Bee Cave vs Sycamore Springs Elementary: Same Score, $65K Price Gap

Two Identical 87s, and One Costs $65K More

Bee Cave Elementary and Sycamore Springs Elementary both pulled a B (87/100) on the 2025 TEA accountability report, and both earned 6 of 6 elementary distinctions. The TEA scorecards are nearly mirror images. But the homes around them are not. The 12 month median closed price in the Bee Cave zone is $800,000 across 203 sales. In the Sycamore Springs zone the median is $865,000 across 105 sales. Same letter grade, similar score, $65,000 gap.

This is one of those comparisons where the top line numbers look almost interchangeable, so the real decision comes down to which district culture, which neighborhoods, and which long-term feeder path fits you. I sell homes in both the Lake Travis ISD and Dripping Springs ISD corridors. They sit about 15 miles apart along the 71 / 290 spine and the communities feel meaningfully different once you actually live in them.

So lets walk through what the data says, and then what it doesn’t say.

Bee Cave vs Sycamore Springs: Quick Comparison

Median home prices reflect closed Residential sales in each elementary attendance zone from our MLS data, trailing 12 months.

TEA School Performance Comparison (2025)

The Texas Education Agency rates Texas public schools across three domains: Student Achievement, School Progress, and Closing the Gaps. The overall rating is the weighted combination. Here is how both campuses performed in the 2025 cycle.

Ok, this is almost eerie. Student Achievement: 91 and 91. School Progress: 83 and 82. Closing the Gaps: 78 and 77. Both schools earned every single elementary-level distinction available (ELA/Reading, Math, Science, Academic Progress, Closing the Gaps, Postsecondary Readiness). I have compared a lot of school pairs and this is about as close as it gets at the metrics level.

One note for anyone reading the older version of this post: TEA shifted to three domains for elementary campuses (Student Achievement, School Progress, Closing the Gaps), and the elementary distinction cap is 6, not 7. Postsecondary Readiness is the seventh, but it only applies to middle and high school campuses. Both schools earned every elementary distinction available to them, and that’s a real accomplishment.

For the full TEA breakdown and rating history on each campus, see the Bee Cave Elementary school page or the Sycamore Springs Elementary school page.

Bee Cave Elementary: The Galleria Side of the Hill Country

Bee Cave Elementary sits inside Bee Cave proper, the small city built up around the intersection of 71 and Bee Cave Road. Lake Travis ISD as a whole has been one of the most decorated public districts in Texas for years, and this campus is a big part of why buyers actively zone-shop into the area. Enrollment is 779, which puts it right in the sweet spot for an elementary: large enough to support a real specialist roster (art, music, GT, counseling, intervention) but small enough that most parents still know each other by the second year.

The neighborhoods feeding the school are a real mix. Falconhead and Sweetwater are the big master-planned communities with amenity centers and pools. Belvedere and Preservation Ranch push into estate territory, with acreage lots and dramatic Hill Country views. Madrone Canyon and Provence sit somewhere in between. The zone also picks up portions of Dripping Springs proper, including Valley Lake Hills and Twin Lake Hills, which trips buyers up every single time.

The lifestyle pitch here is convenience. The Hill Country Galleria is two minutes from most homes in the zone. HEB, Whole Foods, theater, restaurants, the whole thing. Commute to downtown Austin runs 25 to 40 minutes depending on what 71 is doing that morning. If you have ever lived somewhere genuinely rural and decided you missed having a Target nearby, this is the version of Hill Country that solves that.

Sycamore Springs Elementary: The Quieter Hays County Side

Sycamore Springs is a Dripping Springs ISD campus, which is a meaningfully different district experience. DSISD is smaller than LTISD, has been growing fast, and has invested heavily in new buildings to keep up. The campus serves 674 students from EE (early education) through 5th grade.

The zone is bigger geographically than Bee Cave’s, and the lots are bigger too. Average lot sizes across the zone sit well above two acres. Sunset Canyon and Heritage are the more established pockets. Highpointe is the larger master-planned community with newer construction. Out toward Driftwood you get into Creek of Driftwood and real working-acreage territory, plus estate enclaves like Meadow Creek Ranch and Regal Oaks.

The town of Dripping Springs has carved out its own identity, and it doesn’t feel like a suburb. Wedding capital of Texas, breweries, distilleries, a downtown that buyers actually drive to on weekends. Commute to central Austin runs longer (35 to 50 minutes is normal), which is the trade-off. Buyers who choose this zone usually choose it on purpose, not as a fallback.

The Neighborhoods and What They Cost

Here is where the data flips the conventional wisdom on its head. Bee Cave has the better-known shopping, the closer-in commute, and the “Lake Travis ISD” brand. You would assume it carries the premium. It doesn’t. The 12 month median in the Bee Cave Elementary zone is $800K. In the Sycamore Springs zone it’s $865K. That’s $65,000 higher for the Dripping Springs side.

The reason, as far as I can tell from working in both markets, is housing stock. The Sycamore Springs zone leans heavily toward newer construction, larger lots, and Hill Country-style custom builds. Highpointe, Headwaters at Barton Creek, and the estate enclaves are pulling the median up. Bee Cave has a wider price band: established homes from the $600s up into the $3M-plus estate range, which broadens the distribution and pulls the median down. Both zones have homes well above and below their respective medians, so don’t read this as “Dripping Springs is more expensive across the board.” It isn’t. It just skews newer and larger.

Browse homes zoned to Bee Cave Elementary or homes zoned to Sycamore Springs Elementary to see what’s actually on the market right now.

Which School Fits You?

Since the academics are essentially a tie, this comparison really is about where you want your life to happen.

You might lean toward Bee Cave Elementary if:

• You want the Lake Travis High School feeder path
• Walking-distance shopping (Hill Country Galleria) genuinely matters to your week
• You want a shorter commute to Austin or to the southwest tech corridor
• You prefer a master-planned community feel with amenity centers and pools

You might lean toward Sycamore Springs Elementary if:

• Bigger lots and newer construction are at the top of your list
• You want the Dripping Springs town center as your weekend hub
• You’re fine trading a longer commute for more space and a quieter pace

Honest take: I have helped buyers choose both, and nobody has come back to me later saying they picked the wrong one. The schools are too close to call on academics. If your work commute is east of MoPac, Bee Cave usually wins on quality of life. If you’re remote or your commute is flexible, Dripping Springs more often pulls ahead, especially for buyers who want a custom build or significant acreage. The price gap shouldn’t be the deciding factor either way (we are talking $65K on $800K-plus homes, that’s noise), but the lifestyle gap is real.

Ready to Find Your Home?

The Hill Country west of Austin has some of the best schools and neighborhoods in the entire metro, and I know this corridor well. I have been helping buyers choose between Bee Cave, Lakeway, and Dripping Springs for 19-plus years. Lets talk about what you are actually looking for.

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