If you’re choosing between Lake Pointe Elementary and West Cypress Hills Elementary, you’re really choosing between two very different versions of what a great school looks like. One is the top-ranked campus in Lake Travis ISD, sitting in the heart of Lakeway’s most established neighborhoods. The other is a math-focused school tucked into the rural Hill Country west of town. Both deliver strong results. But they do it in ways that feel nothing alike.
So which one actually fits your family? That depends on what you value most in a school, and honestly, what kind of neighborhood you want to come home to every day. Let me walk you through both campuses so you can make that call with confidence.
Lake Pointe Elementary vs West Cypress Hills Elementary: Quick Comparison
| Lake Pointe Elementary | West Cypress Hills Elementary | |
|---|---|---|
| Principal | Julianne Reich | Russ (22 years in education) |
| Enrollment | 757 students | 602 students |
| District Ranking | #1 in Lake Travis ISD | Strong performer |
| State Ranking | Top 3% in Texas | Competitive |
| Academic Strength | Across-the-board excellence | Math standout |
| Setting | Suburban Lakeway | Rural Hill Country |
| Neighborhood Feel | Flintrock, Lake Pointe | Cypress Ranch Blvd, Spicewood |
Lake Pointe Elementary: The Top-Ranked Campus in the District
There’s really no way around it. Lake Pointe Elementary is the number one ranked elementary school in Lake Travis ISD, and it lands in the top 3% of all elementary schools across the state of Texas. Those aren’t just nice numbers on a brochure. You can feel it when you walk the hallways and talk to the teachers.
Principal Julianne Reich runs a campus that expects a lot from students and delivers a lot in return. With 757 students, Lake Pointe is one of the larger elementary schools in the district. But it doesn’t feel oversized. The parent involvement here is strong, and the teaching staff has a reputation for being genuinely invested in each kid’s progress.
What makes Lake Pointe stand out isn’t just one metric. It’s consistency across the board. Reading, math, science. Year after year, this campus posts results that put it ahead of most schools in Central Texas. If you’re the kind of parent who looks at test scores and accountability ratings closely, Lake Pointe is going to check every box you have.
And the location doesn’t hurt either. The school sits in the Flintrock and Lake Pointe neighborhoods, which are some of the most desirable areas in Lakeway. You’re close to everything. Shopping, restaurants, Lakeway’s trail system. It’s suburban living at its most convenient, and your kids are zoned to the best-performing campus in the district.
You can browse all the homes zoned to Lake Pointe Elementary here.
West Cypress Hills Elementary: Hill Country Character With Serious Math Chops
Now let’s talk about a campus that often gets overlooked by families who haven’t driven out that way yet. West Cypress Hills Elementary sits at 6112 Cypress Ranch Blvd in Spicewood, 78669. And if you’ve never been out to that part of the district, you’re missing something special.
Principal Russ brings 22 years of education experience to this campus, including time as an assistant principal at Tobias Elementary in Hays ISD. With degrees from West Texas A&M, he came up through schools that value grit and results. You can see that philosophy reflected in how West Cypress Hills operates. This is not a campus that coasts on location or demographics. It earns its reputation every single year.
And that reputation? It’s built on math. West Cypress Hills has become known as one of the stronger math campuses in Lake Travis ISD. If your child is the kind of learner who lights up when numbers click into place, this school is going to nurture that. The instructional approach here leans into problem-solving and critical thinking, not just memorization and worksheets.
With 602 students, West Cypress Hills is a bit smaller than Lake Pointe. And you can feel that difference. The campus has a tighter community vibe. Families know each other. Teachers know siblings by name. There’s a rural Hill Country character to this school that you simply can’t replicate in a more suburban setting.
That smaller, close-knit feeling matters more than most parents realize until they experience it. When your kid’s teacher stops you at pickup to share something funny that happened in class that day, you understand what I mean.
You can browse all the homes zoned to West Cypress Hills Elementary here.
The Neighborhoods: Suburban Lakeway vs Rural Spicewood
This is where the comparison gets really interesting. Because choosing between these two schools usually means choosing between two very different lifestyles.
If you go with Lake Pointe Elementary, you’re looking at homes in the Flintrock and Lake Pointe neighborhoods. These are established, well-maintained communities in the core of Lakeway. You’ll find a mix of single-family homes with manicured landscaping, community amenities, and easy access to 620 and Bee Cave. It’s the kind of neighborhood where weekend mornings involve coffee on the back patio and Saturday soccer games five minutes away.
West Cypress Hills families live further west, out along Cypress Ranch Blvd in the Spicewood area. The lots tend to be larger. The views tend to be bigger. And the pace of life tends to be slower. If you’ve been dreaming about a little more space between you and your neighbors, about watching deer cross your yard in the morning, this is where you find it. The trade-off is a longer drive to some of the amenities in Lakeway and Bee Cave. But plenty of families tell me that trade-off is exactly what they were looking for.
So ask yourself this. Do you want walkable suburban convenience with top-ranked schools? Or do you want Hill Country acreage with a tight-knit school community and strong academics? There’s no wrong answer here. But there is a right answer for your family.
Which School Fits Your Family?
Let me make this simple for you.
Lake Pointe Elementary might be your pick if:
- Top-of-district rankings matter to you
- You want a larger school with broad academic excellence
- You prefer established suburban neighborhoods in Lakeway
- Convenience and proximity to shopping, dining, and activities is important
- You want the school that consistently posts the strongest overall numbers in LTISD
West Cypress Hills Elementary might be your pick if:
- Your child thrives in math and you want a campus that leans into that
- You value a smaller, tighter school community
- Rural Hill Country living appeals to you more than suburban convenience
- You want larger lots and more breathing room
- A principal with deep experience and a results-driven approach matters to you
Both schools are part of Lake Travis ISD, which means both benefit from the district’s strong funding, competitive teacher salaries, and overall commitment to academic excellence. You’re not sacrificing quality either way. You’re choosing flavor.
How I Help Families Make This Decision
After 15 years of helping families buy and sell homes in Lake Travis ISD, I’ve had this exact conversation hundreds of times. And I’ll tell you something that might surprise you. The “best” school is almost never the one with the highest ranking. It’s the one that fits your kid, your family’s lifestyle, and your long-term plans.
As a member of SEPAC (Special Education Parent Advisory Committee), I also bring a perspective that most agents don’t have. I understand how different campuses serve kids with different learning needs. If your child has an IEP or 504, or if you just want to understand how each school handles differentiated instruction, I can walk you through that in detail.
I’ve been inside both of these schools. I know the neighborhoods around them. And I know which homes are hitting the market before they show up on Zillow. That matters when you’re trying to get into a specific school zone in a competitive market.
If you want to dig deeper into how all the elementary campuses stack up, check out my full Lake Travis ISD Elementary Schools Compared guide.
Ready to Find Your Family’s Perfect Fit?
Whether you’re leaning toward the top-ranked excellence of Lake Pointe or the Hill Country charm and math strength of West Cypress Hills, I can help you find the right home in the right zone. Let’s talk about what matters most to your family and find a home that checks every box.