Sanity check, please. Are Lincoln Park schools decent? (Chicago, Evanston: condo, mortgage)

[fourkorz]

I was just offered a good job in Chicago, relocating from a Boston suburb -- I will probably accept the offer. My wife and I are very city-oriented and would like to move to the city. The only reluctance is considering the schooling for our kids, particularly for our freshman in high school. He's been a solid-B student in the (highly) competitive suburban school system where we live. Can kids at that level get into the magnet schools?
If magnet schools aren't an option, I've heard that Lincoln Park High School is the best choice. We are in the financial position to afford to live in Lincoln Park, but not so flush that we can afford private schools. Also, our younger son is in the 6th grade -- anyone know anything about elementary schools in Lincoln Park? This younger son is consistently the strongest student in his class, and could probably qualify for magnet programs, but may not be eligible moving mid-year.

Any thoughts/insight would be welcome! We really would like a city neighborhood and don't want to go the Oak Park/Evanston route, but am open to sections other than Lincoln Park if the high school is decent. We're not expecting to find public schools on the level of private or New Trier, but would like safety and opportunities for our kids. Thanks in advance for your comments!

[surlycue]

The reason that Lincoln Park High looks good on paper is because of the IB (International Baccalaureate) program. Living within the boundaries only guarantees you admission to the school's general population, which is lacking compared to suburban schools. Your child will need to test in to the IB program which is HIGHLY competitive. I am not sure what subject matter is covered but I have heard it be compared by friends who attended IB schools to the SAT IIs. This process will be daunting for people unfamiliar with the application process for CPS schools and you would have to time your move perfectly so that if you test in your child could start directly in the program without having to spend a year in the general LPHS program.

As for your younger child, the neighborhood boundary elementary schools are Alcott, Oscar Meyer, Prescott and Lincoln Elementary. There are also a few magnet lottery only schools in LP worth considering, LaSalle being the best ranked of those. Oscar Meyer has a Montessori program that is well rated but I do not think it goes all the way up to the traditional junior high grades.

[thePR]

Before anyone suggests where to live, how much were you planning on spending on a house?

[chet everett]

I would strongly discourage anyone with kids moving into Chicago mid-year. The magnet system is NOT oriented to transfers at all, very very risky.

Further the non-magnet student population at Lincoln Park High School is NOT REFLECTIVE of the general population of Lincoln Park itself -- the liklihood of success for the non-magnet portion of that school is very iffy. Truly one of the oddest situations one is ever likely to encounter.

The sad reality is that there is NO neighborhood high school program within the CPS system that is well rated. The reasons for this are somewhat complex, but instead of using forced busing (as I believe Boston diid) decades ago, Chicago has relied on a hacked together system of 'selective admissions" that gave pretty much EVERY high school some number of slots for non-neighborhood students. Over the decades this has neither been successful is de-stratifying the racial aspects of the least desirable schools NOR raised the overall performance of the system. The level of performance demonstrated by the MOST selective high schools in the CPS system is quite impressive, but these schools literally have NO slots for any students based solely on where they live and there is no system at all to assist students whose parents transfer mid-year.

The situation that you are facing is not pleasant -- even if you have the means to afford a home of million or more in the most expensive of Chicago's neighborhoods, and don't flinch at $20,000+ in property taxes you would really need to budget about $20K per student for private school. Vast numbers of people in your situation instead find a home in a suburb that is suitably urban...

[Drover]

Straight Bs are not going to get your kid into a magnet school. Every year they turn down hundreds of applicants with straight As, unless you're an alderman's kid or something like that. I'm being dead serious when I say that your kid has a statistically better chance of getting into Yale or Harvard than a CPS magnet school.

[fourkorz]

To answer thePR's question, we were thinking a townhome in the $600K-$700K range.

[emathias]

Originally Posted by fourkorz

To answer thePR's question, we were thinking a townhome in the $600K-$700K range.

If education of your child(ren) is your primary concern and you don't want to live in the suburbs, it would make more sense for you to buy outside of lincoln park and send them to a decent private school with the money you save in housing costs.

Bridgeport, McKinley Park, Jefferson Park, Kenwood, Albany Park and a few other neighborhoods would all be more urban than almost any Boston suburb and you could get a decent townhome - maybe even single family home - for half of what it costs in Lincoln Park. Between mortgage and property tax savings, you'd at least be quite close to covering tuition for one kid at a time.

[fourkorz]

thanks, emathias. I was trying to figure out some of the numbers -- it looks like going the private school route, for 2 in school and that'd be about $35,000-$40,00 in combined tuition. Not sure what's left for housing after that...

[thePR]

Originally Posted by fourkorz

thanks, emathias. I was trying to figure out some of the numbers -- it looks like going the private school route, for 2 in school and that'd be about $35,000-$40,00 in combined tuition. Not sure what's left for housing after that...

I don't know what you can afford, but if spending that amount of money on tuition is too much, maybe going to a suburb would be a good idea.

[lincolnparker]

600-700k is more of a condo budget than a townhome in lincoln park. A new/newer 3 bed/ 3 bath will put you squarely in the 900k range. Francis Parker and the British School are both solid for lincoln park residents.

Originally Posted by fourkorz

To answer thePR's question, we were thinking a townhome in the $600K-$700K range.