Would you pick the public school nearest you or the best one in your town?

[citymama]

Help me pick a school for our soon to be kindergartener this Fall. Here's the background:

We're moving to a great school district, all elementary through high schools have a 900+ API score and are either 9s or 10s on greatschools.net. Here are our two leading options for DD's school:

Option A: The school that is nearest our house (2 blocks away!) is the nicest space of all the elementary schools, very diverse, great principal - but also the one with the weakest PTA, not as much parental involvement and most transient because most students are kids of grad students (who do great in school, but also move away in 2-5 years). Also, about half the student body are non-native English speakers, mostly international students - which is a minus and a plus (we love the diversity, but perhaps this is a drag on the classroom academics in some way). It scores a 920 on API scores and a 9 on greatschools.

Option B is the one that is reputedly the best school in the district - about a mile away, so not likely that we'll walk to school, but not terribly far either. Super active PTA, they raise a lot more money, lots of parental involvement. A much smaller space, but it seemed cozier and more like her preschool right now - all the parents know all the kids. The principal seemed not so friendly, almost shy. It is also fairly diverse racially, but more wealthy. It seemed more like a private school in some ways - let's be honest, it's where the more well-to-do families send their kids, and the first one is more working class/grad students kids. This school scores a 950 API and a 10 on greatschools.

Both schools have the same student: teacher ratio and teachers seemed great at both schools. The schools are very close to a major university, and I suspect the good scores have a lot to do with the academic background of the parents (as opposed to brilliant, innovative teaching, but I might be wrong).

Not only am I not a snob, I'm an anti-snob of sorts; I value diversity and an international student body. That said, I don't want to deprive my kid of the cool extra curriculars that come with a better funded school - when we visited, we saw kids doing pottery, creative art projects, I know they go on cool school trips, have a music program, etc, that the other school doesn't. And while I love the idea of a neighborhood school, a mile is not that far away in the scheme of things.

So, especially to those of you with older kids or who went to one kind of school or another growing up, what do you value about your school, and what would you advise prioritizing? The application deadline is in a few weeks. I would LOVE any feedback and advice. Thank you!

[TwinFoxes]

I think you are probably going to be Ok either way. But honestly, barring a miracle, California's budget woes aren't going away, and are likely to get worse rather than better. I bet a lot more education funding will be cut, and school A might really start to suffer. I would go for the school with the fundraising PTA. Really, that's the only reason I would choose B.

I'm so glad you found a house. It sounds like it was worth the wait! :)

[arivecchi]

It depends. Will selecting the better funded school be seriously inconvenient or not in terms of pick-up/drop-off?

[boolady]

It depends. Will selecting the better funded school be seriously inconvenient or not in terms of pick-up/drop-off?

I think this is a very important consideration, given that you're able to choose between a 9 and a 10. If the "best" one is only one mile away, even that's really close in my book, but if there's a reason to believe that it will be harder for DD to get together with friends as she grows older or reason to believe that it will otherwise be inconvenient, then it sounds like you've got a win-win situation here.

[sste]

Well, DH and I both woth and things like drop off hugely detract from our family quality of life - - so we would be very excited about option 1 where the DC could eventually walk to school. Also, the international aspect sounds wonderful. The only thing that would sway me would be if there was no music or art program whatsoever at school #1. If the aftercare options didn't offer those things either then I would be running the DC around to private lessons more frequently and that might outweigh the convenience of walk to school.

[ha98ed14]

Someone *just* went through this. They dropped off an application for the neighborhood diverse school and then had second thoughts and went back the next morning and tore up the application and filed for the PTAfunded , school. ITA with Twin Foxes; our budget problems are going to get worse before they get better. Unless the drop off/ pick up would cause you to risk your job, I would go for the better funded school hands down.

FWIW, we will also face this situation. Our neighborhood school is has decent scores,and is very diverse, and while I love the diversity, it is also serves a lot of ESL students, so all their extra resources go there. Not much for my DD to benefit from since she is a native, mono-lingual student. We're sending her to DH's school which also has diversity, but has a more active PTA and more extras for DD to benefit from like the school musical.

[YouAreTheFocus]

I think you can't go wrong w/ either, so to me it would come down to location and then A would win. Having a 920/9 elementary as my neighborhood school (and 2 blks away, to boot) would be a dream come true. My own elementary school was ~5 blocks away, I walked or rode my bike everyday, and could go to friends' houses after school since they all lived in a small radius. I would love to have this for my child.

I have to add, I'm sort of an anti-snob as well, and I'd have concerns w/ my child going to the B type school. While we live comfortably, we will never be "well-to-do" as long as we live in the bay area. I'd prefer that our child go to a school where there is a wider range of incomes that we fit into rather than a school where the vast majority of the kids are "well-to-do" and we fall near or at the bottom. Don't know if this applies to your situation.

[arivecchi]

I think you can't go wrong w/ either, so to me it would come down to location and then A would win. Having a 920/9 elementary as my neighborhood school (and 2 blks away, to boot) would be a dream come true. My own elementary school was ~5 blocks away, I walked or rode my bike everyday, and could go to friends' houses after school since they all lived in a small radius. I would love to have this for my child.

I have to add, I'm sort of an anti-snob as well, and I'd have concerns w/ my child going to the B type school. While we live comfortably, we will never be "well-to-do" as long as we live in the bay area. I'd prefer that our child go to a school where there is a wider range of incomes that we fit into rather than a school where the vast majority of the kids are "well-to-do" and we fall near or at the bottom. Don't know if this applies to your situation.:yeahthat:

I tend to agree with this, plus it is so nice to not be super rushed in the morning. Being able to walk to school is invaluable.

Also, my guess is citymama could start a jump-start that PTA! :superhero:

[MMMommy]

You are very lucky in that both options are great options. Given the choice, I would still pick Option B, the better rated school with more funding. One mile away is not far at all and is still very close to your home. If all things were equal, I would pick Option A because of proximity. But it sounds like Option B has better funding, more parent involvement, and better resources overall. Better resources/good funding is significant, and the better API score is icing on the cake.

[sariana]

I am a big fan of walking to school, so I chose A. Both schools have APIs over 900; that's fantastic! I don't think you need to worry about academic standards at all, so it sounds as though the diversity will only be a plus.

Schools can change their rankings at any time, but their location won't change. I think the advantages of having a school so close outweigh almost anything else.

[AnnieW625]

I am a product of a racially diverse elementary school and it was about 1000 feet from our house growing up. I voted that one, and I really think that being local makes a lot of sense. My mom could've tried to get me into the best elementary school in my hometown, but it just wasn't worth it. I learned a lot about race and equality and lack of equality or other races at other schools (at other elementary schools who thought they were better than us; I was in band and we had local competitions and such) because of my little elementary school and had friends who were American Indian, Hispanic, and Pakistani throughout school, and most of those friendships started in elementary school. I wouldn't have a lot of that integration with the other races had I gone to one of the other schools in my area.

If I didn't work full time outside the home we'd really consider our neighborhood school which is 5 on the similar schools index (sort of like Great Schools) and has not so great API scores (767 last year I think) as I have heard great things about the principal, and the teachers really enjoy teaching there (as I have heard from other teacher friends). If the school had APIs of 850+ I wouldn't mind paying the obscene amount of money they charge for after school care for our girls to go to a school 500 ft. from our house.

Sending you a PM.

[larig]

I'd pick school A. It's what we'll do if we stay in our current house. There is a school a mile away that is a 10, ours is a 9. I love the idea of being able to walk DS to school, especially since DH works from home, he'd be nice and close all the time. Like everyone else said, I think you'll be in great shape at either school.

[citymama]

It depends. Will selecting the better funded school be seriously inconvenient or not in terms of pick-up/drop-off?


I think this is a very important consideration, given that you're able to choose between a 9 and a 10. If the "best" one is only one mile away, even that's really close in my book, but if there's a reason to believe that it will be harder for DD to get together with friends as she grows older or reason to believe that it will otherwise be inconvenient, then it sounds like you've got a win-win situation here.

It would be an additional hassle but not huge. As a kid, I went to a school about 3 blocks away that wasn't the best in town, but good enough. Getting to have a relaxed breakfast with my sister and dad every morning (mom had to leave early to work) was one of the best parts of my day. Not being crazy rushed has its benefits! And the neighborhood play date thing is a huge factor.

But all the points about the CA education funding cuts are resonating with me as well. Still mulling this one over...

[Beth24]

As a California resident with kids in grade and middle school I would vote B for the reasons previously stated...the best way to ensure that the quality of education will be maintained regardless of budget cuts and changes to teacher/kid ratios is through a well funded an active parent organization. PM me if you'd like to discuss this any further.

[egoldber]

If you try your neighborhood school and don't like it, do you have options?

Also, even though the other school has a more active PTA how is that actually translating into differences between the schools? Does it mean more aides in the classroom? PE and art vs. not? Or things like after school extracurriculars?

JMO, but if you can change later, then I would start with your base school. Just because a school is the "best" doesn't necessarily mean it will be the best for your child. And there is really no way to know that until you try. A school can sound terrific on paper and be terrible for your kid.

[squimp]

They both sound like really good schools. A couple of other things to figure in the mix.

Do you have lots of kids i.e. playdates in your neighborhood? Being able to walk to school and to walk home with friends is a definite plus. Also having friends who live nearby is a great thing.

Which parent body do you more identify with? We go to the "best" school in town (like your school B), but I do feel like I identify more with the more hippie/faculty/grad student blend at the next school over.

And ESL is not always a bad thing for schools. From DD's class, I would guess that at least 25% of the kids are ESL, and at least half the class is gifted. Our school has a huge Korean population, and many of them are the strongest kids in math and reading and writing. And DD has learned about China, Singapore, Mexico, India, Korea and Germany from her classmates.

[sariana]

Super active PTA, they raise a lot more money, lots of parental involvement.

This is great, but the PTA will change over time. Is there any guarantee it will remain as active as it is now? I don't know if it's this way across CA, but here our PTA has to change leadership every two years. So who knows whether the new president will be able to maintain the same level of involvement. What if this is just a great bunch of parents whose children are about to graduate?

Probably not, but these are some more questions to consider.

[fivi2]

We are going through a similar debate, but our B is farther away (but right next to both of our offices). For me, when I was a sahm I loved the idea of a neighborhood school. I had dreams of us walking to and from, playing with all of their friends after school, etc.

But now that I am working, honestly, I don't see it happening. We will be in a rush and driving them on the way to work to either school. They will (most likely) be in after care at either school. Yes, playdates are an issue, but if your B is only 1 mile away, I can't see it being a HUGE deal. So, for us, the fantasy of walking home from school together isn't going to happen either way.

Sorry - I can't remember if you are working or not, but I just wanted to mention my thinking with our decision.

So I am just going with my gut reaction to the actual school, teacher, administration, etc.

[MMMommy]

We will be in a rush and driving them on the way to work to either school. Yes, playdates are an issue, but if your B is only 1 mile away, I can't see it being a HUGE deal. So, for us, the fantasy of walking home from school together isn't going to happen either way.
:yeahthat:

IMO, one mile away is not far away at all. But whether the school is a few blocks or one mile, I would probably end up being in a rush and dropping the kids off at school anyways. But that is just me.

Parent involvement and community funding/donations are very, very beneficial to our school district. In our small school district, parent time/involvement and parent donations make a huge difference. The supplemental funding promotes class size reduction, specialists, enrichment teachers, technology, counseling services, and other areas as well.

[deborah_r]

We drive completely out of our way to bring DS1 to the school we chose through Open Enrollment. Our neighborhood school had dismal scores (we rent an apt in an affluent area where most people use private schools) so we deal with the inconvenience of driving him out of the way. I wouldn't say our goal was the *best* school in the district, but just among the best.

I do want to point out that my "neighborhood school" is not in walking distance either, so I didn't have to make that choice.

Our district has such a bad reputation I have seen it said in the comments of the local newspaper that it is equivalent to child abuse to send your kids to our public schools. But DS is doing great at his school, he's had 3 wonderful teachers so far, so it's been working out ok for us.

[longtallsally05]

We're looking at a very similar decision coming up this fall. We'll be moving and are trying to zero in on housing. Now we have to decide whether we want to seek $$$ housing near the best elementary school in town, or whether we want to live closer to base & schools there. Decisions...decisions. Keep us posted on what you decide; I'm curious which wins out!

[citymama]

We're looking at a very similar decision coming up this fall. We'll be moving and are trying to zero in on housing. Now we have to decide whether we want to seek $$$ housing near the best elementary school in town, or whether we want to live closer to base & schools there. Decisions...decisions. Keep us posted on what you decide; I'm curious which wins out!

It may not end up being our decision - we're guaranteed a spot in one of the elem. schools, but not necessarily the one we pick! However, I hear that most people get their top choice school, and if there is a wait list, it's for the "best" school (option B in my poll).

Incidentally, I went to a school more like Option A, probably not even as good, but darned close by. I think it was easier on my parents and therefore on our family as a whole - and probably better for us for that reason. I don't regret it one bit - it was a decent education and I ended up at an excellent high school and college. I think the income and class diversity in my school is very much responsible for my view of the world. But my siblings resent that my parents didn't make more of an effort to send us to some place fantastic, and are bending over backwards to do nothing but the "best" for their kids.

I guess I am leaning more towards option A, but I'm so very cognizant of the CA funding cuts situation and how bad this could be in a few years. Looking at the poll results, 80% think we should do the better school and 40% the closer school (double counting and not really percentages any more!).

Will keep you posted!

[Globetrotter]

Incidentally, I went to a school more like Option A, probably not even as good, but darned close by. I think it was easier on my parents and therefore on our family as a whole - and probably better for us for that reason. I don't regret it one bit - it was a decent education and I ended up at an excellent high school and college. I think the income and class diversity in my school is very much responsible for my view of the world. But my siblings resent that my parents didn't make more of an effort to send us to some place fantastic, and are bending over backwards to do nothing but the "best" for their kids.

I guess I am leaning more towards option A, but I'm so very cognizant of the CA funding cuts situation and how bad this could be in a few years. Looking at the poll results, 80% think we should do the better school and 40% the closer school (double counting and not really percentages any more!).

It's good to get opinions, and we certainly have them :tongue5:, but go with your gut. Both schools sound great! I, too, went to socioeconomically diverse schools before college, and I think that was a good thing for me. I was thinking that each city is different, and perhaps yours has a different way of handling the budget cuts so the kids don't lose their enrichment programs, but do look into that issue.

[citymama]

I was thinking that each city is different, and perhaps yours has a different way of handling the budget cuts so the kids don't lose their enrichment programs, but do look into that issue.

I need to look into this more, but I *think* that School B has a lot more enrichment programs, and that's the main draw for me - the academics seem pretty comparable. When I saw the little girls making pottery, I have to say I was almost immediately swayed! My gut feeling on this changes by the day. We haven't yet moved so we'll see once we get there and talk to neighbors. ;)

One of the parents at the swankier school B (who we ran into at a store, not someone I know) made it a point of telling me that her dry cleaner's kids go to the school close to us - as if to say, you couldn't possibly want to send your kids there, right? I'm not sure I can deal with precious parents like that!

[TwinFoxes]

One of the parents at the swankier school B (who we ran into at a store, not someone I know) made it a point of telling me that her dry cleaner's kids go to the school close to us - as if to say, you couldn't possibly want to send your kids there, right? I'm not sure I can deal with precious parents like that!

:barf: Ugh, please tell me there's a chance you read too much into that!

It's such a hard decision. Honestly, if it weren't for the budget, and the fact that the PTA funds art etc, I would choose the nearer school. But as the budgets get tighter more and more "extras" will be cut...it starts with art, and will end with teachers and equipment. :(

I think sometimes people in other parts of the country don't realize how badly the schools in California suffer. In LA, there were pretty much no art or music classes paid for by the city. I don't know if it's like that where you live, but it sounds like it. It's not a situation where the PTA is paying for special art classes, it's a situation where the PTA is paying for markers and paper.

[WatchingThemGrow]

We are somewhat in a similar situations, and for now, I'm going with the neighborhood school. Part of *me* feels like I can be myself more with the parents and families who live in the more reasonably priced older, smaller homes as opposed to the families whose homes are 2-5x the size and value of ours. My neighbor tells me, however, that she loves reaping the benefits of the wealthier school without being expected to do so much. In the option A school, she was always needing to BE the room parent, etc. whereas at the other, there were a plethora of people vying for the spot.

For me, if/when I go back to work (in the school district, hopefully) I'll have the option of taking them to the school with higher scores, so we'll see what is happening then. What are you options for changing schools down the road?

Sounds like you don't have a bad choice IMO, and keep into account that you'll kinda be choosing not just for DD1, but also for DD2 when DD1 is half-way through. What do the middle school feeder situations look like?

[egoldber]

but I *think* that School B has a lot more enrichment programs

Is it during the school day or optional after school stuff? As in does A NOT have art and B does?

I also would not assume that A never does pottery just because you saw them doing it at B and not A. (Just as an example.) Schools often do the curriculum in a different order. And some schools will do a project in one grade but not another (again, just as an example).

FWIW, our base school and DD's current magnet school is very similar to how you describe A and B. DD is much happier at B, but *I* was happier with A. :o But the reality of me being a WOTH parent translated into DD does not really get to take much advantage of the extracurriculars offered at school B because she goes to after care somewhere else.

[spunkybaby]

While I think it would be *great* to be two blocks away from school, I chose B because A has a more transient population. I would guess the more transient population translates to less involvement in the PTA and less concern about long-term outcomes. If I myself were transient and planning to move in 2-5 years, then B would be great. But since you are planning to settle in this house, I would choose school A so that your DDs can have long-lasting friendships and so that you can have long-lasting ties to the other parents. And I echo the PPs' comments about better funding from the PTA, especially in light of California's budget situation.

[bubbaray]

I voted option B for the active PTA and funding issues.

[fauve01]

If you try your neighborhood school and don't like it, do you have options?

Also, even though the other school has a more active PTA how is that actually translating into differences between the schools? Does it mean more aides in the classroom? PE and art vs. not? Or things like after school extracurriculars?

JMO, but if you can change later, then I would start with your base school. Just because a school is the "best" doesn't necessarily mean it will be the best for your child. And there is really no way to know that until you try. A school can sound terrific on paper and be terrible for your kid.

:yeahthat: i completely agree with this.

we were in the OP's situation, almost exactly, and we chose option A. it is SOOO SOO nice to be able to walk to school (4 blocks!) and avoid the car parking lot craziness. we also love the diverse environment. the PTA isn't as active as it could be, but i am as involved as i want to be. DD made a BFF and loves school. our option B was farther away (for us the draw was second language immersion program) and we chose the option A school for the diversity and walking distance. DH and i each grew up in very white middle class neigborhoods.

I agree with Beth that just because school #2 has better numbers does not mean it is the best fit for your kid. the #1 school in my town has great test scores because it really really focuses on tests (a mom friend is a teacher there). there is so much test talk there! i think there is something to focusing on other stuff too to make a whole kid. I agree to try your home school and see how it goes.

anne

[Globetrotter]

I need to look into this more, but I *think* that School B has a lot more enrichment programs, and that's the main draw for me - the academics seem pretty comparable. When I saw the little girls making pottery, I have to say I was almost immediately swayed! My gut feeling on this changes by the day. We haven't yet moved so we'll see once we get there and talk to neighbors. ;)

One of the parents at the swankier school B (who we ran into at a store, not someone I know) made it a point of telling me that her dry cleaner's kids go to the school close to us - as if to say, you couldn't possibly want to send your kids there, right? I'm not sure I can deal with precious parents like that!

OUCH. I couldn't handle dealing with snooty parents, either. I guess you will get a better feel once you move. Our local schools lost ALL enrichment (a couple of programs have come back slowly, part time - can't even dream of pottery!) and aren't allowed to fill in the gaps temporarily with parental contributions, but it sounds like that is not the case in this district. I agree with the PP who said CA schools are suffering - it's not looking good for the next few years at least :(

[jess_g]

I have not read all the other posts on this thread yet, but I wanted to say that walking to school can be a realy positive experience for your child. I walked my son to school today (about 5 blocks each way) and we ran into and chatted with 2 neighbors that we don't usualy get to see. It was realy nice to talk to them and hear what they have been upto.

I personaly would pick the school that you think your child would fit in with best and do the best at.

Jessica.