Bee Cave Elementary vs Lake Travis Elementary: Comparing Two LTISD Favorites

Two Campuses, One District, Very Different Vibes

So you’ve narrowed your school search down to two of the most popular elementary campuses in Lake Travis ISD. Good. That means you’re already looking in the right district. But now comes the hard part. Bee Cave Elementary and Lake Travis Elementary are both excellent schools. They’re both A-rated. They both sit inside a district with a 97.7% graduation rate. And they both have strong leadership at the top.

But they are not the same school. Not even close.

I’ve spent over 15 years helping families move into LTISD neighborhoods, and one of the most common questions I get is some version of “which elementary is better?” The honest answer? Neither. They’re different. And understanding those differences is what actually helps you pick the right fit for your kid. So let’s break it down.

Bee Cave Elementary vs Lake Travis Elementary: Quick Comparison

Same district. Same high standards. But the day-to-day experience at each campus? That’s where things start to look pretty different.

Bee Cave Elementary: The Big Campus With Big Energy

Let’s start with Bee Cave Elementary. At 826 students, this is the largest elementary campus in all of Lake Travis ISD. That’s not a small detail. A bigger school means more programs, more extracurriculars, and more social opportunities for your child. It also means a busier drop-off line, but you probably already guessed that.

Principal Kimberly Kellner runs a tight ship here. And I don’t mean that in a rigid way. I mean the school feels organized. You walk in and there’s a clear sense that people know what they’re doing and where they’re going. For a campus this size, that matters more than most parents realize until they’ve experienced the alternative.

The PTA at Bee Cave Elementary is one of the most active in the district. If you’re the type of parent who wants to volunteer at book fairs, help organize science nights, or just feel connected to what’s happening inside the building, you’ll find your people here. Community involvement isn’t just encouraged. It’s kind of expected. In a good way.

The campus sits right along the Hamilton Pool Road corridor in Bee Cave, which has exploded with growth over the last decade. New neighborhoods, new retail, new restaurants. The area around the school is changing fast, and that growth has brought a lot of young families into the zone. You can feel that energy at the campus.

Is it for everyone? No. Some families prefer a smaller, quieter environment. And that’s perfectly valid. But if you want your kid in a large, well-run school with a deeply involved parent community, Bee Cave Elementary delivers on that promise consistently.

Lake Travis Elementary: The Neighborhood School That Punches Above Its Weight

Now let’s talk about Lake Travis Elementary. At 712 students, it’s smaller than Bee Cave Elementary, but it covers the largest attendance zone in the district. How does that work? Geography. The zone stretches across a wide swath of Lakeway, pulling from established neighborhoods that have been here for decades alongside newer developments.

And that geographic diversity translates into something you can actually see and feel at the school. Lake Travis Elementary is the most diverse campus in LTISD. For a district that sometimes gets characterized as homogeneous, that’s worth paying attention to. Your child will sit in classrooms with kids from different backgrounds, different family structures, different perspectives. If that matters to you, and I’d argue it should, this campus delivers it naturally without anyone having to force it.

Principal Amanda Prehn leads the school, and she’s built a team that reflects the campus culture. Her assistant principal, Lauryn Bryan, brings 16 years of education experience including 12 years in special education. That kind of depth on the leadership team isn’t something you see at every elementary school. It tells you something about the priorities at Lake Travis Elementary. They’re thinking about all learners, not just the ones who fit neatly into the standard mold.

The vibe here is classic neighborhood school. You know the kind. Parents wave to each other at pickup. Kids ride bikes to school when the weather cooperates. The building feels like it belongs to the community, not the other way around. It’s the kind of place where the principal knows your kid’s name by October, and that’s not an exaggeration.

Does it have the same scale of programming as a campus with 826 students? Probably not in every category. But what it lacks in sheer size, it makes up for in connection. And for a lot of families, especially those with younger kids or children who do better in a less overwhelming environment, that connection is everything.

Neighborhoods and Real Estate: Where You Live Determines Where You Go

Here’s the part where my day job comes in. You don’t get to pick your elementary school in LTISD. Your address picks it for you. So if you’ve already fallen in love with one of these campuses, you need to know which neighborhoods feed into it.

Bee Cave Elementary draws from neighborhoods along the Hamilton Pool Road corridor and surrounding areas in Bee Cave. This includes some of the newer master-planned communities that have popped up as the area has grown. Home prices here range widely depending on the neighborhood, but you’re generally looking at a market that has appreciated significantly over the past several years. The demand is real, and schools are a big part of why.

Lake Travis Elementary pulls from the heart of Lakeway. Many of the homes in this zone are in more established neighborhoods, which means you’ll find a mix of original builds and renovated properties. Some of the best deals in LTISD hide in these older Lakeway neighborhoods because buyers overlook them in favor of shiny new construction. That’s their loss, frankly.

If you’re not sure which attendance zone a specific home falls into, that’s exactly the kind of thing I help families figure out every day. The boundary lines aren’t always intuitive, and they do shift occasionally. Reach out to me directly and I’ll get you the current zoning for any address you’re considering.

So Which One Fits YOUR Family?

You’ve read the data. You’ve seen the differences. But how do you actually decide? Here are some questions worth asking yourself.

Does your child thrive in larger groups? Some kids light up when there are more people, more activities, more everything. If that sounds like your child, Bee Cave Elementary’s scale could be a great fit.

Does your child do better with closer relationships? If your kid needs to feel known by the adults in the building, if transitions are hard, if a smaller pond makes them more confident, Lake Travis Elementary’s neighborhood school feel might be exactly right.

How important is diversity to your family? If exposing your child to a broader range of backgrounds and perspectives is a priority, Lake Travis Elementary stands out in the district on this front.

How involved do you want to be? Both schools welcome parent involvement, but Bee Cave Elementary’s PTA infrastructure is particularly well-organized. If you want to hit the ground running as a volunteer, that community is ready for you.

What does your commute look like? This is the boring practical question nobody wants to ask, but it matters every single morning. Look at where you work, where you run errands, where your life actually happens. Then figure out which campus puts you on the more manageable route.

There’s no wrong answer here. Both schools are doing excellent work inside an excellent district. The question isn’t which school is better. The question is which school is better for your specific kid in your specific family situation.

The LTISD Advantage (And Why Both Schools Benefit)

Regardless of which campus you choose, your child lands in Lake Travis ISD. And that matters. The district carries an A-rating from the Texas Education Agency, serves 11,230 students across its campuses, and posts a 97.7% graduation rate. Those aren’t vanity numbers. They represent a community that takes education seriously from kindergarten through senior year.

One thing I always mention to families, because it doesn’t get enough attention, is the district’s Special Education Parent Advisory Committee (SEPAC). I’ve been involved with SEPAC personally, and I can tell you it’s one of the most responsive and well-organized parent advocacy groups in the Austin area. If your child has an IEP, a 504 plan, or you suspect they might need additional support, knowing that this infrastructure exists at the district level should give you real confidence. Both Bee Cave Elementary and Lake Travis Elementary benefit from that district-wide commitment to supporting all learners.

And remember Lauryn Bryan at Lake Travis Elementary? Twelve years in special education before moving into administration. That’s not a coincidence. That’s a district that puts experienced special education professionals in leadership positions. It matters.

Ready to Find Your LTISD Home?

If you’re comparing Bee Cave Elementary vs Lake Travis Elementary, you’re already asking the right questions. Now you need the right answers about specific neighborhoods, current home availability, and attendance zone boundaries.

I’ve been helping families navigate LTISD real estate for over 15 years. I know which streets feed into which schools, which neighborhoods are appreciating fastest, and which hidden gems most buyers never see. Whether you’re drawn to the energy of Bee Cave or the established charm of Lakeway, I can help you find the right home in the right zone.

Get in touch with me and let’s figure out which campus and which neighborhood make sense for your family. And if you’re still exploring all the elementary options in the district, check out my full LTISD elementary schools comparison for the complete picture.