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July 2020 by Sam W.
We enrolled our son in the PP4 class last fall and we will be continuing with Kindergarten. Magellan has been a fantastic decision for our family. Not only is the Spanish immersion program real and rigorous, but the educators are extremely caring and attentive to each child's learning style. We've been amazed how quickly our son has picked up initial Spanish-language concepts even though we are not fluent speakers at home. Though COVID-19 dramatically shifted the teaching and learning landscape for everyone last March, Magellan really never flinched. Within a few days we had the first week's lessons plans, which included online and at-home learning modules, and everything was well thought through and professional. Overall, we feel that the crisis was extremely well handled. The commitment they have shown to the kids' learning and continued development has been amazing.
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June 2020 by Vince C.
We started looking at Magellan when our son was 2 (their pre-school entry age is 3). We were pretty hooked from that initial info session; we started him there in Kinder and our appreciation for the school has only increased since then. While our experience with Magellan was outstanding for the 2.5+ years our son attended prior to the COVID-19 crisis, the pandemic has only served to increase our love of the school. Starting weeks before any government-mandated action, the administrative staff was communicating with parents regarding the school's response to the evolving situation, and when we had to transition to at-home learning in mid-March, the staff seemingly worked around the clock to pull off an incredibly smooth and effective transition. While the distance learning model will never be equivalent to the at-school model (especially for a 2nd grader), we were impressed by Magellan's responsiveness and blown away by how effective the Magellan staff managed to make things in such a short time. While the positives overwhelmingly outweigh any negatives for us, there are a couple criteria on which Magellan could improve: - The facility includes all the essentials, but it was not originally built as a school. It would be nice to have a dedicated indoor gym, an assembly area, and a lunch area. They have a good amount of outdoor activity area including a small field (about futsal size), a covered sport court, and a largely shaded playground. They have an indoor multi-purpose area they use for gym in bad weather, assemblies, and lunch, but it is fairly lacking as a gym. - They offer some sports starting in middle school, but probably not as many as larger schools. They offer a number of sports as extra-cost after school activities so your kid can get some experience (for a cost), but these typically don't play games against other schools. Finally, this is not a judgment call but something to keep in mind: Magellan is a Spanish immersion school, and they add part-time Mandarin to the language mix starting in 3rd grade. This means if your kid is not already bilingual, it's probably not going to be possible to start him or her there after first grade; the bulk of the instruction is in Spanish, and my impression is that a kid entering this environment without a significant Spanish background after 1st grade would struggle. I'm sure the school must have a policy on this so if this would be your situation, check with them to see what it is. Also I'm guessing that post-3rd-grade entry would be difficult even for a child fluent in Spanish, because of the Mandarin. Because of this constraint on kids who can enter, the class sizes tend to atrophy more than other schools over time; kids leave at a higher rate than they enter. The school seems to have hit a sustainable "pipeline" to keep it going indefinitely through 8th grade. This entire topic is not a concern for us since our kid started in Kinder, just something some folks may be interested in considering.
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June 2020 by Emily D.
During Covid homeschooling, my husband and I kept saying, "We are so thankful our kids are at Magellan!" While several of our friends were complaining about their homeschooling experiences, we only had positive things to say about Magellan. It was incredible. It felt as if the school didn't skip a beat. Magellan created a smart, user friendly online, multilingual experience for my preschooler and 4th grader. Our kids were able to continue learning the material they would have learned in person, including completing a big end of year project. You know your kids are at a great school when they choose to put on their school uniform every day of homeschooling, and they opt to play school during the summer to relive Magellan memories. We love Magellan!
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June 2020 by Heather P.
We love Magellan! This is our 4th year at Magellan and our boys just finished kindergarten and 2nd grade there. While we have always loved the school and the community there, our recent experience with the online learning during the stay at home order this past semester was absolutely outstanding. The school was so quick to adapt and to provide hours of activities, classes and extra practice for both grade levels on a daily basis. They even kept up with their PE, library, art and music programs! Every single staff member and teacher was available for both kids and parents. We are so fortunate our kids have such a talented team of educators whose enthusiasm is so contagious! They came up with so many creative ways to review material, learn new things, and just have fun, and all of this was for lower elementary students who had never spent time on a computer before. It was amazing and was a guiding light for our kids throughout the situation and an incredible help to our family trying to balance everything during these uncertain times. We love Magellan and we cant wait to start again next semester!
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May 2019 by Caroline R.
We've been at Magellan for 7 years. The Spanish immersion experience has been incredible (my husband and I do not speak any Spanish and both of our children are now fluent) and the core curriculum is rigorous. We've also been very impressed by the diversity of the student body, the public speaking component of the IB program and the Singapore math program.
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May 2019 by paige t.
Best. School. Ever. MIS covers everything I want for my child. Except High School. If you have interest in progressing education, Dual/Tri Language education, this is the school you want your child to attend. hands down. We've attended schools in three states and this one is the very best i've come across in my research of the USA.
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May 2019 by Lori S.
My son has attended Magellan since the age of three years old-- he is now in second and we have already registered him for third grade. Hands down, my husband and I feel it is best decision we have made for his education. Although it can be a bit pricey, we have felt that it has been worth every dollar. He is growing up to be a well spoken, well thought, caring little human. I love that he is bilingual, but I really love his open minded views and his eagerness to learn. The teachers... the teachers have all been so amazing. They are loving, caring and really take each student's personalities and abilities into consideration as they grow from year to year. As I said, it's not the cheapest option and we do discuss yearly if we will be renewing his tuition-- and, with each year this answer comes easier and easier with an astounding "YES". We love the school, the community, the parents and look forward to many more years at Magellan!
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May 2019 by Indra G.
Both of my sons have been students at Magellan since 2014. We are very happy with the unique environment catered to exploration and innovation that can only be created with the ingredients that the school has cultivated. Without the private school feel. Openness, curiosity, IB curriculum, spanish immersion, enablement, confidence, inclusion and many more. We are very happy with our experience and access to leadership that it is a very unique approach to learning in today's competitive world.
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May 2019 by Priscila D.
This school is really wonderful!! We couldn't be happier with our son's development and how much he learned!
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April 2019 by Stacy D.
My twins started Kindergarten at Magellan and I can't say enough good things about this school. Spanish was new to them so I was concerned on how they would adjust. Especially being in seperate classes. It only took a couple of weeks and now they love it and are excited to go to school. They are actually teaching me Spanish! The teachers and staff are absolutely amazing and work hard to make sure each child is successful.
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March 2019 by Maryangel M.
I've been working at Magellan International School full-time for more than 6 years Pros I love the school's vision. As Teachers, we have the freedom to choose curriculum which we regularly review to seek out any improvement that will benefit the students. The environment is amazing, we teachers work extremley hard and we dedicate extra time to grow and improve our practices. At MIS we work as a team and we always exceed expectations. Now, with our new head of the school, our voices are heard. We regularly hold professional trainings that fit our needs. Cons Years ago we were trained in different courses of the IB program, now most of the trainings are internal. Despite the fact that these trainings are very helpful, I would like to have trainings by IB personnel who come from other schools and give us the appropriate certification.
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February 2019 by Drew B.
Our daughter has been at Magellan for 6 years. We live right next to a very strong public school, but we feel Magellan is just that much better to be worth a daily trip and the cost. I am a strong believer in the IB program and the immersive language. I am always pleased to see the integration of arts and music with what they are learning in their unit of inquiry. I love to see the regular presentations the students do - and they do it confidently in Spanish as much as English. I wish I had done as many presentations at my daughter's age! The students are encouraged and supported to bring in relevant content of interest and to present that to their classmates. That is the type of rich learning environment we want for our daughter. Magellan provides that!
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January 2019 by Cristina Y.
Great environment with native Spanish speaking teachers and also with the new administration the students and teachers seem more happy. Plus the IB curriculum and all the values they offer is the best Spanish immersion school in Austin. The teachers are always very passionate about the learning process each child acquire.
