  We were so impressed by the school. The student body seemed on the wealthier side, which was the biggest drawback. And they were overwhelmingly white. French, Spanish, German, and English white, but white nonetheless. John especially from his Coronado upbringing wants Aidan to be around kids from diverse socio-economic backgrounds. If we enroll Aidan at MECA as well though, he would get a lot of exposure to poorer international families. The curriculum is just amazing. At the preschool level you choose whether you want your child to learn French or Spanish first and then the child spends at least 50% of his or her time speaking and hearing that language. The high school students who showed us the campus had all taken summer school projects in Bolivia or Argentina or other amazing places. I'm not totally impressed with the competitive athletic program, but we're far from that and leagues are so big in the cities anymore that my niece Kristin, who is actively scouted even though she's just a Sophomore (because she's already 6'3") may not even play school ball this year and do league ball instead. There were parents from so many different countries in South and Central America and Europe. It was great to be surrounded by such diversity.
Most of the parents did not bring their pre-school aged children. Some did, but I felt like everyone should have. Aidan behaved very well. I was proud of him. French children in general have higher standards of behavior. It's funny, because Italian and Spanish children have lower standards there, I mean, the parents have a much more hands-off parenting approach. But not France. The director of the preschool program said the Awty is not for everybody. It is a very structured environment.
And I understood that she was specifically saying that if you are the kind of parent who does not believe in discipline, don't send your kid here. They raised tuition from what the website said. That was bad, but I still think you can't put a price on education. The Awty is the second largest international school in the US, second only to the UN school in New York. There are plenty of schools in Houston that are far more expensive, but I really think this is the best one. Applications are due December 20! 
