Austin Texas School Districts - How are the schools in the Austin area?

Are the Schools Good in Austin?



In this article, we at Austin Texas Homes have covered the following:


 


 



Public Schools


The public schools in the Austin area vary in their ratings. The Texas Education Agency, or TEA, rates Texas schools using a four-level system. The levels are, from best to worst:




  1. Exemplary




  2. Recognized




  3. Academically Acceptable




  4. Academically Unacceptable




The following table shows the number of schools in each district that received each rating in the year 2006:


District NameLocationNumber ExemplaryNumber RecognizedNumber AcceptableNumber Unaccept-able
AustinCentral Austin, North Austin, South Austin, and Southwest Austin623676
Del ValleFar south and southeast Austin0270
Dripping SpringsFar Southwest of Austin1300
EanesWestlake Hills area, and to the west of Westlake Hills8100
GeorgetownGeorgetown, north of Round Rock, far north of Austin1850
HuttoNorth of Pflugerville, far northeast of Austin0040
Lago VistaNorth of Lake Travis, far northwest of Austin0300
Lake TravisSouth of Lake Travis, far west of Austin3220
LeanderNorthwest of Austin31370
Liberty HillNorth of Leander, far northwest of Austin0310
ManorEast Austin0023
McDadeEast Austin0010
PflugervillePflugerville, northeast of Austin18130
Round RockRound Rock, north and slightly northwest of Austin820120
TaylorNorth of Pflugerville, far northeast of Austin0040

To make sense of these numbers, we tried to find the "average" rating for schools in each district.  To do that, we at Austin Texas Homes have used the following formula:


(Number of exemplary schools x 4) +


(Number of recognized schools x 3) +


(Number of acceptable schools x 2) +


(Number of unacceptable schools) = Number of rating points


Then, we divided the number of rating points by the number of schools.  So, for example, the rating for Austin Independent School District looked like this:


(6 * 4) + (23 * 3) + (67 * 2) + 6 = 233


233 / 102 = 2.3


So, Austin ISD's average rating is between the Academically Acceptable and Recognized ratings.  Using this system, the school districts can be ranked as follows:


 



School District



Rating


Eanes3.9
Dripping Springs3.3
Lake Travis3.1
Lago Vista3
Round Rock2.9
Leander2.8
Liberty Hill 2.8
Georgetown2.7
Pflugerville2.5
Austin2.3
Del Valle2.2
Hutto2
McDade2
Taylor2
Manor1.4

Using this system, 3-4 points is between Exemplary and Recognized, 2-3 points is between Recognized and Academically Acceptable, and 1-2 points is between Academically Acceptable and Academically Unacceptable.


For reviews of local schools in Austin, check out www.greatschools.net.


Private Schools


The website www.ceoaustin.org has information on many Austin private schools, as does austinprivateschools.com.


Homeschooling


Austin is home to many homeschoolers, and has an active homeschooling community, with many homeschooling groups of religious and secular nature.  In fact, my wife and I homeschool our three children.


If you homeschool, or are interested in homeschooling in Austin, the following resources can help you get "plugged into" Austin's homeschooling community:


Arbor Homeschool Group


A Yahoo group for homeschoolers in the Arboretum area of Austin.


Austin Area Homeschoolers Yahoo Group


A large, inclusive group with park days and many other activities.


Austin Area Homeschoolers Website


This website for AAH has information on the group, and also a free guide for those new to homeschooling in Austin.


Austin Home Base


A part-time school for homeschoolers who want a balance between private school and homeschooling.


CHEACT


A Christian homeschooling group, affiliated with CHEA, a national Christian homeschooling organization.


C.S. Lewis Hall


A Christian, part-time school for the homeschooled.  A university model school in east central Austin.


Holy Family Homeschoolers


A homeschooling group for those of the Catholic faith, but also inviting anyone else who wishes to be included.


The Homeschool Source


A local library just for homeschoolers!  Austin-owned and operated.


Learning without Limits


An inclusive group of homeschoolers mainly in the Williamson County area.


Round Rock H.O.M.E.


A group for Christian homeschoolers in the Round Rock area.


Smoothing the Way


A group that attempts to help new homeschoolers get started.  Answers questions, leads you to resources, and introduces you to other homeschoolers.


Veritas Academy

Another Christian university model school in southwest Austin.
 


Source for Statistics


All statistics come from the Texas Education Agency's website, http://www.tea.state.tx.us/

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