Location: Leander
1400 Spivey Road
Leander, TX 78641
Students served: Currently serving ages 4–12; reopening middle school studio next year
Current enrollment: 20 students (expanding with middle school studio next year)
Model/philosophy: Oak Ridge Academy provides a themed-learning and inquiry-based education. It exposes learners to concepts and skills through unit-study style academics, builds deep relationships, challenges learners beyond their comfort zones, and cultivates a culture that celebrates personal growth.
Special features: No testing, homework, or attendance requirements; project-based accomplishment tracking rather than grades; flexibility for family travel; emphasis on field trips and real-world experiences; school culture of kindness and respect for all; relationship building at the center; social-emotional learning of equal importance as academics; use of outdoor spaces to teach about sustainability practices, gardening, farm-animal care, and connecting with nature
Schedule: 9am–4pm, Monday–Friday, September–January (Semester 1) and January–June (Semester 2)
Tuition: $6,700 per semester
Contact: Stephanie U'Ren, Head of School | stephu@oakridgelearning.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.
