The Selwyn School, Argyle, Texas
Families searching for a private school near Argyle, Lantana, Flower Mound or Denton are usually comparing three or four options and finding that the websites all sound alike. The differences that actually change your child’s day are rarely the ones on the homepage. Here is a practical way to compare, and where Selwyn genuinely sits among them.
Start with the drive, because you will do it twice a day
The single most underrated factor in choosing a school is the commute, and the number of families who love a school and then quietly burn out on the drive is higher than anyone admits. Selwyn sits on ten acres along Copper Canyon Road in Argyle, which puts it close for families in Denton, Lantana, Northlake, Argyle, Highland Village and Flower Mound.
For families a little further out, or for a household where two jobs and one car do not stretch to two round trips, Selwyn runs two bus routes. The northern route picks up and drops off in Denton at I-35E and Highway 380. The southern route runs in Flower Mound along Long Prairie Road near Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital. Families interested in a seat on either route can write to bus@selwynschool.com. Ask every school on your list the same question, and notice how many have no answer.
Ask what happens when your child is ahead, or behind
Every school will tell you it meets state and national standards. The useful question is what happens at the edges. At Selwyn our curriculum is built well beyond state and national academic standards, and we do not teach to standardized tests, which frees teachers to go deeper with a child who is ready and slower with a child who is not. When you tour anywhere, ask for a specific example of each. Vague answers are the answer.
Look at what survives a busy week
Art, music, physical education, world language and library time are easy to promise in August and easy to quietly lose by February. Ask which of them are protected in the weekly schedule. At Selwyn, fine arts, outdoor education and Spanish are part of how the week is built, not the first things cut when the calendar tightens.
Ask how far the school goes
A school that ends in fifth or eighth grade means you do this search again, and your child says goodbye to their friends on a schedule someone else set. Selwyn is an independent Preschool through Grade 12 on one campus, so the community your child joins can carry all the way through. For a lot of Denton County families, that is the difference between choosing a school and choosing a school for now.
Ask how character is actually taught
Most schools have values on a wall or from a book. Ask what they look like on a Tuesday. Selwyn’s mission lives in our curriculum, our schedule, in our field trips, and in how our students carry themselves on and off campus. Whatever a school’s list is, the follow-up question is the same. How would I know, from the outside, that you actually do this?
A comparison worksheet you can steal
- What is the door-to-door drive at 7:30am, and is there a bus?
- What happens to a child who is ahead? To one who is struggling?
- Which specials are protected in the weekly schedule?
- What grades does the school serve, and what happens after?
- How does the school teach character, in practice?
- How do teachers reach parents when something is off?
Then go see them
Every school on your list will read well. The one that is right for your child will feel different when you are standing in it, and you will usually know inside ten minutes. Selwyn tours are personalized and led by our Director of Admissions, and we will build the visit around what your child cares about.
Schedule your campus tour at selwynschool.org/admissions/campus-tours/ or call 940-382-6771.
