Patsy Sommer Elementary School

Posted: August 29, 2026

Posted: August 29, 2026

Posted: August 29, 2026

Posted: August 29, 2026

Posted: August 29, 2026

Posted: August 29, 2026

Looking back as a former student, I can confidently say that Patsy Sommer Elementary gave me an absolutely incredible foundation for the rest of my education. What really makes this school special is the unmatched expertise of the staff; so many of the teachers have 20+ years of experience, and it truly shows in the patient, highly skilled way they guide their classrooms. I am especially grateful for the school's phenomenal support in advanced academics. Participating in the TAG math program was a major highlight of my time there, as it kept me engaged, challenged me to think critically, and perfectly prepared me for accelerated tracks in middle and high school. Sommer is an amazing community filled with veteran educators who know exactly how to bring out the best in every kid, and I’ll always be proud to be a former Stallion.

Posted: August 29, 2026

Posted: July 18, 2026

Posted: July 18, 2026

Posted: July 18, 2026

Posted: July 18, 2026

Posted: July 18, 2026

Posted: July 18, 2026

Such a disappointment in an elementary school. Very crowded, and the kids are rude, and not friendly. The teachers are not inclusive (at least the few we had encounters with), and do not take any feedback from concerned parents. The communication is terrible. The teaching is terrible. The demographic is very very one sided. Do not recommend this school, at all, or ever.

Posted: November 10, 2025

Posted: November 10, 2025

Posted: November 10, 2025

Posted: November 10, 2025

Posted: November 10, 2025

Posted: November 10, 2025

Posted: November 10, 2025

We are very happy with Patsy Sommer Elementary! The teachers are caring, dedicated, and truly invested in the students’ success. The principal leads with warmth and professionalism, creating a positive and welcoming school environment. My son loves going to school every day, and we feel grateful to be part of such a wonderful community!

Posted: November 10, 2025

Posted: April 9, 2024

Posted: April 9, 2024

Posted: April 9, 2024

Posted: April 9, 2024

Posted: April 9, 2024

Posted: April 9, 2024

Posted: April 9, 2024

This was by far the worst school that my child has went to. We move around a lot, looking for good schools, but this one let me down. The school has crowding issues, as it is overpopulated. There is a lot of cussing here, and the teachers don't even care about it. Finally, we had to transfer to Elsa England, as this was terrible

Posted: April 9, 2024

Posted: April 6, 2024

Posted: April 6, 2024

Posted: April 6, 2024

Posted: April 6, 2024

Posted: April 6, 2024

Posted: April 6, 2024

This is an amazing school that I attended for all 6 years. One of the best elementary schools in Round Rock ISD.

Posted: April 6, 2024

Posted: April 6, 2024

Posted: April 13, 2022

Posted: April 13, 2022

Posted: April 13, 2022

Posted: April 13, 2022

Posted: April 13, 2022

Posted: April 13, 2022

Great school with wonderful staff. Glad both of my kids attended Patsy sommer.

Posted: April 13, 2022

Posted: April 13, 2022

Posted: September 30, 2019

Posted: September 30, 2019

Posted: September 30, 2019

Posted: September 30, 2019

Posted: September 30, 2019

Posted: September 30, 2019

Posted: September 30, 2019

I feel blessed that my daughter attends Patsy Sommer Elem. I am grateful for the efforts by the teachers, the administrators and the parents. I believe Patsy Sommer really does work hard to teach our kids how to treat each other and also to respect the time of the teachers. Again, I feel blessed that we have the opportunity to be a part of a community where she can receive the highest level of education.

Posted: July 2, 2019

The administration is abysmal. They violate legal requirements regarding 504 plans, refuse to test children who need testing, unresponsive to parents. Simply terrible!

Posted: July 2, 2019

Absolutely terrible. Nancy V. is interested in TAG kids only. If your child has learning challenges, pick another school.

Posted: July 2, 2019

Posted: July 2, 2019

Miserable. Couldn’t wait to leave and sooooo glad we did!

Posted: July 2, 2019

Other than reading every night more homework is a waste. Research backs that up.

Posted: July 2, 2019

It’s a mixed bag. Some are terrific, some not so much.

Posted: July 2, 2019

Posted: September 13, 2018

Posted: September 13, 2018

Some teachers are terrific, others beyond terrible.

Posted: September 13, 2018

Posted: September 13, 2018

The current principal is almost completely incompetent. And knowingly isn’t compliant with 504 and invention plans.

Posted: September 13, 2018

Only if your child is TAG which is ridiculous.

Posted: September 13, 2018

Again leadership at the top is rotten...

Posted: September 13, 2018

Miserable. So very relieved to be gone!

Posted: June 18, 2016

We love Patsy Sommer! The school is overcrowded, but it's a great show of how awesome the school is. The principal always responds to every email and the staff is very dedicated and is constantly updating curriculum. There are so many fun and creative things for the students. Fifth graders have an egg drop contest and flugtag, the choir has amazing musical productions every year. We love it here!

Posted: May 24, 2016

The school consistently hires in-experienced teachers at the lower class levels where good teachers are extremely important. The school district and principal seem to be well aware that the surrounding area is fairly well educated and the students will get good standardized test scores even if the school does not teach anything (same old story - aiming for high test scores instead of teaching) Teachers have no idea what the child is doing during recess time to get an idea of the child's social skills. The teacher turnover rate seems to be very high too. End of the year teacher requests because of learning shortcomings are ignored too. I know this review will probably ding my house price but my Childs education is more important to me than my house price. Also, there is hardly any emphasis given to math at K level. The report cards seem to be bogus and try to show bad grades in the beginning of the school year and then improving over time to show "the school improved your child". One good thing about the school is that they take parental concerns seriously and does not ignore them. But it seems they only do this to make the parents feel good. Edit: After my kid has spent 6 years at this school, I can say with confidence that this school does not deserve a ranking of more than 7. More like 6.5. The principal only seems to listen to the PTA. And the PTA is just a social club for the local ladies.

Posted: May 24, 2016

Posted: May 24, 2016

Posted: May 24, 2016

Because the school only cares about STAAR tests. Nothing else. The only social skills that the school emphasizes on are skills that make the life of the teachers easy.

Posted: January 8, 2016

Posted: January 8, 2016

Posted: January 8, 2016

Posted: January 8, 2016

This school has changed for the worst since the previous principal left. The new principal Mr. Varljen is useless and very unprofessional. She doesn't care about the social/emotional development of the children, they are mostly concerned about their ratings at the state level. If you are fine with academics and don't care about the school environment, you found the perfect school.
Another bad thing it's discrimination, if your kid don't have the most impressive grades, perfect behavior and of corse if you are not a PTA member $$$ your family won't be treated equally.
Advice: If you are looking to buy a very expensive house just for your kids to attend this school think twice before you do that. You will find better schools across the street.

Posted: December 8, 2015

Posted: December 8, 2015

Came to this school with high expectation based on school ratings but it is an Average school. It really depends on your kids teacher at this school. Not all teachers are good and we are unlucky to have one such bad teacher. Most are asian kids attending extra math and academic classes outside school and fair well and the school gets good rating because of that.

Posted: December 8, 2015

We are new to this school and can only talk about my kids current teacher. We are not happy with the teacher. For example, teacher doesn't want to repeat what she said if the child missed the statement due to loud noise at the kids table. If a child doesn't understand a concept, teacher brushes off saying to look at the workbook. Never heard of a teacher keeping on eye on students to see who has more than one snack to give tally mark(totally absurd policy in class despite the kids leave home by 6:50am and the lunch starts only at 12:50pm). I gave somewhat effective rating here as I have heard good things about other classroom teachers.

Posted: December 8, 2015

My Kid attends 3rd grade at this school and has a new teacher in 3rd grade. She doesn't give much homework at all. Most of the kids in this school are Asian and go to extra math classes outside the school, so they fair well. I can only talk about my kids teacher as I don't see any spelling, science or math workbook done at school either. Plus she has the attitude to mistreat kids if parents raise any concern. School overall seems good and I hear great things about other classroom teachers but we are unlucky.

Posted: June 26, 2015

My star rating didn't post so I am adding it here. Would give more stars if possible!!

--Sommer parent from previous post 6/26/15

Posted: June 26, 2015

I have been a parent at Sommer since the school's opening (my daughter began in first grade) and I am sad that this upcoming school year will be my last as my son will be a fifth grader. I can whole-heartedly say the teachers and both principals Pratz and Varljen have been wonderful. Both of my children thrived at this school. My daughter was extremely prepared for middle school and my son is already even more prepared than his sister. Teachers actively engage students and there is so much hands-on learning. Not to mention the kids have fun! Love this school. It's been an absolute pleasure to have been a part of the Sommer family!! Looking forward to the 2015-16 school year!

Posted: June 7, 2015

Our daughter just completed 1st grade at Sommer. We cannot say enough wonderful things about her teacher Mrs. Satterwhite!! She always responded to our emails & questions in a timely manner and offered plenty of ideas & helpful suggestions whenever our daughter needed extra practice in a particular subject. Very proactive, prepared, FUN, enthusiastic, always encouraging, & clearly very organized. But perhaps the most impressive quality we observed in Mrs. Satterwhite was her ability to connect with our daughter & instill a genuine excitement for learning. She pours her heart into those children every day and we feel so blessed to have had her this year for first grade.

Posted: April 28, 2015

I wish there was a lower rating. A horrible school to say the very least. My child is in PPCD (Special education for 3-5 years old). The principle is useless and will sit in IEPs to take notes and never ads any value. The teachers are not trained and they never push the children to get to where they can. Speech team is horrible. I have no idea how this program is still active. Someone from RRISD needs to take some action and make real changes. IEP coordinator at the school should be fired. If you are a parent who is assessing this school for a child with special needs, my advise to you is to run away from this school. We will not keep our son here next year for sure. Well that s what they do, they push you to home school your child. Horrible horrible horrible

Posted: November 25, 2014

Patsy Sommer is an Awesome school. The parents are super engaged with the school and kids... The whole school seems like a very large but close knit family. Most teachers are good and have stayed with the school for a while, which is a great thing given the fact that several new schools have come-up and good teachers are in great demand... The 5th grade teachers do a great job of preparing kids for the Middle school... I was apprehensive how my kid would fare in the middle school, but with the prep work in elementary (thanks to the teachers), middle school has been a cakewalk for us so far. I would highly recommend this school...

Posted: September 21, 2014

I have loved every teacher that my children have had at Patsy Sommer, and Mr. Pratz did a great job. Since he left and Ms Varljen took over it has gone down hill. We have lost several teachers each year because they are not fond of her either. She always has an excuse, and nothing is ever her "fault" . The ratings will go down soon, because all she cares about are the students who are way ahead. I have both kind of students, and she has been a nightmare for the one who struggles a bit. People are talking about petitioning to get rid of her, and I will be the first to sign.

Posted: August 25, 2014

Have been very disappointed with this school and its principal. She says she has an open door, but does not listen to any of our concerns about our child. She doesn't care about any requests that are made and will do things her way regardless what is best for the child.

Posted: August 3, 2014

I personally do not agree with any of these comments. Great staff quite caring and attentive from the moment you walk in to volunteering in class plenty. I had a kinder in Mrs. Kuhn's class and a fifth grader in Mrs. Ruiz class. This school has amazing teachers who have taught my kids a tough curriculum with patience and understanding. The principal addressed an issue with a temporary substitute teacher with great attention and urgency of the matter at hand. She showed exemplary leadership and open communication. As parents, we want someone who cares about the children as much as we do as parents and Sommer has reflected that academically in 2013-2014. Great work! We did not find that in schools in Fairfax County that had reputation for being great schools but lacked in curriculum, teachers being enthusiastic and staff who seemed not to care about kids who got sick or parents who took time from their jobs to volunteer when they could.

Posted: July 20, 2014

The school is great, the principal however....... I hope some things change and they bring back the community ed after school programs, my sons really missed them. My daughter will be going in to kinder and there are not any after school activities for kinder without the community ed.

Posted: May 26, 2014

This school is awesome. My daughter is in Ms. Shreiner's class and it has been such a blessing. I was worried about her slow eating habits, but she thrived in her class academically and eating too. Ms. Shreiner stretched herself and put in a lunch award scheme that worked out really well. There is a lot of positive reinforcement and I see it is a very strong academic and extra-activity oriented school. Extremely impressed.

Posted: April 27, 2014

Coming from a Montessori we knew our kindergartner was ahead of her peers in academics but maybe slacking in her social skills. This school offered us a perfect balance of academics as well as social fun for our daughter. So much so that within one month of joining this school we got admission in another very renowned academically driven school but we stayed with Patsy Sommer. Ms Dyer is very caring, fun and methodical - she has different levels of teaching within the same class. We love her!! The other teachers and staff are also very helpful and both the principal and Vice principal are very approachable and helpful too

Posted: February 17, 2014

There is nothing good to say about this school, except maybe that its pretty.. Mr. Pratz was a great principal, to bad he retired.

Posted: November 17, 2013

The communication between school staff and parents is not so good. The principal is little to no help with any communication or understanding.

Posted: October 1, 2013

I will have to agree with the postings from September 2013 especially about the principal and assistant principal. I do not need to elaborate on them much more. 2011-2012 was not a good year for them either. Mr. Mark Pratz "we miss your leadership"

Posted: September 4, 2013

I love this school! However, I am Def not impressed with the principal. When I spoke with her about an issue last year, I thought she would possibly handle it. This year, I realize it did not happen and I feel she will do things her way and that is the only way. She does not give a feeling of comfort, I feel she just smiles says yes, but totally dismisses the parents concerns. The rest of the staff that I have dealt with are a pleasure. The counselor is wonderful and always smiles. The nurse is super sweet and wonderful. The librarian is new and seems super nice. Librarian assistant, Heather is a delight as well. The parents seem to be really involved and the teachers my son has had so far (along with many others I have met ) are also a delight . For this reason only, I give 4 stars

Posted: August 20, 2013

Potentially over-rated. Lower grades staff is completely hit and miss, from entirely engaging and dedicated to the kids to superficial and downright mean. Curriculum and daily activities are overly intense without any clear benefits. Your child will do a lot but may not learn as much as a slower pace school that adds depth to subjects. Higher grades staff is more uniform with a few exceptions. Principal and Vice-Principal have no clear leadership capabilities and change course on a regular basis. Probalby deserves its "Exemplary" status, but I would recommend looking to England or Leander if the option is there.

Posted: August 20, 2013

The school tends to hire the most in-experienced and the most horrible teachers in Texas. The established teachers are good but every year a bunch of teachers quit and the replacements seem like they were interviewed by the principal in a drive- through setting. Have seen the same thing happening year after year even after the student count went down when a nearby school was built. The new principal is hardly impressive. The so called highly rated RR school district cannot even apply a uniform policy across all its schools and leaves a lot to the discretion of the principal. So far the principal's discretion has been un-impressive. Cant believe greatschools ranks this school as a 10!

Posted: April 28, 2012

I love this school. My son is in KG in Mrs. Stroh's class this year. I am very happy on what he has learned academically in just one year. I agree with one of the comment listed on Mrs. Stroh's capabilities. She is a very good teacher indeed. She does take personal interest in students and keep parents informed. When progress is made to exceed her expectations, she rewards children. This adds positive influence. Like her, there are many great teachers at this school. we love the principal Mrs. Pratz. He is very funny and welcoming. We loved him on the first day at orientation. This school does know how to each kids.