Our family loves St. Francis School (SFS, a pre-K through 8th-grade private nonprofit interdenominational 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. read more

Well run institution with a great culture. 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. read more

Can't say enough about what a wonderful experience we had sending our child to St Francis. This progressive forward-thinking school embodies the spirit of what all educational institutions should strive toward; passion for learning, inclusivity, and stewardship of both humanity and the planet. read more

We have been at St Francis 3 years and can't imagine a better school in Austin Texas for our son. The teachers and staff are kind and supportive. Lots of fun activities and learning experiences for the kids but also academically challenging. Wonderful little school community! read more

My son graduated last May after the unforgettable class trip to Italy. He's just very successfully finished his first year at LASA High School. He felt well prepared for the rigor of LASA with the preparation he received at St. Francis. He also felt comfortable approaching his teachers and advocating for himself- skills he learned at St. Francis. It was truly a wonderful foundation for him. read more

Truly a welcoming community of educators and school administrators. The place is a blessing for a city lacking quality educational institutions. Everything so far has made us glad to start our son off in this school. read more

My 4 year old attends school here. She loves it! She loves going to school to see her pre-kinder teacher Ms. Graham. The teachers & staff at the school care about the kids. This is a community! My daughter has learned so much & it's because of the school & Ms. Graham. Thank you St. Francis! read more

Love this school! my 2 kids just started a preK program and both are loving it. It is a very welcoming community!

This school is definitely as good as it gets! Love this school so much! My children have never been more successful academically and socially! This school is so accepting of everyone. We have nothing but wonderful things to say about this school! The staff is amazing! If only it went through high school. read more

I'm a graduating student of St. Francis this year, and I can honestly say that this school is superb. I've been here, as of now, for about 5 1/2 years, and I've loved it. The work is great, my teachers are amazing, and I feel very prepared for high school. I've been on A/A+ honor roll for my duration here, and it's great that all the teachers here will give you the resources you need to achieve that. We're a private school, but we don't fit the preppy and intolerant stereotype. Everyone here is funny and witty, but has respect for their peers and teachers. We have chapel on Fridays, but it's less religious and more of a school bonding time where we learn about all religions and acceptance. Our graduating class is tight, and we will all miss each other as we split into different high schools, but St. Francis will always be my family! read more

If you want a school that cares about each of its children, has a small student to teacher ratio, and teaches its students to respect and cherish each other, this is the school! The head of school is firm but understanding. She is knowledgeable, experienced and engaged with the kids. The teachers really want to work with the parents. The librarian is an absolute gem! All of the teachers seem to treat their work as if it were the most important thing in their life. The parents are committed to the school and active. My one regret is that there is no formalized parent-teacher association. However, of all the camps or schools that I have been in contact with over the years, this is the best. read more

My 7 year old attends, and my 5 year old will go next year. I chose this school b/c I wanted a private school that pushed academics, maintained racial and economic diversity, and did not have a pretentious atmosphere. I also preferred a secular school - this school has "chapel" every Friday, but is more of a whole school rally. There is no religion education, and they welcome people of any or no faith. When doing the search for a school, I checked out essentially all of them, including ACE academy, Paragon Prep, St Andrews, etc. When I settled on St Francis, I was a little nervous that my child might not be pushed enough. They mix a wide range of academic ability within the same classroom, and I worried that my "gifted" child might not receive enough personal attention if there were other kids with learning disabilities in the same room. This has not been the case at all. They teachers are top-notch, and are very receptive to parent concerns. They kids are taught to work hard within their ability level, and the teachers know the strengths and weaknesses of each child. If you child needs extra attention, there is a dedicated building behind the school with tutoring available. There are gifted students, students with dyslexia, high functioning autistic students. Multiple UT professors send their children here. There are students AND teachers of every color (and quite a few male teachers as well). There are students with mixed economic backgrounds, many on full-ride scholarships. Same-sex parent families are welcome. I have no idea what Mary Y is talking about - there is CLEARLY no racial discrimination in this school. If you need to check for yourself, I'm sure the many teachers of different backgrounds here would be happy to speak with you. There are field trips, many after-school activities, there is early care starting at 7, and after-care til 6. I know there are sports teams available, and there is a beautiful large gymnasium and soccer field. The playground has shade, and there is even a chicken coop. read more