living across from a school?

[theriviera]

we saw a house today that is in the perfect neighborhood for us. not a lot comes up in this area. there is a lot going for it, however, it is across from a school. i can't decide if this is a good or a bad thing.

the school is a private school, pre-k - 8th i believe. it's well maintained. the drop off is not across the street from the house, it's at the other end of the block. i drove by earlier today and there was no traffic (it's a quiet neighborhood street). the school is in good condition and well maintained. this is not the school our kids will go to (our kids will go to public).

i would love to know your thoughts!

[ABO Mama]

I would go by at the pick up/drop off time to see what the activity is like. If you aren't usually home at that time of day, it probably won't make much difference. Since it's not a high school, there shouldn't be much in the way of rowdy evening activity (maybe some basketball games, dances...depends on the school).

[twowhat?]

I would also go by at drop-off/pick-up times to see what the activity is like. Otherwise, if your kids aren't going to go to this school, I'd be inclined to pass because of resale value (you would limit your buyer pool if you ever needed to sell it - people will either love to be near the school or hate to be near it).

Also think about noise levels in the evenings due to games, school activities, etc.

[crl]

K through 8 wouldn't be an automatic no for me. I would go back at drop off, pick up and recess to see how the traffic and noise are.

Catherine

[BillK]

We're 1 block (about 150 yards) from our public k - 4th school (where I went as a kid) and like it. Our street does get busy in the mornings and afternoons but it's not so bad.

It's nice to be able to go up during the weekends and summer to ride bikes in the big, safe and empty parking lots. It's still kind of weird for me to walk into the school now 30+ years later and see all the changes (and things that haven't changed too!)

[Pyrodjm]

I had an apartment across from a school for a few years. I taught at a different school and usually missed the before and after school commotion, but one morning when I was home sick I couldn't believe how loud it was outside. I got up and closed the window. Driving and parking on my street from 8-8:30 and 2:45-3:15 was a nightmare.

I would not buy on a school block. Especially since DH does not work a traditional schedule and would likely be disturbed by the noise or possibly trying to leave for work or come home during drop-off and pickup times.

[Giantbear]

we eliminated a house adjacent to a school. Too much noise and potential traffic nightmares

[DrSally]

I wouldn't live across from ahigh school b/c of the crazy teenage driving. Elementary school wouldn't be a prob for me.

[elektra]

I live directly across from an elementary school and I wouldn't stay it's ideal but I don't mind it. DD will start K there in the fall and I think it will actually be kind of nice at that point.

[SnuggleBuggles]

Fine by me.

[vludmilla]

I think it varies depending on the situation. We didn't pursue a house that we had bid on after we realized that the lights from the school parking lot would be shining in our back windows all night. It was a really great house but that was just too much for us.

[essnce629]

I wouldn't want to live on the same block as a school as I know DS1's last elementary school (that was in a residental area) was a traffic nightmare on the actual 2 blocks that had drop off spots and whenever there were school events-- parent/teacher conferences, back-to-school night, winter and spring performances, ice cream social, science night, etc the traffic and parking on the actual school block and the surrounding blocks were a nightmare!!!! No thanks!

[klwa]

I would go by at the pick up/drop off time to see what the activity is like. If you aren't usually home at that time of day, it probably won't make much difference. Since it's not a high school, there shouldn't be much in the way of rowdy evening activity (maybe some basketball games, dances...depends on the school).

:yeahthat: I think this makes the most sense. That said, I'd be fine with it probably.

[Hawkeyewife]

We live about a block away from a private school (pre-k through 8). The back of the school backs up to the houses across the street from us. I never notice school traffic at all however we can hear the kids at recess in the afternoons when I am in the front yard. I have never noticed any noise when my windows are open. Of course, my kids are loud so maybe I just tune out kid noise. The only thing I have noticed it that when I am in my neighbors backyards, there is a LOT of light coming from the school on their ball field and parking lot. I don't notice it much from my yard and in the summer, it is nonexistent. We have three more churches and two elementary schools (and our dance studio) within a half mile from my house. I see it as a benefit. Is there a playground at the school that you might be able to take your kids to?

[Gracemom]

I would call the school and ask when the next night is where all the students and parents will be there so you can see what the traffic/parking situation is then. That is the only time our school is just swamped and our whole neighborhood is congested. We live three blocks from our school and love it, but I wouldn't want to be on the same street.

[WatchingThemGrow]

Do parents park in front of the house and use a cut-through to pick up students on foot, avoiding the pickup line?

[mackmama]

We considered buying a home adjacent to a school. We nixed it more due to the noise from the playground than due to the traffic. I'd suggest going there during dropoff and pickup -- but also during recess and during home games (soccer, etc) if they have a field. You might also want to consider if they have bells in between classes.

[brittone2]

we eliminated a house adjacent to a school. Too much noise and potential traffic nightmares
:yeahthat: In our case we ruled out a house that we really, really liked next to a church that also had a preschool. We also ruled out a house that backed up to a high school (newly built so the original owners did not back up to that school when the house was built) due to noise and lights. The house backed up to open land at the school but you could see the stadium and lights from the backyard. We also ruled out a house in a neighborhood that served as a cut through to get to a local elementary school. The house that backed up to the HS and the house that was in a cut through neighborhood both had other strikes against them though, so it wasn't as though the school itself was the deal-killer.

However, I can see how it would be great in some cases to be very close to a school. For some people there are many pros to this type of scenario. I didn't want to deal with the traffic, noise, etc. associated with it. Since we HS, there wouldn't be an advantage in our case to be particularly close to a school.

I would definitely hang out during peak hours and see if the traffic, noise, etc. bother you. It might not be bad at all.

This wouldn't be a deal killer for me if I liked everything else, but at the same time, we ruled out a house in a somewhat similar scenario. THat's also something to consider for resale. If the neighborhood is very popular and desirable, then it might not be an issue at all if you ever resell. But if you are hesitating, then other buyers may hesitate when/if you ever resell.

[AnnieW625]

We work full time so during the day it wouldn't be a huge deal for us esp. if it is the perfect house. I voted for option 2. We live 500 ft. down the street for a school and a park, and we like being close to the park.

eta: I would only chose an elementary or k-8.

[HonoluluMom]

I would go by at the pick up/drop off time to see what the activity is like. If you aren't usually home at that time of day, it probably won't make much difference. Since it's not a high school, there shouldn't be much in the way of rowdy evening activity (maybe some basketball games, dances...depends on the school).


I would also go by at drop-off/pick-up times to see what the activity is like. Otherwise, if your kids aren't going to go to this school, I'd be inclined to pass because of resale value (you would limit your buyer pool if you ever needed to sell it - people will either love to be near the school or hate to be near it).

Also think about noise levels in the evenings due to games, school activities, etc.

:yeahthat:

[theriviera]

We went by during drop off and it wasn't bad at all. It was surprisingly quiet. DH is going to go back during pick up to see how that is.

[baboki]

I used to live across from a school. Recess almost killed me. I guess this wouldn't matter if you are not home during the day, though.

[GaPeach_in_Ca]

I would call the school and ask when the next night is where all the students and parents will be there so you can see what the traffic/parking situation is then. That is the only time our school is just swamped and our whole neighborhood is congested. We live three blocks from our school and love it, but I wouldn't want to be on the same street.

We live near a high school/middle school combo and there are usually only 1-2 times a year when we get parking on our street when they have the back to school nights. Traffic is only bad for about 20 minutes during start & end times. I never noticed really as we aren't home during the day and leave at a different time in the morning. This year they changed the start times so elementary and high school/middle start around the same time. I have to go by the high school to get to the elementary, so I do notice that!

I like where we live just fine, but I wouldn't want to be fronting the school. We are far enough away that we don't really get any cut through traffic. I can hear football games from outside our house, but I like that. :)

The schools were built in neighborhoods here and our neighborhood is desirable, so it's not that big of a deal.

[elektra]

I used to live across from a school. Recess almost killed me. I guess this wouldn't matter if you are not home during the day, though.

I am home all day too and the recess noise at our school does not bother me. The children's laughter is pleasant!
Just wanted to share a different experience.