Kirby Hall School, Austin | Fees, Rankings, Address, Admission, Vacancies, Reviews & More

My daughter is a second grader at Kirby Hall School-this is her third year at the school. My husband and I have been very happy with the school in many ways, and I believe many other parents feel in the same way. The instruction is solid. They have wonderful teachers who know how to facilitate the development of young learners’ academic skills. The test results show that they easily perform at least two (often three or more!) grade levels above their actual grade levels on average. The reading and math instruction is very strong, but science and social studies are really inspiring too. My daughter wants to become a scientist in the future, and she begs us to take her to see Ancient Egypt exhibitions at museums: clearly her young mind has been inspired. Additionally, Spanish language is taught from Kindergarten, PE has a lot of heath inspiring fun activities (including Yoga), and music/drama is also an important part of the curriculum. It is through and through a solid curriculum for raising well-rounded students. The graduates of the school are doing very well. My son goes to St. Stephens and he told us that students from Kirby Hall are “ten times smarter”! In fact, our neighbor’s daughter who went to Kirby Hall and then St. Stephens was a top student at St. Stephens, and currently studying Engineering at Stanford graduate school. I hear that students who stay at Kirby until they graduate high-school are doing great. For example, I heard a student got a full-ride to the University of Chicago.

We have been also happy with the non-academic aspects of the school. The student body is diverse: while the majority is white, there are many other ethnic group students, and they do not make ethnic group pockets. My daughter is a half-Asian, and she is proud of her heritage, and others respect it. She is very good friends with all girls in her class and in fact, all boys too (only 12 kids in her class). The school feels like a friendly community. I feel very at ease with other parents too, because they know us and my kid very well. The teachers have been very responsive to individual non-academic issues, from conflicts with friends, to being slow finishing homework. If you are thinking of a private school, I highly recommend Kirby Hall.

We moved from NYC to Austin a couple of years ago, and were worried about what we were going to do about schools. Even though we live in a top public school district, I wasn’t sure it was going to be the right fit for my son. After talking to a Westlake academic consultant, as well as the admissions director at another top upper level private school, both mentioned that their best students were coming out of Kirby Hall School. It turns out they don’t advertise much, because of the simple fact that they don’t have to. I called them and was immediately impressed. The principal, Helen, and the admissions director, Ann, are wonderful. They impressed me so much with their knowledge and curriculum that I pulled my son out of the school he had just started losing all of our deposits, (he’d been there a week) to move him to Kirby Hall. It was worth it. He immediately blossomed, becoming a happier, more social child; everybody noticed the transformation. But not only is Kirby Hall School warm, and welcoming, allowing students to grow into themselves, it’s also an academic powerhouse. I don’t know how they do it, something about the place is magical. My son started in PreK and by the end of that year was working in a 2nd grade math book. Kirby Hall School is beautiful, and whimsical, and perfect for smart, curious children. They make learning fun, so it becomes part of their play. I wouldn’t send my children anywhere else, and am so thankful to have found them here in Austin.