Headwaters School | River Campus, Austin | Fees, Rankings, Address, Admission, Vacancies, Reviews & More

Here is a sampling of some reviews this month form Khabele families.

Jackson’s ability to fly an airplane on his very first project week was a once in a lifetime experience
4/24/2012 9:35 AM *****

Over the last 2 years, Khabele has gone the extra mile to help my student develop emotionally and thrive as a self-directed learner. There are teachers at Khabele whose commitment changes students’ lives, igniting a passion for subjects and for learning overall
4/15/2012 7:33 PM *****

Our large public school system, while top notch in the country, just didn’t work for either of our children. While at Khabele, they have made huge improvements in grades. More importantly, they enjoy learning…and that’s what’s really matters to them in the long term.
4/13/2012 6:50 PM *****

The adolescent years can be difficult ones — but they are also years of tremendous opportunity, especially in the right environment. We are thankful our child has the opportunity to grow up at Khabele. It is the kind of place that can make all the difference in the world. And the experience she has had here is something she will continue to build on and draw on for the rest of her life.
4/12/2012 8:30 PM *****

Khabele greatness is in its development of the whole person. It is true that the academically gifted hardly need teachers as they will learn because they have the innate skills. Khabele teachers teach more than just mere academics, they achieve the harder task and having each child learn who they are, what they are good at, discover their creative sparks and become a positive force in this increasingly complicated and sometimes negative world.
4/12/2012 11:01 AM *****

My 12 year old actually says he loves school. That seems so amazing, in a time when you mostly here that kids hate school – he really loves it. He says it is hard and he groans about the work, but he loves going and he is proud when he completes a project.
4/11/2012 5:43 PM *****

Our daughter has already graduated from Khabele and now attends an honors college in Florida. It is largely her first exposure to students who came through a public school system, and has reinforced her appreciation of the Khabele approach to education where the goal is to actually teach as opposed to “teach to the test.” A collaborative approach between students, faculty, parents, and administrators yields mutual respect and truly instills a lifetime love of learning. The Khabele approach also acknowledges that learning is not bound by a classroom. Our son is now a junior and would not even consider attending any other school. I know of few gifts of love you could give your child greater than the gift of a Khabele education.
4/9/2012 8:02 AM *****

Rachel is learning and having incredible life experiences. In many ways this has been her best school experience ever. Her emotional development has been positively impacted through her experiences here.
4/6/2012 12:36 AM

We love Khabele, we are going a learning curve as a family. We know that there is not a perfect school (we all human and we are not perfect), but for now right at this time, after almost a year moving here for the school, we know we have made the right choice moving here.
4/5/2012 2:17 PM

Our son is in the middle school. We are so impressed with Khabele – the administration, teachers, and staff are all caring, smart, devoted educators who really work to help develop the whole child, both academically and as a person. The focus is on becoming a lifelong, independently directed learner, a critical thinker, and an actively engaged community member – the middle school, especially, stresses life balance, self-understanding, and communication skills alongside their rigorous, creative, thoughtful class learning. A few things that make it special: a strong advisory program in which students and their families become part of an advisory “family” made up of kids in all three grades, which gives both students and parents a home base of knowledge and support; Project Week, which lets kids create a self-directed project they can pursue in depth during a week off of regular school on any subject that interests them, be it an internship, a research project, a trip, an artistic project, or more; classes that emphasize global perspective, Socratic discussions, and creative projects that require more intense contemplation instead of rote memorization; the interesting multi-building campus in the heart of the city, which offers lots of opportunity for easily engaging in field trips and experiences in all the resources centered there; the remarkably sensitive and devoted administration headed up by Ryan Phillips, who is the most gifted middle school principal I’ve ever seen – he communicates well with both children and parents, is trusted by his teachers, and takes an approach to discipline that really focuses on building connections and interactive skills, and ultimately, creating order by actively engaging the kids and equipping them with the self-consciousness and confidence to deal with their problems and challenges constructively and the communication and interpersonal skills to relate with their peers without the usual middle-school drama. I think it’s both a spectacular place to learn and a remarkable community of friendly, totally unsnobbish, interesting families and kids, of which we’re glad to be a part!