Paragon Prep School is truly phenomenal, and we give it our highest recommendation! One of the…read morefirst things that caught our attention when visiting schools was seeing how Paragon graduates--after high school and even college--return to visit their teachers. That speaks volumes about the lasting relationships and sense of community the school creates. We love Paragon's motto: "Work Hard. Play Hard. Be Kind." It perfectly reflects what life--and education--should be about. The school is also wonderful for busy families, offering a wide variety of before- and after-school programs, enrichment classes, sports, and summer camps. Paragon's Valor program ensures that new students immediately feel welcomed and connected. The school year even begins and ends with a pool party! There are countless fun traditions and celebrations, including Elvis Day, Chinese New Year, Día de los Muertos, and even a full week of roller skating. Students are placed into "colleges" and love earning points through school spirit, volunteering, and community service--culminating in friendly competitions to see which college wins at the end of the year. Engaging field trips are an integral part of the curriculum, and the school also offers international trips for families during the summer. We accompanied the sixth graders on a trip to Colonial Virginia, and it was a truly marvelous and enriching experience for the students and for us! Our middle school son is proud to be taking all honors classes, and even with the academic rigor, he is able to play three school sports while also practicing another sport outside of school. With Valor and study hall, students have ample time to complete homework and stay organized. We would also like to give a heartfelt shoutout to the incredible educators and staff: Mrs. Lype and Mrs. Correro for being outstanding math teachers; Coach Josh and Coach Nick for being terrific coaches; Mrs. Behr for being an inspiring World Cultures teacher and for teaching invaluable organizational skills; Mr. Wyatt for being relatable and humorous; Mr. Stubblefield for encouraging students to pursue their passions through English; Mr. Aidan for being a wonderful Valor teacher and Rutgers coach; Mr. Cory for planning impactful field trips and summer camps; Mr. Joey for being such an influential Dean of Students; and Mrs. Hay for being a truly one-of-a-kind Head of School who expands learning through meaningful travel experiences. Our son will undoubtedly become one of the many Paragon graduates who return to visit the teachers, staff, and administrators who have made such a lasting difference in his life.

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.

I am a co-teacher/mom at Austin Classical and fall more in love with the school and community each…read moreday. The classical curriculum is not only engaging and challenging but has shown me that this is how children are meant to learn (especially after experiencing a public school education). The community is one of love and support, each family is there for a deeper purpose and that shines in the relationships that are built not only in the children, but in the adults as well. "For Christ and His glory" goes much beyond a motto and is truly the cornerstone and mission of ACS. We are so thankful to be a part of this beautiful school and community!

Austin Classical School has been an incredible blessing for our family. We changed schools half way…read morethrough the educational journey part of our parenthood and came in cautiously after having a poor experience elsewhere. Austin Classical met and exceeded every hope and expectation we could have for our 4 children who are different learners. I couldn't name all the wonderful things but: incredible leadership, quality educators, beautiful and thorough curriculum, and stellar community are true benefits of this school. My children are thriving and love school. We are so grateful for ACS!

We are currently in our 6th year at Regents, and we love it....Regents is a wonderful community and…read moreour family loves it there. The last review posted by Mark REALLY surprised me because I know families who are Catholic and who attend Regents. Also I am of Indian origin and I'm at Regents.... There could be many other reasons why somebody is not accepted at the school.

As someone who has worked in school systems for over 30 years and whose niece and nephew attend…read moreRegents, I have been impressed. I've been impressed by how down to earth everyone I have met there has been. Mostly I am impressed by how sweet and intelligent my niece and nephew are and this is the only school either of them have attended. They are both bright and funny and open minded and kind hearted. I can't imagine more lovely kids and as hugely involved as their parents are, I know from experience that the school gets some of the credit too. I'm sorry to read that the kid who commented has had such a shady experience. I would say by his writing that other than the obvious grammatical errors, he has a promising writing style! Get that while attending Regents?

Both of my children attend ACE Academy in Austin. We are so very happy that we moved to this school…read moreand wish we'd done it sooner. Both children are appropriately challenged in their classes, learning a ton and having fun doing so. Material is never dry and boring but interesting and presented in a variety of ways. This is a great school for gifted kids and the administration and teachers are incredibly supportive and truly know and appreciate each child as a unique individual who each has different skills and different needs. The social and emotional support is thoughtfully delivered and thorough. My kids love their friends and their teachers at ACE!

My son was in the public school system at a highly-rated school for three years (K-2) before we…read moreswitched to ACE. While the public school was doing its best, my son, who was tested as Gifted, was not learning much and, due to the funding shortages, was not getting specialized attention. In the Fall of his 2nd year in the public school, I talked to his teacher, and she told me that while she would love to feed my son with more advanced materials, she did not have the time or resources with 22 kids in the class. She was the one who told us that if we had the means, we should move our son to a private school. That is when we started our search among the private schools in Austin and decided on ACE after visiting five private schools in the area. We decided on ACE because of its individualized approach to each kid academically and its main emphasis on social-emotional learning. My son is gifted but is not neurodivergent and does not present any specific social-emotional issues. At first, we were concerned whether the small classes (there are 11 in my son's class) would be socially limiting and whether having some 2E children in the school would take attention away from "not neurodivergent kids" like my son to more neurodivergent kids but it has been three months since we started at ACE and we could not be happier. My son is happy every morning and is excited about school. We love how they have been listening to us as parents, adjusting their approaches to each kid when they deem changes necessary, and how they are fully supporting each kid in terms of social-emotional learning. I am only disappointed that we did not make this change to ACE any earlier!

About 9 years ago, I found myself dragging my oldest kiddo to preschool each morning. He fought…read moreevery step of the way and I was exhausted by the time I dropped him off every day. It was a miserable feeling. I was so relieved when summer arrived and we had camp at Crenshaw. The same resistant 4 year old was suddenly dressing himself and rushing ME out the door to go to Crenshaw. The difference was night and day and that's what made me know we had to give the Palaestra Preschool Program a try. Three kiddos later, I could not be happier or say more about the Palaestra Preschool Program. Not only does it address kindergarten readiness, but the daily movement means that my kids come home tired. In addition, each summer my kiddos are ready to jump right into the pool because they've been swimming all year long. This is ideal because of the Texas heat, but it's also frankly a safety issue. As much as I could go on about the whole child model of the Palaestra Program, the most special thing about it is perhaps less obvious. Crenshaw is a family owned and operated business, and they have built a beautiful community around that. From the swim fitness retirees, to the diverse staff, to the tiny tots barely out of diapers, Crenshaw is truly its own little village and I am so deeply grateful that my boys have gotten to experience what it means to be a part of that.

From the owner: Crenshaw Palaestra Preschool nurtures the whole child. Highly experienced staff work together to…read morehelp each individual child grow physically, intellectually, emotionally and socially. Small student ratios make it possible to give lots of individual attention and encourages close, long lasting friendships among peers. Teachers who stay in their area of expertise and a rotating class schedule keep both students and teachers fresh throughout the day. Our Preschool program runs from 7:45 to 12:00 and offers an extended option from 12:00 to 2:45. You can choose from 5 day, 3 day or 2 day a week. Palaestra is a School year preschool program We follow AISD calendar for start and end of the year. Call today for a tour or more information.

We live in Central Austin and have sent both of our children to My Friend's House since they were…read morebabies. Our oldest is now 4 and in the "big kid" classroom and will be starting Kindergarten next year. They've responded exceptionally well to the COVID19 situation and have been handling it incredibly well. Organized, efficient, and with a sense of community. We cannot say enough great things about this daycare. It's a tight-knit group of kids, and you feel the warm, nurturing, and supportive environment the moment you walk in. Our daughter is very outgoing, happy-go-lucky and well-rounded thanks in large part to the staff and upbringing she has experienced at My Friend's House. The classroom sizes are small enough where the teachers get to know the kids well and do a great job keeping an eye on them. There are activities each month, age-appropriate curriculum to help support them and the hours are great. The school is part of the campus of the church, and it is a very welcoming environment for everyone of all faiths and beliefs. A warm, welcoming environment. They also offer extra-curricular activities that should start back up once things settle with COVID. If you have any questions about whether you'd like to send your children to My Friend's House, I would be happy to speak more about it. Feel free to reach out to me and I can share more.

My daughter (who is 20 months at the time of this review) has been at MFH since she was three…read moremonths old. The Good: - The teachers have a genuine love for the kids and really nurture them. I see it in every teacher who has watched over my daughter, and for me, that kind of genuine affection was the deciding factor when I did my (exhaustive) childcare search. - I find a non-profit childcare setting to be a more positive, personal experience as compared with the for-profit centers I toured. - The majority of the teachers have been at the center for years -- many have put their own children through MFH. They're treated well by the administration and repay it with loyalty. The only comings and goings my daughter has experienced have been due to chronic illnesses or someone moving away to be closer to family. - The typical ratios are actually a bit lower than the state mandate, and the center is diligent about maintaining them. - There's a strong sense of community. There is a fall festival, class parties for major holidays, and the kids get little events like a pony rides and fire truck visits there at the church which they really enjoy. There are school-wide work days where parents and teachers alike pitch in to spruce up the center, and it feels good to be a part of that kind of cooperation. The Not So Good: - The administration is terrible at communication. If you want to know something, you have to bug them repeatedly and proactively seek information. Twice now my daughter has been bumped up to the next age group classroom and I was lucky to get a week's notice that it was happening. Not cool. Likewise, I have had several times that I've had to get personal contact information for my child's caretakers because the administration wasn't bothering to tell them what was going on when I called in sick. - The menu could be greatly improved from a nutrition perspective. Granted, I'm a bit of a nut on that point, and technically their food program meets federal nutritional guidelines. But the canned veggies and fruits and the pervasive eggos/french toast sticks/hot dogs/quesadillas bug me. I feel that the "give 'em what they'll eat" approach has really hampered my efforts at home to expose the munchkin to a wider variety of foods. They also basically require the kids to be on the meal plan, and there's not a storage option for bringing your own food. I had to get a DOCTOR'S NOTE just to request that my daughter not be served juice. It's quite silly. Overall, I'd recommend MFH. I've been happy with my experience there despite the occasional frustrations!