Liberal Arts and Science Academy, Austin | Fees, Rankings, Address, Admission, Vacancies, Reviews & More

Let’s be clear here. I am a very good student. Straight A’s, even at LASA.
I came to LASA expecting a challenge. Did I get it? HELL no.
What I got instead was hours upon hours of pointless busy work. Not intellectually stimulating at all, not even challenging or interesting. I sit behind a desk for nine hours a day already, but then I come home and I get three+ hours of absolutely worthless assignments to do, all miraculously due on the same day.
So yeah, LASA’s stressful. Not in the academic, workable, “oh-God-this-is-so-hard” type of way, in the “two-hours-of-sleep-when-your-partner-decides-not-to-do-their- portion-of-your-project” type of way. Personal experience. And no, it is not an exaggeration.
The people? There are some good ones, but most of the students are very stuck up and pretentious. “LASA’s the best school! We’re better than [Buoy, Austin High, MacCallum, etcetera]!” “I was the smartest at my elementary school, so I came to LASA!” “I HAD to come to LASA because I needed the challenge!”
You do not need to be particularly smart to get into LASA. You really don’t. I came from Kealing and I really did think that LASA would have a lot less slackers than Kealing simply because the application process was a second filter, so to speak, but I was wrong. Most of my partners for projects have completely abandoned me to do entire projects on my own. It seems like they’ll let in anyone who sounds smart enough on their entrance essay. I wish there was a way for them to do a little background research, because a lot of the students don’t seem up to par.
Teacher-wise, I really have no idea how “the best school in Austin” got such a group of duds. I seriously couldn’t find worse teachers if I tried. I think the only reason they haven’t been fired yet is tenure–most of them cannot teach. At all. I’m not kidding. Half of the time they use tests from other teachers and therefore entire classes will flunk simply because they haven’t been taught the material. Other teachers are just so worn out on teaching that they don’t even try to make subjects interesting. I legitimately have never been more bored in my life than I have been at LASA during my 4th consecutive lifeless lecture of the day.

The positives? If you really have nothing better to do with your time, LASA will keep you busy. You’ll find a lot of ~*~quirky, intelligent, and unique~*~ special snowflakes to keep you company as long as you don’t mind them yelling constantly about Doctor Who, BBC Sherlock, and how nerdy they are. Ezine and SciTech were legitimately good classes, if not a little stressful (WHOA! I enjoyed something at LASA). It’s a great school to go to if you really want to sound smart and impressive to other people, but aren’t actually all that smart or impressive.

If you’re looking for a stimulating school that will challenge you/your child, inspire interest and a drive to learn within your/their cute adorable little noggin, LASA really isn’t it.

(Please note that the name used on this account is not my actual name. I would really be upset if any harm befell my aquaintence at the hands of any disgruntled aforementioned pretentious snowflakes.)

I saw some not-so-stellar reviews and was a little shocked – I didn’t realize some people had such negatively strong feelings against LASA.
LASA makes me feel at home. I can walk through the doors in the morning knowing that my crew of close friends will be waiting for me in the orchestra room, where we hang out until school starts. On my way there, I see groups of friends talking and going over homework while sitting in the same places they sit everyday. Despite this formation of “cliques,” we all have friends with different interests, so I never feel left out.
The teachers are understanding and (usually?) try their hardest to make sure each student is accommodated. They all offer office hours and most have comprehensive websites, so if you miss something, there’s always a chance for you to go make it up. (Note to that person who said all the teachers are duds: that’s definitely not what most of us think.)
LASA is hard, and that’s a fact. The curriculum pushes students to challenge and think for themselves. College-level material is a given. Nobody gets the healthy amount of sleep teenagers should be getting, but then again – nobody cares because *grades*. The signature classes for freshmen and sophomores are unique, engaging, and really fun. They allow students to explore areas of study and work that usually aren’t emphasized in normal schools.
The counselors are amazing. They care about the students and make sure everyone’s doing well and coping well with stress of all kinds, and try to get everyone to sleep enough. I had an issue with my parents being too overbearing about my grades, but the issue was quickly resolved when I went to consult with a counselor. They know what they’re doing.
The atmosphere at school is great. Everyone is usually so welcoming. There are so many different clubs to cater to everyone’s diverse tastes. LGBT+ students are encouraged and supported. Everyone bonds through school spirit and the general nerdiness of everyone.
I didn’t mean for this review to get so long oops ^^; But I just wanted to encourage anyone to try to come to LASA (after seeing someone discouraging it instead). It really is a great school and deserves its high rankings both in the state and in the nation.