Child Care - Schools & Child Care

Austin is a forward-looking, great place to live. Add those qualities to the city’s worldwide reputation as a technology hub and you’ll begin to see why the Austin area has experienced a huge population surge over the past quarter century. Likewise, all of the Capitol City area’s 10 school districts have experienced growing pains, due either directly to new businesses locating in the districts, to employees searching for suitable housing nearby, or to families fleeing the big city for the more peaceful suburbs. In recent years bulging school districts passed bond issues to build, enlarge, and improve schools at a pace never before witnessed. Some smaller districts have seen their student enrollment more than double, just in the last decade.

Texas as a whole faces considerable challenges in its huge public school system, especially amid the current recession. State leaders from both political parties have focused on improving the schools and, in response to lawsuits from poor school districts, changed the financing system. Business leaders also have played an important role in pressing for educational reforms, recognizing the need for a well-educated 21st-century workforce.

Accountability is a watchword of the educational system in Texas, and testing has become a vital tool. Although there are complaints that schools “teach to the test” or that too much weight is given to the results, parents and teachers generally support the rigorous testing regimen. Under a mandate from the State Legislature, the Texas Education Agency (TEA) evaluates public schools and school districts annually based on test scores and dropout rates. The school ratings, “Academically Unacceptable,” “Academically Acceptable,” “Recognized” or “Exemplary,” are posted on the TEA’s website at www.tea.state.tx.us. To access the ratings for an individual school, click the “Find how my school is doing?” link in the right-hand column.