Looking for thoughts on school district 300 (Carpentersville, Algonquin: renting, credit, universities)

[kosh56]

We are thinking of moving to the western Algonquin/Carpentersville area and wanted to get opinions on school district 300. I have looked at test scores, demographics, etc... but those don't tell the whole story. What about extracurricular activities, parent involvement, AP courses, and intangibles?

Are there any parents/teachers/admins here that have experience with this district that can offer opinions?

[kosh56]

Nobody has any direct experience with this district?

[rhiannonsmum]

Sorry. I don't even know where Algonquin or Carpentersville are!

[ahava]

Have you tried greatschools.net?

[kosh56]

Originally Posted by ahava

Have you tried greatschools.net?

Yes I have. I was just looking for a little more insight beyond simple test scores.

[scoop89]

Avoid Carpentersville & the East side of Algonquin. I lived in both for 30 years. Stay away.

[nanannie]

Carpentersville has gone downhill for the last years. It is not a desirable area for resale or schools, but there are some decent pockets. Still, I think Algonquin would be a better idea for schools,safety and resale investment.

[kosh56]

Originally Posted by scoop89

Avoid Carpentersville & the East side of Algonquin. I lived in both for 30 years. Stay away.

Originally Posted by nanannie

Carpentersville has gone downhill for the last years. It is not a desirable area for resale or schools, but there are some decent pockets. Still, I think Algonquin would be a better idea for schools,safety and resale investment.

I specifically mentioned the west side for those reasons. I know the east side is not good. We are looking at the extreme NW corner (if you go any further you are in Algonquin) of Carpentersville. As far as I can tell, it might as well be Algonquin. Is this true?

Even though we are technically looking at Carpentersville, I know there is a stigma attached to it so I also mentioned Algonquin because most of the schools are the same that west Algonquin residents attend.

[canoeist]

I've lived in the area since 1987 and all three of my sons graduated from Dundee Crown. We used to know many of the teachers very well. All of my sons enjoyed their high school experience and went on to good universities (2 Northwestern, 1 Benedictine). All three boys had nearly a year of college credit upon graduation due to advance placement exams. It has been my experience that 300s AP results are pretty good.

I really felt that a critical part of their high school experience was interacting with a diverse group of students. They learned a lot about life and were grateful for what they had in comparisons to other students. My greatest fear in raising my sons was that they would develop a sense of entitlement. The diversity of Dundee Crown truly made a difference. They made friends of very different backgrounds.

Canoeist (on the Fox)

[kosh56]

Originally Posted by canoeist

I've lived in the area since 1987 and all three of my sons graduated from Dundee Crown. We used to know many of the teachers very well. All of my sons enjoyed their high school experience and went on to good universities (2 Northwestern, 1 Benedictine). All three boys had nearly a year of college credit upon graduation due to advance placement exams. It has been my experience that 300s AP results are pretty good.

I really felt that a critical part of their high school experience was interacting with a diverse group of students. They learned a lot about life and were grateful for what they had in comparisons to other students. My greatest fear in raising my sons was that they would develop a sense of entitlement. The diversity of Dundee Crown truly made a difference. They made friends of very different backgrounds.

Canoeist (on the Fox)

Thank you very much for the post Canoeist. This is the type of information I am looking for. It appears that some good parenting may have helped play a role in your kids' success.

I would love to hear your thoughts on why Dundee Crown has such low test scores. It also appears that there were a relatively small number of AP courses offered. Again, I can only go by what I find on the web which can be misleading or outright wrong at times. So if this is not true please correct me.