Kelsey Easton May 22, 2026
The best private school for your family comes down to three things: the educational philosophy you want, where you are willing to drive every morning, and the grade range you need. Austin has a deep bench of strong private schools, and after more than 15 years helping families relocate here, I have learned that the school decision and the neighborhood decision are really one decision. Here is my insider walk through the major schools, where they sit, and the neighborhoods most of their families come from.
Start with philosophy. Austin private schools span rigorous college-prep, Montessori into International Baccalaureate, classical Christian, Waldorf, language immersion, and faith-based Catholic education. These are genuinely different experiences, so the honest first question is what kind of learner your child is and what kind of education you believe in.
Then think about the drive. Austin traffic is real, MoPac and Loop 360 back up at exactly the hours you will be in the carpool line, and a campus that looks "close" on a map can be a 30-minute morning. I tell every relocating family the same thing: pick the school first, then let it shape your neighborhood search.
Two more practical points. Watch the grade span, because some schools run all the way from PreK through 12 while others stop at 8th grade and you will be doing this search again. And start early. Most Austin private schools run admissions 9 to 12 months ahead, with the most competitive entry points at Kindergarten, 6th grade, and 9th grade. Day tuition generally runs from about $21,000 to $40,000 a year as of 2026, with most schools offering need-based financial aid.
St. Andrew's Episcopal School is the established name in central Austin college-prep. It is an Episcopal, academically rigorous K-12 school split across two campuses: the Lower and Middle Schools sit on a central Austin campus near Tarrytown, and the Upper School is on a separate campus in southwest Austin. Tuition runs roughly $32,000 in the youngest grades up to about $39,500 in high school. The families I see at St. Andrew's tend to come from Tarrytown, Pemberton Heights, Old Enfield, Clarksville, Bryker Woods, Rollingwood, and West Lake Hills, with the Upper School also drawing from Barton Creek and southwest Austin.
St. Stephen's Episcopal School is unlike anything else in town. It is a grades 6 through 12 school on a spectacular 370-acre hilltop campus along the Colorado River, off Bee Cave Road near Loop 360. It is also the area's only true boarding school, with boarding offered in grades 8 through 12, so it draws students nationally and internationally as well as locally. Day tuition is roughly $37,800 to $39,700 and boarding is around $74,400. Local day families cluster in West Lake Hills, Rollingwood, Barton Creek, and the west Austin hills.
Trinity Episcopal School is the warm, smaller elementary option in the heart of Westlake. It serves PreK through 8th grade on a 24-acre campus on Bee Caves Road in West Lake Hills, about five miles from downtown. Families often use Trinity for a strong, nurturing elementary experience and then move on to a 9-12 school. Most Trinity families come from West Lake Hills, Rollingwood, Tarrytown, and Barton Creek.
St. Michael's Catholic Preparatory School is the answer for families who want faith-based education in one place from the start of school through graduation. It is the result of the 2022 unification of St. Michael's Catholic Academy and St. Gabriel's Catholic School, and it is now the only PreK through 12 independent Catholic school in Central Texas. The Lower School sits on Wimberly Lane and the Upper School is on Barton Creek Boulevard, both in the southwest Austin hill country. Families come from Barton Creek, Travis Country, Lost Creek, Circle C, Westlake, and out toward Lakeway and Bee Cave.
Regents School of Austin is the city's leading classical Christian school, with about 1,079 students in grades K-12 on an 82-acre campus on Travis Country Circle in southwest Austin. Classical education means a great-books, logic-and-rhetoric approach with a strong character focus. Tuition is comparatively gentle, in the low $20,000s at the top grade, which is part of its appeal. Regents families come from Travis Country, Barton Creek, Circle C, Lost Creek, Oak Hill, and out toward Dripping Springs and Lakeway.
Austin Waldorf School offers something distinct: an arts-integrated, developmental, deliberately screen-light education following the Waldorf methodology. It serves PreK through 12th grade with roughly 400 students on a 19-acre campus on South View Road in the Oak Hill area of southwest Austin. It tends to attract families from Oak Hill, Barton Creek, Travis Country, west and southwest Austin, and Dripping Springs.
Headwaters School is an independent school built on a Montessori foundation that rises into the International Baccalaureate. It runs three campuses: an early-childhood campus on Manchaca Road, the Montessori elementary for grades K-5 on Brodie Lane in south Austin, and the Middle and High School for grades 6 through 12 downtown at 807 Rio Grande Street. That downtown campus is a real draw for families in Travis Heights, Bouldin Creek, central and east Austin, and the downtown condo towers, while the Brodie Lane campus pulls from Circle C and south Austin.
Magellan International School is the choice for families who want their children genuinely bilingual. It is a secular, IB Spanish-immersion school in northwest Austin on Great Northern Boulevard, where students spend roughly 75% of the day in Spanish and add Mandarin in third grade. It currently serves Preschool through 9th grade and is expanding to 12th grade by 2027. Magellan families tend to come from Allandale, Crestview, Rosedale, Northwest Hills, and Great Hills.
Here is the quick version. If you want the most established, rigorous college-prep and you live central or in Westlake, look hard at St. Andrew's. If you want a stunning hill country campus, a boarding option, or a grades 6-12 fresh start, St. Stephen's stands alone. For a warm, strong elementary in Westlake, Trinity Episcopal is hard to beat. If you want Catholic, faith-based education from PreK through 12 in one community, St. Michael's Catholic Prep is the only option of its kind here. For classical Christian education and real value, Regents is the leader. If you want an arts-rich, developmental, screen-light approach, Austin Waldorf delivers it. For Montessori rising into IB with a downtown campus, choose Headwaters. And if you want your child fluent in Spanish and Mandarin, Magellan is the one.
The real estate point I always make: choose the school first, then let it narrow your neighborhood search. A great house with a brutal carpool commute gets old fast, and the right neighborhood near the right campus makes the whole family's life easier.
How far ahead do I need to apply to Austin private schools?
Most run admissions 9 to 12 months ahead, with applications opening in late summer or fall and deadlines often in December or January. Kindergarten, 6th grade, and 9th grade are the largest entry points and the most competitive, so relocating families should start the search as early as possible.
What do Austin private schools cost?
Day tuition generally runs from about $21,000 to $40,000 a year as of 2026, depending on the school and grade. St. Stephen's boarding program is higher, around $74,000. Most schools offer need-based financial aid.
Which Austin private school has a boarding program?
St. Stephen's Episcopal School is the area's boarding school, offering boarding in grades 8 through 12 alongside its day program on its hilltop campus near Loop 360.
Should I buy a home before or after we choose a school?
I usually tell relocating families to shortlist schools first. The campus location should shape your neighborhood search, because the morning commute and the carpool line matter more than most buyers expect.
For more information on Real Estate in the Austin area, inquire here.
Kelsey Easton
Your Go-To Austin Realtor & Local Expert
📧 [email protected]
📞 512-699-6091
A Austin luxury agent’s honest, school-by-school walk through the city’s top private schools, where each campus sits, and the neighborhoods most families come from.
A veteran Austin luxury agent’s honest take on one of central Austin’s most coveted historic neighborhoods — what you’ll pay, what you’ll love, and what to watch for.
Where to look for hill country, lake, downtown, and sunset views in Austin, plus realistic 2026 prices for each tier.
After years writing offers here, here's the honest breakdown of which Mueller blocks justify the $1M+ price tag and which don't.
Two of Austin's blue-chip Eanes ISD neighborhoods compared by a local agent — lots, taxes, schools, building rules, resale, and lifestyle.
An honest breakdown from a veteran Austin luxury agent on what $2M, $3M, and $5M+ really buy inside the gates of Barton Creek, Amarra, and Spanish Oaks.
Choosing between Austin's two most-asked-about luxury neighborhoods at the $1M+ tier? Here's an honest, side-by-side breakdown from a local agent.
After 8 years selling Austin homes at the $1M+ tier, here are the six most expensive mistakes I see buyers make — and exactly how to avoid them.
Call Kelsey today to schedule a private showing.
Get in Touch
KELSEY EASTON
2500 BEE CAVES RD WEST LAKE HILLS TX 78746