connecticut possibly relocating to chicago (Naperville, Elmhurst: cul-de-sac, crime, school district)

[prairiestate]

Originally Posted by SloopyJ

Hinsdale South just doesn't have the same rep as Central. The "Hinsdale" in Hinsdale Central (and South) refers to the Township, not the town. So Hinsdale South draws from areas south of Hinsdale such as Darien and Willowbrook. Fine towns, to be sure, but not the same wealthy demographics as Hinsdale.

Actually, there is no Hinsdale Township, Hinsdale, the village, and Hinsdale South H.S. are in Downers Grove Township

[ahava]

Originally Posted by prairiestate

Actually, there is no Hinsdale Township, Hinsdale, the village, and Hinsdale South H.S. are in Downers Grove Township

That's true, but for some reason the school district is named Hinsdale Township HS District. Go figure.

[nanannie]

Originally Posted by SloopyJ

Can I ask an innocent question? I'm curious what the appeal is of having so much land. Why is that important? I am not trying to be argumentative at all, because I can certainly understand the desire for a functional yard. And I can understand that some folks want big rural plots for horses or dirt bikes or whatever. But seriously - what is the appeal of a 30,000-s.f. suburban lot? Why look for that, say, over a pretty 1/4- or 1/3-acre lot in lovely towns such as Hinsdale, Glen Ellyn, Western Springs, etc.? It just seems like a maintenance headache to me, but obviously some people crave it. Why?

I have 6 acres, we sure didnt "cave in", its a beautiful rolling piece of property with old oaks and a pond. It is home to many animals and birds. I consider its a privelege to 'stewart' a liitle bit of remaining beautiful countryside in the chicago burbs. We have some lawn, some wooded and some just left wild. I also have a tremendous wild flower acre and a glorious garden, my own farmers market in summer. I do not follow the mindset that if there is land, BUILDBUILDBUILD and I wouldnt like living on top of others,done that, not for me. Its a choice, and I think a real privelege, and lets not forget the privacy. I hear nothing this morning but birds.....and we can skinny dip .

[ctseasons]

nanannie,

I think you understand the appeal of more land. There really is nothing like hearing and seeing the wildlife and woods on YOUR OWN property. It's calming and peaceful. And the privacy I would really miss! I can see both side neighbors and the house in front of me, but have no back neighbors - and love it! It's nice to drive down my street with an estate like setting - not all mcmansions, but well maintained and nicely spaced apart. It does seem to be a privilege - one I'm wrestling with giving up. Learning to deal with it.

[ctseasons]

Talked with a realtor who was doing his best to "convince" me how great Hinsdale schools were. Apparently, they start foreign language at 4 (don't know how a district does this, but okay! - seemed adamant that it wasn't 4th grade). They have a 3 tiered gifted program, which most kids fit into one of them - really! Most go to Ivy league type colleges and one of the best districts in country! Tried to tell me of the down homeness of the town - I would be able to see average people wearing jeans and a t-shirt driving their Bentley to the town car wash. Please! Was this supposed to impress me?! Irresponsible over hyping should be a crime!

Okay...Hinsdale Central is no doubt a quality high school - NOT based on what the realtor said though. My question is what kind of atmosphere would my kids likely encounter there and in the middle schools? Scarsdale in New York is one of the most highly acclaimed districts in NY and perhaps in the country, but they also have the highest suicide rate. I have a friend in Austin who has a son with a 4.4 who is not in the top 10% of his class. I have another friend in Park City whose daughter is "strongly" encouraged to take all the testing possible so they can be seen as a strong academic school regardless of how the kids do on these tests. There are many "great" schools and then there are "great" schools on steroids! where the pressure/stress and extremely high expectations of parents, peers and administration are almost unreasonable. I'm all for striving for excellence, but there needs to be a balance. What kind of image does Hinsdale Central have regarding the pressure/stress of academic perfection? how about Glenbard schools?

[tcs1366]

Originally Posted by NUman

Chicagoans prefer low maintenance lots as too very large ones. Most lots in those suburbs are going to be 50' x 140'.

This in NOT true for all "Chicagoans" ... there just is not 'acreage' in many suburbs.

If you want land or have some serious cash -- you will be an hour or more out of the city.

I personally would love to have a lot of land ... but with the cost per acre... i'll have to be somewhere other than IL.

**just read nanannie's post.... that is what I would LOVE to have. You are very lucky!!

[emmi605]

I think you'll find that the Glenbard schools may be more "down-to-earth", but the competition factor is everywhere. Many H.S.'s are doing away with class rank to help reduce some of this competition, but it is there. Not every student can be #1, yet for some reason there are many parents who think their "Johnny" or "Jane" must be that number. Your children will be educated well in most all high schools in DuPage county. The Glenbard schools have a great reputation and Glen Ellyn is absolutely beautiful (especially the downtown area). It seems the realtor was overselling a nice town. I really don't know too many people that live in Hinsdale, but when I drive through it for any reason I can think of one word, "excess". If your concerned at all about keeping up with appearances for appearances sake, then Glen Ellyn will probably be a better fit. As for teaching foreign language at age four, it is probably exposure for elementary school. Hinsdale and Elmhurst (starts grade 2)try to give exposure in short amounts of time a few days a week since children remember language more before age 12. It is not super intensive or anything, but adds to the program and quality of education. Best of luck on finding the right fit.

[nanannie]

Please dont judge an entire towns population by one apparently pompous realtor.

[InformedConsent]

My advice is to look at the percentage of college-ready students in the last column of this chart for DuPage County school districts (the high school district is in parentheses except for the unit districts at the bottom - Hinsdale Central's data is not included because their data was not received by the Daily Herald; you could get that info by directly asking the school).

It's an over-generalization to say that children will be educated well in most DuPage County high schools. Most of the high school districts in the chart are around and below the 27% average for the Chicago suburban area. If you're looking for an average education, that would be okay. There are a few obvious stand-outs. Hinsdale Central would be among the top in college-readiness if its data were included.

Chart:
Daily Herald | A decade of school funding

To give you an example of how important this information is... I was recently given information that the percentage of York High School (Elmhurst) graduates planning to continue on to college was 92% (according to their school improvement plan), but looking at the ACT benchmark chart shows that Elmhurst 205 only prepares 30% of its students adequately for first year college-level courses. That seems to be too much of a shortfall, and Elmhurst's parents should be concerned that most of their children's post-secondary educational goals aren't being supported by their school district.

The following link explains what ACT's College Readiness Benchmarks mean:
http://www.act.org/research/policyma...benchmarks.pdf

Homeowners, realtors, etc., will tell you that their community's schools are good or excellent - but you really should do your own research because their perceptions are often clouded by community pride, or a desire to sell, and don't reflect reality.

[SloopyJ]

Originally Posted by nanannie

I have 6 acres, we sure didnt "cave in", its a beautiful rolling piece of property with old oaks and a pond. It is home to many animals and birds. I consider its a privelege to 'stewart' a liitle bit of remaining beautiful countryside in the chicago burbs. We have some lawn, some wooded and some just left wild. I also have a tremendous wild flower acre and a glorious garden, my own farmers market in summer. I do not follow the mindset that if there is land, BUILDBUILDBUILD and I wouldnt like living on top of others,done that, not for me. Its a choice, and I think a real privelege, and lets not forget the privacy. I hear nothing this morning but birds.....and we can skinny dip .

No question this sounds nice. But you're talking about 6 acres here with woods and gardens and such. I am still wondering why people would choose a 3/4-acre lot or a 1-acre lot. Too big to know your neighbors, too small to actually do anything recreational.