AHB Community School

4001 Speedway

Austin, TX 78751

34 Reviews

School District
Grade

K-8
Type

private

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Reviews

Submitted by parent on November 23, 2024

Warning! As a former teacher of 10 yrs and a parent of a student who attended this school I'm very concerned. Because when students in the youngest classrooms are attacked or bullied, the administration does not apply discipline, or act competently, to make the school safe.
Submitted by parent on October 30, 2023

My experience with AHB started 7 years ago when I first toured with my daughter. Unfortunately while AHB felt like a great fit, the shorter school week was not going to fit with our work schedules. We opted to join another school and were very happy for several years. However as my daughter got older and my son entered school, I realized the joy of learning for both of them was non-existent. In fact, they were coming home weekly telling me that they "hated" school. I went back on the hunt for something we could all love! It was then that I rediscovered AHB! My daughter was so in love after her shadow day we transitioned her mid year. She thrived at AHB last year and this year my son has also joined the AHB family. They have not once used the word "hate" to describe AHB. It is quite the opposite, they actually have said they wish they had school on Friday's to be with their teachers and friends. AHB has a a teaching style that is unlike most traditional schools, but I can attest that the kids are learning not just math, English, science and history but there is also an abundance of social emotional learning for all ages. My children are currently thriving and I could not be more happy with our new school!
Submitted by parent on October 26, 2023

A few years ago my 3rd grader was struggling in public school and absolutely hated school. We tried everything and realized it just wasn't working. We needed to make a change. I had heard about AHB through friends and decided to move him there. Now he is so happy and actually looks forward to going to school. He loves the smaller class size and the friendships he has created. AHB was a lifesaver for us. You can tell that the teachers are happy to be there, enjoy teaching, and love their students. The community of families is wonderful! I only wish we had moved to AHB sooner.
Submitted by parent on September 28, 2023

This approach to learning should be the standard. Coming from a play based learning pre-school, this is the natural progression to cultivate future growth in all aspects of a child. I feel lucky to have found AHB and will be happy to have my next two little ones join the school when they old enough.
Submitted by parent on September 27, 2023

This was a great school, for my kiddo, where I felt a part of his education, and he was excited to learn.
Submitted by parent on February 23, 2023

AHB is a kind and welcoming environment. We love the theme-based learning, where children are encouraged to wonder and explore and create.
Submitted by parent on February 22, 2023

AHB has been an amazing educational home for our children. The four day structure suits our family’s needs. It provides an immersive leaving experience that I think very few schools offer.
Submitted by parent on February 22, 2023

Our family is thrilled with AHB because both of our children adore it. AHB provides a creative and collaborative educational alternative that fosters curiosity, creative problem solving, and hands-on learning. Our kids are excited to attend school each day! The teachers are not only kind, but they also know how to actively engage our children in the learning process. The AHB community as a whole is exceptional, and we feel fortunate to be a part of it.
Submitted by parent on February 22, 2023

Our daughter loves the elementary school. It’s a gift to have such a small tight-knit community in a large metropolitan area. We couldn’t be happier with AHB!
Submitted by parent on August 27, 2022

My kids are currently attending their 5th year at AHB. We have been very happy overall with the school but what we love most is the community connections and feelings of warmth and support we get from other parents, teachers and administration. My kids adore learning through doing. They get tons of hands on experiences and very few worksheets. We also really love having Fridays off. We schedule play dates or excursions on Fridays or we can travel and have long weekends if we want.
Submitted by parent on December 03, 2021

AHB lands right in the education sweet spot. Our daughter has a classroom experience where teachers make developing a love of learning their number one priority. No curiosity is overlooked and there is time and space for wonder and making learning personally meaningful so that the kids truly internalize and own what they are learning. After Covid launched us into rapid fire homeschooling for kindergarten, we learned that we actually loved many aspects of that lifestyle. But we didn’t want to keep going it alone. With the condensed schedule (shorter hours, and 3 or 4 day a week option), AHB offered a hybrid schooling option for our now first grader (Alpha class) that gave our daughter a classroom structure and friend community while also leaving time for homeschool magic, real world experience learning outside the walls of a school, and time for extracurriculars without being exhausted from long school days 5 days a week. On our home education days, we find so many ways to extend the learning. While not 100% necessary to do so since the teachers are covering so much and so amazing, we really like doing it. For example, while studying a unit on the Human Body and the circulatory system, on a Thursday while most kids were in school my daughter went with me to donate blood. She got to meet a phlebotomist, learn about the blood donation process, think about the community service act of donating, and learn why we need to give to help people who need blood transfusions. The conversations that came out of this were amazing. On another recent “out of classroom” day, we ditched such intentional learning and sat at a coffee shop for two hours while she figured out how to sew a Red Crossbill bird stuffie by hand. She practiced this skill meticulously (which also helps build stamina for writing). She also met a child with special needs who was sitting nearby and had a wonderful interaction. It gave us a lot to talk about afterwards (why people’s brains affect how they move or talk, how people with disabilities are treated differently and why it was meaningful that we treated her as an equal). These are skills and conversations that would be harder to make time for if she was in class 5 days a week.We love AHB!!
Submitted by parent on August 06, 2020

I have seen such a shift in my child's disposition since beginning AHB that choosing this school may honestly be the best decision we've made as parents. She has become optimistic, confident and outgoing. I can only hope that growing up in this environment leads her to be happier as an adult! The warmth from teachers, students and parents, alike, really creates a community where kids and families feel like they belong. The curriculum is fabulous - it's engaging and hands-on, and great at encouraging critical thinking skills and creativity. She is ahead of her grade on most common core standards without the distaste for school that I hear other kids her age expressing. Couldn't be happier.
Submitted by parent on September 05, 2019

We couldn’t be more pleased. Our bright, creative kiddo is growing into a confident, responsible, self-directed learner. What more could a parent want?
Submitted by parent on May 10, 2019

We love AHB. For us it has been the perfect mix of academic rigor (challenging each students at their appropriate level) and a warm social-emotional learning environment. I feel the approach to learning (more open-ended projects, student choice, and group work) not only keeps my kids engaged (liking school) but also better prepares them for life after school.
Submitted by parent on May 24, 2016

We are finishing our third year at AHB. My children truly love going to school. We have a small community led by wonderful teachers and involved parents. I love that my kids get to experience learning in a fun way - by completing projects, interacting with their peers and exploring their surroundings. The teachers incorporate art and music into their lessons, but still have high academic standards (without testing and the pressure of grades).
Submitted by parent on May 24, 2016

We are astounded by the progress our son has made during his first year in Alpha. His teachers, Ms. Kim and Ms. Eliza, are absolute treasures. They are not only helping the kids learn to be academically proficient and creative, but also wise enough to know how much social guidance to provide as they grow into confident, yet respectful and empathetic people. We are glad that this is the "normal" that our little guy spends his day experiencing, just like the environment we try to create in our home. We feel so lucky to have found AHB, and plan to continue for many years to come.
Submitted by parent on May 24, 2016

The teachers are top-notch and the school's methodology is exactly what we have been looking for. We value the whole-child education experience, and the creative, project-based curriculum.
Submitted by parent on May 23, 2016

This school has been amazing for my 7 and 8 year olds. They have flourished scholastically an grown emotionally. They have not had one single day where they were not ecstatic to go to school. My son wants playdates with his teachers, if that's any indication! I can not say enough great things about AHB, their staff, their community, and their methods.
Submitted by parent on May 12, 2014

My daughter is finishing her first year here and I could write a book about how happy we are. I am not a board member padding the reviews. Even if I was, the board is all parents with the exceptions of the exec director and a teacher rep. It is her first year at a formal school of any kind and she is reading at a second grade level (she is 6), never has said she doesn't wAnt to go to school and even gets upset at having to take a sick day. Loving and devoted teachers, parents and staff, stimulating classrooms, family friendly schedule, community spirit. Love it.
Submitted by parent on July 19, 2013

Our children have flourished at AHB. I don't know what we like best--that our children love going to school everyday, the 9:1 student-teacher ratio, the 2 full-time teachers per classroom, the teachers' ability to challenge our children (who are above grade level), or the extra time we get to enjoy our children and direct their education. The reasonable tuition doesn't hurt either. For those unfamiliar with the school, AHB is a secular school/homeschool hybrid. The school week runs 3 to 4 days a week depending on age, and teachers send home the materials needed for home study weekly. The school is academically strong--reading and writing are emphasized, science is incorporated from kinder onward, and the math program keeps my children excited about numbers (and working above grade level). There was an executive director change-up at the school this year which upset some parents; however, a new ED is now in place. FWIW, our family is not on the parent-run board.