ACE Academy in Austin, Texas

“My child is in one of the higher grade levels and just is not being challenged. We have no textbooks, only read 2 books all year (grade level historical fiction), and made it only about a third of the way through the math curriculum. At the middle and high school levels, a school has to prove it can provide at least a comparable curriculum to public schools if it hopes to prepare kids for college. I think Ace should focus doing younger grades exceptionally well and not all grades with mediocrity.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“My son attended ACE this year and loved it. His peers were bright, sensitive, funny and well-mannered. His teacher diversified for all of the children and was truly committed to the learning of each and every child. The school encourages creativity and individual interests. My son was shy and withdrawn at his last school, due to a strict teacher who valued conformity over individual achievement. He is now confident and loves learning. ACE is still about the success of the students.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“Our son developed tummy aches at his prior school; he was so unhappy. At the end of the year evaluation they proudly showed me how he could count to a 100. They had no idea that he could add/subtract/divide/multiply etc to a 100 as well. ACE is young and has some growing pains but we have found the school very receptive (eg they made it a nut free school since some of the children were allergic). We just really like everyone at ACE as well - the parents are great, teachers are young but committed and caring (and most importantly, they understand the concept of gifted). RE: organization; they are working on it. But where else could your preschooler have met an Olympic gold medalist, gone to the opera, and hear a private concert from Tuvan throat singers? Beyond all, we're grateful for a place where our son thrives.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“As a teacher at ACE Academy, I have been in a position to see the administration in action, solving problems, planning curriculum, creating programs, and adapting to our students' needs. The staff continues to grow and thrive. We are a happy diverse, engaged group of teachers, aides and administrators. I hope that any parent of a gifted child will look into this wonderful resource.”
This review was posted by a teacher.

“This school is still evolving but while our daughter has been there this year, we have seen so many positive changes. The amount of feedback from the school I have heard complaints about has improved and is now great. I have never felt this semester that I do not know what is going on at the school. I think they are getting their systems in place and doing a great job. Our daughter for the first time LOVES school! She has been to 2 others and always gave us excuses why she didn't want to go. Now she is upset when it is the weekend. She is so excited everyday and feels challenged daily. The topics she comes home with and wants to discuss are amazing. Her peer group is such a good mix and she truly feels every student is her friend. Awesome school!”
This review was posted by a parent.

“Behavior in the older classrooms is rowdy and unruly and the quieter kids often get entirely drowned out.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“I have 2 children here now and we have been very happy. I think all the negative comments come from parents who can find negativity about anything. The school is growing and expanding and the administration truly cares for the development of a great school. They can't please the whims of every parent and I think the low reviews come from people who didn't get their way. I am glad the administration is willing to stand up for the standard they have set. This school was a blessing for our older child who would not be happy if we had to send her back to our public school. Both are eager and happy to be at school and enjoy learning instead of drilling.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“Our child has been at ACE for nearly three years and still loves it. The level of achievement we've seen is surprisingly good, even for a bright kid. I'm not sure why there are some negative reviews here; certainly there are minor problems (as with any school) but nothing that outweighs the benefits. The majority of parents are very pleased, as evidenced by the very high retention rates year over year. We haven't come across a better choice for a school in Austin.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“If you have a child who is actually gifted or profundly gifted, ACE is the only game in town. The other schools we have tried (both highly touted public schools, magnet schools, and other more expensive private schools) talk a good game but they are all normed to the middle of the bell curve and my kid got bored in a day, completely turned off in a week, and complained every afternoon when she got home. At ACE she stays involved and interested all day and is happy when she gets home. I think I know some of the other parents who have written the bad reviews. They define 'unresponsive' as 'the adminstration had its own ideas about what was best and failed to do what I told them immediately', and consider a whole class of kids excited competing to answer questions as a discipline problem.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“For a new, up and coming private school, I think the vision, teachers, parent involvement, and board are fabulous. Our son has only been at ACE 1 month and loves it. Amazing when your child tells you to 'hurry up mom, I want to get to school.' What a great feeling! The admissions process went very smoothly and while may seem cumbersome to some, think its a great way to make sure the kids will fit in and also reveals the parents involvement and commitment. Think the founders do a wonderful job here and hence a great school with an exciting future.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“Our son just started his 3rd year at Ace and, while the school is certainly not perfect, we consider ourselves lucky that a school like Ace exists in Austin. If you have a gifted child, especially HG/PG, and are looking for a school that will understand your child, Ace is the place. No doubt, there are growing pains and administrative 'challenges', but when the alternative is a school that doesn't really understand what your child needs and requires constant battles/advocating on your part to obtain a sub-par education, Ace truly is a dream come true. The co-founders, parents of grown-up gifted kids themselves, created the school because they know what it is like to have a child whose needs are not met by the various public/private schools that exist. Ace provides an opportunity for gifted children to move at an advanced pace and to actually learn something new everyday.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“I too had an awful experience at this school with my child. The administrators definitely are not receptive to feedback. Their hiring of subpar teachers and grouping kids based on age (from chess to language arts) and not ability was so frustrating! Two other frustations I had - the behavior of the kids and the lack of effective discipline. I heard so many aministrative excuses but never saw effective changes anywhere. Finally, the administrators kept bringing in more kids with special needs - no problem if they are not disruptive but the kids kept getting more dysfunctional. Some of the kids (and teachers!) should have been asked to leave. You need to visit the school several days before you make a decision.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“Our child has been thriving at ACE for two years. It's a young school experiencing somewhat rapid growth, so there are imperfections in the system. I've felt that administration is working hard at balancing the needs of the school and its students. Our experience with teachers this year, in most subjects, was fabulous. Core subjects were taught by very experienced teachers. There is a lot of individualization and ability grouping even within this small population, beyond what I've seen elsewhere. I expect this to only improve as the school grows and they become able to offer more options. For my child's age group, there is a good balance between male and female students. Actually, when you look at this past school year, there were only 4 more boys than girls in the 2nd-7th grade population. This school has been both low stress and stimulating for my PG child.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“The main reason we chose ACE was hoping it would provide a better education and environment for our gifted child. But after 2 years, we became more disappointed every year. ACE is close to where we live, it's convenient, but we wish there was a better school for gifted out there, or if any parents know about, please let us know. Grouping kids with their math levels doesn't justify each child's needs. Science was not very creative, no lab, no experiments. ACE emphasized too much on one particular subject, such as math, and totally lost ground on educating a wholechild. I am not sure how these kids will turn out after ACE. - Not a happy parent.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“Same as below. Administration does not know what it is doing and tends to get defensive. Lack of communication between staff and parents. Disorganized, chaotic. Admin. More concerned with recruiting than addressing concerns of parents. Not worth the money at all!!”
This review was posted by a parent.

“Agree with many parents' reviews here. The idea of putting gifted kids together is great, but the fact is that school admin has troubles keeping and getting gifted kids, so they settled for less to expend school to the size they wished for. Majority of kids are not gifted. The gifted are bored and not challenged as they should be. Many teachers are parents without much of teaching experiences. School functions are not organized, field trips notice were sent to parents a day or two before the event. Not a nice learning environment for gifted. Need a new administration and better qualified teachers.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“Electives:Span,Art,Music,& Latin could use overhaul. Children r not challenged here(seen it 1st hand). Admin. needs 2 do better job of hiring qualified instructors & not rely 2 much on parent-teach with minimal/no teaching exper in electives. *No director -'Administration' is trying 2 run a school on less than PT directing. A FULL-TIME director would solve diciplinary issues, lack of communication, class scheduling, placement, & financial issues. No director running the office for 90% of the day (recently a sec answers phone) * lack of communication when it comes 2 subj matter taught, overall news with the school & it's goings on, field-trips tend 2 spring up suddenly, some changes r made & parents rarely know. -- Parents willing 2 help w/time & $, can't rely on that 4ever. Admin is well intended but we need more than good intentions & it isn't going 2 happen w/out qualified director. Tuit 10K+”
This review was posted by a parent.

“The sales talk is great but the reality is that the school has a very stressed environment. The administration doesn't know what they are doing, and it is obvious from their dealings with parents. There is a tendency to blame the children for incompetence that really lies with the school. The parents accept substandard education for a high price -- mostly because they are convinced that no other environment will work for their gifted child. The ramification is a lot of gossiping, complaining, and frustration. Not a nurturing environment at all.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“My kid has been at this school for the past two years and overall, we love it. There is individualization of curricula, but there is still some grouping present. Spanish has been a disappointment, but Math and Language Arts have been great! The directors are receptive to feedback and have recently introduced Latin, which has been well received. Science was off to a slow start, but has picked up speed lately. Negatives: Number of kids is still low, so choice of company is limited. Similarly, the discipline can improve a little bit as well, though I am not a believer in over-discipline.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“As a student I have found this school excellent in terms of academics, but the choice of company has been a disappointment. Some of my classmates are disruptive not only during break but during class hrs too, although there is rarely inappropriate conversation. All of my teachers are understanding of me and have good teaching methods. As I love challenges, I get them in almost every class except Spanish. The Friday Latin class is challenging, fun, and informative. In my opinion, my algebra, science, and LA teacher are super! Overall, Ace has been a huge improvement over my previous school, and has played a significant role in my education”
This review was posted by a student.

“My gifted preschooler is thriving at ACE Academy. These children are innately driven and intensely curious - qualities that can lead to great success, but also to profound isolation and stress. ACE works hard to nurture the whole child - academically, as well as social and emotionally - so that the students can feel secure to explore, risk, and thrive. As in any start-up environment, flexibility and patience are required of all involved - parents, teachers, and students alike - as ACE continues to establish itself as a vigorous and positive community for the gifted learner.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“My pre-schooler has been very happy at ACE. The co-founders have a great idea and are striving to meet the needs of gifted kids. It is a daunting challenge to start a new school, and gifted kids are a demanding group.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“I too have 2 children attending this school (pre-K and kindergarten) and have been a very active volunteer in the class rooms. The children are amazing, the teachers are phenomenal and inspiring, and the environment for learning is wonderful. There may not be homework given in pre-K aside from nightly reading, but I find that to be age-appropriate. They will get homework for the next 12 years, I don't believe it is needed at age 4. These children are bright and absorb like sponges, they don't need to be drilled at such young ages. We are very happy with the sense of community and the dedication by staff, administration and parents.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“Please do not let the negative reviews posted here influence your perception of ACE. (You can easily judge for yourself by attending an information session held on the second Wednesday of each month.) We have children at the school and could not be more pleased with the staff and curriculum. Obviously this will not be a perfect fit for all, especially those wanting a rigid structure with a heavy workload. ACE offers a traditional teaching approach in a nurturing environment. It is dedicated to a broad-based curriculum that appeals to a child's natural curiosity and fascination.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“This school is not just for gifted children. As it said on its web site, it's for high-achiving students. So, don't think it's for gifted only. I have 2 kids in this school. My older child is tested gifted, but the younger one is not quite, school accepted both of them. As a parent, I appreciate School gives me the convenience to drive to one school instead of having to drive to 2 separate schools for 2 kids. Over all, this school is ok. The pre-k is very much like a regular pre-k you would think, not much work to no work. But the kinder class does give some work at school. Tuition is a bit high, that's the bad side of it. Another negitive is the gender: the entire school is mostly boys.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“Kids are out of control most of the time during the day. No classroom rules what so ever. Lack of experience is a main problem.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“Our son has been attending ACE for two years now and it has been a fantastic experience for him and for us. The faculty is really committed to these students growing both academically and emotionally.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“My child is a middle school student and I'm so happy with the great group of peers. Really nice kids and excellent teachers that are teaching leadership among the students.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“My child attended ACE for 3 yrs. Overall, my experience with ACE was positive. We left ACE mainly because my child became pretty much the lone student at her academic level. The teachers were very willing to accommodate, but we realized that there might be limitations. ACE is a growing school and they had started earlier so my child would not have landed in this situation.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“I'm surprised by some of the negative reviews here. What school wouldn't have growing pains with this kind of growth? I see organizational improvements with clear goals in place. Our child was new last year and I can't even begin to describe the positive changes he has gone through thanks to ACE. Our child went from disliking school (recess was previously his favorite 'class') to not being able to decide if science, language arts, robotics or chess were his favorite. His confidence in his own abilities have sky-rocketed and his little personality is slowly emerging. Friends, relatives, neighbors have ALL noticed a big difference. Having had another child at a major private school in Dallas as well as one of Austin's top rated school districts, I am amazed at what ACE has accomplished in such a short amount of time. Tuition is on par with other private schools.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“We considered Ace for our gifted son and opted to try public school because of the prohibitive costs at Ace. That said, we are still interested and have enrolled both sons in Summer Wonders, the camp for gifted kids founded and run by the ACE folks. We are extremely happy with SW and most of the teachers. Summer Wonders has truly brought joy to our family. My elder son, who has a hard time socializing, is happier there than just about anywhere and is never made to curb his interest inthings because he becomes so excited about them. This happens repeatedly at public school. I would like to see a somewhat lower tuition.”
This review was posted by a other.

“This school was an absolute lifesaver after a horrid experience at a private school. It is wonderful to have a child go a school where it is okay to be smart.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“After a really awful semester at the local public elementary school, my child thrived at ACE. The teachers and administrators went out of their way to accommodate my child's needs, and they provided me with important feedback about my child's academic and social progress. My child still remembers ACE fondly, especially the way the teachers used interesting and challenging projects to teach fundamental concepts. My child was never bored at ACE. If it weren't for the fact that we live fairly far away and find the tuition costs prohibitive, my child would still be there. (Fortunately, my child is now thriving at a different public school, but no school can match the richness of the curriculum and variety of experiences offered at ACE.)”
This review was posted by a other.