Based on my experience and observations, downtown does not have many families with teenagers, however we have lots of families with infants and toddlers. Many downtown Austin residents are making important decisions about their children’s education.
Fortunately, downtown feeds into one of the City’s best schools, an exemplary school: Mathews Elementary. Built in 1916, and located on West Lynn, the current boundaries for feeding students includes the UT graduate student housing on Lake Austin Blvd. This is the primary reason for Mathews’ diversity of cultures and backgrounds.
Right now Mathews only serves a dozen or so students from the downtown core. But, it’s just a matter of 2-4 years before a wave of downtown toddlers enter the AISD school system. Downtown Austin families with infants, that have moved here in the past few years, can sleep well knowing that [by good fortune] their children will have access to an exemplary elementary school.
I thought some kids from downtown would go to Pease. But I just checked Nokonah (4 blocks away), Spring and even Shore and they are all Matthews. Anyone know why Pease isn’t the choice?
https://access.austinisd.org/school_boundaries/index.php
Pease isn’t a normal elementary. It’s an all-transfer school.
In order to attend Pease, parents must wait in line at AISD each February for a chance to get their kid transferred in. Therefor, right off the bat the level of parental involvement makes it such a great school. That, and the fact that it’s landlocked, so they can’t overcrowd it with 1000 kids and portable buildings. Attendance is the same now as it was 50 years ago.
So, if you live downtown and you’d like your child to attend Pease, you will need to get in line. I recommend it!
I am an admirer of Pease Elementary. They have a great story. I wish that we could afford for all of our elementary schools to be 250–400 in enrollment. Pease is a great school just like Mathews, and one of the really cool things about AISD is that parents can pursue transfer options.
Part of our Downtown Austin/Mathews Elementary “evangelism” is making sure that downtown residents know that their default elementary school is exemplary: There is no standing in line to be part of something special. It is automatic, and that is good for downtown parents, downtown property values, and a live-work-play urban core.
I think it unlikely many kids will go to Mathews from downtown – how many of those condos are suitable for larger kids (or more than one kid) given that the 3 BR pricepoint was typically closer to 7 figures? (big part of the reason we had to move out of Mathews’ district ourselves was that the older stock of units around there has reasonably priced 1 and 2BRs, but as soon as you tried to look at 3BR condos, it was almost all luxury stuff).
I don’t have children, so I won’t try to argue the point of “suitability”. There are couples that moved into downtown (without kids) and paid X. Now they have children under 2-3 years old and don’t want to sell their residence at 80% of X. That’s one theory, at least.
New Urbanists recognize that you don’t need 750 ft for every life in the house. Kids can share rooms up to a certain age.
I think we’re on the cusp of a trend and can’t wait to see the 2010 census results. 🙂
You’ve got that right, Jude. We do not need 750 sq ft for every warm body in the house anymore. Smaller is better, location is where it at.
Sorry, reposting logged in so it doesn’t have to be moderated.
2 adults + 1 small kid in small 2BR space = wonderful.
2 adults + 1 big kid in small 2BR space = not as wonderful, but we did it for a couple more years.
2 adults + 1 big kid + 1 baby in small 2BR space = not gonna work, especiall y with dog on tap and maybe 2nd kid.
Now, 2 adults + 1 big kid, 1 medium kid, 1 baby, 1 dog in 1250 square feet (200 more ythan condo in Clarksville but garage storage helps big-time); and I wager I have less square footage per human body than the other commenters in this thread.
In short: don’t assume.
Thanks for posting this, Jude!
As a parent at Mathews, I am really excited about that school. While our international diversity comes from the graduate student housing, about 1/3rd of the school are transfer kids from all backgrounds. It is a really neat place.
If any of your clients need to talk to a parent about Mathews, feel free to give me a call!