It might be a great camp, but the registration process was so poor that although we were told we…read morehad a spot at camp, we didn't. After figuring out the complexities of summer camps, I went in person at 10am on the first day of camp registration. I waited in line for 30 minutes. When my registration information was collected I was told that my child got into camp. A week later I was called and told that my child was on a huge wait list and that they didn't get into camp. Of course this meant it was too late. All the other sessions of the camp were full and I'd booked the rest of the summer. I am really disappointed. They are doing nothing about it other than "fixing thing for next year".

All 3 of my daughters have gone to this camp over the past 10 years. The staff is the best. The…read moreunique setting and experience is something they talk about all year. They always beg to go back the next summer. Could not recommend more.

Both my children have attended First English CDC and we absolutely love it. My child asked me…read moreyesterday if the school week could be 10 days long instead of 5, I think that sums it up nicely! We love the small school feel of it, with community and teachers who know the children well. The school is an establishment in the community, and I meet many people with grown kids who attended there. My kids love the shady playground, and my older kid who is no longer there still maintains that it has the best swings in Austin. There is also a nice open indoor hall for rainy or hot days, as well as activities like Soccer Shots they offer. There is a healthy breakfast, lunch, and afternoon snack cooked each day by the school chef. The school is play based and focused on learning through play, which I think is perfect for this age. Thank you First English.

Both our children have attended First English since they were 18 months old (they're now 3.5y and…read more5y) and we couldn't be happier. The staff provides a caring, safe, supportive and educational environment for the children, with a bonus of prioritizing social-emotional learning and Montessori-esque methods. Our kids have been excited to go to school every day (huge win) and I'm so grateful not to have to pack a breakfast, lunch or snack because it's all offered by the school (and included in the tuition!). Highly recommend.

My child attends Magnolia Middle. This 2025-2026 school year marks Magnolia Middle's inaugural…read moreyear, but it's built on a strong foundation. Its elementary counterpart has spent over a decade proving what's possible--with an extraordinary track record of student success and a wait list of more than 500 families. There's a calm, respectful energy at Magnolia. Students are treated like capable young people. The culture emphasizes personal responsibility, collaboration, and intrinsic motivation--not just test scores. As a parent, I see my child being encouraged to think independently, communicate thoughtfully, and take ownership of their learning in ways I've rarely seen in traditional settings. The executive director of Magnolia Montessori for All and the middle school principal are exceptional--deeply committed, highly experienced, and clearly building something intentional and meaningful from the ground up. The entire staff is next level. Together, they have cultivated not just a new school; but a carefully designed community. I like the way they handle conflict, demonstrate fairness, work hard to help all kids succeed and make learning enjoyable.

We've been with the school for almost 6 years. working with the special education system at…read moreMagnolia has been really collaborative and supportive for our family, and I have never felt that I had to fight for services like I hear in other schools. One of my kids was struggling academically, but in 2nd grade he grew leaps and bounds in math and reading, from far behind the mean scores in MAP to 30 pts higher by the end of the school year. The collaboration between classroom teachers, dyslexia intervention teachers, and other support staff was so smooth. We've seen the school grow considerably in its functioning since 2021 and are really happy to be here! Also the community spirit is very strong. classes meet up for play dates outside of school to encourage friendship building, volunteer with teacher needs, organize fundraisers for special projects, and the camping trips twice a year are really special. There were ups and downs in our early years, and we are grateful we stayed through it. :)

Our baby started attending at 3 months old. We are very happy with the level of attention and care…read morefrom all of the staff. We always trust that our child is in good hands. We receive lots of cute artwork and daily updates via an app. They even organize events like a lovely Thanksgiving luncheon and winter holiday pageant.

My son attended Wesley and has been enrolled in their infant classroom. He has grown so much during…read morehis time here and he is on track developmentally; I attribute much of his social success to his time at Wesley. He feels so loved here and I am happy we picked the best possible daycare for him bc he is delighted everyday I drop him off. The staff is productive, friendly, and consistent and the other kids are happy and sweet and they always speak to us in the halls. They have programs for community involvement, recitals, photo shoots, & holidays. Feels like home here.

This is truly the happiest place on earth. We are not church members, but my son as been in the 2…read moreyear old class all year. He loves going to school and has made such great friends. The activities are awesome, and the teachers are incredibly engaged. We were at a full time daycare before I decided to stay at home and wow, what a difference. Now that I've decided to go back to work I'm trying to figure out how I can keep him in FPDS while going somewhere else the rest of the time. We LOVE it.

We attended another school down the corner, and are very happy we switched to 1st Presb. The focus…read moreis more around play-based learning (as it should be at that age!), the teachers are just amazing: dedicated, caring and creative in their weekly plans, and seem more experienced than other places we visited. The new administrator, Leigh-Ann is the best... she brought a lot of fun family events, like the Gingerbread house decorating, but you don't get an aggressive fundraising push like at some other schools. It's a big choice where you send your little one to school, and I couldn't be happier. It's a warm and relaxed environment, and our son is happy and doing great developmentally, socially, etc. A+

Over the past few years, we have tried a few preschools in the neighborhood and while they are all…read moregreat in their own ways, Covenant UMC Preschool takes the cake for it's excellent staff (many are previous school teachers), wonderful facilities (with an awesome playground), and a thoughtful curriculum for the kiddos. I've had kids at every grade level at this school and each teacher has been wonderful and engaging. The director, Jan Glosser, is so welcoming, warm, kind and knows each family personally which makes you feel right at home. We love it!

My oldest son started at CUMC in 2022 - he attended for two years prior to Kindergarten, and loved…read morehis experience here! Attending this wonderful school made transitioning to Kindergarten much easier! Now, my younger son is in his second year at CUMC and loves it so much. The teachers are all experienced and caring - the class sizes are small, giving each child the chance to grow and develop. Teachers send weekly emails to let parents know the weekly curriculum, there are after-school activities, and much more! Jan Glosser, the school's director is engaged in daily life at school and fosters a wonderful and caring community. I've met all of the staff and can personally attest to their care for the students.

Leaving this review for prospective parents looking to chose this daycare for their child. I have…read morenot nor will I ever enroll my child in this facility for a few reasons. 1. They do not answer their phones. 2. They are vague via email. 3. Can guarantee you as the parent, will have more professionalism and better customer service than whoever responds to email inquiries. The phone thing, I do not get it and do not agree. This was the ONLY childcare facility that did not answer their phones once in the dozen times that I called looking for information. Every single other daycare I shopped (over a dozen) either picked up the phone or called me back. How can a childcare facility not answer their phone? I digress I had to ask whoever was responding via email if they weren't enrolling because they did not come out and say it, I also had to ask about a waitlist because this information was not offered (emails to be posted). When I reached out to this facility I let them know what the situation was the response was "we are not enrolling for that program at this time". I was asking about part time, no information on full time was given, nothing about a waitlist (I still don't know the answer about a waitlist because they never responded) Customer service is easy, offer all of the information up front and answer any questions. I asked for a phone call, I let them know I may be misunderstanding their tone, none of this was ever addressed or answered. I wanted to go with this facility because it worked for our price point, schedules, and location. However, if this were the last childcare facility accepting in Austin I would not choose to use them. They don't answer the phone or return calls and seem pretty subpar at answering emails. I'm not usually one to leave a review in this regard however, I feel it important to parents looking for a school for their children to know that they are incredibly unresponsive. Not something that you want to be when taking care of children. I sincerely hope that no one else encounters the same frustrations.

My son has been here since he was 3 months old and he turned 2 in April. We love this place…read more Absolutely love the teachers. My son's vocabulary is more advanced than my oldest was at this age. He is very talkative and active and I attribute that to the environment here. We are moving to Georgetown and I'm seriously considering driving all the way here to continue his care. It is such a great feeling knowing your kiddo is happy to see the teachers...even jumping into their arms at times.

Our family loves St. Francis School (SFS, a pre-K through 8th-grade private nonprofit…read moreinterdenominational school operating for 30+ years near the ACC Highland campus in north-central Austin). After a mixed but ultimately disappointing experience in 1st - 3rd grades at a crowded, overpriced, chaotic start-up foreign language immersion school, our family needed a fresh start. Our once confident and joyful learner of a child had been reduced to an overstressed student who loathed school and struggled through hours of tedious homework each night. St. Francis provided the small, truly diverse and welcoming community environment we wanted for our child, with a balance of challenging academics, ethics reinforcement, and attention to the nurturing & development of the whole child by experienced educators who really know how to differentiate instruction to many types of learners. This approach has totally turned around our child's experience of school and his learning & achievement have skyrocketed over the past 2 years. His school grades are now more in line with his always high standardized testing results, and homework no longer comes to tears! Another parent reviewer said it well when she described the diverse and "unpretentious atmosphere" at SFS. Every imaginable demographic is represented in both the student body and faculty. People are kind and friendly and welcoming, and individual differences are celebrated. Every time I'm on campus, I just feel inspired and hopeful. Because SFS keeps class size (max of 15) and total enrollment (around 400) in check and teachers love the place so much they stay for decades, the small, cohesive "neighborhood school" feel is maintained. Huge props go to the incomparable founding head of school, Barbara Porter, who has since 1985 guided SFS on its core mission of "excellence without exclusivity." SFS backs that sentiment up by supporting 25% of the student body with scholarships and charging one of the lowest private school tuition rates in the Austin area, while consistently graduating their students into the most competitive public school magnet programs and private high schools. Another wonderfully unique feature among area private schools is the SFS Learning Center, where students with special needs can receive tutoring and additional services to support their success in school. Kids with learning differences are fully integrated into SFS classrooms and are able to thrive as part of a truly diverse school community. At the same time, a large proportion of the student body would be described as "gifted & talented," demonstrating highest performance in academics, the arts, and sports. Each Friday morning, an optional hour of "chapel" is held in which the entire student body and faculty, as well as any parents & family members who wish to attend, gather together in the gym to share an uplifting community-building and/or character-building assembly or pep rally to celebrate that month's achievements. It's not actually religious (although some religious content is shared from time-to-time; the school is named for St. Francis of Assisi, after all). The 8th-grade year culminates in a transformative Spring Break trip to Italy to visit the hometown of St. Francis (among other sites), and the kids raise all of the money for the trip themselves over the course of their years at SFS. I could say much more about all the reasons we love SFS, but if you are considering private school or are just looking for a better school for your unique learner, I encourage you to take a tour and see for yourself. Curriculum and other details are available on the school website at http://www.stfrancis-school.org.

Well run institution with a great culture…read more Pro: - Long Term: with over 35 years in operation, they've had time to build a strong program that will last through economic downturns. - Culture: teachers, students and parents are fully bought-in to the schools values (see school site for details). - Student attention: lower than average student/teacher ratios plus a dedicated, free-standing tutoring building adjacent to the school. Con: - Playground: nice but not inline with the quality of the rest of the institution. - Admissions: it's a centrally located, high quality private school in a growing city, meaning demand is high Personal lessons from our school search: After spending 12 months searching for the 'best school', we realized the importance of finding the 'best school for our child'. Initially, I was too tied up in rankings to spend the time to understand what was important for our family and how that lined up with each program. In the end, we loved the goals at St. Francis of (1) excellence without exclusivity, (2) a meaningful commitment to diversity and (3) attention to the needs of every student. Covid-19 update: School is really stepping up to deliver for students in a difficult time. The teachers are really going above-and-beyond.