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.

I have been coming here off and on for years, and regularly for over a year. The late service…read moreseems to have a more mature crowd and early, more families. Whatever you are looking for, I think you'll find it at NW Hill. Greeters and pastors are genuine and made effort to learn and use my name early on. I was touched to see the pastor, JJ as a regular volunteer at the local elementary. Locals check out the live nativity and holiday activities. Check it out more than once to give it a try.

I have been coming here for about a year and a half and just officially joined a few weeks ago. Bob…read moreis especially great about knowing everyone and making a point to greet you and give you s welcome packet at the early service (850) and he is a huge part of what made us feel welcome right out the gate. But it didn't stop there, everyone we have met is genuinely kind and friendly and that is what has kept me and my boyfriend coming back. They have lots of fun activities throughout the year (we are decorating gingerbread houses this weekend!). There are also opportunities to learn more about the God, the Bible and the church (monthly coffee with the pastors) as well as scheduled community service events. We have a young adults ministry that is growing since we got there. I would be happy to meet with anyone interested in learning more about the church either over coffee or meet at either service time.

I can't express how wonderful AJA has been for our kids over the last 5 years. They use a…read moreProject-Based Learning (PBL) curriculum, where my kids have gained skills crucial to success later in life: teamwork, communication, creativity, executive functioning, but most of all CONFIDENCE. PBLs take a kid's natural curiosity in a subject and show them how to combine ALL their school subjects (STEM, Social Studies, Language Arts, Hebrew, art and music) to present what they've learned. The kids learn how to present starting in kindergarten-- I'll never forget the first time my kid presented their Portfolio, I had no idea this 5 year old was capable of being so prepared, articulate, and confident. My jaw must've dropped a foot. I was just blown away!!! This child comes with some extremely unique, diagnosed developmental and learning challenges that, I've realized in the years since, would likely be too challenging to work with in a public school class three times bigger than his is. At AJA my kids get so much individual support, not just from their teachers but from every adult in the building. Academically, my kids are thriving. The expectations are high, and the teachers have been so talented and creative in their approaches to supporting my kids (not by coincidence-- they are constantly doing new faculty trainings). Our more neurotypical child has thrived and been encouraged to really push herself as well, and as a result has discovered proclivities for math specifically. I've wondered if, in a much larger class, this kiddo might have been kind of lost in the mix as a good-enough B student. Money well spent in my opinion! And then there's what brought us here: the Jewish education. I can see the way the school integrates Jewish values into the kids' daily lives. I see my children actually enjoy participation in Jewish culture and tradition, and apply lessons from our ancient texts to their modern day lives. They know exactly who they are and where they came from. They teach me stuff now!!! It makes a Jewish mother proud.

Awful and abusive admin with no experience. Subpar teaching with unqualified teachers. Very little…read morematerial covered academically. And despite deep promises, absolutely no support for ADHD and other special needs. These people cannot get their stuff together! I love that my boy got a quality religious education. But his regular academics were beyond awful. Terrible classroom management. My son was bullied and nothing was done about it. They finally have a new board, but I would wait 5 more years to see if they iron out their issues before I sent my child there!

Avoid this childcare center. The director, Jasmin, treats staff with zero respect, creating a toxic…read moreenvironment. The owner, Monica, allows it to happen without addressing it. When my child attended, they were unhappy about staying--likely because of the negative atmosphere. Until leadership changes, this is not a safe or supportive place for children or staff.

Best preschool in town. If you can get in, do it immediately. You will not regret your decision. It…read moreis truly a magical place.

Amazing school and teachers. Our daughter has been attending NWM since she was 18 months old, and…read morewe couldn't be happier with her growth and progress. It's a wonderful community of parents and educators who are truly dedicated to supporting the whole child. We're so grateful for Northwest Montessori!

We have 3 children at NWM and always say it's such a hidden gem! The variety of instruction and…read moreactivities (especially science) is phenomenal and I cannot say enough about the wonderful teachers. Thank you, NWM, for all you've done and do for our three children.

Shalom, JCC, Health & Wellness Managers, Robbin T. and Erika C., Robbin committed & Scheduled two…read moreinterviews and no showed both. She never met with be yet asked another manager to ask how much experience i had. I guess 16 yrs in the industry was insufficient and had her insubordinate send the rejection letter stating that they were moving forward with another candidate, yet 12 hours later it was reposted and open. Erika didn't allow me to audition for the open roles is cycle, Barre or bootcamp, instead strength, yet a few days later, rejection letter never allowing me to audition for the REAL positions. She said that there were a lot of strong candidates, 12 hours later, reposted and to this day, it's still open. They don't value meritocracy, rather being overshadowed, laced with insecurity

Wonderful programs. Clean. Safe. High caliber members and staff. Awesome classes. Fantastic…read morelocation.

17 year members. 10 years attending weekly Torah Study (Limmud). Engaging, honest, funny, done…read moreweekly with care and love. Not dry or by rote. Each week, lines of Torah are read and collectively debated with help from Rashi. Growing community thoughtfully.

TL;DR: If you're searching for your Jewish home, you've found it. Congratulations…read more I have belonged to Agudas Achim from birth. I have gone to well over a dozen synagogues in multiple states, and I have yet to find one that holds a candle to CAA Austin. That includes all the famous ones in NYC. Whether it's Friday night, Saturday morning, High Holy Days, Passover, or Shavuot, the services are musical and meaningful. The congregates are deeply kind and friendly. The Rabbis are warm and wise. Be prepared to make a real friend. The religious school is high quality, and the sanctuary's beauty doesn't have an equal. Agudas Achim stands as the Austin Jewish Community's response to the modern day scourge of loneliness and apathy. The only thing this synagogue is missing is you. Welcome home.

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.