Liberal Arts and Science Academy - Austin, Texas

Vhjbgj G. J. I. I.

Great school so far, somewhat difficult, but that's what your asking for when you come to a school which requires an application.

For anyone saying that it's a bad school, I obviously don't know what they might be going through, their intelligence level, or how they act as a person, but all the teacher's are very understanding as well as the counsellors.

Highly recommend if you want somewhat of a challenge and want a good education from well educated teachers.

If you change your mind in between, just transfer to a different school.

Good luck!

Kategorie L.

LASA is not a place that will ever be supportive of your mental health. If you ever come to an administrator with a problem, they will either try to cover it up or will dismiss it. Counselors are extremely good people, but they have no power and that is for a reason. LASA is built to look a certain (good) way, but the underbelly is one that is extremely dark. Many of the teachers are under-qualified for the subject that they are teaching, and the admin doesn't like to do anything about it. This is an incredibly toxic environment that promotes extreme competition amongst students. They are prepared to let your student fall, but never to catch them. Students cannot switch out of classes unless they are failing the class or they threaten extremely harmful actions. Students are afraid to come to staff with any requests, questions, or concerns because they are shut down so often. Bottom line, LASA isn't the place to be if you are trying to prioritize your mental health.

Brennan D.

My son is currently a junior at LASA. Yes, it's academically challenging and was just voted #8 in the country by US News & World Report. Sure there is some busy work and assignments on subjects that won't be used later in life but all of us had to go through that to make us a more well rounded person. From my observation, the students are smart, creative and harmless. The teachers are engaged and have the latitude to teach the way they want and stretch the boundaries of typical curricula. The counselors are stellar and very eager to help all students be successful. The campus is not out of the ordinary which makes it even more remarkable--there aren't super computer labs or terrific facilities here. Just engaged students working with teachers who care. Both are given the freedom to do their best work. I recommend the school to everyone.

Update: I wrote the previous text 7 years ago. My daughter is now a senior at LASA and the school has moved to a new campus in east Austin. As other reviews here will attest, this school isn't for everyone. It's difficult and challenging with opportunities to struggle and face adversity, albeit in a safe environment, which can be character building when there is a safety net. My son graduated LASA in 2016 and went to a state university said that LASA was in many respects tougher than his college curricula. If your student is a deep into his/her studies, then LASA may be a great fit.

Raptor S.

I graduated from LASA and I'm going to be extremely honest in this review. The teachers are great and I really enjoyed the classes since they were challenging.

However, there are three things that people should know before going here: 1. If you are not a science or math person, then this is not the place for you. 2. The student body is not very sociable and it can be a lonely experience; this is particularly true if you are not into science or math. 3. Even if you are a smart and hard working student, it will be extremely difficult to get into the top ten percent. The effort you put forth to be highly ranked is not worth it.

Overall, I believe that LASA provided me a good education and prepared me for college. However, universities don't care about how challenging your high school is, they only care about your class rank, grades, and extra curricular activities. Consequently, I would recommend anyone thinking about going to LASA to just go to an easier school where you can get great grades without as much work.

Be a big fish in a small pond instead of a medium sized fish in a large pond.

Sage L.

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.

Esin S.

please if you have a choice i beg that you do not go to this school. You are probably thinking that I am just being dramatic but i swear i am not. I have been here for 1 month and i want to jump off a bridge. PLEASE RUN FAR AWAY FROM THIS SCHOOL IT IS THE MOST MISERABLE EXPERIENCE OF YOUR LIFE!

Isabela G.

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.)

Conrad F.

Students who go here tend to be more competitive and arrogant. Makes sense when it has been ranked the 14th best high school in the nation.