Khabele + Strong Incubator

At KSI I have a TEAM of people committed to my childrens success! I couldn’t be more thankful!
I currently have three kiddos enrolled at KSI. My children have all experienced many different educational environments including private schools, public & charter schools as well as homeschooling. I searched and searched and found the best ‘award winning’ schools in Austin. All of them failed us in some way… until now at KSI!
My oldest daughter finds academics easy and was bored and discouraged by the offerings at our local HS. She also found the social aspects of HS drama exhausting. She was not wanting to go back for her senior year and was desperately trying to convince me to let her get her GED. We had tried public and even half day charter schools with no improvement. After ONE meeting with Michael and a tour of the school I was so relieved that my girl was EXCITED about going back to school and graduating! She loves KSI and works really hard! Not for me or her guides, but for herself! Because she enjoys the work, often chooses the subject matter that interests her and believes in its value! She is set to graduate this year with all of the tools necesaary to start and run her own business should she desire or head off to a great college if she chooses!
My younger daughter was being bullied and picked on at our «award winning» local HS. She was convinced there was something wrong with her and had started doing self harm. She started experiencing anxiety and panic attacks. She then started skipping school. A whole month of this went on before anyone caught it. Not only was she being picked on by peers but also teachers! Art is her passion and her art teacher would say and write negative things about and ON her art to the point where she didnt enjoy it anymore! KSI’s small, intimate student body means everyone knows everyone. Their mindfulness practices means bullying is never tolerated and people are held responsible for their words and actions. When she was really struggling with a particular assignment we met with her guides and developed an assignment that better suited her learning style as well as interests. B is still a quiet, soft spoken girl but she has the space to be herself and explore her creativity. She has gained so much confidence since being at KSI! Not only as a student but as a young woman as well. Everyone’s voice is important at KSI!
My oldest son was finally diagnosed with dyslexia two years ago after many run arounds and delays at various public schools. He was granted 504 state accomodations and I met with his teachers and reading specialists regularly. His accomodations basically just meant that instead of 20 worksheets for homework he had 10. For a dyslexic child the day is exhausting and for him to come home to do more worksheets meant tears and frustration. He wanted to play outside with his brothers not do more worksheets! We would meet often and the teachers were always discouraging. His teacher was a new teacher in her first year and got easily overwhelmed by the class in general. I could tell she was beginning to resent the extra work it took to help my son. She enjoyed him as a person but was overburdened by his special needs. They had many concerns about him passing the STARR test and began to focus on only that. Recesses and privileges were taken away and I was continually being told how ‘concerned’ everyone was for him. In the end I refused the STARR test for him and no one knew what to do. His math teacher failed him by one point. My poor kid left this school (one of the best elementary schools in Austin) feeling like he was the dumbest kid in school, not only 4^th grade, but in the entire school! At KSI he has made more progress in the past few months than in years at public schools! His awesome guide has found him a program to not only help him cope with his dyslexia but to help him OVERCOME it! Finally he is being seen for the amazing and highly intelligent little being that he is! His peers AND guides find him witty and smart and for the first time in a long time he is excited about school! He actually asks to go to school early and stay late!
I am so grateful to the KSI guides and community. We don’t just go to a great school. We belong to a family. A family intent on helping one another succeed. I will forever be thankful and am looking forward to many years as part of the KSI family.

We moved across the country to give our son the opportunity to attend KSI for High School. Michael Strong has been a powerfully positive mentor and role model for him. Beyond its unique academics, KSI helps students develop themselves in all areas of the theory of multiple intelligences. We are grateful that he is finally in a school environment where he feels safe, supported, and inspired. Thank you, Michael and Khotso, for preparing these kids to meet the challenges of the real world.

KSI is an evolving progressing school with a nurturing environment. We are lucky to have found this school. Our kids are bright (like everyone’s!), but were overlooked in public school because they didn’t demand attention. KSI has helped our Jr. High child flourish by recognizing and augmenting his strengths, and not crushing him with busywork.

When it came time to look for a middle school for our son, we were so fortunate to come across KhabeleStrong Incubator (KSI). It was in it’s first year, so we were hoping that it would at least come close to the ideals espoused by the founders and staff. We are in our second year now, and I can say with confidence that it is all we could hope for our child. It is the peaceful, inspiring, safe, and challenging place that I wish all students could experience.
Co-​founder Michael Strong is a visionary leader that has never disappointed us in demonstrating that education is a fluid process that each student has to engage in through nurturing their own innate curiosities and interests. The atmosphere and level of conversation in the school is beyond any middle school I have seen. I can say that our son loves KSI and is happy to be there. It is really ideal to have him in a place where we know he will be encouraged rather than contained. He has been exposed to new experiences at the school like Socratic dialogue, parkour, and innovative sustainable technology like aquaponics. I see my son gaining confidence in his ideas and learning to listen to the ideas of others.
I see the school as being primarily for students who are self motivated and don’t need too much direction to move forward. That might be challenging for some to adapt to. The campus is located on the site of Casa de Luz, which is such a beautiful and peaceful place. Because of their location, they are able to access the trail, Zilker, and the lake on a regular basis. That to me is such a wonderful way to connect to Austin’s natural beauty. The student body is small, but considering all of the changes that happen in middle school, that is my preference. I feel like I can trust my son is in a good environment for growth. I highly recommend KSI.