Kealing Middle School

I go to Kealing. I love Kealing! yes, it is hard and challenging but you meet so many new people from different parts of Austin. You really gain individuality there. And as a student, at first I really did not want to go there, but now I'm glad I did. There are some really great teachers, and its a really good learning environment.

Kealing is a great school, you learn a lot and if you are having trouble with the school work the teachers will help you with it. The CAP kids are a bad influence on some students, whhat with their cursing every 5 seconds, and showing little or no respect for the students around them. But I have found Kealing to be a great experiance.
—Submitted by a student

My child is GT-labeled, and needs that label -- she skipped a grade without blinking an eye. 'Differentiation in the classroom' doesn't get her much when she's a different of 1 -- what classroom teacher can do that? Kealing Magnet has been a godsend - she's now figured out what 'work' means, she's discovering that she can not-know things & then learn them... all the things most parents take for granted in their kids. However, if your kid is not so bored in elementary school that they're causing trouble, Kealing Magnet MAY NOT BE FOR YOU. I have another child in pre-AP at another Austin middle school. She is thriving there... but Kealing would /not/ work for her at all. I **love** how Kealing Magnet works for Gifted & Talented students.
—Submitted by a parent

The academics in the magnet program are great however the question for us is this school worth the hassle and burden on our child? 1) In my opinion we have found the discipline to be a bit militaristic. I like having consequences but I believe this school's seem to punish more than teach. 2)My son spends 3-5 hours on homework that at times consists of busy work that leaves little time for him to read for fun. 3)We find there is little feedback--one of his teachers didn't post homework grades until the end of grading period so he was in the dark as to how he was doing. 4)Tutoring sessions are so crowded my son complained that it was hard to get help. I witnessed this when I went to a teacher conference. It was scheduled during a tutoring session. We are looking at other schools with pre-ap courses next year.
—Submitted by a parent

Kealing has been a very good experience for my children. Notice that I didn't say an easy or problem less experience. Yes, the expectation is set very high. Coming home one day my daughter told me that she finally felt that she deserved the A's she had made that semester. Know your kid and be realistic in terms of expectations. My son sometimes had difficulties there but reflects back on how much he gained from the experience. The academics are top notch and the orchestra is amazing.
—Submitted by a parent

My child is in the Magnet program. He has gone from being a bright, happy child to a child that is burdened and depressed by an oppressive amount of homework, and most of his friends feel the same way ~ many of us are looking at other schools. The teachers move very fast in class and refer students to tutoring and count on that and homework ~ this is how the kids are able to learn so much, so quickly. But there is a price. My child has gone from loving school, to thinking that his school is cool, but is saddened by how unhappy he is there. If you know of another good school, near you, consider it. This may not be as good of a deal as you think it will be.
—Submitted by a parent

Kealing is coolest school around. They really help kids acheive their goals.
—Submitted by a student

My Child Is in the 8th grade at kealing in the MAGNET program. He says he loves it.Once i visited there one day and saw the diversity and large amount of programs and clubs kealing has to offer. My son was in the CAP program in the 6th grade and told me it was too much of a breeze. I quickly had a meeting with the magnet director and in doing such found that there was a spot open. My child says that the assignments are not easy but are not impossibleto do. If your child was in the Kealing Magnet Program, Pre-Ap, or CAP he/she would love it not only because of the ground breaking academics but also because of the loving and friendly teachers and students that are there!
—Submitted by a parent

The teachers are great. They even stay after hours to help the children achieve.
—Submitted by a parent

While some of the magnet kids can be snotty, the rest of us are perfectly fine. And those that are snotty tend to be rude to everyone, not just CAP students. The teachers are incredible, though the draconian discipline is somewhat extreme.
—Submitted by a student

Kealing is a great school with a diverse student body and excellent teachers. It's an awesome place to teach and learn.
—Submitted by a parent

Though academically, the school is easily exemplary,(I speak only for the magnet program, for the CAP system is one I have not experienced) I feel that in the classes as well as the hallways, magnet students have a tendecy to look down on Cap students. Parents, please sit down and have a talk with your child not to judge Cap students. Despite the numerous negative encounters that have occured whose validity I do not dispute, all children who live in the neighborhood are not neccarily to be viewed with hatred, and reading Malcon X and other stories about prejudice is useless if the magnet students consider a plausible interpritation of a CAP student to be speaking with an African American accent. The teachers are fantastic and encouraging, and the assignments are original and interesting.
—Submitted by a student

This school is just like any other middle school. Unless you are in the Magnet Program, there's really nothing special about it. I was a little late to enroll last year, because I had moved to Austin less than a month before school started. I had the grades and perseverance to be eligible for the Magnet Program, but they would not allow me access. This ended up with me not having the best experience. The Magnet kids seem to be a bit snotty towards the other kids anyway, and there is a HUGE segregation. The Magnet kids are like the elite, because they are supposedly smarter and 'better'...the acceptance into th program has gone to some of their heads and caused many of them to be very pretentious. I wanted to be in the Magnet program so I could be challenged. but it seems that it would be a bad choice.
—Submitted by a student

Regarding the Kealing Magnet Program -- this program is a wonderfully advanced program for bright kids, but be warned that your child must approach it with discipline. While these teachers are wonderful and the curriculum is very superior to what is offered in the regular public program, these teachers WILL NOT coddle your child. It is up to the child to stay on top of assignments, due dates, etc. and if he/she falls behind because of lack of discipline, it is a rare teacher who will help. All teachers will offer tutoring, but if your child doesn't develop the discipline and fix his/her issue, then they will be out, with out even a polite good by. I am not trying to discourage anyone from applying or attending Kealing Magnet. I just want to warn that if you have bright children that tend to 'get by on brains', ain t gonna happen here.
—Submitted by a parent

Kealing is an excellent school with curriculum as well as entertainment. This is a really good reccomended school.
—Submitted by a student

My child just completed 6th grade in the Kealing Magnet Program. I cannot say how glad I am that we made the decision to come here! My son is gifted and has ADHD (inattentive type) and I thought the organizational requirements and the homework load would be too much...especially after reading some of these reviews!!! Yes, he struggled with organization, but the teachers were understanding and helpful throughout the process. The homework load was no more than the elementary school that he came from - they were just longer term projects that required planning. That's a foriegn concept to most preteens! However, he's learned a great deal, matured tremendously - loves school, and cannot wait to start 7th grade. The bad ...the lunch periods are run like a concentration camp because so many students are cramped in one space and theft is a big problem. Bad language and behavior are rampant.
—Submitted by a parent

I am a current 8th grade student at Kealing. I think that by far this is the best Middle School in Austin. I have shadowed at other schools, but no others include the vast amount of creative and unique electives that Kealing has to offer. Kealing also has amazing core classes that don't use standard methods of teaching. I have never gotton a work sheet in any core class. Instead we focus on making posters and creating fun skits that help us learn. I have really enjoyed my Kealing experience.
—Submitted by a student

Kealing Magnet MS has been an amazing experience of fun & learning. The homework load is tough, which is essential when preparing a student for high school, and better, college. Come here if you are hard-working, focused, and have a love for learning. If you procrastinate and do so only do so much just to get by, don't even send in your application. This school is for the best of the best, and I am exceptionally impressed with the amount that I have learned in my last year of Kealing Magnet MS. The teachers are ALWAYS enthusiastic and ready to jump to their feet to teacher. I have never been more inspired by school teachers as I have at this school. Kealing holds multiple showcases, so come to one of them to learn more about the brilliant life of a Kealing Magnet student. Remember, the best of the best is here.
—Submitted by a student

i go to this school i am in the 6th grade and i love it there at kealing it is a great school more kids should come here.
—Submitted by a student

I can't speak for the Comprehensive Academic Program (CAP), but you can be assured that the Magnet Program is top notch. It's like Stuyvesant for middle-schoolers. Beware though; this is an exceptional school, suited soley for exceptional students! I'm currently a seventh grader. My electives last year and this year are as follows: robotics, genetics, psychology, Citizen Kealing (public speaking/debate), Latin, Science Olympiad (hands-on advanced physics), heroes and monsters, and art. Plus I'll have three more new ones next semester, the second half of seventh grade... Federally, Algebra in 9th grade, but at Kealing more than 1/2 of 7th graders are in Algebra, and two 8th graders in Pre-Cal (norm. Senior in HS). This descrimination stuff is rediculous, CAPs can take Mag electives, they usually just choose not to. They can't take Core classes with Mags because extensive testing showed they couldn't keep up. No point in holding back the students who care...
—Submitted by a student