Staff 
Two Elementary Schools, One Big Decision
If you’re looking at homes in the Lakeway or Bee Cave area, there’s a good chance your home search comes down to two schools. Lakeway Elementary and Serene Hills Elementary both feed into the Lake Travis ISD pipeline, and they’re only a few miles apart. But they feel different. The campuses are different sizes, the neighborhoods around them have different personalities, and the leadership brings different strengths to the table.
So which one is the better fit for your family? That’s what we’re going to walk through here. I’ve spent over 15 years helping families navigate exactly this question, and I sit on the Lake Travis SEPAC board, so I see these schools from both the real estate side and the parent advocacy side. Let me give you the honest comparison.
Lakeway Elementary vs Serene Hills Elementary: Quick Comparison
| Lakeway Elementary | Serene Hills Elementary | |
|---|---|---|
| Principal | Matthew Nelson | Keegan Luedecke |
| Enrollment | ~592 students | ~758 students |
| Campus Feel | Heritage campus, smallest in LTISD | Growing campus, newer facilities |
| Standout Trait | Tight-knit community | Student leadership programs |
| Primary Neighborhoods | Core Lakeway | Serene Hills, Bee Cave edge |
| Search Homes | View Homes | View Homes |
Now let’s get into the details that actually matter when you’re choosing between these two.
Lakeway Elementary: The Heritage Campus
Lakeway Elementary is the smallest elementary school in Lake Travis ISD, and honestly, a lot of families see that as the main selling point. With roughly 592 students, this campus has a feel that’s hard to replicate at a larger school. Teachers know kids by name. Parents run into each other at drop-off and actually stop to talk. It’s the kind of place where your child doesn’t get lost in the shuffle.
Principal Matthew Nelson leads a campus that has deep roots in the Lakeway community. This is a heritage school. It’s been here for a long time, and that history shows up in how the school operates. There’s an established culture, a network of families who’ve had multiple kids come through, and a PTA that knows how to get things done. You’re not walking into a school that’s still figuring itself out. The traditions are already in place.
So what does “tight-knit” actually mean in practice? It means smaller class communities where your kid is more likely to have the same group of friends moving through the grades together. It means the front office staff probably knows your family by the second week of school. And it means that when something comes up, whether it’s an academic concern or a social issue, you’re not fighting to get noticed. The communication lines tend to be shorter at a campus this size.
For families who value that neighborhood-school feeling, Lakeway Elementary delivers it. You’re in the heart of Lakeway proper, surrounded by established neighborhoods with mature trees and that classic Hill Country character. The school reflects the community around it.
Serene Hills Elementary: The Growing Campus
Serene Hills Elementary sits on the other end of the spectrum. At roughly 758 students, it’s noticeably larger than Lakeway Elementary, and the campus has a different energy. This is a school that’s been growing alongside the neighborhoods around it, and that growth has brought some real advantages.
Principal Keegan Luedecke brings an interesting background to this role. Before becoming principal, Luedecke spent three years as an assistant principal and nine years in the classroom. But here’s the detail I love sharing with families. Luedecke actually interned at Lakeway Elementary before eventually leading Serene Hills. So the principal at Serene Hills has firsthand experience with the campus down the road. That kind of cross-pollination within the district is something you don’t always see, and it speaks to the quality of leadership development happening in Lake Travis ISD.
One of the things that sets Serene Hills apart is its emphasis on student leadership. The campus runs programs designed to give kids ownership and voice in their school experience. If your child is the kind of kid who wants to be involved, who raises their hand, who likes having a role to play, Serene Hills gives them outlets for that. Student leadership isn’t just a poster on the wall here. It’s built into the culture.
The newer facilities also matter if that’s something on your list. A growing campus tends to have more updated infrastructure, and the energy of a school that’s still building its identity can be exciting for families who want to be part of shaping something. You’re not just inheriting traditions at Serene Hills. You might be helping to create them.
Does a larger campus mean your child gets less attention? Not necessarily. But the experience is different. Your child will interact with a wider range of kids, which can be great for social development. And the staffing at Serene Hills has scaled with the growth, so classrooms aren’t bursting at the seams just because enrollment is higher.
The Neighborhoods Around Each School
Here’s where the real estate side of this comparison gets interesting. The neighborhoods feeding into these two schools have genuinely different personalities.
Lakeway Elementary draws from the core of Lakeway. Think established subdivisions, many of them built in the 1990s and 2000s, with larger lots and that settled, tree-lined feel. These are neighborhoods where families have put down roots. Home values tend to reflect the maturity of the area, and you’ll find a mix of updated homes and properties with solid bones that are ready for your own touch. If you want to live in what most people picture when they think of Lakeway, this is the zone.
Serene Hills Elementary pulls from the Serene Hills subdivision and areas closer to the Bee Cave edge. The housing stock here tends to be newer. You’ll see more construction from the 2010s and beyond, with the floor plans and finishes that come with that era. The neighborhoods have a slightly different feel, a bit more modern, and the proximity to Bee Cave means you’re closer to the Hill Country Galleria and the retail corridor along 71. For families who want newer construction without leaving the Lake Travis ISD umbrella, this area checks a lot of boxes.
Both zones give you access to everything that makes Lakeway and Bee Cave attractive. Lake Travis, the parks, the restaurants, the whole package. But the day-to-day feel of your street and your neighbors will be different depending on which school zone you land in.
Which School Fits Your Family?
After 15 years of matching families to homes in these school zones, here’s how I’d frame the decision.
Lakeway Elementary might be your fit if:
- You want the smallest campus experience available in LTISD
- A tight-knit, everybody-knows-everybody culture matters to you
- You’re drawn to established Lakeway neighborhoods with mature character
- Your child thrives in a smaller, more intimate setting
- You value the stability of a heritage campus with deep community roots
Serene Hills Elementary might be your fit if:
- You want a campus with strong student leadership opportunities
- Newer facilities and a growing campus culture appeal to you
- You prefer newer-construction homes with modern floor plans
- Your child is social and benefits from a larger peer group
- Proximity to Bee Cave’s shopping and dining corridor is a priority
Can I be honest? Both of these are excellent schools. You’re not choosing between a good option and a bad option. You’re choosing between two different flavors of a really strong school district. The question is which flavor matches your family’s personality and your lifestyle priorities.
A Note on Special Education and Parent Advocacy
As a member of the Lake Travis SEPAC (Special Education Parent Advisory Committee), I want to mention something that doesn’t always come up in school comparisons but matters enormously to some families. Both Lakeway Elementary and Serene Hills Elementary operate within the LTISD special education framework, and both campuses work to support students with diverse learning needs.
If your child has an IEP or 504 plan, or if you suspect they might need evaluation, the campus size can influence your experience. A smaller campus like Lakeway Elementary may offer a more personal relationship with the special education team. A larger campus like Serene Hills may have a broader range of support staff and programs. Neither is automatically better. It depends on what your child needs.
If you want to talk through the special education landscape at either school, that’s something I’m happy to dig into. It’s a conversation that goes beyond typical real estate advice, but it’s one I think is worth having.
Let’s Find the Right Fit
Choosing between Lakeway Elementary and Serene Hills Elementary really comes down to knowing what your family needs. And finding the right home in the right school zone is exactly what I do.
If you want to talk through your options, look at homes in either zone, or just get a feel for what’s available right now, reach out to me and let’s have that conversation. I’ve been doing this for over 15 years, and I’ll give you the same straight talk I’d give a friend.
And if you’re still weighing all the elementary options in the district, check out my full Lake Travis ISD elementary school comparison for the bigger picture.
