where to buy? Elgin/Barrington/Crystal Lake or other? (Chicago: sales, sex offenders)

[nanannie]

Originally Posted by windycity59

Elgin is not for everybody, that is for sure. It is for those who embrace, and I mean embrace with no regard for race, religion, creed, income level, status, etc. As I have said, it is only for those of us who truly are able to accept each other. We are home to many illegals who fled a country so corrupt, dangerous and often vile to its citizens. Yes, they do come to Elgin and they are welcome to call this home, a place where they feel safe. We are diverse. We are colorful. We are a rare breed here. We are not for everybody and we know many would not fit in here. Elgin is a phenomenal place to live because of who we are, not because of what we are not. Honestly, we don't need to sell the town to anybody. You will find us if this is the kind of place that fits the way you see your fellow man, and you will call Elgin home. I will add that all the other communities are lovely, also. Good luck if you are still looking. I hope you find happiness in your new home, no matter where that may be.

Nice Post. I am glad you found "home" for you and yours.

[GoCUBS1]

Originally Posted by alixjung

We know Elgin, Barrington, Crystal Lake, West Dundee....but has no clue their differences. If you know about these towns or nearby neighborhoods, I'd appreciate if you tell us!

We are expecting our first child in August this year. How does school district matter in our situation?

I'm going to rank these towns based only on school district. I have been involved w/these districts and know them very well.

1. Barrington - By far the best schools and getting better every year. If schools are your priority, the higher real estate prices are worth every penny here. I believe almost every school in this system is rated a "10" on GreatSchools.net. This district has consistent, high-quality curriculum across all schools. There are also many "Natl. Blue Ribbon Schools" in this district (award based on having the top test scores in the nation) and the HS is on Newsweek's Top U.S. HS list.

2. Crystal Lake - Another good school system. I'd give a slight edge to the neighboring Cary-Fox River Grove schools though (they are smaller) so you may want to also consider this area.

3. Elgin - Yes, there are some "problem" areas but the school district also has some very fine specialized magnet schools (for performing arts, math/science, gifted, etc) as well as a large selection of excellent private schools. There are also great cultural offerings in this town (Elgin Symphony Orchestra, great library, Hemmens theatre, etc.). You must carefully research the individual schools in the areas you're considering.

4. West Dundee - Cute, historic small town but definitely one of the worst school systems (D300) around. I would only live in this town if you send your kids to private school. If your goal is that your children attend college, they'd have a great disadvantage going to the D300 schools (I have heard this from MANY teachers, administrators, parents and former students). Compared to the other towns you're considering, D300 has a more remedial curriculum, fewer extracurriculars, fewer AP courses, and is overcrowded. The High School is rated a "3" on GreatSchools.net (comparable to Chicago inner city schools) while some of the other towns you're considering have schools w/ a "10" rating. The "shing stars" in this district are the Jazz Music Program and the Vocational H.S. Program. So it may work for those interested in these areas. However, I don't see the academic offerings ever getting better as most of the funding they receive is spent on vocational offerings (like the new Hampshire H.S. facilities) rather than improving college prep programs like AP. I believe this district works best for students who want to go to trade school and not for the college-bound.

I'd also avoid the areas of Sleepy Hollow, Algonquin, Carpentersville, and Barrington Hills that feed into D300 schools.

[knitgirl]

Hey toolman and windycity, I'm glad I'm not the only one out here defending Elgin! It definitely is not for everyone, but I love it. I lived in Lincoln Square (before it was "Lincoln Square") until we bought out here and I feel safer here than I did there (though I felt pretty safe there, too). There is definitely some gang activity, but it hasn't affected us at all and we do live fairly close to downtown. The biggest problem we usually have is noise in the summer, but that's usually 1 party at most. The Elgin police are quite responsive to noise complaints!
It definitely is for people who appreciate diversity. Our neighbors on one side are Mexican, until this summer we had a mixed race couple on the other side. We've never had any issues with any of our neighbors and we all watch out for each other. We've got great mexican food in town and also a thriving Lao community.
We bought a very affordable 100+ yr old house with an income unit. The area north of me is Elgin's Gold Coast, from when the Elgin Watch Factory was a major employer. Those homes are gorgeous, you wouldn't be able to touch most of the nicest ones for a million dollars in a wealthier community. Look what you can get for $500,000 ELGIN, IL, 60120 - MLS ID#06969188 - Single Family Home Real Estate - REALTOR.com®
Here's $285,000 1011 N SPRING ST, ELGIN, IL, 60120 - MLS ID#06976628 - Single Family Home Real Estate - REALTOR.com®

Gocubs posted while I was writing my reply, sounds like he knows the schools a whole lot better than I do. The kids I know who've been through the Elgin school system are all in college now.

[chet everett]

Originally Posted by GoCUBS1

I'm going to rank these towns based only on school district. I have been involved w/these districts and know them very well.

1. Barrington - By far the best schools and getting better every year. If schools are your priority, the higher real estate prices are worth every penny here. I believe almost every school in this system is rated a "10" on GreatSchools.net. This district has consistent, high-quality curriculum across all schools. There are also many "Natl. Blue Ribbon Schools" in this district (award based on having the top test scores in the nation) and the HS is on Newsweek's Top U.S. HS list.

2. Crystal Lake - Another good school system. I'd give a slight edge to the neighboring Cary-Fox River Grove schools though (they are smaller) so you may want to also consider this area.

3. Elgin - Yes, there are some "problem" areas but the school district also has some very fine specialized magnet schools (for performing arts, math/science, gifted, etc) as well as a large selection of excellent private schools. There are also great cultural offerings in this town (Elgin Symphony Orchestra, great library, Hemmens theatre, etc.). You must carefully research the individual schools in the areas you're considering.

4. West Dundee - Cute, historic small town but definitely one of the worst school systems (D300) around. I would only live in this town if you send your kids to private school. If your goal is that your children attend college, they'd have a great disadvantage going to the D300 schools (I have heard this from MANY teachers, administrators, parents and former students). Compared to the other towns you're considering, D300 has a more remedial curriculum, fewer extracurriculars, fewer AP courses, and is overcrowded. The High School is rated a "3" on GreatSchools.net (comparable to Chicago inner city schools) while some of the other towns you're considering have schools w/ a "10" rating. The "shing stars" in this district are the Jazz Music Program and the Vocational H.S. Program. So it may work for those interested in these areas. However, I don't see the academic offerings ever getting better as most of the funding they receive is spent on vocational offerings (like the new Hampshire H.S. facilities) rather than improving college prep programs like AP. I believe this district works best for students who want to go to trade school and not for the college-bound.

I'd also avoid the areas of Sleepy Hollow, Algonquin, Carpentersville, and Barrington Hills that feed into D300 schools.

I really don't know if you are being intentionally misleading or just are misinformed.

USNews ranks Barrington High School as "silver" along with 37 other high schools in Illiniois, some that ought to be superior but have insufficient minority enrollment to meet their criteria and some that are not very impressive. Its "college readiness index" is not impressive. Barrington High School: Best High Schools - USNews.com

None of the Barrington schools are listed as having made the US Dept of Ed Blue Ribbon list since 2003: http://www.ed.gov/programs/nclbbrs/list-2003.pdf I don't think too many really would benefit from ranking over a decade old --http://www.ed.gov/programs/nclbbrs/list-1982.pdf


It troubles me when assertations are made which are easily verified and found to be unsupported...

If more people paid attention to the sorry state of most schools perhaps there would be fewer people so gullible and unproductive as to have led to the current mess.

[cubssoxfan]

OP stated within 45 minutes of Harvard. Based on my feel for an area; walkable, parks & rec opportunities; no questionable sections, good schools I would go:
1)Crystal Lake & Cary. CL for being closer to Harvard, Cary for being closer to Schaumburg & Chicago. CL has more shopping, I like the smaller size of Cary.
2)Woodstock & Barrington. I like Woodstock's downtown and walkability although Barrington has nice downtown too. Barrington is closer to Schaumburg and Chicago and may have better schools. Last time I researched a few years ago, Woodstock schools were OK but not as highly ranked as the schools in Arlington Hts. & Prospect Heights (which are not the highest ranked but my personal measuring stick) This may have changed or may be more an emotional statement rather than factual. I throw it out there for y'all to support or refute.
Woodstock is closer to WI. for outdoor recreation like camping and boating.
3) Demographically Elgin doesn't appeal to me. I like to buy in more economically homogenous towns, I think it helps future re-sale value. I also would not send my kids to U-46 schools.
4) E & W Dundee have nice downtown areas and some nice neighborhoods. I would not send my kids to their School District 301?.
Now many of you may come after my opinions of these 2 districts and there are worse school districts out there. Dist 301 has issues with overcrowding and funding. Both U-46 and 301 are too large for my tastes. I prefer smaller school districts.
Now if you choose Barrington, research the schools carefully. Even though it is an affluent area, they have issues with school over-crowding and funding as well. They have had issues with re-drawing school attendance boundaries to alleviate over-crowding issue.
Crystal Lake and Cary schools would head my list.
5) I do not know enough about McHenry to accurately comment or include it on my list.
6) Why do I refer to distance to Chicago & Schaumburg?? If the job is Harvard based but OP needs to change jobs, there are way more jobs in the Schaumburg area and in Chicago than in the far NW suburbs. So living in-between allows for better future flexibility.

[cdc3217]

When I did the research about a year ago, Cary/Fox River Grove schools outperformed Crystal Lake pretty noticeable. Just my two cents.

[chet everett]

Good suggestion on not being "too close" to Harvard in the event of need for job switch. There are still people smarting out that way from the cutbacks that Moto made...

In fact, I were contemplating moving to Chicago region from just about any where I would really look long and hard about just how spread out the employment centers of the region have become. Their are distinct 'arcs' or "pie slices" along which certain employers are clustered.

The best paying jobs are probably still in Downtown Chicago, with the second greatest concentration of jobs and salaries being north or O'Hare, along the Tri-State all the way up into Lake Co. Third would probably be the Schaumburg area. Fourth is probably Oak Brook area. After that it gets a little dicey as whether there are more jobs out near Hoffman Estate or Orland Park. Employment in the Naperville region is not as strong as it once was, thus many who worked out that way need to commute into Chicago.

Harvard is an outpost.

[GoCUBS1]

Originally Posted by chet everett

I really don't know if you are being intentionally misleading or just are misinformed. USNews ranks Barrington High School as "silver" along with 37 other high schools in Illiniois, some that ought to be superior but have insufficient minority enrollment to meet their criteria and some that are not very impressive. Its "college readiness index" is not impressive. Barrington High School: Best High Schools - USNews.com

None of the Barrington schools are listed as having made the US Dept of Ed Blue Ribbon list since 2003: http://www.ed.gov/programs/nclbbrs/list-2003.pdf I don't think too many really would benefit from ranking over a decade old --http://www.ed.gov/programs/nclbbrs/list-1982.pdf

It troubles me when assertations are made which are easily verified and found to be unsupported...

If more people paid attention to the sorry state of most schools perhaps there would be fewer people so gullible and unproductive as to have led to the current mess.

What troubles me is your habit of disputing opinions of others based on your own incorrect facts. It troubles me that, before making your sweeping generalizations about “gullible and unproductive people” and faulty assumptions about D220 performance, you could so easily have researched your facts on D220 and Dept. of Education websites.

I really don't know if you are being intentionally misleading or just are misinformed.

Last month, for the 2nd time, Barrington’s Arnett Lines school was awarded the Blue Ribbon award. There were fewer than 5 Illinois public elementary schools to receive this award. Last year, Barrington’s Grove Avenue school won the award (also for the 2nd time) and, again, 1 of only a handful of public schools in IL to win. The local Catholic School (St. Anne’s) and HS have also been previously awarded the Blue Ribbon.

If you would have just asked for more clarification in a more pleasant manner (rather than in a patronizing tone), I would have happily related the story of the community event I just helped to organize to celebrate this Blue Ribbon award. Or, I would have given you the following link to the Natl Blue Ribbon School list on the U.S. Govt. Education website:
http://www.ed.gov/programs/nclbbrs/2008/2008-schools.html#il

Or, I could have posted this press release I received from U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spelling:

“U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings announced this week that Arnett C. Lines School in the Barrington 220 District is one of only 320 schools nationwide to be named a 2008 No Child Left Behind-Blue Ribbon School. The No Child Left Behind-Blue Ribbon Schools award distinguishes and honors schools for helping students achieve at very high levels and for making significant progress in closing the achievement gap. “

Also, I referenced the Newsweek not the U.S. News survey. In the Newsweek survey, Barrington H.S. ranks #12 in Illinois. But it ranks behind smaller, selective admission Chicago schools and, of the top 12 suburban schools, it has one of the higher subsidized lunch % and has a significant Dual Language Spanish/Immigrant population. These criteria do affect rank (as is does on the U.S. News silver rating).

www.newsweek.com/id/39380/?sort=State&count=1351&Search=&start=600&limit=100 &year=2007

Here are some stats about D220 that I have easily verified (I would be happy to give you all sources if I fail to reference them). Barrington is a school system that includes:

• Several recent Natl Blue Ribbon Schools
• A Newsweek Top 12 rating
• A U.S. News Silver rating
• Frequent listings in Chicago Magazine’s Top 10 Suburban school lists
• A National SchoolSearch A++ Award. Only 60 high-performing districts out of 871 Illinois school systems earned the award, which recognizes student achievement in the top 5 percent according to 2007 Illinois School Report Card data.
• Most D220 schools receive the top “10” rating on GreatSchools.net
• Most D220 schools have close to 100 percent of students meeting or exceeding state standards on the 2007 Illinois State Achievement Tests in reading and math.
• Elementary/Middle school curriculum includes differentiated and accelerated instruction (often preached but seldom practiced in other IL schools), Latin language, and great extracurriculars including orchestra and a chess team coached by Yury Shulman, last week's winner of the 2008 U.S. chess open championship.
• H.S. has a good amount of Natl. Merit Scholars (full list on website)
• 2008 ACT scores are at an all-time high. The average ACT score was 24.3 (Illinois avg. is 20.7). Note that Barrington is a large, socioeconomically diverse, non-selective school when comparing ACT scores.
• Like other top IL H.S., there is a higher # of AP Courses and completion of Advance Placement exams is at an all-time high.
• D220 has a budget surplus for the 12th consecutive year along with significant parent/community philanthropic contribution. (The 2008-09 budget details operating expenditures of $113.6 million versus $115.8 million in revenue). The district has received state, national and international recognition for its financial management practices.
• D220 has a stable/slightly decreasing student population (D220 website data). The district is in the enviable position of having increased, better managed revenue for a stable student population.

I come from a family of Illinois educators. My parents, siblings, and close friends are Cook, Lake & McHenry county public school teachers, education professors, school administrators and school board members. As business leaders, our family has committed substantial time and resources towards school improvement initiatives. I have been part of community grass-roots action and have gone door-to-door and to Springfield to help secure more funding for education (Thank You Rep. Melissa Bean for helping to increase Barrington gifted funding). As a parent, I have been an active class and PTO leader. Like you, I reviewed all the statistics but (because I know stats do not always paint the true picture), I went way beyond that… I attended school board meetings; I interviewed parents, teachers and principals; I obtained and reviewed the textbook curriculum; I conducted classroom observations. Only then did I make my decision to enroll my children. My children have attended other IL public schools as well as a well-known $20K private school. I did the research and I chose Barrington for the specific needs of my children.

Based on my research and daily school interactions, I stand by my educated opinion that Barrington is a top district that gives my children a wonderful opportunity to excel and attend top colleges. And, based on my research on curriculum, test results, and population trends, I believe this district (unlike many others) is only getting better.

[GoCUBS1]

Originally Posted by cdc3217

When I did the research about a year ago, Cary/Fox River Grove schools outperformed Crystal Lake pretty noticeable. Just my two cents.

I agree with you... I also compared these districts...

[GoCUBS1]

Originally Posted by cubssoxfan

E & W Dundee have nice downtown areas and some nice neighborhoods. I would not send my kids to their School District 301?.
Now many of you may come after my opinions of these 2 districts and there are worse school districts out there. Dist 301 has issues with overcrowding and funding. Both U-46 and 301 are too large for my tastes. I prefer smaller school districts.
Now if you choose Barrington, research the schools carefully. Even though it is an affluent area, they have issues with school over-crowding and funding as well. They have had issues with re-drawing school attendance boundaries to alleviate over-crowding issue.

Just want to reiterate that Barrington D220 has been in the black w/a budget surplus for over 12 years. The overcrowding/boundary re-drawing issue was mainly related to the overcrowding from South Barrington development (esp. Rose School).

I would also never send my kids to Dundee 300 (I actually think it is one of the worst districts in the area). I'd consider the U-46 magnet schools though (have friends there who like it).