Location: Cedar Park
3315 El Salido Pkwy,
Cedar Park, TX 78613
Students served: K–12; homeschool à la carte classes available, too
Current enrollment: Approximate range 20–50 students in multi-grade classes; 4:1 minimum student:teacher class ratio and 12:1 maximum, as well as one-to-one instruction available! LTSA welcomes homeschoolers for à la carte classes or to join in field experiences.
Model/philosophy: Lake Travis STEM Academy is an accredited, private K–12 STEM school built on evidence-based learning models. The academy employs several pedagogical approaches and ideological frameworks to create an authentic, student-centered curriculum. Science, technology, engineering, and math are integrated across subjects. Small class sizes allow for more individualized learning and opportunities for participation. Experiential learning drives student growth through meaningful experiences.
Special features: Lake Travis STEM Academy teaches 21st-century skills necessary for success in a changing world: critical thinking, creativity, communication, collaboration, and caring (LTSA's added Social and Emotional Learning component). Subjects are connected to real-world problems inspired by a yearly phenomenon (much like Finland's model of learning!). Skills and concepts are applied to address constraints (students work within real limitations like time, budget, materials, rules, or environmental limits) in the context of memorable projects.
Schedule: Lake Travis STEM Academy is a 4-day school (following Finland's model of learning, to give students and families a balanced work week). Fridays are still learning days; they are asynchronous learning days, club days, or, for older kids, internship days! Elementary grades hours are 8:10am–2:30pm (after-school care available); Middle and High School grades hours are 8:10am–3:30pm. LTSA follows a regular school calendar year with a summer break.
Tuition: Incentivized tuition if paid in full by June 1st. Payment options are available. All fees are published on the website.
Contact: Please click on the "Admissions" button on the school’s website and follow Step 1 to schedule a call or virtual session with Kori McLain (Founder and Director) to get more information.
Each listing in this alphabetical directory gives you a snapshot of a small, secular, independent, alternative school in the Austin area.
Hover over and click on a school’s name at the top of its listing to open the school’s website in a new tab. This frequently updated list spans several pages, with navigation buttons at the bottom. 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 an adult, 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.
