Real Estate Photographer in Hutto, TX

Alamo Drafthouse may have closed this weekend amid an employee strike at Austin's South Lamar location, but not every Texas town has the luxury of an upscale theater that may or may not be open. Yes people are seeing Sinners in droves, but some folks have to drive dozens of miles to get to their closest movie spot. All that's about to change for one growing Texas community.

Hutto, land of 3,000 hippo statues (it's true, we counted), is set to become the first-ever home an "experimental entertainment venue and cinema." Hooky, the 54,400-square-foot venue, will provide Hutto's nearly 40,000 residents with "first-class" theaters, an arcade, gaming areas, private event spaces and "premier food and beverage offerings" when it opens on May 23.

"Hooky's mission is simple: to put the guest experience first," Hooky President and CEO Charlie Tiantawach said in a news release. "We are excited to provide a lively entertainment destination where people can enjoy a range of activities, all under one roof. Whether that's catching a movie, enjoying a great meal, or playing a few rounds of their favorite arcade games, Hooky has something for everyone and it's never the same experience twice."

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Hooky will kickoff its movie offerings with the release of Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning, which guests can watch at the IMAX or its seven other available theaters. Visitors can pair their experience with a journey through the various games at the 5,500-square-foot arcade or the 12-lane bowling alley, the release highlighted.

Food highlights include elote fritters, Hooky Frito pie, shrimp bites, crispy chicken sandwich, the honky tonk smashburger and the key lime and raspberry pie.

"We are beyond thrilled to bring Hooky to the Hutto community," Jimmy McQuade, General Manager of the Hooky Hutto location, said in the release. "We’ve designed this space to be a fun, inviting destination for people of all ages to escape the everyday hustle and ‘play hooky.’"

AUSTIN, TX - National multifamily developer Wood Partners and its partner ParkProperty Capital (PPC) announced the start of construction on a 336-unit multifamily development in Hutto, Texas, a suburb outside of Austin. The project broke ground this week and is slated to deliver to the community in the third quarter of 2026.

Located off of Ed Schmidt Boulevard, the new community offers residents suburban living with access to urban conveniences, including the Co-Op District, Bushy Creek Amphitheater, a curated selection of retail and restaurants and more. Additionally, with access to Austin's major highways, the development is in the center of some of the city's top employers, including many high-tech, manufacturing and service companies. A recent report by The Williamson County Economic Development Partnership forecasts significant growth for the city of Hutto, which is projected to gain 32,800 new residents, requiring an additional 11,700 housing units to be delivered in the area.

"At Wood Partners, we're committed to delivering high-quality multifamily developments that support the growth and success of cities like Hutto," said Bart Barrett, Managing Director at Wood Partners. "Hutto offers a unique balance of a suburban lifestyle with accessible urban amenities and proximity to Downtown Austin, one of the nation's fastest-growing cities. We're proud to contribute to the region's evolution by providing housing options that meet the needs of this thriving community."

The multifamily community comprises 10 three-story buildings and offers a variety of amenities including a state-of-the-art fitness center, a business lounge, private offices, a club room with a coffee station, a resort-style pool and a fenced dog park. In collaboration with city officials, the development will also feature two pickleball courts, parkland with a walking trail and an 18-hole disc golf course that will also be available for public use. Residents can expect granite countertops, 42-inch shaker-style cabinets, wood-like flooring, stainless steel appliances, full-size washer and dryer and ground-floor units with private fenced yards.

Source: Wood Partners / ParkProperty Capital

Hutto ISD received a C for the 2022-23 school year with 78 out of a possible 100 points in the Texas Education Agency's 2022-23 school accountability ratings.

Public schools across the state were rated based on a variety of factors, including academic performance and how prepared students are for college and careers after high school.

Why now?

Ratings for the 2022-23 school year were delayed by lawsuits and released April 24 following an April 3 ruling in which the Texas 15th Court of Appeals overturned a 2023 injunction that prevented the accountability ratings' release for more than a year.

In September 2023, Hutto ISD joined more than 100 Texas school districts in a lawsuit aimed at preventing the release of these ratings, as changes in the methodology for how letter grades were calculated were made mid-school year.

At the time, several HISD trustees called the change to accountability ratings that would be applied to data for the the 2022-23 school year retroactively unfair, with trustee James Matlock calling it a "moving of goalposts."

"Commissioner [Mike] Morath is on record stating that there will be multiple campuses or districts statewide that have done better in their [State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness] score, but they have the chance of a decrease in score," Matlock said in 2023.

In a nutshell

The A-F rating system was created by the 85th Legislature to provide clear and consistent performance tracking data for public schools and ensure students are prepared for the next grade level. Per the TEA, the focus areas of student achievement, school progress and closing the gaps were intended to drive continuous improvement in public schools.

According to an April 24 release from the TEA, various factors, including the COVID-19 pandemic and lawsuits, have left an incomplete set of ratings for families to understand how their public schools are serving students.

“For far too long, families, educators and communities have been denied access to information about the performance of their schools, thanks to frivolous lawsuits paid for by tax dollars filed by those who disagreed with the statutory goal of raising career readiness expectations to help students,” Morath said in the news release.

The 2022-23 updates to methodology were made to "more accurately reflect performance," according to the TEA.

In a letter shared with HISD families, Superintendent Jeni Neatherlin described the data informing the 2022-23 ratings as "old," and the district has taken steps to "improve instruction, raise expectations and increase accountability."

"These scores were based on a revised accountability system that was far more rigorous than in previous years," Neatherlin's said in the letter. "As a result, districts across Texas anticipated a decrease in ratings by an entire letter grade or more due to the changes. Ultimately, students and educators were not doing less, the bar had just been moved."

The breakdown

Statewide, about 11% of school districts received an A rating for the 2022-23 school year, 40% of districts earned a B, about 32% scored a C, 14% received a D, and about 3% received an F, according to the TEA.

At the campus level, in 2023, 1,646 campuses earned an A, 2,873 campuses scored a B, 2,107 campuses received a C, 1,264 campuses received a D, and 649 campuses scored an F, according to the TEA’s statewide summary report.

Out of the HISD campuses that received ratings:

Zooming in

Texas school districts like HISD last received ratings through the A-F system in the 2021-22 school year. At that time, about one-third of districts earned an A rating for 2021-22, and just over half earned a B, according to prior reporting.

HISD did not receive a rating in the 2019-20 and 2020-21 school years due to state of disaster declarations stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior to the adjusted methodology, the district had earned a B in the 2018-19 and 2021-22 school years.

What's next?

The TEA remains blocked from releasing accountability ratings for the 2023-24 school year, due to another lawsuit from school districts across the state. The second lawsuit is pending a decision from a state appeals court, as reported by Community Impact.

In Hutto ISD, the release of the 2022-23 rating was not a catalyst for change. Rather, Neatherlin wrote in her letter, the district took student achievement data prior to the public release of the rating and used it to identify areas of needed improvement. Since then, the district has reported higher performance in math year over year, among other indicators of academic improvement.

"We will continue to use all data available, including the TEA rating, to evaluate our work and improve where needed," Neatherlin wrote. "But let me be clear: Hutto ISD is on the rise in academics and all areas of student life, and we will keep pushing forward to deliver the best possible outcomes for our students."

Education Reporter

Brooke is an education reporter covering Georgetown, Hutto, Pflugerville and Round Rock ISDs. When she joined Community Impact in May 2021, she covered education, city government and business news in Round Rock. Brooke is from Seguin and graduated from The University of Texas in 2020. Her last name is pronounced “Show-burg.” When she's not working, Brooke is with the love of her life, her dog Doc Holliday.

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Here's everything voters in Hutto and Pflugerville need to know about the Hutto City Council and Pflugerville ISD board of trustee elections before heading to the polls on May 3.

On the ballot: Hutto City Council

Three council seats, including mayor, are on the ballot in Hutto.

Hutto Mayor

Read Snyder and Gideon's Q&A with Community Impact here.

Hutto City Council Place 3

Read Denena, Morris and Kea's Q&A with Community Impact here.

Hutto City Council Place 6

Read Kolar, Deleon, King and McGowan's Q&A with Community Impact here.

A list of Williamson County polling places can be viewed here. Polls are open from 7 a.m.-7 p.m.

On the ballot: Pflugerville ISD

Three board of trustees seats are on the ballot in Pflugerville ISD.

PfISD Board of Trustee Place 3

PfISD Board of Trustee Place 4

PfISD Board of Trustee Place 5

A list of Travis County polling places can be viewed here. Polls are open from 7 a.m.-7 p.m.

Read Community Impact's Q&A with all six candidates here.

Something to note

Voters must bring a valid form of photo identification to the polls, such as:

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