9518 Topridge Dr #7
Austin, TX 78750

Spicewood has been coasting on its reputation for far too long unfortunately. There have been 3 principals in the last 5 years with a ton of teacher turnover. Many experienced teachers left due to poor leadership. The majority of the student population comes from high achieving and/or affluent families so they will do well academically bc they have parent or outside help. The school community is becoming less diverse as more people who like country club life move into the neighborhood. They need to get leadership right at this school before things can be turned around, and that will take time as well.

All three of my kids graduated from Westwood. They came from a private school background and all of them have thanked us for moving across town so they could experience a diverse, challenging, and large high school environment with many options for extracurriculars. My daughter participated in dance, acted and stage managed for theater productions, and learned “how to learn” especially from her challenging AP courses in English and history. She refused to quit APUSH despite her low grades, eventually pulled it up and credits that class with preparing her to study independently in college. My second son did IB and orchestra and like his sister, used his fine arts as an outlet to de-stress from his studies. I didn’t push him (much) because I knew his IB teachers and peers were doing that job for me. My third child was in IB til sophomore year, when he got a terrible case of Mono he had to switch to AP due to a month missed of school. The guidance for all three kids was kind, responsive and helpful. I appreciated that the guidance counselors (who have to take care of waaay too many kids) did not let them drop down to an easier class at the first sign of distress, but DID respond and make that change when the student had demonstrated the need to do so. They even scheduled ballet immediately after my daughter’s math class for stress management. None of my 3 three made it into top ten percent but with their excellent SAT scores they earned full or partial scholarships, which saved us many thousands in college tuition. This is to the credit of Westwood in general because had they been in an easier school, trust me, they would have slacked off. When I did my research on high schools, I looked at PSAT scores and national merit finalists across Austin. I knew I had at least two potential NMF kids and wanted them to be PUSHED so they could snag free tuition if possible. At that time, Westwood averaged about 40 NMF per school year compared to 1-2 per year at surrounding schools. These days, I believe the number is more like 60-70 per year. Yes, kids in this district study more—typically they go to Berkeley 2 Academy over the summer to “pre study” for their upcoming AP or IB classes. This is an option for those with finances for it, but I want to state that it is not necessary for students of average intelligence to get A’s. If your student struggles with stressful academics, talk to the counselors. They will work with you, I promise.

You'll not find a better middle school than Canyon Vista! It has everything and it's the best!