Location: Gateway to Falconhead (Far West Austin / Lakeway / Bee Cave area)
3500 FM 620 S G-200
Austin TX 78738
Students served: Ages 3–14 (through 8th grade content)
Current enrollment: 140
Model/philosophy: Self-paced, individualized, and fun learning; students are grouped by their academic level and taught in groups of varied sizes; lessons are adjusted to meet each child's learning style and are fun so children want to come to school and enjoy learning
Special features: Low student-teacher ratios, with classes capped at 18 students and groups ranging from 5 to 15 students depending on content level; school year August–May; summer camps offered in June and July
Schedule: 8am–3:30pm Monday–Friday; after care 3:30–5:30pm Monday–Friday
Tuition: $16,695 for preschool; $17,500 for elementary school; $18,684 for middle school. Part time preschool also available.
Contact: Meghan Tapp | 512-266-9620 | meghan@TheMagnoliaSchoolATX.com
Each listing in this alphabetical directory gives you a snapshot of a small, independent, alternative school in the Austin area.
This frequently updated list spans several pages, with navigation buttons at the bottom. Clicking on the name of a school will take you to its own website. To easily find schools by geographical area, see our Alt Ed Maps page. If you know of a school that’s missing from this directory, please drop a note here, and see Alt Ed Austin’s criteria for “alternative” and “school.” You may also be interested in our directories of other recommended schools (which are mostly larger or more specialized or religiously oriented), as well as special programs for children and adults.
Full disclosure: Alt Ed Austin founder Teri Sperry has ties with several of the schools listed on this site. Her child, now in graduate school, attended two of them years ago. She has friends who direct, teach at, or are otherwise involved in others. Some programs choose to advertise from time to time on Alt Ed Austin as Sponsoring Partners. She firmly believes that all of the schools featured on this site (including the ones to which she has no personal connection and those from which she receives no advertising fees) are good choices for some kids, each for different reasons.
