Becker Elementary School

906 West Milton Street

School District

Austin Independent
Grade

PK, K-5
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:16
Type

public

School Map for Austin Independent School District

GreatSchools Rating

The school rating calculation is based on four ratings: the Student Progress Rating or Academic Progress Rating, College Readiness Rating, Equity Rating, and Test Score Rating each designed to show different facets of school success. Learn more about GreatSchools Ratings

Reviews

Submitted by parent on May 21, 2024

Becker is an outstanding school that we're fortunate to attend. My kids have adored their time at Becker. They've thrived because of the great teachers, administrators, and dedicated community. The DL program is wonderful; I'm so thankful for the ways my kids get to learn and be biliterate. I'm forever grateful for the amazing teachers that dedicate their days to growing our children. Becker is outstanding.
Submitted by parent on May 21, 2024

Soy mama de 3 hijos que asisten a esta escuela, debo decir que el apoyo que recibo de todo el personal desde la oficina, el director y subdirectora y los maestros es extraordinario y me quedo algo corta con mi descripción. MI hijo de 10 recibió apoyo especial de sus maestras por tener deficit de atencion e hiperactividad, han sido de gran ayuda sus maestras y la subdirectora, mi hija de 7 simplemente esta encantada con su clase de su maestro de 1er grado y mi hija de prek3 va feliz a la escuela y sale con una sonrisa enorme. No me alcanza la vida para agradecerles a cada uno de los que trabajan en Becker por su gran labor. Este ciclo me voy de Becker por que esta lejos de mi nueva casa pero los extrañaremos siempre.
Submitted by parent on June 30, 2023

As a concerned parent, I feel compelled to share my disappointing experience with Becker Elementary. It is with great regret that I write this review, as I had high hopes for this school. However, due to the poor administrators, I strongly urge parents to consider other educational options for their children.From the moment my child enrolled at Becker Elementary, it became evident that the administrators lacked the necessary skills and dedication to create a positive learning environment. One of the most glaring issues was their lack of communication. Important updates, school events, and academic progress were rarely communicated effectively to parents. As a result, I often felt out of the loop and unable to actively participate in my child's education.Another major concern was the administrators' inability to address and resolve disciplinary issues effectively. Instances of bullying and misconduct were swept under the rug, with little to no consequences for the perpetrators. It is deeply distressing to see the school neglect its duty to provide a safe and nurturing environment for students.Furthermore, the administrators demonstrated a lack of professionalism and leadership. They were unresponsive to parents' concerns and appeared disinterested in actively engaging with students and their families. It seemed as though their primary focus was on bureaucratic tasks rather than fostering a thriving educational community.The inadequate resources and facilities at Becker Elementary were also a cause for concern. Outdated textbooks, limited extracurricular activities, and an overall lack of investment in modern educational tools made it evident that the administrators were not prioritizing the students' educational needs.In light of these issues, I strongly recommend that parents seek alternatives to Becker Elementary. There are numerous other schools in the area that are better equipped to provide a quality education, with administrators who are genuinely invested in their students' success. It is essential to choose a school that prioritizes effective communication, student discipline, and a nurturing learning environment.
Submitted by other on June 24, 2023

They fired a teacher for teaching about Rights. Don't trust the school with your kids.
Submitted by other on June 14, 2023

If the administration is censuring new teachers rather than supporting them they’ve got it twisted. It should be considered a dereliction of duty and the administrative team should be demoted to clerical work to push paper at central office. When you throw away the most valuable resource and sometimes even the safest relationship children have you don’t belong in education. Go waste someone else’s resources and leave teachers alone. You are nothing but middle management trying to prove you serve a purpose outside of hassling staff, students and families for a living.
Submitted by parent on August 15, 2019

My son has thrived at Becker - socially, emotionally and academically. He identifies as a "great student", loves a challenge, and is confident in himself and accepting of others. Viva Becker!
Submitted by parent on September 12, 2018

It's been great! The challenges facing our public schools are real and Becker does an amazing job keeping a positive culture and prioritizing whole-child learning despite underfunding and high stakes testing requirements.
Submitted by parent on May 30, 2018

Regretfully, we are leaving the school after one year of Kindergarten.
Submitted by parent on May 26, 2018

We attended the school because it was in our neighborhood. I completely agree with what another parent said.. They promote diversity but fall very short on inclusion."
Submitted by parent on May 26, 2018

I had high hopes. Becker has some very good capable teachers which is great for the children. They promote diversity but fall very short on inclusion. If you don’t think like the majority (liberal mindset) you don’t belong. Funny because they do not practice what they preach.
Submitted by parent on December 21, 2017

This school is a gem. With it’s dual-language program, green classroom (the kids go to weekly to tend to their gardens and learn all sorts of real life science stuff), chicken coop, days of science, makers night, the list goes on...this school has been wonderful. I am pretty involved and am also a former teacher myself. I see happy kids and that tells me a lot. This school is unlike any school I have seen or worked in before (and I have worked in many). Also, a district report was just published stating that 98% of teachers were happy working at Becker. Yes, there is turnover. We lose a lot of teachers and staff because Austin is expensive to live in so they move to the outskirts and want a job closer to home. We also lose teachers because they are so wonderful the district wants them in coaching positions. We also have teachers that come from Spain, Mexico, and other so Spanish speaking countries. Maybe they come for a few years and then want to return home. What I do know is that our principal hires only the best.
Submitted by parent on November 29, 2017

Our family's experience at Becker for the last 3 years has been excellent. The faculty, staff and principal are doing an amazing job!
Submitted by parent on August 17, 2017

I deeply regret sending my children to Becker. The principal has quite a following because she hires mariachis on Cinco de Mayo and has hot cocoa on cold mornings. She's a friendly, nice person who tells parents what they want to hear. People skills are great but leadership skills are essential and she clearly does not have any. She has SIXTEEN new teachers this year at a very small campus. Despite putting her staff needs above all else (including the children, which is problematic) they do not stay. I think it might have something to do with the way she manages (or doesn't) discipline. She is inconsistent at best and bullying is rampant. She will call police on some children for a minor offense and just make a simple call home when a child physically assaults others. There is no philosophy behind what she does. She is well intentioned but directionless and anyone who has worked closely with her knows this. She also vents her emotional problems to parents for sympathy which distracts the community from the very real problems going on at this campus.There are some excellent teachers at this school and if you know who to ask for your kids will be okay (except at certain grade levels this year where every single teacher is new and unknown). There are so many better options in the 78704 area WITH dual language. Lastly if your child has any learning differences RUN! This campus cannot and will not serve kids with ADHD, learning disabilities, etc. I can't stress this enough. If your child is not just an average kid they will either be bullied, mistreated by staff, and/or have serious learning issues ignored.
Submitted by parent on June 14, 2017

One thing that concerns me about the school is the turnover in teacher staff at the 3rd, 4th and 5th grade levels. At the Kinder, 1st, and 2nd grade levels there is less staff turnover. I don't know, but I think it might have to do with some really good, dedicated teachers at those levels who serve as "anchors" to help strengthen the team at their grade level. Not sure why there is such turnover at the upper grades. To be fair, there is a 5th grade who will be starting his 4th year at the school in the fall of 2017, so maybe he will provide some stability. He seems to be one of those people truly dedicated to teaching as a profession (and not in it for the schedule or as a stepping stone to something else). But as it stands, our child will be entering 4th grade, and if I understand it correctly, all the 4th grade DL (dual language) teachers will be new this year. This will be the 4th year our child will be in a classroom with a new teacher, as in, newly hired to the school and school district (all of them had taught somewhere else before). Of the three new teachers our child had in 1st, 2nd and 3rd grades, two stayed and one is leaving after this year. I can't help but wonder - why always new teachers? Work load, bad morale, what? And do teachers who are new to the district have to undertake a lot of staff training, and therefore, are there more substitutes during their first year at AISD? As a transfer, I'm always questioning if this school was the right choice because of this staff turnover. I have to consider stability for my child (her having the same environment each year, same classmates) versus going somewhere else where there is more continuity in staffing.
Submitted by parent on January 11, 2017

I have 3 kids currently enrolled at Becker. When we started the Dual Language program was still very new. Even with some growing pains, the school has done a wonderful job keeping my children challenged and safe. I love the diversity of the population. My kids get to see people that are different from them every day and I think that only adds value to their education. The programs that have been implemented in our tenure have always improved the environment of the school. There are several free/grant-supported programs that kids from all backgrounds can enjoy. Ms. Borchers has had a magnificent impact on the children. She is a determined and thoughtful person and she takes specific action to instill good character traits in her students through Social Emotional Learning and creating a most inclusive environment at the school. As Becker continues to strengthen its staff and programs, we attract even more passionate teachers who want to be involved in a school with such wonderful opportunities. I'm not sure why GreatSchools has our ranking so low. I don't think it's accurate, and the parent comments can attest to that.
Submitted by other on December 15, 2016

I am a parent at Becker and my child has been going since PreK. If I did it over again I would have pulled my child years ago. I want consistency in my childs life and my child has a wonderful group of friends at the school. I wanted to have the bond with other children etc. The school Bi Lingual program isn't what as immersed as I think most parents think. My bad experience is the teachers. My child is finishing 5th grade and hasn't had teachers who are understanding that each child learns differently. Our first year we had a new teaching teacher it was her first teaching iob and she was still learning herself. I requested an advanced teacher for 1st grade (Ms Lopez) and the acting principal then would not allow my child in the class and sadly we had another entry level teacher. 2nd grade was fine but 3rd the grade teacher was never there and the substitute teacher wasn't up to par. 4th grade was amazing and now 5th we have a teacher who is a repeat of the bad experiences. I honestly wish I had pulled my child out earlier or fought the principal then to move my child into another class room setting. I would not only interview the teacher your child will have but find parents who had a personal experience with that teacher.
Submitted by parent on September 19, 2016

If it hadn't been for a Bouldin mama, I would have not found out about Becker in 2011. My son was still in daycare when I was trying to decide whether he should stay at the pre-k class of his childcare center or go to a public school. I was immediately interested once I learnt that Becker had a dual language program. Imagine how pleasantly surprised I was when I learned that Becker also had a chicken coop, a green classroom and a very involved PTA. My son is now a fourth grader at Beckers and has had amazing teachers. A big shout out to Ms. Campney, Ms. Lopez and Ms. Champion. They are some of the best teachers led by an outstanding principal, Ms. Borchers!! We are a transfer family and we are so proud that our kid is a Becker Bobcat!!
Submitted by parent on February 28, 2016

Consider listening to your kid and his friends presenting in an audience - "speaking and writing" a GT project or Science fair in a language you may know nothing about. How many schools do that in town? So, ruling out one important assumption - Becker cannot be compared to other public schools or even some private ones for that matter. Thanks to the well experimented dual language structure / implementation unlike any extra language class once a week. What are the benefits of our system? Neurogenesis is one of my favorite picks. Yes, our kids mental faculties are put to work at an appropriate age - scientifically, it is proven that they are engaged, have superior motor skills and have more neurons created (often termed neurogenesis). Learning a new skill will do that. For our family, sending my child to a dual language school had these clear reasons than just communicating in Spanish or getting around in an unfamiliar situation. So bottomline, Becker bobcats are working harder than they would at another school. Another reason to add to that - they aren't in their "comfort zones" all along, for a skill that will enable them as stronger adults. They learn frugality, listening skills, self control, empathy, economies of scale, daily grinds of different households to say the least. This will exponentially build their EQ. How many schools let their kids grow, watch and cook their own greens in one of the best Vegetable gardens a school could own, feed a variety of chicken or have access to the coolest STEAM camps and classes right at school? Last year we had Skillpoint Alliance help scratch video making, aquaponics and an early exposure to robotics / choir. Becker is an urban school in the middle of the city (you could essentially walk to a cafe, a dentist or a food truck before/after picking up your kid) - the school isn't extra fancy or overly manicured although the vibrant wall murals, the uber stocked cafe, a huge gym, skyrocketing transfers, skilled staff and the wonderful village shouts aloud of who we are, what we believe in and what talent we attract/retain. Many of these parents speak more than one language, have brought meaningful experiences in their kids world and are interested in raising well rounded citizens, not just well scoring robots at an elementary age. A big shout out to Becker!
Submitted by other on October 22, 2014

Becker Elementary is one of the finest schools I have had the opportunity at which to volunteer. I have four grown children and I am so amazed at the superior experience the Becker children are receiving. I am a grandmother of six and two of our grandchildren have the privilege to attend Becker. I volunteer in several capacities and observe almost daily the high quality and stellar education these children are receiving.
Submitted by parent on August 29, 2014

Becker is such a great school with wonderful faculty and staff who continually make the campus a comfortable home for the kiddos. The community of Becker is such a lovely aspect of this unique creative gem of a school. Principal Borchers is so valuable to the success of the school with the aim of educating the whole child at the utmost. The collection of families that make Becker their home is pretty special. It's a wonderful community. With a comprehensive dual language program, chicken coop, garden classroom, and so much more...it is a pleasure to be a part of Becker.