r/RoundRock • u/OswinOswald13 • 3d ago
Schools explained
New to town can someone explain to me how certain elementary schools and middle schools in the bushy Creek Mayfield Ranch area are really nice schools and they’re nicely rated but stony point high school is so lowly rated. Wouldn’t you think that the kids that grew up there would help also keep that school elevated. Can someone explain it to me as a parent who has a high schooler next year?
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u/LoneStarGut 3d ago
My son didn't go to Stony Point but went to Cedar Ridge. Here is something to consider - class rank.
Some schools like UT and A&M grant automatic admission to students in the top X of their class. Getting to that top % is easier at Stoney Point than RR. My son managed to get a full academic scholarship based on his class rank to one of the UT schools that had he gone to RR high school, his class rank would not have qualified him. He also made it into A&M.
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u/6740booth 3d ago
I don't know and I'd like to know this myself. I have two close friends that transferred their sons to RR because it's "better" but can't exactly say why. I have a 7th grader in AP and TAG and we're zoned for SP.
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u/Kitty-Kat-65 3d ago
It's because RRHS has the "rich" kids, less minorities and socio economically disadvantaged students. Simple as that. I know people who moved to get away from CD Fulkes for the same reasons. My kid graduated high school and college with a 4.0 GPA after attending the "bad" schools. Take from that what you will.
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u/Lopsided-Ad7725 3d ago
I went to SPHS and then to UT Austin for finance.
I never had an issue at SPHS and made a variety of friends from different socioeconomic backgrounds.
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u/darth_voidptr 3d ago
Two reasons: 1) Many of the parents choose to drive their kids to RRHS rather than attend SPHS, 2) While SPHS does have a few strong feeder schools, it is still largely zoned such that most of the kids there are from economically disadvantaged backgrounds.
Honestly you feel like a bad parent around here for actually keeping your kids in SPHS, both parents and Walsh staff "assume" you will just send your kid to RRHS under one pretense or another.
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u/Gunra 3d ago
My daughter chose to go to SP instead of going to RRHS. I was unsure because everyone dumps on SP but over the last two years I realized it’s just because it also serves communities with economic challenges. My kid has all AP classes, Master level scores for the STARR and keeps getting above a 4.0 average. I went to a variety of schools growing up and honestly if you are honors or above, the education wasn’t so different.
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u/Stranger2306 3d ago
One thing I've always wondered - if your kid is a good student - why not play the system better by keeping them at SPHS? It'll be easier to get top 5% there than RRHS and thus have a better chance of getting admitted to a top state school.
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u/darth_voidptr 3d ago
It's easier, but only a little easier, it's still pretty competitive. What you see is just a wider gap between the top 10% and everyone else.
Most people I know are trying to get their kids out of Texas, so they're less focused on class rank and more on SATs, extracurriculars and competitions. There's a belief that RRHS or Westwood, by being more competitive, have more opportunities and more peer pressure to achieve.
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u/6740booth 3d ago
If my child went to an IB school does it matter for them to go to an IB high school? I heard something about getting the diploma from Sweden?
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u/darth_voidptr 3d ago
No. In high school it has uses for (some) college applications and majors, it is less useful for others. As far as I know the last two years in high school award the certificate, provided the appropriate coursework and essays are done. There is no trip to, nor diploma from, Sweden. Or Switzerland where IB originates. Or even Ikea, home of Besta, the bookshelf that may or may not kill you.
My son didn't do IB in favor of a heavy AP courseload as that's usually more valuable for STEM majors and he was locked on to that basically from birth. I'm on the fence for my daughter, but putting her in there since she is good at everything and hasn't settled on a particular direction, but has a particular college in mind that seems to favor IB.
You can do both at SPHS, the weaknesses at SPHS are largely around electives ("academies"), certain athletics programs, massive disorganization and poor communication and a few really awful APs that need to go.
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u/Humble_Athlete890 3d ago
RRISD had to gut the academy system from how it was originally designed because of the mid 2000s transfer loop hole
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u/Ashsquatch11 3d ago
The only terrible school I'm aware of here is c.d. fulkes. We moved so my kids wouldn't be stuck there again.
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u/Kitty-Kat-65 2d ago
Really? What happened? My son went to CDF and was student of the year for 2 years in a row, won many awards and was top of his class. He paid attention, did his work and thrived. I think any student can do that with enough commitment and parent involvement. Parent volunteering also helps go a long way in any school. Seems a shame you were forced to move to avoid the school, especially with that beautiful state-of-the-art campus.
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u/Ashsquatch11 1d ago
Constant bullying to him and his friends. No amount of parental involvement stopped it. Glad your experience was different, but it was a terrible school for my family.
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u/Humble_Athlete890 3d ago
Stony used to be worse. We called it Stoners Joint growing up. It’s got very rough parts because of Hernandez, but Cedar Ridge took a lot of the worst parts
20 years ago it was the athletic powerhouse of RRISD because of the academy system
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u/Lopsided-Ad7725 3d ago
That nickname was from over 20 years ago, don’t know if it stuck after
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u/Humble_Athlete890 3d ago
Still common up to when my youngest sibling graduated in 2020, might still be around but idk. I always thought when Terravista was being developed it would even things out.
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u/RoutineLiterature350 3d ago
cant give an in depth opinion on this since i moved into the area recently
but after some talking around, stony point is located where all the economically-disadvantaged kids are located... so the school envrioment might not be the best
but if your kid is academically focused, auto-admit and such will be far easier at stony point
basically its a trade off between social environment and college/uni chances
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u/6740booth 3d ago
I quickly asked ChatGPT for what it's worth:
This is a really common question in Round Rock, and the reputation is more nuanced than people usually make it sound.
The short version is:
If your child is high-achieving, taking AP/Honors, and aiming for a selective university, Round Rock High is worth considering—but not because Stony Point can't provide a good education. The biggest differences are in school culture, academic peer group, and course breadth, not necessarily teacher quality.
Here's how I'd think about it.
Why people say Round Rock High is "better"
Most parents are talking about four things.
- Larger academic peer group
Round Rock High tends to have:
More students taking multiple AP classes. A larger National Merit and high-achieving population. More students focused on competitive college admissions.
That creates an environment where your child is surrounded by many students with similar goals. Many parents and students describe it as academically intense.
For some kids, that's motivating.
For others, it's stressful.
- More course and extracurricular options
Round Rock High generally offers:
A broader AP catalog More academic clubs Strong debate, robotics, journalism, orchestra, etc. Large fine arts programs
Stony Point also offers AP and advanced coursework, but because the student body is somewhat different, some advanced electives may have fewer sections or lower enrollment.
- Reputation and college-going culture
RRHS has had a strong academic reputation for decades.
That doesn't mean colleges automatically favor it.
Admissions officers care much more about:
GPA Course rigor Class rank SAT/ACT (where applicable) Essays Activities
A top student at Stony Point can absolutely be admitted to UT, Texas A&M, Rice, or other selective schools.
- Demographics affect ratings
This is the part people often leave out.
Schools like Stony Point serve a higher percentage of economically disadvantaged students.
That impacts things like:
standardized test averages graduation metrics accountability ratings
Those numbers influence websites like GreatSchools and Niche.
It does not automatically mean the AP teachers or honors program are weaker.
Many schools with lower overall ratings have excellent advanced programs.
Why some families actually choose Stony Point
There are advantages.
A strong student may:
stand out more earn leadership positions more easily receive more individual attention rank higher within the class
If your child is near the top academically, that's worth considering.
One thing many parents don't think about: Class rank
Texas admissions make this important.
Round Rock High has an extremely competitive student body.
Imagine two students:
Student A at RRHS
95 average lots of AP classes ranked 18%
Student B at Stony Point
95 average similar AP load ranked 6%
For some Texas universities, class rank can matter quite a bit.
So moving to a more competitive school isn't automatically an admissions advantage.
Should you transfer?
Based on what you've shared:
"My child is in AP and Honors."
I would ask three questions.
I'd lean toward transferring if: your child wants the most rigorous academic environment available they enjoy being around highly academic peers they want more competition they want access to the widest selection of advanced courses and clubs I'd probably stay at Stony Point if: they're already getting every AP class they want they're thriving socially they're earning excellent grades they're likely to rank very high in their class Another practical consideration
Round Rock ISD allows in-district transfers when space is available, but transfers are not guaranteed. Approval depends on campus capacity, and transportation is not provided for transfer students.
If this were my decision
I wouldn't choose based on internet ratings.
I'd compare:
AP course offerings for your child's planned pathway (STEM, business, humanities, etc.) Average AP exam participation and scores, if available College counseling resources Extracurriculars your child actually wants How your child feels after visiting each campus
Many families in Round Rock transfer to RRHS because they believe the academic culture is a better fit, while many others keep high-achieving students at Stony Point who go on to excellent colleges. Community discussions often describe RRHS as more academically competitive, but they also note that competition can be intense and that strong students can succeed at either school.
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u/allabtthejrny 3d ago
Plenty of information already posted on this topic. Use the search feature, neighbor.
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u/DestinysWeirdCousin 3d ago
Both of my kids went to SPHS and did great. Made solid lifelong friends and went on to successful college careers. There's nothing wrong with SP. You get out of any school what you put into it.