St Francis School

300 East Huntland Drive

Austin, TX 78752

14 Reviews

School District
Grade

PK-8
Type

private

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Reviews

Submitted by parent on December 21, 2024

As a social worker having worked in public schools , I see far too much of how are children are asked to fit in, conform and stay inline . I want my kid to be free to be himself to thrive in independence and advocate for his needs and get support in response. There is no where that I have seen do this better at this than St Francis . Raising kids to be creative , independent, passionate and kind leaders . Thank you St Francis we owe you!
Submitted by parent on September 28, 2024

My child has been at St. Francis since Kindergarten and is almost done with middle school. I also have a child in AISD, so have seen several different school during their educational journey. St. Francis has been extraordinary, especially in building my child's confidence. We have been extremely impressed with the academics. It is rigorous but also supportive. Could not say enough positive things about this school.
Submitted by parent on September 26, 2024

St. Francis was a wonderful school for both of my kids. The people at the school truly believe in educating the whole child, getting to know each student and playing to that student's strengths. It is a school that genuinely tries to bring out the very best in its students and build those students up to their fullest potential. It's a good school for many different kinds of students from those who need advanced coursework, those who are neurodiverse, those who are "twice exceptional" to neurotypical learners. It's big enough for students to find "their people," but small enough for the students to get the individual attention they need. It is a "typical school" though, and it doesn't have the capacity to serve all students with greater learning challenges. However, for many neurodiverse students and students with learning differences, the learning center really helps students who need extra help. They also have an enrichment center that serves students who need more challenging material in their classes. The school has a ton of heart, and many generations of families have felt at home at the school. They definitely live up to their motto of "excellence without exclusivity."
Submitted by parent on February 15, 2023

This school is unorganized and lacks communication between staff and parents. If your looking for a place to "deal" with your child you found it. This gave me a break from the democracy you deal with In public schools however removed the structure needed to manage behaviors from both teachers and students. The students have their own community (group chats) in which they bully, harass, and discuss topics such as suicide, sexual preferences, drugs and other topics outside of school. Teachers have no control either, they participate in belittle student's by pointing out food choices, body weight and academic performance in front of their peers. There is a limited amount of staff to watch students, even with the constant request for donations, St. Francis prides themselves with accepting parent volunteers to take on roles for school nurses, counseling, and teaching positions. This school portrays to be a community school however the truth is the Christian values it operates under are a facade as what is accepted is everything outside of any morals and values associated with their own mission statement.
Submitted by parent on February 02, 2019

Our experience has been excellent in all respects.
Submitted by parent on August 22, 2018

My son has been going to st. Francis for 7 years. We love how inclusive and community oriented it is. Classes are small and well taught. Bullying is not tolerated at all and the kids are happy. Highly recommend this school.
Submitted by other on September 12, 2016

My 2 nephews attended this school. One really needed a lot of help, the other's mother just wanted him to have the best experience she could afford. So she sacrificed his "child support" contributions from his father, which ensured that he would pay (proud that he was sending his kid to private school) but not helping with the rent.
Submitted by parent on March 20, 2015

St. Francis changed (and continues to change) my daughter's life, and ours. She attended two different public schools (one AISD, once charter, to be exact) before moving to St. Francis in fourth grade. My daughter, who is creative and smart (but who struggles with math), was taught at these public schools--due to expectations of excellence in all subjects; pressure from testing; high teacher-to-student ratios; poor teacher selection and training (and pay); and resultant peer pressure/social anxiety--that she wasn't up to par. When she entered St. Francis, she thrived in just a few months. It is incredible what good teachers and a community-based classroom can do. I cannot say enough about the teachers and the community. As for social/peer pressure, the school does magic. The kids are able to foster a welcoming environment through teacher and school-wide example that continues to floor me. Bullying is dealt with in an effective, swift, straightforward way I have never seen in any educational environment. Further, the school's diversity--for a private school (and for many Austin public schools)--is impressive and was of crucial importance to us when we joined.
Submitted by parent on March 12, 2015

There should be more elementary & middle schools like St. Francis: small, unpretentious, focused on developing students' academic achievement and high-school readiness, with small classes (maximum 15 students), not forced to teach to the STAAR test or follow ever-changing educational fads. St. Francis offers an old-fashioned school environment in a welcoming, and racially and economically diverse atmosphere. It is a Christian school, but nondenominational and religious instruction is not part of the academic curriculum. All faiths are welcome and respected, as are gay-parented families. They welcome students of different ability levels, from gifted to challenged: the common denominator amoung the kids is a willingness to work. My son is high-functioning on the autism spectrum, and beyond 1st grade, public school was a disaster for him. We enrolled him at St. Francis, and the smaller classes, nurturing, non-STAAR test focused environment, and high academic expectations completely turned my son around. There are also many field trips and special events, like the 4th grade ballroom dance and 8th grade trip to Italy.
Submitted by other on March 02, 2014

I went to SFS from K-8, and I loved it. I made some of my closest friends there. The environment is extremely friendly, and everyone is so open and welcoming. Kids with disabilities are treated awesomely, and I rarely saw anyone get bullied. The school is accepting of every religion and race, and the students there are great as well. The closeness of the teachers and students provides for a really great learning experience, and much of the teaching is done unconventionally (in a good way). Some of the middle school academics could be improved on, but the amazing teachers made me feel prepared for high school. I can say going to this school was one of the best experiences of my life, because of the sense of family I felt with the community there and the friends I made.
Submitted by other on December 09, 2013

I went to SFS from pre-k to halfway through 6th grade before I had to move , and I can honestly say that it was the best school ever. While the school says its Episcopalian it accepts every religion, and every week at chapel we would learn about the other religions and the holidays they celebrated and how they did that. Even after I left St.Francis when I came back to Austin I would go back to St.Francis because I felt so at home. The teachers really care about you, if you're having a hard time they'll help you out in every way possible, and if you're finding it to easy they will try to make it more challenging. St. Francis is perfect for any type of student whether they are a normal student or if they have learning disabilities or even physical ones too. In my grade we had a severely autistic child who couldn't speak really, but we all loved him so much. We were all really sad when he left. Another thing is they don't put up with cattiness or bullying. They will ask you to stop , nicely, and if you continue to have bad behavior they will not hesitate to expel you. Either way,St. Francis A+++++.
Submitted by parent on September 26, 2013

Our experience over nearly 4 years has ranged from excellent to average or below average. While I wouldn't want school leadership to be immediately reactive to parent concerns, I feel like the school is somewhat slower than it should be in addressing concerns and soliciting feedback from parents. We've seen this especially in the lower grades, where there has been a lot of turnover (teachers and students) over the last few years. As our child moves into the upper middle school, we are much more comfortable and have much more confidence in the teachers. We've seen student to teacher ratios of 15 or 16 to one, which is different than the 10-1 listed on this site, but still excellent.
Submitted by parent on July 23, 2013

I am regularly impressed with the stellar reputation of St Francis' head of school, Barbara Porter, within the academic community. Her leadership style, commitment to high standards, and educational expertise are sought out by other school's for suggestions on how to improve. Parental engagement and appreciation is also high comparatively. Considering her length of tenure, its refreshing to have a head of school that is in touch with the needs of her students and current teaching practices. She and the teaching staff also focus on instilling strong values, virtues and character building of the students as well as academics.
Submitted by parent on September 07, 2012

Our child attended lower middle school at St Francis and it was a wonderful and highly rewarding experience for her. Under the guidance of a devoted and in-touch head of school and a rare gem of a lower middle school coordinator, dedicated faculty, and awesome staff, we were confident that our daughter's education -- both academic and social -- would be stellar (and it was). No school is perfect for every kid, but for our child is was amazing. The minimal landscaping outside the school reflects the school's priorities -- keeping tuition reasonable for everyone, and I love that (although a little work on the entrance and egress pathways could be improved-- and there's certainly the parental human resources to come up with a solution to the circulation maze outside the front entrance, hint, hint).