Boston Schools and Buying in Dorchester (Cambridge, Somerville: apartment, rent, condo)

[MomofLilandEl]

Hi Everyone,

I have several questions I'm hoping to get some help with so I'm sorry this maybe a lengthy post

We currently rent a 2 bedroom apartment in Somerville that we are quickly growing out of because we are a growing family. We currently have a 2 year old and a newborn. We would like to buy a home at this point since the mortgage rates are so low. We have been shopping in Boston, Somerville, and Cambridge but it looks like we can only afford to purchase in Dorchester. There is a home in particular that we are interested in, in Dorchester Center not far from Ashmont T. This is a perfect location for my husband to take the redline into Park St. for work and for me to get to child based activities like the Children's Museum.

However I do have two concerns buying this home:

1. Schools. My 2 year old will be starting school in about 3 years and I have heard that Boston busses kids around the city, so you may not actually attend the school closest to your home. Do I understand this correctly? If so how do I ensure that my daughter gets into a well regarded school in Boston? I guess my initial question is, are there well regarded schools in the public school system?
I have done some research online and I keep getting mixed opinions on Boston schools and it would be great to hear from a parents who have their kids in Boston schools.

2. Home appreciation. If we do decide to purchase this home with the thought of selling the home before my oldest starts school and moving to an area with better schools do you think this would be a smart move? Can I assume that the Dorchester home values will increase? Is the area moving in the right direction?

I'm really confused on what to do. I love living in the city and would prefer to stay here long-term however I also want my girls to receive a decent education.

Thank you,

Sarah

[bostonbarney]

I'm <many> years removed from having kids in the BPS, so there will be better answers, but one thing I have seen as constant over the years is change. The elementary school my kids attended (by bus) was as good as a private school in the early eighties; after they left (thankfully) the principal was transferred, the standards went down, parents didn't request it as a first choice any more, standards went further down, it ended up on a list of schools needing remedial attention, it got some additional resources including enthusiastic teachers, reputation increased a bit, parents slowly started requesting again as a first choice but that took ten years.....that's how it goes in the Boston Public Schools. You can't be sure of anything. At least a couple of times a year I read of a school that was a very desirable once that's in danger of being closed because of performance...so much of it comes down to parent involvement, and how willing parents are to advocate for the school with the downtown admin and watch what's going on inside the school itself. It's hard work having a child in BPS.

I know nothing about Dorchester homes. Me, I tend to be a pessimist. I'd make the conservative decision that I'd be stuck with the schools and wouldn't buy unless I could live with that decision.

But there still are, I'm sure, little gems in the system. It's just the hit-or-miss manner of finding them and sheer luck of getting in that is maddening.

[Urban Peasant]

I live very close to Ashmont Station in the neighborhood to the east of the station and have lived there for close to 15 years. If you buy in that area (the Carruth Street area), you will find very nice homes in a safe family oriented neighborhood that will not depreciate greatly because in the increase in demand for convenient locations in this metro area. There are parts to the west of the station such as Bailey Street and Fuller Street that aren't as desirable but there is also the equally nice Ashmont Hill area too.

Public schools in Boston are perennially confusing and the last comment is right, they can go up in down in reputation. For example, my very first school was the Maurice Tobin K-8 near Mission Hill and when I went there, it was so bad that I got into fights even in kindergarten but by now it has experienced a great turnaround, students are required to wear school uniforms, academics have improved, and I have heard nothing bad about it anymore. The fact remains that busing is very much alive in Boston however, competition into good elementary schools is tough (process is by lottery), and there is a chance your child may be bused to another neighborhood for school.

What I would do is first make a careful decision on to what extent do you want to move to Boston. Schools are an important factor but Boston offers many other enticing amenities that Somerville might not. Then you should carefully research individual public elementary schools, find out which ones are right fits, and decide do you want to take a chance with the BPS lottery system. Then you must decide how comfortable you are in busing your children to another neighborhood in the event they are not assigned local schools. Some families in the City send their children to parochial schools, a slightly more expensive option, in the event they don't get the schools they had chosen in the lottery.

[MomofLilandEl]

Thank you for the responses. Unfortunately sending the kids to private school isn't really an option I think we will have so it would have to be public school all the way.

The area we are looking to buy is to the west of the Ashmont T station, in between Dorchester Ave and Washington Ave. So is this a good area to buy? We would like to buy more in the area you mentioned, Carruth St but unfortunately that area is not in our price range.

I guess my question should be how safe is the area to the west of Ashmont? Are there shootings, break-ins and lots of crime?

[IloveBoston]

I live in Dorchester and have absolutely no desire to send my child to any Boston public school especially the school we'd be zoned for. I live right in the ashmont area and my sister lives further down near Savin hill. She sends her kids to the Condon school in south Boston and I stick to catholic school in Milton. She is very academia oriented and loves the school but I couldn't do it based on the low mcas scores.