Valor South Austin
Free K-12 Classical Charter School
A warm welcome to our prospective Valor South Austin families!
Valor exists to educate the whole person in authentic communities for a full human life. We invite students into a truly human education in a school culture of joy, respect, and deep engagement. Valor is cultivating students’ wisdom, virtue, and friendship so they can become fully alive and truly free.
For years, Valor South Austin has had a long waitlist, but the building of our brand-new campus opening in Fall 2024 has opened up hundreds of new spots. Now is the best chance ever to secure a seat.
Our Future Home
Opening Fall 2024
Valor South Austin’s permanent home will open Fall 2024 near Circle C, off Mopac and I-45. Nestled among twenty-four acres of heritage oaks and walking trails, the three-story building will be flooded with natural light and include a black-box theater, a double gym, and several sports fields.
Learn More About Valor South Austin
Apply now for the 2024-2025 school year! Limited spots still available to start this semester as well!
From Our Headmaster
Headmaster Cowan
Dear friends,
Welcome to Valor South Austin. I want to speak to you about two things that are often misunderstood in education: the heart and the mind.
The life of the mind is vital to our aim here at Valor. We exercise and train our minds, but not merely so that we will do well on tests and get ahead in life. Instead, we believe the life of the mind is an end in itself. When we learn to study a Euclidean proposition or to observe the life of a butterfly, we are engaged in something lofty and freeing, the contemplation of the highest things, the beholding of the mysteries of reality and of nature, the glorious adventure of pursuing the truth. Sapientia per admirationem. This phrase encapsulates the life of the mind: wisdom does begin in wonder.
But perhaps even more importantly, at Valor we seek to bring the heart to be spirited about things that are good and beautiful. We seek to educate not only the mind but the heart, that center of our being, the locus of the will. We look to acclimate the heart to the appreciation of beauty by surrounding our students with great and inspiring art, music, poetry, and literature.
We seek to turn the students’ will to the good by developing a moral intelligence in the literature we read, by having high standards, and by lovingly encouraging them along the way. At Valor, we know not only with our minds but “by heart.”
Pursuing wisdom through wonder and virtue through exposure to beautiful things is not done by isolated individuals but by a community. And a community directed in this way naturally welcomes friendship of the highest order. Friendships developed in our community share the freedom of the mind, the pursuit of wisdom for its own sake, and a heart filled with joy.
Best,
Michael Cowan
Headmaster, Valor South Austin
Want to learn more? Join us for an upcoming school tour.
School Contact Info
The pin further to the left is the new school at 11720 South Mopac Expressway, to open Fall 2024.
The other is the current location at 220 Foremost Dr. Austin, TX 78745.
(512) 646-4170
Info.SouthAustin@valoreducation.org
Office Hours: M-F, 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Summer Hours: M-F, 9:00- 2:00 p.m.
Open Enrollment and Tuition-Free
Valor has no admissions requirements and no tuition. The application takes only a few minutes and can be submitted online or at our office in person.
Application Period
Apply now to enroll your child for the 2024-2025 school year. You will be placed on a waitlist and will be offered a spot as it becomes available. Many of our waitlisted families will receive spots before the start of school.
Sibling Priority
Once one child has enrolled, waitlisted siblings will receive priority and move up the waitlist.
Kindergarten Eligibility
To enroll in Kindergarten, your child must be five years old on or before September 1st in the fall of their Kindergarten year.
We Want to Get to Know You
Joining our interest list is the best way to stay in the loop about important announcements, such as enrollment lottery deadlines, new school campuses, and upcoming Institute events. If you have specific questions, please contact us. We look forward to talking with you!