River Place vs Spicewood Elementary: 2025 TEA Scores, Feeders, and Prices

One Corridor, Two Districts, and a Tighter Price Gap Than You Think

Spicewood Elementary in Round Rock ISD posted an 86 in the 2025 TEA accountability cycle. River Place Elementary in Leander ISD posted a 79 in the same cycle, after spending the prior four years comfortably in B territory. The schools sit a few miles apart along the 620 and 183 corridor, and the median sale price gap between their two zones is now under $40,000 (well, on closed single-family sales over the last twelve months, which is the only number worth quoting).

I have sold homes in both of these zones for years, and the dynamic is genuinely interesting. River Place still carries the wooded-lot, Hill Country-view premium it has always carried. Spicewood, which used to be the “value” zone in this corridor, has quietly closed the price gap while continuing to score higher on the state report card. So you are not really picking the cheaper school anymore. You are picking the district, the feeder pattern, and the neighborhood character.

Both campuses sit in northwest Travis County. Both feed into respected high schools. Both attract buyers who are doing real homework on schools, not just glancing at a rating and moving on. Lets dig into what the numbers actually say.

River Place vs Spicewood: Quick Comparison

TEA School Performance Comparison (2025)

The Texas Education Agency evaluates every public school annually across three accountability domains. Here is how both campuses performed in the 2025 cycle.

Texas elementary campuses are scored on three domains, not four (School Progress already includes the academic growth measurement that some district reports break out separately). Both schools earned the maximum 6 of 6 distinction designations available at the elementary level, which is genuinely impressive at both campuses regardless of the overall letter grade.

The gap is in Closing the Gaps, where Spicewood sits at 87 and River Place sits at 77. That ten point spread tells you Spicewood is doing better with every student group on its campus, not just its top performers. And it is doing that with a higher economically disadvantaged rate (44.3% vs 30.0%), which makes the result even more striking. River Place dropped from a B (84) in 2024 to a C (79) in 2025, the kind of one-year move worth keeping an eye on next August.

For the full TEA breakdown on each campus, including rating history and all distinctions, visit the River Place Elementary school page or the Spicewood Elementary school page.

River Place Elementary: Hill Country Views and a Score Worth Watching

River Place Elementary benefits from one of the most scenic residential corridors in the entire Austin metro. The master-planned River Place community and Ribelin Ranch offer wooded lots, canyon views, and the kind of spacious living that buyers driving up from central Austin fall in love with almost immediately. This is Leander ISD, which carries a strong overall reputation across the region, and the campus has historically been a solid performer. The school earned a B four years in a row before sliding to a C in 2025.

That drop is worth watching. A five point move in one year (84 in 2024 to 79 in 2025) is not catastrophic, but it is enough to take the school out of the comfortable B band. Student Achievement held essentially steady at 80, so the decline showed up mostly in School Progress and Closing the Gaps. For buyers shopping this zone at $850K and up, that is not that hard right, you just want to see whether 2026 is a bounce back or a continuation of the trend.

The bigger reason buyers pay a premium for this zone is the feeder path. River Place students move to either Canyon Ridge Middle School or Four Points Middle School depending on address, then on to Vandegrift High School, one of the most highly regarded public high schools in the metro. People shopping homes in this zone are often thinking ten years ahead to that Vandegrift diploma, and they are willing to absorb a one-year dip at the elementary level to keep that pathway open.

Spicewood Elementary: Smaller Campus, Steadier Numbers

Spicewood Elementary is a smaller campus (309 students) inside Round Rock ISD, and the academic story here has been remarkably consistent. The school scored a 94 in both 2019 and 2022 before settling into the mid 80s. The 2025 score of 86 is a clean rebound from 81 in 2024 (so Spicewood is moving in the right direction while River Place is moving the other way). Round Rock ISD continues to be one of the most respected districts in Central Texas, and Spicewood’s feeder path into Canyon Vista Middle School and then Westwood High School is one of the strongest in the district. Westwood is regularly recognized for its AP catalog and college readiness rates.

The smaller campus size matters. With about half the enrollment of River Place, Spicewood teachers know the students, parents know each other, and the culture feels personal in a way that larger campuses simply cannot replicate. That is not a slight on River Place, just an honest read on what a 309-student campus feels like compared to a 587-student campus.

The Neighborhoods

The River Place attendance zone covers some of the most dramatic real estate in northwest Austin. River Place and Milky Way is the anchor community, with elevated lots, mature live oaks, and custom homes that take advantage of the terrain. Ribelin Ranch offers larger acreage tracts for buyers who want elbow room. And for a more accessible entry point, the Alicante condo and townhome community puts the zone within reach without the maintenance burden of a large estate home.

The Spicewood zone runs along the same general corridor with a mix of established ranch-style builds and updated contemporary construction. Lots tend to be generous, the live oak canopy is thick, and the Hill Country character is genuine. The median closed sale price over the last twelve months actually came in slightly above River Place ($917,500 vs $880,000), which surprises buyers who assumed Spicewood was the cheaper zone. The two markets have moved closer together than the old story suggested.

Browse all homes zoned to River Place Elementary or homes zoned to Spicewood Elementary.

Which School Fits You?

The price difference is no longer the deciding factor. So this really comes down to district preference, feeder pattern, and how a campus feels when you actually visit.

You might lean toward River Place Elementary if:

• The Vandegrift High School feeder path is a non-negotiable for your ten-year plan
• You want dramatic Hill Country views and larger custom-home lots
• You believe the 2025 TEA dip is a blip rather than a trend and want to buy before the score rebounds
• You prefer a larger elementary campus with a wider peer group

You might lean toward Spicewood Elementary if:

• Current TEA performance and Closing the Gaps results are at the top of your priority list
• You want a smaller campus where teachers genuinely know every student
• Round Rock ISD’s track record and the Canyon Vista to Westwood pathway is what you are after

Honestly, if you had asked me two years ago I would have called Spicewood the obvious value play. The price gap has closed enough that it is now more about which school culture and which high school you actually want. River Place has the Vandegrift feeder, which is hard to argue with for buyers thinking long term. Spicewood has the better current scorecard, the smaller campus, and a district that has been steady for two decades. Either way, you are landing in a strong part of Austin.

Ready to Find Your Home?

Whether you are leaning toward the views in River Place or the steady scorecard at Spicewood, I would love to help you figure out which zone makes the most sense for your situation. I have been selling homes in northwest Austin for over 19 years and I know these neighborhoods block by block. Lets set up a time to talk through what matters most to you and find the right fit.

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