Challenger School - Round Rock

Reviews

• CN

  Chris Nall

  Aug 18, 2026
  1.0
  I particularly dislike hearing challenger school advertisements on the radio and wish they would stop advertising. I'm quite certain that the most important theme of Charlotte's Web was the beautiful friendship shared by Wilbur and Charlotte despite them being two very different animals, or types of people, instead when this commercial comes on, we get a lovely little bit of capitalist propaganda piece about how Charlotte is a better friend than Wilbur because he's not "self reliant." This is not at all in the books. Otherwise we'd have a book called "Wilbur the Lazy Pig." Another piece on the American revolution is quite funny, "Taxation without Representation." Considering that one of the colonists' complaints about the British government was that the British were actually *enforcing* treaties made with Native American tribes and not letting the colonists continue expanding into native territory, the distinction *is* in fact relevant and important. Or perhaps that some Britishmen were beginning to grumble about the slave trade being a bit too problematic for them. Before you get a bee in a bonnet, all the other so called founding fathers of the constitution found Ben Franklin and Thomas Jefferson to be a bit eccentric. Your kids don't get a better education here. Its just a lot of poorly formed capitalist propaganda that you can pay extra money for, thanks to... well.. capitalism. And since you're giving this atrocious establishment your money, I get to hear their atrocious advertisments on SoundCloud as well as local radio. Its really annoying.
• GD

  Glen DePalma

  Feb 16, 2026
  5.0
  Our son has attended this school for Pre K3 and Pre K4, and our experience has been outstanding. We have seen tremendous growth in his development, and it is clear that the curriculum and teaching approach are thoughtfully designed. People are routinely amazed at his math and reading ability for his age. He enjoys going to school and looks forward to seeing his teachers and classmates. The teachers and staff are professional, caring, and deeply invested in the students’ success. In addition, the teachers and administrative team have been exceptionally supportive and accommodating, particularly in helping us navigate some of his GI health concerns. We cannot speak to some of the other negative reviews here, but our experience has been the exact opposite. We have had a very positive experience and highly recommend this school.
• VL

  Vivi L

  Feb 12, 2026
  5.0
  All the teachers and the director are amazing — especially Miss Nina! My child is in preschool, and at his previous regular daycare he often felt bored. But at Challenger, he is truly engaged and excited to learn. He’s able to learn as much as he wants, whether it’s phonics, math, or singing. We’ve seen such a big difference in his enthusiasm and growth. We’re very happy with our experience here!
• J

  제이제이\JJ

  Jan 26, 2026
  1.0
  Idk
• RS

  Regina S

  Dec 2, 2015
  5.0
  We started out spending two days a week in this preschool and 3 in another preschool. We have two girls in the school. A couple of months in, it became very clear that this was a school far superior than any others we have had contact with!I Let me start by saying my mother taught kindergarten for 32 years before she passed, my oldest child was a national merit student, and my father a supt of public schools. We know a little about academics and there is no question that the academics at Challenger are far far better than any other preschools that we have ever dealt with. They use lots of games, songs, and playing and the children come home happy and loved! They want to go! This is now our 3rd year at this school. We planned to attend preschool and then move to public school at kindergarten. However, we have been so impressed that we have stayed! One of our girls cried when she realized there was no school on Saturday! For all three years, they have been thrilled to go to school. The directors, Ryan Baker, and Margaret Zachary are some of the best leaders (principals) I have ever encountered. The girls love both of them and run to hug them. Yet they set the expectations extremely high. They put a lot of emphasis on encouraging the children's responsibility. For example, they want them to carry their own backpacks, even at 3 years old. If a principal sees a parent carrying it, they will say to the child, "whose responsibility is it to carry that backpack?" These "small steps" end up making a huge difference and this type of attitude is encouraged in all kinds of ways. EVERYTHING is done in a positive and fun way. The kindergarten teacher used puppets and all kinds of characters to teach, and it seems they have a cute little song for everything! Lots of schools use little songs and games but this school really does it to an extreme and does it well. At one point my girls were laughing as they argued whether the teacher really had a twin sister that liked only irregular vowels or whether it was really just the teacher playing like she had a twin sister! I wanted to be in her class because it sounded like such fun! However on a more serious note, we have friends whose daughter attended Challenger for preschool. They then made the decision to put her in the local public school for kindergarten. Our elementary school is rated exemplary by the state. About half way through kindergarten, her daughter just wasn't as happy about going to school anymore. By the end of year, they had decided to bring her back to Challenger for first grade. Challenger tested her 3 times, trying to allow her to come back. She had fallen so far behind that she was nowhere close to the Challenger students starting 1st, academically. This family now brings their youngest child to Challenger and drives the older one to public school. I have been told by other teachers in our family who teach in other states, that our girls are past a second grade level. I guess I can sum it up this way - Challenger teaches to the TOP of the class and they do everything they can to help every child do well and also enjoy it! They even have an after school program where they help kids with homework and make sure everything is done before the children come home. Then when the kids get home, it is family time, rather than time spent struggling over homework. They don't send a bunch of stuff home for the parents to have to do. Instead they do school work - in school. However, they teach to a higher level - and if a child is acting out and being a disruption, etc. they won't be in Challenger long. It isn't for everyone. They will not hold all the other students back for one student. I suspect that might have been the "rude" behavior spoken of in another review because I have just NEVER seen this from Margaret Zachary or Ryan Baker in the three years I have been around! The children adore both Ms Zachary and Mr. Baker and it is a big deal to the kids when he or Ms. Zachary personally tells them they did a great job! You just couldn't ask for more!

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