Austin · Licensed center
School in the Hills
At a glance
- Large Montessori center, licensed for 245 children.
- Hours 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., 5 days a week, school year.
- Tuition Toddler $2,025, preschool $1,925 a month. See costs
What to know
The license is the range the state allows. It does not say which ages have openings.
What the state has found
This state publishes the visits that cited something but not the ones that cited nothing, so there is no city rate to set this beside.
See each inspection
Licensing inspections
Jul 7, 20261 citation
746.3701 - Safety - Areas Free From HazardsMedium High
“A fan and three portable A/C units were observed in various classrooms and accsible to children.”
746.3701 - Safety - Areas Free From Hazards
Jul 24, 20253 citations
746.3803(b) - Medication Authorization Expires on First AnniversaryMedium High
“One child had an epi pen that had expired in 1/2025”
746.3803(b) - Medication Authorization Expires on First Anniversary
746.305(a)(7) - Report Change in Controlling PersonMedium High
“The director is not listed as a controlling person.”
746.305(a)(7) - Report Change in Controlling Person
746.1105(4) - Minimum Qualifications Employees and Caregivers - Affidavit (Form 2912)Low
“Two caregivers hired after 9/1/23 did not have pre-employment affidavits in their files.”
746.1105(4) - Minimum Qualifications Employees and Caregivers - Affidavit (Form 2912)
Sep 6, 20231 citation
745.641 - AP Background check results - Must receive notification prior to allowing subject to be present at your operationHigh
“One caregiver was present with an pending status on their background check. This was corrected at inspection when the director had the caregiver leave.”
745.641 - AP Background check results - Must receive notification prior to allowing subject to be present at your operation
Aug 23, 20221 citation
746.1309(a) - Documented Annual Training Area - 24 Hours RequiredMedium
“of the 10 files reviewed 2 caregivers were missing required annual training hours”
746.1309(a) - Documented Annual Training Area - 24 Hours Required
Sep 30, 20212 citations
746.5207(a)(4) - Emergency Evacuation and Relocation Diagram - Designated Location InsideMedium High
“The posted emergency diagrams did not show the designated location inside the center where all caregivers and children take shelter from threatening weather.”
746.5207(a)(4) - Emergency Evacuation and Relocation Diagram - Designated Location Inside
746.1309(e) - Documented Annual Training- Required ContentMedium
“Three staff members were missing training on handling hazardous materials for their last completed training year.”
746.1309(e) - Documented Annual Training- Required Content
Read every record and the state’s reports
State record — Texas HHSC
- Last visit
- July 7, 2026
- On file
- 5 visits since September 2021 — all of them cited findings · 1 complaint investigation
- Most serious
- High —
One caregiver was present with an pending status on their background check. This was corrected at inspection when the director had the caregiver leave.
· September 6, 2023
Texas HHSC describes each deficiency in writing and weights the standard behind it from high to low by the risk a violation presents to children. It publishes no inspection document.
Jul 2026 Licensing visit 1 finding
Licensing visit · July 7, 2026
746.3701 - Safety - Areas Free From Hazards · Medium High
A fan and three portable A/C units were observed in various classrooms and accsible to children.
Jul 2025 Licensing visit 3 findings
Licensing visit · July 24, 2025
746.3803(b) - Medication Authorization Expires on First Anniversary · Medium High
One child had an epi pen that had expired in 1/2025
746.305(a)(7) - Report Change in Controlling Person · Medium High
The director is not listed as a controlling person.
746.1105(4) - Minimum Qualifications Employees and Caregivers - Affidavit (Form 2912) · Low
Two caregivers hired after 9/1/23 did not have pre-employment affidavits in their files.
Sep 2023 Licensing visit 1 finding
Licensing visit · September 6, 2023
745.641 - AP Background check results - Must receive notification prior to allowing subject to be present at your operation · High
One caregiver was present with an pending status on their background check. This was corrected at inspection when the director had the caregiver leave.
Aug 2022 Complaint
Complaint · August 29, 2022
Reported to the state by the program
Self-report is Texas HHSC’s own field on its complaint investigation record.
746.305(a)(2) - AP Report Child Injury Requiring Medical Treatment by a Health-Care Professional or Hospitalization · Medium High
The operation did not report a child injury to licensing they were aware of that was treated by a medical professional within 48 hours. An administrative penalty will be recommended as a result of this citation, per HRC ?42.078
Aug 2022 Licensing visit 1 finding
Licensing visit · August 23, 2022
746.1309(a) - Documented Annual Training Area - 24 Hours Required · Medium
of the 10 files reviewed 2 caregivers were missing required annual training hours
Sep 2021 Licensing visit 2 findings
Licensing visit · September 30, 2021
746.1309(e) - Documented Annual Training- Required Content · Medium · No longer on the state’s site as of October 9, 2026
Three staff members were missing training on handling hazardous materials for their last completed training year.
746.5207(a)(4) - Emergency Evacuation and Relocation Diagram - Designated Location Inside · Medium High · No longer on the state’s site as of October 9, 2026
The posted emergency diagrams did not show the designated location inside the center where all caregivers and children take shelter from threatening weather.
Shortlist replaces people’s names in the state’s text with initials. This is done by rule, not by hand, so it can miss a name or shorten a word that isn’t one. The state’s report, linked on each row, has the original.
What it costs
$2,025 a month for a toddler
Austin-area comparison hidden until they say whether these are full-time prices.
- Half day (morning)
- $1,725 to $1,825 a month
- Siblings
- 10% sibling discount applied to the lower tuition when enrolling multiple children
A day here
8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., 5 days a week, school year
Meals and schedule
- Meals
- Snacks and lunches freshly prepared daily by an on-staff chef
- Schedule
- Academic Day, Half Day, Extended AM, Extended PM, Full Extended Day
How they teach
Montessori
“Montessori education is not only a methodology but also a way of life. School in the Hills nurtures and leads children through a physical, intellectual, and social-emotional path that is well prepared but constantly changing to meet the children's every need and interest.”
Who cares for your child
Alicia Marker (Founder) since 2006 and Dan Marker (Founder) since 2006.
20 years · Austin-area median 20, among 39 that publish
Details
- Phone
- (512) 266-6160
- Address
- 2900 N Quinlan Park Rd # 400, Austin, 78732
- License
- 899169
- Established
- 2006
- Ownership
- For-profit
We couldn’t find some information that may matter to your decision: openings, child care subsidies, and sick and biting policies. We can ask the program for you and copy you in.
Sources and dates
Where every fact on this page came from, and when Shortlist last checked it against that source. Anything Shortlist could not source is named here rather than left blank.
How they teach
- Approach — Checked July 2026 schoolinthehills.com
Who cares for your child
- Staff schoolinthehills.com
What it costs
- Toddler, Preschool, Second price, Sibling discount — Checked July 2026 schoolinthehills.com
State record
From Texas HHSC’s published reports, last checked November 8, 2026.
A day here
- Meals — Checked July 2026 schoolinthehills.com
- Hours, Calendar, Schedule — Checked July 2026 schoolinthehills.com
Details
- Phone, Address, License — Checked July 2026 childcare.hhs.texas.gov
- Website — Checked July 2026 schoolinthehills.com
- Ages they serve — Checked July 2026 schoolinthehills.com
- Established — Checked July 2026 schoolinthehills.com
- Ownership — Checked October 2026 comptroller.texas.gov
Large means the biggest quarter of Austin-area’s 928 licensed centers by state-licensed capacity: 154 to 731 children. Small is 12 to 61; medium is 62 to 153.