Education has always been a central concern for Austin Texas residents but that could be because the city’s such an educated town. With scores of national accolades and strong community support Austin’s a win-win proposition for education.
Forbes has designated Austin Texas as one of the U.S.’s biggest “brain magnet” cities – the result of the magazine’s analysis of the 50 largest metropolitan areas and ranking them by gains in those with college educations compared to the population over 25 years of age between 2007 and 2009. Austin TX was one of the top cities with gains scoring high marks all around.
CNN Money has named Austin sixth in its America’s Smartest Cities (2010) list and Kiplinger’s Personal Finance included University of Texas at Austin on its 2011 list as one of the “best values in public education.” And the Austin Independent School District outperformed many of the nation’s schools in science according to results of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) – where Austin ISD fourth and eighth-graders did better in science than other urban districts across the nation.
We’ve also been recognized as one of the country’s “top five intellectual capitals” and we’ve been ranked among the top five cities in Forbes annual “Best Place for Business and Careers” listing for the last several years in part because of a highly educated workforce.
Growth education and community support
It’s not surprising that the city’s growth in recent years has had a considerable impact on education. School districts have doubled in size to accommodate more students with residents consistently approving bond packages in Austin and surrounding communities to renovate and build new schools.
The business community is also committed to education with alliances like Austin Partners in Education (www.austinpartners.org) – a collaboration between the Austin Independent School District and the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce in which business community partners are matched with schools or districts providing volunteer services in-kind contributions or cash donations. A nonprofit organization the group offers schools support with technology and other necessary resources.
Other partnerships include the Skillpoint Alliance (www.skillpointalliance.org) – a program that promotes workforce development in such in-demand industries as technology (especially semiconductor information technology and digital media); healthcare; and construction.
Austin ranks high on quality of life education
No matter where you’re moving or even whether or not you have children in school education is an important consideration for anyone considering relocation. After all the quality of education in a community affects everything from resale value to neighborhood schools.
One of the many reasons people are drawn to Austin Texas is that it’s a vibrant place to be. Money magazine has consistently named Austin among its “Top 10 Best Big Cities” in its annual Best Places to Live ranking which is based on family income home price schools and job growth. And the Worldwide Employee Relocation Council and Primacy Relocation LLC have each ranked Austin tops in surveys of the country’s best large markets for relocating families – and one of the factors is great schools.
Four of the metro Austin area’s major public school systems were named among the best in the country in Expansion Management magazine’s annual “Metro Public Schools Quotient” rankings including Eanes Round Rock Austin and nearby San Marcos and 15 regional schools were honored in Newsweek’s “Top of the Class” list including those in Austin Dripping Springs Eanes Lake Travis Leander Pflugerville and Round Rock.
Austin is also tops for higher education – and area schools are just one of the reasons many people move here and decide to stay well past graduation. The American Institute for Economics Research has named Austin its number two “mid-size metro college destination.” Rankings are based on three categories; academic environment quality of life and professional opportunities. Each addresses the larger learning environment according to objective criteria.
The University of Texas’ business law and engineering schools have also been recognized among the “top 10 schools for Hispanics” by Hispanic Business magazine and the school’s Executive MBA program has been named the 12th best by the Wall Street Journal.
Education Options for everyone
No matter what your education needs – public private charter higher education or trade schools – there are a wealth of options for those who choose to make Austin their home.
The metro Austin Texas area has 29 public school districts in the surrounding five-county Central Texas MSA which include Travis Williamson Hays Bastrop and Caldwell counties. The area also offers more than 100 private schools that serve students from kindergarten through 12th grade; plus 17 charter schools 8 top-ranked colleges and universities – including the 50000-student University of Texas St. Edward’s University Huston-Tillotson University Southwestern University Texas State University and others; and numerous trade and specialty schools.
We’ve included a list of the metro Austin area’s largest school districts largest private schools representative charter schools a roundup of area colleges and universities and a listing of top area trade technical and specialty schools as well. Browse through the Austin Relocation Guide’s Education section for a listing of schools rankings and much more.
