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My husband, myself and our 5 children are thinking of moving to New York next summer. We currently live in Alaska. I grew up in Eden so know quite a bit of the area. My husband will be working at Buffalo International Airport. We are not exactly sure which area we would like to settle in because it will be based mostly on schooling and proximity to the airport.
My main question is which school district has the best all-around reputation. We were thinking about maybe Eden, Hamburg, Lake Shore, East Aurora, Clarence or Orchard Park. We are mostly concerned with a wide variety of choice in courses and low drug use/gang activity. Next year we will have one in High School, one in Middle School and 3 in Elementary School. It may also help to mention that the youngest who is starting kindergarten next year has slight autism so any school with special programs for that would help.
Why not call the school systems about the special education offerings. Look up the 'New York Department of Education report card on the schools' to get an idea of what they have for % in each grade and # per class and the only problem with it is they often are outdated. The school has the current ones.
Eden is still a long drive to the airport, but very lovely and the schools still rank fairly high. Clarence has good schools but it is getting pricy. [I would avoid Hamburg; my daughter knew people there heavily into drugs and also in Amherst HS. She is in her late 20s now]
Last edited by BuffaloTransplant; 10-08-2007 at 10:57 PM..
Reason: add
Obviously you will find drugs everywhere, however as you know, there are still areas that are better suited for raising children than others. Clarence and Williamsville are always top for the school system, hands down. It is true that they are pricier than some areas, but I would not discount them at all. Depending on what you call pricy. Evaluate what you are getting for your money and your taxes and take that into account. If you are using public schooling, and it is good schooling, then your taxes go further.
Welcome Back
Colleen
Obviously you will find drugs everywhere, however as you know, there are still areas that are better suited for raising children than others. Clarence and Williamsville are always top for the school system, hands down. It is true that they are pricier than some areas, but I would not discount them at all. Depending on what you call pricy. Evaluate what you are getting for your money and your taxes and take that into account. If you are using public schooling, and it is good schooling, then your taxes go further.
Welcome Back
Colleen
Are you looking for a bigger school or a smaller school? I have honestly always liked the smaller schools myself. Are you looking to be quite close to Buffalo?
Are you looking for a bigger school or a smaller school? I have honestly always liked the smaller schools myself. Are you looking to be quite close to Buffalo?
I am looking for a smaller school. Like I said, I grew up in Eden and I like the smaller town. You wouldn't think Anchorage would be large but it is a normal city and the schools are big. My oldest is in high school now and she has about 1,000 kids in her graduating class and there are at least 5 other high schools in the city. I know my graduating class had under 200.
No, I do not need to be close to the city and would actually prefer to live in the suburbs. I am a country girl at heart and hate living in the city. I must admit that I have become spoiled by the close proximity of the grocery store, the video store, the post office, etc., but I can live with the drive to have a little extra land and some fresh air.
I am looking for a smaller school. Like I said, I grew up in Eden and I like the smaller town. You wouldn't think Anchorage would be large but it is a normal city and the schools are big. My oldest is in high school now and she has about 1,000 kids in her graduating class and there are at least 5 other high schools in the city. I know my graduating class had under 200.
No, I do not need to be close to the city and would actually prefer to live in the suburbs. I am a country girl at heart and hate living in the city. I must admit that I have become spoiled by the close proximity of the grocery store, the video store, the post office, etc., but I can live with the drive to have a little extra land and some fresh air.
Thank you for your input.
Hmm, based on those facts I would really check out Chautauqua County. The schools are very good in my opinion, the housing is cheap and it is very very safe. Some smaller towns, Westfield (on lake erie), Mayville/Chautauqua (just up the road, on Chautauqua Lake), Bemus Point (a little further, on Chautauqua Lake) and Cassadaga (on Cassadaga Lake) are all very nice. They all have pretty good schools, have everything you would want in a small town (some stores, grocery, library, post office, parks, etc)
They all have less than 100 students per grade, yet offer quite a bit. There is also quite a bit of hinterland around these town centers, if you want to live in the country. If you would like any more information, let me know, I have answer any question you have about these areas. Fredonia/Dunkirk, Jamestown, Erie and Buffalo are all relatively close and offer the bigger city ammentities you could want. There is a great SUNY school about 15-20 minutes from all of those places in Fredonia and a good community college in both Dunkirk and Jamestown.
Let me know if there is anything you would like to know...
EDIT:
BTW...I just reread your post and your husband will be working at the Buffalo Airport? Depending on how long he is willing to drive, that may preclude you from moving to this area. Westfield is quite a drive from the Airport. I made that drive for a year or so and it can be over an hour at times.
I grew up in Silver Creek and my dad worked at the Buffalo airport. It was bit of a commute but it is the closest town in Chautauqua County to Erie Co. The cost of living is a little less than in Erie Co. - cheaper houses and taxes as Oktaren mentioned.
West Seneca is a good school district. The highschools have academies that specialize in certain carrer paths, but there are also a lot of choices. There is also Northwood which has a program especially for children with autism. The class sizes are also small approximetly 300 in each class. There are 2 highschools, 2 middle schools, and 7 elementary schools in the district.
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