Location: Cedar Park / Leander
Students served: Ages 5–13 (Spark 5–7, Adventure 7–10, Discovery 10–13)
Current enrollment: 20 max for Spring 2025, 40 max for Fall 2025
Model/philosophy: At Acton Academy learners engage in daily Socratic Discussions and self-paced challenges that equip young heroes to be independent, lifelong learners. This is Montessori for the modern age.
Special features: At Evoke, learners are especially curious about science and the arts. The school offers a hybrid scheduling program with 5-, 3-, and 2-day options to meet parents where they need it. Mondays and Fridays are Club & Extracurricular days with class electives like Mad Science, Ninja Warrior, and Contemporary Dance. The Evoke community loves nature, and learners enjoy being outside on the Lake Travis Northshore!
Schedule: 9am–3pm with extended-day options, 10-month Acton Academy schedule, summer camps in June & July
Tuition: $646 per month for 2 days to $1,250 per month for 5 Days; 10 installments
Contact: L Spearman, Head of School | evokeacton@gmail.com | www.evokeacademy.org
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.
