unexpected teacher departures in their classrooms during that same period. For young children, teachers are not interchangeable. They are trusted caregivers and a critical source of stability. When teachers leave, children lose important relationships and families are left helping them navigate yet another transition. During enrollment, families are told classrooms are staffed with a lead teacher, an assistant teacher, and additional flex staff available for coverage. In reality, my oldest daughter's classroom frequently operated at the legal minimum ratio of one teacher for fifteen four-year-olds. Multiple current and former teachers described being unable to reliably use sick days, vacation days, or even take basic bathroom breaks because there was often insufficient coverage available. When a school is staffed so leanly that teachers struggle to meet basic human needs during the day, it raises serious questions about how well both teachers and students are being supported. Teachers reported compensation in the $14-$17/hour range despite bilingual education being one of the school's primary differentiators. Comparable non-bilingual childcare positions in Austin often advertise higher wages. The result is predictable: teachers leave. Children lose stability. Families absorb the consequences. Demand for bilingual childcare in Austin far exceeds supply, and many families have few realistic alternatives once enrolled. Given that reality--and given that tuition has continued to increase year after year--I expected a greater commitment to investing in the teachers and staffing stability that families are ultimately paying for. Parents who attempted to ask questions and advocate for improvements--including efforts to reestablish the PTA--often received little to no response. While our family's relationship with the school ultimately ended following disagreements with leadership about these issues, the concerns described here are based on nearly four years of experience and conversations with numerous current and former teachers and families. The teachers are the school's greatest strength. The challenge is whether the school will make the investments necessary to retain them long enough to provide the stability and continuity that young children deserve.

When your kid is insisting to go to school even though he is under the weather, you know you found…read morea special place. My son is now a second grader at School On The Rise and I am so happy about how he is nurtured and loved in this small school. The teachers are very experienced Waldorf teachers and the environment is homey and safe. Nature and outdoors is main pilar and movement is another. These all make the school a magical place to grow in. Highly recommend this school.

We are so grateful we found The School on The Rise. Our son joined it last year in the middle of…read morethe school year as a 9 year old who didn't read, write and was not able to do any math beyond adding, subtracting simple numbers. Even tho he still has learning difficulties, he is reading at his level now, he is doing difficult math problems, understanding fractions, and slowly starting to write. Kids play in the woods, build things, make things, the art and creativity is very present. You cannot underestimate Ms and Mr Darcy's 30 years experience in woldorf education. They have seen it all and they are incredible at what they do. The school feels like a little piece of haven for kids to play, learn and developed. And probably the biggest reason we are such big fans is School on the Rise is the small classroom environment, where kids were able to cultivate strong friendships. They truly care for each other, it is the sweetest environment. We highly recommend.

This preschool creates the most wonderful environment for children to develop a love of learning…read moreand make great friends. Our son attended for three years (now doing great in elementary school) and our daughter is in her third year and LOVES coming. The long-time staff here are highly professional; they know exactly how to do age-appropriate teaching while making it a joy for the kids. We love that the children get a lot of outside physical movement both on the playground and riding trikes on the slab. This is such a caring and creative environment, where we always feel we know what is going on and our entire family has made great friends. The church also provides wonderful support to the school. I would give this preschool 11 stars if I could. I highly recommend.

My daughter has attended WPDS from age 18 months - 4 yrs old (still attending) and we absolutely…read morelove it! I have never experienced a more nurturing, caring, and truly child-focused school. The entire staff is amazing and many I have become very close with. The classroom size is super small, so every child has special attention and love. The school frequently provides resources and training for parents, which has been so helpful. Our family has created lifelong friendships with this tight-knit community and we have tons of play dates. The school practices Developmentally Appropriate Practice (DAP) based learning and each teacher tailors lessons to the specific classroom. My daughter looks forward to "parent helper" days, where mommy gets to come spend the day with her in the classroom. They are very special to her. It helps if parents have a flexible schedule at WPDS. I cannot say enough good things about this day school. I highly recommend to anyone seeking a warm, inviting day school experience. LOVE!!