Any Bucks County, PA moms on?

[mamagoosie]

We are moving to the area in the spring and I could use some help re: schools. DD is sitll a few years away from kindergarten, but we want to buy in the best district we can afford. We are considering Yardley, Newtown and parts of Lanhorne--the corresponding school districts are Pennsbury, Neshaminy and Council Rock--anyone have any input? Thanks SO much in advance.

Alex

[shannonG]

Hey, we just moved from Western NY to Bucks County, PA last May. It's been a hard transition but we're adjusting slowly. DH's job is basically in Newtown, so we were also looking to settle down in Yardley as well as Doylestown. We ended up in Sellersville because we were looking for a townhome rental (that accepted a dog) and wasn't over 2,000 a month! We figured renting was a smart option considering we knew nothing about the area...and it's CRAZY expensive to buy right now. Everything we found in Newtown and Doylestown was extremely expensive for what you get, but the drawback to living here is a 40 minute commute to work for DH.

This is a weird area...very beautiful, but not yet developed enough for the influx of people who are settling down here. I don't have the patience for the longer drive time and the twisty-turny roads. I think Yardley and especially Langhorne are a little more developed...so hopefully you'll find somthing there. I've heard that Councel Rock is one of the best districts in PA, and Pennsbury is also great, which I think might be our district. DS is only 18 months old, so I don't have firsthand knowledge...but when we do buy, I'd definitely like to find something in either of those districts...if we can afford it!!!

There is a Philadelphia moms Yahoo group, http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bbbphiladelphia/?yguid=212223863 if you're interested in joining. It's pretty quiet right now, but it's a great way to connect with area moms. Maybe in the spring we can all meet up!!! I know there are some other BBB moms who might be able to help you out better than I can. Good luck and email me anytime!

Shannon :)

ETA: I just checked and we're in the Pennridge school district, not Pennsbury...so I'm not sure about that one.

[emily_gracesmama]

Hi I live in Churchville PA, which is Bucks county, in the Council Rock school district, which I actually attended myself! I have to admit that I loved the education I got and bought here specifically so my kids would go there. Another top district very close by is the Lower Moreland school district, definitely smaller than CR, but supposed to be very good. Lower Moreland is actually considered to be Montgomery county, but my friend who lives there is only ten mins down the road from me. My daughter is only 8 months old so I haven't had the chance to explore any schools yet, even for stuff like pre-school, but I have friends with older kids so anything I could offer info-wise, I'd be happy to help. As my husband is pointing out right now, Bucks county is pretty big, so things will definitely vary depending on where in Bucks you are looking, I would be happy to answer any questions you have, just drop me an email :)

[brittone2]

I'm in NC now but lived in the general area (in Montgomery county but just off the border of Bucks).

In any case, Council Rock is consistently rated one of the best school districts in PA and has a great reputation if you can afford to buy there. I don't know as much about the schools in the other areas, but I had a friend in Newtown who loved it (but eventually moved out of the area to be able to afford a larger house/more land), and Doylestown is very cute but again, on the pricey side.

[cmdunn1972]

I'm not in Bucks County, but really close! I'm in Northampton county, just north of Bucks.

Consider this a shout-out to all you other Philly-but-not-really Mamas! :)

[jamsmu]

I'm in Chester County, but grew up in Montco. Know Bucks pretty well. Yardley is a beautiful area. And, yes, Council Rock is a wonderful SD. Of the three, my guess would be the lowest ranked is Neshaminy as its closest to the city I think it had a lower reputation (not that that really means much... Lower Merion is on the city line and consistently in the top 5 in the state, like CR.) Council Rock also pays their teachers VERY well and is very competitive amongst teacher apps.