Our children deserve the absolute best education available. Knowing this, choosing a new home becomes slightly more complicated when you have to factor in which schools will serve your new community. As any homebuyer knows, this process is dependent on more than just the real estate available, and education is something that certainly plays a part in the final decision.
Fortunately there are a number of resources which can help make some of these choices a bit clearer. With specific statistics it’s possible to compare school systems and determine which ones are the right fit for your children.
The 78704 area of Austin, Texas is home to a number of fantastic communities, many of which are terrific for young families with children. There’s certainly no shortage of things to see and do to keep the kids entertained and active. These communities are also served by terrific school systems which continue to be competitive when ranked against the rest of the country.
Zilker:
Zilker Elementary school serves the community of Zilker, itself a vibrant neighborhood featuring great attractions such as Zilker Park and the Barton Springs Pool. The neighborhood itself is home to nearly 5,778 residents, which is modestly sized for this area of Austin.
Zilker is a relatively young neighborhood when comparing it to the surrounding areas, so many of the families are young and few in numbers (for now). Currently only around 17% of the families in Zilker have children, but that is set to change. Even though it is still a developing neighborhood within the 78704 area, Zilker has access to tremendous school systems. Zilker Elementary has an A rating and a 14:1 student to teacher ratio.
South Lamar:
South Lamar is served by the Austin Independent School System. This means that children from South Lamar will go to Zilker Elementary school. South Lamar is one of the fastest growing neighborhoods in Austin, and the majority of residents rent their properties. Like Zilker, South Lamar or “SoLa” as it’s known to locals, continues to grow.
Galindo:
Galindo, one of the 78704’s smaller neighborhoods, happens to be one of the most accommodating. With plenty of places to eat, shop and play, Galindo is a terrific option for families looking to settle with their kids. In fact, the South Austin Neighborhood Park has a playground, activity center and much more.
The Galindo Neighborhood is served by Galindo Elementary School, another school within the Austin Independent School District. It has around a B average and also boasts an impressive student to teacher ratio of 14:1.
Dawson:
Dawson sits within a collection of surrounding neighborhoods, and it has easy access to all of the amenities and attractions both within Dawson itself and in nearby communities. Dawson has plenty of greenery and embraces the combination of nature and a suburban design.
Dawson Elementary promotes a diverse and friendly environment. It also has a very impressive one-way and two-way language program. The team of fantastic teachers makes sure that every student’s development and success is prioritized. They also have one of the best student to teacher ratios around, clocking in at 11:1.
Barton Hills:
Barton Hills is one of the older sections of the 78704 in terms of history, but its school system isn’t outdated. Most of the major development happened in the 1940’s, so the homes themselves are varied and unique depending on where they are located.
Barton HIlls Elementary School has impressive stats, especially in their testing scores. The school is well above average in reading, writing and math scores. They have a higher student to teacher ratio at 17:1, but clearly that hasn’t had a negative impact on the students’ performance. Overall, the school has received a strong A rating.
Bouldin Creek:
Bouldin Creek is already well known for the Texas School for the Deaf, originally opened in 1857. As the school grew more popular, the community began to grow up around it into what it is today.
Becker Elementary School serves the youth of Bouldin Creek, and has actually attracted many transfer families from throughout South Austin. Becker Elementary prides itself in representing the community’s heritage and history. The school hosts a program wherein each class tends its own garden in the school’s greenhouse, a unique program for young students to participate in. They also integrate a Social and Emotional Learning program which is intended to help children “manage their emotions and resolve conflict.” All of these things help to make Becker an outstanding Elementary school.
Travis Heights:
Rounding out our list is Travis Heights Elementary School. The neighborhood of Travis Heights is composed of wide, mature streets and avenues. The homes themselves are beautiful 1920’s era constructions with plenty of personality and rich history.
The school has a 14:1 student to teacher ratio, which is about as good as you’ll find in the 78704. It is technically classified as a community-based charter school and serves about 515 students. The school has an impressive dual language program with the goal of creating a student body that is bilingual.
The combination of technology and nature is clear at Travis Heights. With Big Stacy Park right around the corner, teachers can use nature and the outdoors to supplement certain lessons and activities. The school also places emphasis on the students’ technological abilities, blending state of the art technology and programs with traditional lesson plans while helping them stay up to date in a quickly changing world.
