Absolutly NO! Public and private schools do not compare with AISD Houston. Sadly, I live in 77082 (Royal Oaks) I am offered Alief ISD as my public schools. Awful, horrid, disgusting. I would not send my dog to school at my assigned elementary school. The currently economic difficulties have reared its head in my home, after paying 3 years of tuition at The Village School, I decided to tour Outly Elementry to consider my options. The teachers seem high quality, the facilities are somewhat acceptable, however, where my child has been receiving an academically challenged curriculum at Village those of the same grade level at Outly Elementry cannot compare to my child’s academic level. My child is 6 years old in kindergarten and has been exposed to science, arts, movement, a strong phonics based reading program (my child has read 180 1st grade books with fluency and comprehension) computers and foreign language. My child takes weekly spelling test and timed (1 minute) math test of 1 to 10 number facts and has started timed subtraction as well. In January '09, I visited an Outly kindergarten class -- they were working on letter sounds (you are joking right?) at that point in the year my child was way past the 100th book. The untidy, frumpiness of the children’s dress was overwhelming. The children’s level of intellect was disappointing and their conduct was appalling and uncivil. Bottom line, there is no possible way the children at Outly are performing at the same level as my child. I will continue to pay my high property tax, pay my “$24,000 a year for two” tuition and never use AISD. Very dissappointing fact for AISD.