Schools Advice Please: Somerville, Malden?

[Urban Peasant]

Originally Posted by readymade

I moved out of Malden 10 years ago. And I've visited at least once or twice a year since then. If you'd asked me a year ago about Malden, I would have been all "eh" as well. In fact, Before I moved back there, I recommended it on this forum! As an OK, affordable and diverse place to live in a great location.

It wasn't until I'd lived in other places and then moved back that I really saw what a hellhole it was. Again, I was living near the "downtown" area... so maybe I've I'd been in a different section, I'd be singing a different tune... I don't know.

Yep, you were living in a not so good section of Malden. No wonder why you saw a drug deal take place. I used to live near the now defunct Holmes Elementary School, which I attended; the area was so so but for its price back then you couldn't argue for more. The better parts of Malden are Oak Grove, Maplewood, and any other part bordering Melrose. The parts of Malden bordering Everett or around the downtown are much rougher.

Yeah, Malden High, which I nearly attended had I not return to Boston to attend Boston Latin had its share of problem kids. On any given afternoon back in the '80's you used to see teenagers smoking in front of the school. Yet the last time I walked past the high school during dismissal there was an administrator present that made sure the kids did not loiter about.

Still, you should not be surprised if there was drug activity in affluent school districts too. I heard from friends that there were coke heads in Lexington and that Newton South was the drug capital of Massachusetts and that is because rich kids presumably can afford illegal narcotics and get away with them too. It all starts with a kid's ability to say no, that is the first step in making sure your child does not try illegal substances.

[Urban Peasant]

Originally Posted by EastCoastWoman

What about certain parts of Dorchester such as Lower Mills? I've also considered this in conjunction with a good charter school. Any other parts of Boston I should check out?

I don't live far from the Lower Mills section of Dorchester. There is a former chocolate factory called the Baker Chocolate Factory at the corner of Adams Street and Dorchester Avenue that had been converted to nice apartments and condos. You might want to check that out. Lower Mills is a safe and delightful part of Dorchester that borders the affluent suburb of Milton.

Other safe parts of Dorchester are Neponset and Adams Village where I live in. These two areas are predominantly Irish but also have a scattering of Black, Vietnamese, and Chinese families. I am not sure which charter school is closest though most probably have school bus service but the two local public elementary schools are the Kenney and the Murphy K-8. I am not sure about their quality but most neighborhood kids seem to attend them and as there is a high degree of kids eventually going to Boston Latin or Boston Latin Academy for high school from both neighborhoods, I assume they aren't too bad.

[EastCoastWoman]

Thanks for the great info.

My son goes to Pope John Paul near the chocolate factory and I love the area. But unfortunately I'd be looking at more private school if I rent over there and the school was just a backup since we relocated during the summer.

The Murphy from what I've seen is a highly sought after public school as is the Henderson on Dorchester (it had another name last year but can't remember what).

[readymade]

Yeah, my mom lives where Melrose borders Malden. MUCH nicer. HOWEVER, Malden High is nearer to the "Malden bordering Everett" section.

In the 80s, at Malden High, not only did kids smoke in front of the school... but there was an actual smoking section in the courtyard IN the school for students!! I graduated in '91, and it had JUST been taken away when I started going there. Everyone smoked (including me, at the time) anyway.

It wasn't that I'm so surprised that people do drugs or that deals go down... I know it happens everwhere. It was just that it was so blatant and obvious and within 5-10 minutes of us driving up to our new apartment. The guy did the deal and then walked over to my husband and asked him for money.

A few years ago, I probably wouldn't have cared at all. But as I'm about to have a baby, my priorities have changed. I, personally, would rather rent an apartment in a nicer area than buy a house in Malden. I wouldn't want my kid to go to a Malden public school.

[EastCoastWoman]

Congrats on your pregnancy!

Originally Posted by Urban Peasant

Other safe parts of Dorchester are Neponset and Adams Village where I live in. These two areas are predominantly Irish but also have a scattering of Black, Vietnamese, and Chinese families. I am not sure which charter school is closest though most probably have school bus service but the two local public elementary schools are the Kenney and the Murphy K-8. I am not sure about their quality but most neighborhood kids seem to attend them and as there is a high degree of kids eventually going to Boston Latin or Boston Latin Academy for high school from both neighborhoods, I assume they aren't too bad.

Urban Peasant, where are Neponset and Adams Village? What are the cross streets that define these areas?

[Urban Peasant]

Neponset is generally the area around the intersection of Neponset Avenue and Gallivan Blvd (Neponset Circle), right by the expressway. There is a Walgreens, Staples, Sovereign Bank, and the Pope John Paul II Park off Gallivan Blvd, a few small shops and a playground on Neponset Avenue, and a mix of single and multiple family homes. All of the streets in the surrounding area as well as the Port Norfolk neighborhood tucked away on the other side of the expressway are safe.

Adams Village is the intersection of Adams Street, Granite Avenue, and Gallivan Blvd. It is recognizable by a Mcdonalds with a big golden arch at the corner of the intersection and there are also several Irish specialty shops, restaurants, and pubs nearby. Again, you should look at the streets around here as far up as Ashmont Street.

[Somerville parent]

I wouldn't call Somerville "working class" any more, nor is it really affordable; Malden is cheaper. But the schools in Somerville are better than people here seem to think. There's a real mixture of families in Somerville schools, with parents who are artists, doctors, architects, and grad students alongside parents who are laborers or in the trades. There's a mixture of races and families from all over the world and the US. If you look at MCAS scores, the scores are lower than in the suburbs b/c there's so many English language learners and low-income kids, who traditionally score lower on it. But some scores for some schools in Somerville are on par with scores in more affluent suburbs. So I wouldn't turn down Somerville b/c of the schools.

[NotAPrincess]

We're moving out of Somerville because of the schools. So, I don't have much good to say about them. If you're working at Northeastern, I'd be looking south of the city or west. Not North.

[RC1981]

Originally Posted by thao

er... i'd avoid both.
i think if you want good education and you trust your kid, live in boston city proper and make sure he gets into boston latin

But first make sure you know a senator that owes you a favor.