Austin International School in Austin, Texas

“I am writing this comment as a school administrator. Since 2004, Austin International School has progressed through significant changes and is quite a different place from the earlier years. Since 2004, new management, including a new executive director and board members, has been installed. The school is now fully accredited by the French Ministry of Education, the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and will be accredited by the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) in 2010. In spring of 2009, the school entered into a partnership with the Spanish Ministry of Education to share teaching resources and school support, and to refer qualified Spanish teachers to AIS. The enrollment has increased to about 145 students. The staff has increased in quanitity and quality, and continues to draw talented native-speaking teachers from France, England, America, Mexico, and more. Curriculum has advanced in keeping with these changes.”
This review was posted by a other.

“This will be the second year for my daughter, who will start 1st grade next year. She had four teachers this past year; two french, one spanish and one english. Some teachers are better than others, but we have been happy with most. Besides the language immersion, we also chose this school because it is secular, and diverse ethnically and culturally. Our daughter LOVES her school.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“I currently have 2 children in the program, this being our 3rd year to attend. The family community here is tremendous - diverse, not pretentious, friendly, willing to help the school in any way possible. This school is going through a lot of growing pains right now, and in my opinion is causing the quality of education and level of control to faulter somewhat. The mutli-lingual program at the pre-school/kinder level is wonderful. The emphasis is more heavy French than I would prefer into the older grades. The staff is very culturally diverse. I have noticed that they sometimes have issues controlling their classrooms. Overall you can't beat the full language immersion program.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“I can back up everything said by the last person to post - we've been at AIS for 3 1/2 years and it has been the perfect atmosphere for our little girl. We are so impressed with how well she speaks French and Spanish, with a great accent - she's reading easily in all three languages (with English), only three weeks after her 6th birthday. She started at 2 1/2 and within a month she had adjusted to hearing 3 languages daily. (Now she's shocked that everyone doesn't speak more than one language!) We love the diversity of the families, whose backgrounds span the globe. It's an unpretentious, friendly school that focuses on learning instead of 'fancy trappings, which is nice. Our current director has been there since we arrived - he's stellar and works closely with the parents. The school is growing quickly!”
This review was posted by a parent.

“This is our 3rd year at this school (now called Austin International School) and we love it. Our daughter (now in 1st grade) is reading in 3 languages (Spanish, French & English). Classes are generally small (8-15 students). There is great parent involvement, and I think the school offers great after school options for working parents. The community is very diverse (ethnically, culturally, religiously, and financially), which is very hard to find in a private school--and we love that about it. There are students from many other countries, as well as teachers from all over the world. The school is still only about 6 years old so its still a work in progress and the facilities are nothing special, but every year is better than the one before. Be aware that languages are taught through immersion, so children who speak only English need to enroll by Kindergarten.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“I am doing this review as a teacher at the school. I think that although the school is undergoing a lot of changes right now, the children are very happy and continue to learn in a positive environment. The curriculum is advanced in all levels from pre-kindergarten to second grade and most of the children are above their grade level. We have lots of parent involvement and support throughout the school in a wide variety of activities, which include parent volunteers during lunchtime and for field trips. The school is still fairly new, only in it's third year and still trying to make. So far they are with the enormous amount of help and support from parents, teachers, and the community to keep the school running.”
This review was posted by a teacher.

“The school is experiencing a lot of problems. The administration has changed twice in the two years in which my son has been enrolled. The turn-over rate for teachers is high, as well. While the French program is good, the English curriculum is still weak. Parent involvement is limited and communications concerning the curricula and student concerns are poor. The school does not accomodate working parents well. Meetings are often scheduled during the work day and are announced with little opportunity to reschedule other commitments. The school is badly in need of structure and consistency. Once the school becomes more established, it will probably be a great place to enroll your children, though.”
This review was posted by a parent.