Casis Elementary School

Reviews

• Submitted by parent on March 01, 2024
  The facility is new and beautiful! People seem so happy going in and out. We have two children having two different experiences. The 1st grade teacher is enthusiastic about her work and seems well trained and prepared. She can speak to specific strengths and weaknesses of our kiddo. Our student is making great strides and is engaged with his learning in positive, goal attaining ways. The class seems bonded and they enjoy eachother.In contrast, our 3rd grader has changed from an engaged student, conversational about topics discussed in class, to a bored kid who went so far as to say they “don’t care anymore”. Classroom management is an issue & reveals a lack of training and maturity (Pointedly using girls to tattle on the boys, assigning seats next to girls as a punishment) We’ve noticed that they haven’t bonded with any adults at the school and even we, successful adults in our professional lives, have trouble meaningfully communicating with faculty. If we struggle and we’re experienced, it feels almost futile for a 3rd grader. Many parents have told us that the 3rd grade teachers have a history of being this way, and that 4th grade is much better. We look forward to next year and a fresh start! Campus leadership is charming and energetic in group/public settings and says all the right things but our individual interactions with leadership have been curt and condescending. Shockingly so. Not, “Oh he’s busy and under a lot of pressure”, more making a point to be unwelcoming and dismissive. I’ve observed an unfortunate dynamic with students. Leadership is either bubbling with positivity or barking orders. But many people adore leadership. Support for him is strong. It’s honestly very confusing. What did we do? Was our PTA donation too small? Do they dislike us?To my knowledge the school does not use corporal punishment, however they do use physical correction. They do grab students by the arm, etc. My spouse observed a teacher do this in line outside. He couldn’t figure out what the child had done. I observed the principal do it to a child in line in the cafeteria who wasn’t facing forward. It was all very public with witnesses, so clearly an accepted part of the culture of the school. Everybody told us how much we would love the school, so in many ways I’m deeply disappointed, on the other hand, it could be worse. And we are fortunate that the student body is solid with involved parents and that the facility and grounds are lovely.
• Submitted by parent on February 19, 2020
  Teachers are AMAZING... 5 stars and then 5 more. You won’t find a bad teacher here. My daughter’s education is thriving at Casis. She’s a bright child already but her teacher’s definitely nurture her. The downside: Casis is severely lacking in ethnic and cultural diversity. It is also difficult for the 1% of minority kids who stick out like a sore thumb among the sea of white kids. Another Downside: What I find almost cruel is the massive renovation to rebuild Casis while the special needs programs (like for dyslexia) continue to get mediocre care and attention.
• Submitted by parent on March 21, 2018
  My children will both go to school here until 5th grade. The oldest is in kindergarten now. She has the hardest working teacher who is young and vibrant. I adore this school. There is a forest in which to play, three playgrounds, easygoing and hard working teachers and supportive PTA and parents. The principals are positive thinkers and creative problem solvers and the whole vibe at Casis is so amazing. It is truly a well oiled machine from arrival to dismissal, where 850 + students enter and exit the building in a matter of minutes. I have never seen a cafeteria run so well despite its size. The teachers appear to have freedom to plan and implement lessons. Happy teachers = happy students. If you haven’t visited this wonderful place, you’re missing out!
• Submitted by parent on September 04, 2017
  Our experience at Casis was confusing, sometimes deserving of a 1 (or zero if I am honest) other times a 5 or 6, so I averaged it to a 3. Just my observation, but it seems to me that curriculum and learning environments are a little more consistent across classrooms at other schools that I’ve seen or taught at than they are at Casis. The hefty classroom autonomy here is great when teachers are passionate, dedicated, and kind, as almost all at Casis are. Not so much though when your child gets one that is not.One thing to note to prospective parents...the facilities at Casis are really special. They have a forest (!), an outdoor classroom, four playgrounds, a huge library AND a brand spanking new art room. The PTA was kind of intimidating to me as a parent, but it is a strong force for good. They make so many extras possible, including helping the school to pay teachers that serve kids with all kinds of learning and behavior differences. Even when things don’t go great, as was the case for us for part of the year, there are a lot of things to love about this school.
• Submitted by parent on April 16, 2017
  The school is a terrible place for a dyslexic child or a child with learning disabilities. I have a child who was in General Education there for years and we really loved the GenEd teachers, students and families. Once my child was "placed" in special education, I was shocked by the lack of teacher training, lack of transparency about what was happening in "resource room," inaccurate reporting of progress and negligence in providing remediation. If you have a child with severe dyslexia, I would strongly suggest you try to transfer to Brykerwoods, Mathews or Highland Park. Many parents remove their students with disabilities from Casis.
• Submitted by teacher on May 13, 2015
  My experience here, in contrast with other schools where the afterschool care program takes place, at Casis is by far one of the most draining. For one, one for the things that I notice the most about the children attending the afterschool care here is that they tend to lose their taste for learning after a day at school and second, I notice that many of the activities that are doing is geared towards conforming to the norm of the school: being a rigorously high achieving academic school. The problem is that this is not how school works in its functional level (which I do agree with many of the parents that have their children not getting the help needed or reported that the school administration ignores them when the help is needed) since the goal of school is to not only to learn (regardless of what that learning is) but to have fun. What I notice is that the children are not only not having enough fun to express their feelings and themselves, but also there is a strong prevalence of violence that took place occasionally in the afterschool program at Casis due to the frustrations that many children experienced. Again, I believe it can do better but not like this.
• Submitted by parent on May 11, 2014
  The best elementary comes at a price. Some of the bleach blonde mom's have a dress code that requires wearing Nike active wear to school for any and all occasions for that "I just worked out at the gym, but not really" look. Regarding dyslexia, the administration would prefer if you just leave and not mess with their academic numbers. You are harassed and your child is pushed much too hard, causing undue stress on the child. However this does not come from the reading specialist. She is terrific and works miracles for dyslexic children. Her salary is paid by the PTA. So for all my bashing, a lot of good is done by the wealthy PTA. I would have liked a less "keeping up with the Jones" type school, but the reading specialist was a huge draw, I don't believe any other school in Austin has the financial support for children that Casis can provide. I met a few great parents, and there is something freeing to be said for becoming so tired of those putting on airs that you are no longer impressed. Also, after many years of having to wait behind limousine's hired by showy parents for kids parties, Casis has finally designated a signed Limo spot for after school pick up. -Yep.
• Submitted by parent on June 10, 2013
  Casis is a full bodied school. Many parents volunteer to help make it more than just another public school. Faculty and staff are fantastic. My son is always happy to go. He gets great interactions and teacher's activities are well-planned. It's been a great first year for my son! It's very difficult to improve such an exemplary school. I like that there are so many role models in this community.
• Submitted by parent on June 03, 2013
  This school is overrated!!!!!! If your chilTd has the slightest bit of reading or writing issues you have to jump through a thousands hoops to get them to pay attention to helping re-mediate the issues with your child. There are some really good teachers but they aren't all that good and it is hyper competitive! It is also too big! There are a ton of better schools out there.
• Submitted by parent on October 07, 2012
  My sons attended Casis Elementary last year (K and 1st Grade). Mrs. Christian is an absolutely fabulous, warm, caring, loving and firm teacher that every child should be lucky enough to have. There are also several other great 1st grade teachers. My kindergartener had some behavioral challenges in the classroom, and the school counselor, Vicki (Lynne) Johnson was absolutely amazing at helping us work through the issues. The entire leadership and staff smoothly and professionally provided our family the support we needed to thrive in elementary school. I very much wish were were still living in ATX!! I can't say enough good things about Casis Elementary.
• Submitted by parent on May 27, 2011
  My son attended Casis from kindergarten to fifth grade and he is graduating Wednesday. I can't say enough good things about the wonderful caring teachers at Casis in every class my son was in. I never for a minute doubted the quality of education and the quality of treatment my son was receiving. Every member of the staff actually really cares about the job they are doing as evidenced by the tenure of the teachers and all of the staff there, as well as the comaraderie of the parents. I was a student at Casis also when they had a 6th grade (wish they still did). They are first rate all the time and I highly recommend this school to any parent that wishes a great education and positive environment for their child. The parents level of involvement is also very high which helps things immensely. We've had a wonderful experience there. It is not only a place of learning, it is a place of fun and wonderful memories. It is with a bit of sadness that we are leaving. I will miss everyone there.

Source: GreatSchools.org © 2026. All rights reserved.