Spring Branch East

I wish I had paid attention to the negative reviews about this school and Memorial in general. I am not even a minority, just a liberal/free thinker, but I feel unwelcome in this community and my free-thinking kindergartner has had trouble making friends and felt bullied at VOE. It makes me sad when I see how easily she can make friends when in a more open-minded environment. We will not be staying in this area through Memorial High School, that's for sure.

No, no and no. Accepts all, doesn’t deal with behaviors, middle school gives grades and admin overlooks it to make parents happy. Mean kids are allowed to be mean, kids being accepted with all kinds of issues and teachers don’t challenge those that can excel. Lower school teachers give double recess so they don’t have to teach. Many teachers are there just to collect a paycheck. They pass on kids to the next grade without telling parents there are academic or social issues. It’s a total mess, steer clear.

SML is a place that supports the whole child, and engages the parents to be involved. From academic progress to christian values, the school drives our children towards a more wholesome future.

I was at Awty since middle school, and I can pretty confidently say it was a good experience. I can confidently say that I bonded with at least four teachers throughout my time, both in classes where I performed well and in classes where I was not doing so great. Awty Connects was genuinely one of the best experiences I've ever had in my life, and I think it's an exceptional opportunity for students to have this sort of experience. I also made some of my best friends here, and they are all unique people I have yet to find at my university.However, Awty definitely has its flaws. Firstly, tuition is pretty expensive, and I'm not so sure that it was actually worth it. There isn't anything at Awty that makes me think "wow, this was totally worth 37k" besides MAYBE the IB program, but it really depends on which classes you take for you to get a good teaching experience. I honestly could not tell you why there are certain teachers teaching their classes. The disparity between the great teachers and the rest is significant enough for me to start to dislike classes I loved before, which is honestly just sad. A few teachers just seem uninterested and treat students with disdain for almost no reason. However, that being said, this sentiment doesn't reflect the broader teacher population at Awty, with most of them being good, and a few that are exceptional. College counselors were also super underwhelming, with conversations feeling superficial and unhelpful. Random colleges are tacked onto your "recommended schools" on Cialfo without any real consideration of what you want. Awty is also extremely cliquey, which is to be expected of a school with ~120 kids per grade, but I can't help but think about it in a negative light. As one student previously commented, there are lots of substances floating around the Awty sphere, and I personally know a lot of people who felt that if they didn't engage in these activities, they would be looked at as an outcast.Overall, I recommend Awty because it helped me find subjects I love and flourish, but it definitely has its downsides.