Schools/neighborhoods

I live in Lakeway and Absolutely Love it!! I work at the local school and my son is a student. These schools are Highly ranked in Texas, 5 star all the way!! We moved from MIch when my son was in KInder and as soon as we got here they saw he wasn't where the other kids were, abt 6 mos behind so we decided to hold him back and he is doing really well!! Lakeway is very community orientated, Lots of events at the city park, including movies, Easter Egg hunts, etc..There is a community pool with 2 water slides. We love it!! If you come here Please look me up. M. E.

We're Northwest Austin (burbs), but attached to Great Oaks Elem. and Cedar Valley middle (RRISD). They are good. In general, the Texas schools receive lower and lower national rankings as they go in grade level. Private schools for high school are an excellent option. The area is super kid friendly and nice for SAHM's Good luck!.

We are in Leander ISD, it's a great school district. Here are some other good ones (Lake Travis ISD, Round Rock ISD, Eanes ISD). Don't know what your price range is, these all vary. In Leander ISD, some great neighborhoods are Steiner Ranch, Avery Ranch, Ranch at Brushy Creek, Forest Oaks, Silverado Ranch, Westside Preserve, Twin Creeks, Ranch at Deer Creek). Some of Avery Ranch and Ranch at Brushy Creek are actually RRISD (so pay attention to this if you are looking at homes in these neighborhoods). One great thing about LISD is that they get the entire week of Thanksgiving off and in early Feb, a M, Tu, Wed. Great for low season traveling. LISD does go a week later than some districts, however. Some great RR neighborhoods are Mayfield Ranch, Behren's Ranch, Avery Ranch, Ranch at Brushy Creek, Walsh Ranch, Oak Brook/Cat Hollow (this is a slightly older neighborhood but has some really neat properties). Steiner Ranch is out by Lake Travis. A lovely location but farther out from town. Lake Travis ISD is also out by the lake. Kind of in between N. Austin and S. Austin. Homes in Eanes ISD are going to be on the pricier end. Lovely homes/area, if you are in a higher income bracket. One thing to think about if you move to a RRISD home that feeds into Westwood High School. This is one of the best ranked in the country and it's highly competitive. Some people want this for their children. I do not for mine. It's kind of over the top in my opinion. Kids not getting into the college of their choice because they are not in the top 10%, even though their grades are fantastic. This may be for you, however. Stoneypoint High School is a RRISD high school I would avoid. There are some nice neighborhoods that feed into here too. Congrats on your move. You're going to love Austin; it's a great city!

If you choose to live in the AISD school district and don't go with a private school, I would try to find a neighborhood that feeds into one of the following high schools: Anderson, Austin, McCallum, or perhaps Bowie. I would not send my kids to any other schools in AISD. The other posters are right... lots of great options in the suburbs, but if you work downtown the commute will be brutal. The only exception to that might be the Eanes district. It's fairly close to downtown. HTH!

We're in Eanes which is excellent. We specifically live in Lost Creek which is very kid friendly. We have a wonderful Mom's Club for those with children not yet in school which gives you and instant social network as well as friends for your child. Good luck with finding something!

Don't overlook the smaller outlying cities..... you can get a lot for your housing dollars there.

I live in Georgetown, and have really enjoyed the 19 years we've been here. The schools are really great, (I have 4 kids... the last one graduated May 2010) and it does have more of a small town feel than someplace like Austin, yet you are close to the city for activites and shopping... without some of the hassles!

Also.... and this may be a perk or not.... Williamson county tends to be tough on criminals..... where a charge may get a "slap on the wrist" in Travis county, Williamson county takes it seriously!

And don't forget about private schools! We live in Cedar Park (great schools here) and our son goes to Hill Country Christian School. They had a 100% acceptance to the college of their graduates choice this year. Their students are also consistently 6 months to a year ahead of area public schools. It's a great small school that provides a classical education. Good Luck! It's a hard choice as there are a lot of great public and private options in and around Austin.

When we moved to Austin my kids were in first and second grade. My son had ADD along with being gifted. We did lots of research and settled on the Eanes school district. ALL schools in the district are rated very high every year, and they put children first. Parents are very involved and active, and many sacrifice to be in the district so that their children can attend exemplary schools. Homes are more expensive, by and large, in this area west of downtown, and school taxes are higher. We are so glad we did this. Our son graduated from UT (University of Texas) in Austin last year and our daughter will graduate this summer from Texas State. The area is very safe with many lovely neighborhoods.
I have friends who have had great satisfaction with Round Rock schools and Lake Travis schools, but I don't know as much about them. You'll love Austin!

Austin ISD has two wonderful magnet middle schools and a very highly-rated magnet high school. I don't think any of the other area districts have magnet programs that kids have to apply to. So if you're looking for strong academics, you don't have to look only at the outlying suburban schools. AISD provides bus transportation to and from all three of the magnet schools, plus the Ann Richards School for Young Women Leaders, so you can live in any neighborhood within AISD and still take advantage of the .

Both of my sons attended Barton Hills Elementary, a very small (less than 400 students) close-in neighborhood school, then applied to and got accepted at the Kealing Middle School magnet. They both did well at Kealing and enjoyed its focus on academics (some of their friends at other middle schools seemed much more focused on social aspects at the expense of academics). My older one will be a senior at the Liberal Arts and Science Academy (LASA) at LBJ High School, which attracts the very brightest and most motivated kids in the district, and my youngest will be starting there as a freshman after finishing at Kealing earlier this month. The teachers at LASA are amazing. The students are, too.

If you're looking for a more strenuous academic environment for your kids, you can spend tens of thousands of dollars a year on private schools, or you can consider the AISD magnets. I should also mention that Anderson High has the district's only international baccalareate program and Austin High has a global studies academy.