Location: South Austin
Preschool & Elementary Campus
10801 Old San Antonio Road
Austin, TX 78748
Middle School Campus
10817 Old San Antonio Road
Austin, TX 78748
Students served: Ages 3–14 (PreK–8th grade)
Current enrollment: 95 (five mixed-age classes of 16–22 learners)
Model/philosophy: A holistic approach to education that synthesizes insights from Waldorf, Montessori, and democratic education; offering an integrated, multicultural curriculum with arts and academics, child-centered and project-based learning, mixed age groups, and small Mentor/Learner ratios. WLLC's mission is to inspire lifelong learners, creative change-makers, and conscientious leaders for a more equitable, just, and sustainable world.
Special features: The Whole Life Learning Center provides loving mentorship and an environment that enriches the imagination with creative play; nourishes the soul through song, stories, and art; inspires the mind through fun challenges and multi-sensory learning materials; and feeds the heart through connection with each other and nature. Youth work with Mentors to develop holistic learning plans, honoring each learner’s intellectual, emotional, physical, and spiritual development; groups work together to choose enrichment classes, plan projects, and organize special events. Located in South Austin on 3 acres between 2 campuses, with ample outdoor learning and playing spaces, permaculture gardens, a food forest, pond, and chickens.
Schedule: Drop-off between 8:30am and 9am, Monday–Friday; staggered pick-up between 3pm and 4pm daily depending on your child's class, and aftercare available until 5:30pm. WLLC generally follows the AISD calendar. Please refer to the school calendar for details.
Tuition: $14,500 per year for all enrolled students. Additionally, families are required to pay a nonrefundable $500 registration fee and $500 supply fee upon enrollment/re-enrollment. The enrollment fee payment is due once annually, per family (not per child).
Contact: 512-676-5898 ext. 0 | info@wholelifelearningcenter.com | wholelifelearningcenter.com
Each listing in this alphabetical directory gives you a snapshot of a small, independent, alternative school in the Austin area.
This frequently updated list spans several pages, with navigation buttons at the bottom. Clicking on the name of a school will take you to its own website. To easily find schools by geographical area, see our Alt Ed Maps page. If you know of a school that’s missing from this directory, please drop a note here, and see Alt Ed Austin’s criteria for “alternative” and “school.” You may also be interested in our directories of other recommended schools (which are mostly larger or more specialized or religiously oriented), as well as special programs for children and adults.
Full disclosure: Alt Ed Austin founder Teri Sperry has ties with several of the schools listed on this site. Her child, now an adult, attended two of them years ago. She has friends who direct, teach at, or are otherwise involved in others. Some programs choose to advertise from time to time on Alt Ed Austin as Sponsoring Partners. She firmly believes that all of the schools featured on this site (including the ones to which she has no personal connection and those from which she receives no advertising fees) are good choices for some kids, each for different reasons.
