What should a high school provide?
Waterloo is a private high school in Austin, Texas (grades 9-12). It offers an innovative project-focused education that fosters deeper learning, more meaningful relationships, and lasting personal achievement.
When a school ditches the factory model, three things emerge: be personal and relational, do projects, and create a human-paced schedule that mirrors what the rest of life and work will look like.
Personal achievement in meaningful relationships
Waterloo is ‘student-centered’ in design— around personal growth and healthy relationships—with each other, the world, learning itself, and God.
Who we are and who we become is more important (and more important to our future success) than how we perform on tests.
The Waterloo learning experience is grounded in close, meaningful relationships with mentors, peers, and our neighbors in Austin.
And it starts with seeing each student as unique, with particular God-given gifts meant to be used for individual growth and for the world.
Project based learning
We learn by doing and the real test of learning is if you can do something with what you learned—teach others, create something new, solve complex problems…
Our courses lead to student-designed projects that demonstrate real learning. They allow discovering and following passions and interests across the curriculum. And it allows working toward credits in multiple subjects—psychology with biology, civics with history, film-making with English—through a single project.
Limited only by what isn’t connected in our world! (and that’s very little…) Because we give you the standards, and set you free… to discover and create.
A schedule designed for deeper learning
To give time and space for focus, depth, and relationships, students only take two courses at a time (not 6, 7, or 8!)
Each course lasts for only a trimester.
Classes meet in large blocks of time, four days a week. The school day starts at 9 A.M.
Friday is left open for the important things that don’t fit in the school day extras—tutoring, catch up, independent projects, internships, expeditions, and community service and engagement. This still gives us 20% more learning time for each course—deeper and longer!
Fully Accredited Private High School
Waterloo is officially accredited by the Texas Alliance of Accredited Private Schools (TAAPS).