Looking for input on these schools in Boise & Meridian (Eagle: houses, purchasing)

[Fresh Start]

According to greatschool.net these are the top rated schools in those areas. Can anyone give me any info on these? Moving to a new area is very difficult when looking for a great school. The school is what decides where we are going to look for a home. My kids will be in grades 3rd and 6th. There are so many that it is getting overwhelming. Any info is very much appreciated.

These schools have a 9 ranking (on a scale 1-10 ten being best):
Washington Elementary
Pioneer
Riverside
Highlands
Cecil D. Andrus
Christine Donnell School of Arts

These have an 8 ranking:
Amity
Maple Grove
Roosevelt
Pepperridge
Mary McPherson
White Pine

TIA

[chiefs fan]

Not to add to your dilemma, but I believe the elementary schools are only K-5, so you will also need to research middle schools for your 6th grader.

I don't have first hand experience with any of these schools so hopefully someone else will be able to help. I do have a friend that has been very pleased with Mary McPherson for his 3 kids.

[idahomama]

I was going to say the same thing, it is probably important to research the middle schools that these elementary schools feed into since very shortly you will have middle schoolers.

I have had children at Roosevelt, and I have friends with children at Roosevelt, Riverside and Highlands. I think one of the things that these schools have in common is a high parental involvement which is very helpful in making up for some of the short comings of the public school system. At Roosevelt the PTA raised funds to hire an art teacher after those funds were cut throught the school district. Highlands has a similar group of highly involved parents.

Also, the Boise school district has gifted and highly gifted programs. If it is a possibility that your children will be involved in one of these programs that is something else to consider. I think Highlands and Roosevelt have full time programs within the school and Washington houses the full time highly gifted program. The program is called the GATE program and you can find out more information on the Boise school District website.

If I was having the opportunity to choose Boise vs Meridian school districts, I would choose Boise. Since the majority of our growth is happening to the west of Boise, those school districts are much more stressed than the bOise school district. I believe there has actually been a decline in enrollment in the Boise School Districts as more and more families locate to Meridian, Eagle, etc. I also think that a housing purchasing within Boise proper will be a much sounder investment.

That said our kids attend Riverstone International School. Home Page RiverStone School. A very very good school.

[Fresh Start]

I completely agree with checking into middle schools too, but thats where it gets very difficult. What if I find the perfect Elem. school but the middle school that is zoned for that area is horrible or visa versa?
We currently live in a small town in NV where once your kids hit middle school you don't have a choice because there is only one middle, Jr. High and High school.
I have noticed some of the Elem. schools there are K-6. That would make life much easier at this point.

Thanks

[chiefs fan]

Originally Posted by Fresh Start

I completely agree with checking into middle schools too, but thats where it gets very difficult. What if I find the perfect Elem. school but the middle school that is zoned for that area is horrible or visa versa?
We currently live in a small town in NV where once your kids hit middle school you don't have a choice because there is only one middle, Jr. High and High school.
I have noticed some of the Elem. schools there are K-6. That would make life much easier at this point.

Thanks

You are probably better off working backwards with your school searches. Either start with the high school or middle school, finding one acceptable to your needs. Then see what elementary schools feed into those. Idahomama has a good point about the growth in the Meridian School District. You might find a school you like in the Meridian district, and new schools could get built and you find you are redistricted. The Boise School District is for the most part more established and you are less likely to run into that issue.

[idahomama]

In the Boise School District I don't think there are an overwhelming amount of middle schools and I believe there are two high schools. I can imagine looking at two districts would be overwhelming. If I was in your situation I might pick which district I wanted to be in (I believe you will find good schools in both) so at least you can make some eliminations. Good luck. I know that finding the right school is a stressful decision.

[AlleyTD]

I agree with Jeff above.
We have been looking at Boise/Meridian for a few months now and we have visited twice. My children are 3 and 7 ... in my search it is clear that there are a lot fewer choices for Middle and High School options. The Meridian School district and the Boise School District both have very detailed area maps for each school. I found it easier to print them all out and overland them on my own ... They all sit in a binder and its much easier to see all the boundaries next to each other than to bounce around the website.

Good Luck!