Neighborhood w/ Good Schools + Downtown Job? (Cleveland, Hamilton: rent, credit, neighborhoods)

[Emrak]

I'll be moving to Cleveland for work in August, but will be visiting in June/July to check out prospective areas. I would appreciate your insights as to which neighborhoods I should focus on. My criteria is below, from most to least important.

1. I'm a parent, so areas with *excellent schools are mandatory. I don't mind paying for a private school if it's worth it.
2. I'll be working downtown near the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, so I'd like a neighborhood that didn't involve more than a 20 minute commute (side note: is there a subway in Cleveland?).
3. I have many interests, so areas with a variety of options nearby would be awesome. By nearby I mean within a 20 minute biking radius.
4. Neighborhoods with bike lanes or at least wide sidewalks. We are not uber bikers, but when we do bike, I'd like to do so w/o fear of having to dodge pedestrians on narrow sidewalks. I also like going for walks.
5. Lastly and leastly, while I don't really care about racial homogeneity, I dislike architectural homogeneity. I'd love to be in an area that had a variety of different housing/building styles. I avoid bland rows of similar tract housing.

Again, the criteria is from most to least important. If it means excellent schools then I will gladly live in soulless, uniform tract housing. Thanks so much for any input!



*In just about every city forum there will be folks who say that school X is misrepresented and doesn't deserve it's low scholastic rank for various reasons. I totally get that, unfortunately anecdotal commentary will not find any traction with me. I am not interested in any school that requires an apologist for its low test scores, sorry. :-/

[ehfp]

Do you anticipate buying or renting? What is your budget, and how old are your children? If your budget will accommodate it, it sounds like Rocky River would be a good fit.

[Emrak]

Originally Posted by ehfp

Do you anticipate buying or renting? What is your budget, and how old are your children?

I will rent, at least for the first year or two. I would probably purchase after that though.
Renting budget = Ideally no more than 1200 a month. I do currently pay 1485 a month in rent, the cost of living is slightly less in Cleveland, and I will be making slightly more in Cleveland, so I could pay higher rent than 1200 if it was really worth it, I'm just trying to save money.
Buying budget = Ideally no more than 230k.

My son will be going into 8th grade next year.

EDIT: Rocky River does appear to be a nice fit. Schools appear very good and it is a relatively short commute...

[ehfp]

I have a feeling you might be priced out of RR at $230, but it couldn't hurt to check it out. Lakewood is also very nice, and your money could go farther. If you're coming from public schools in Florida, the rigor at Ohio public schools might be a nice surprise - it would certainly be hard to visit them this summer, but I think you should consider doing a little more digging than just state test results, particularly if your son is identified as gifted and talented.

Cleveland has a rapid transit system that's not extensive but can get you downtown. You might check out Shaker Heights and Beachwood along the blue and green rapid lines. Budget might be a problem there too, but it's another place to look.

[Emrak]

Originally Posted by ehfp

I have a feeling you might be priced out of RR at $230, but it couldn't hurt to check it out. Lakewood is also very nice, and your money could go farther. If you're coming from public schools in Florida, the rigor at Ohio public schools might be a nice surprise - it would certainly be hard to visit them this summer, but I think you should consider doing a little more digging than just state test results, particularly if your son is identified as gifted and talented.

Thanks so much for the input ehfp! If it's one thing I've learned--having lived in 3 different states now--it's that scholastic standards vary dramatically. It's really difficult to draw broad generalities. My son was gifted in VA, but apparently not in FL. The standards seem completely different. Another interesting difference is that VA schools (at least where we lived) are HUGE on history and government. In FL (at least where we live), history and government are the smallest subjects, relegated to a tiny portion of a minimal social studies class. By contrast, english and literature seem to be particularly dominant subjects compared to VA (where they are rather minimal in comparison). But I'm rabbit trailing now...

What other criteria would you suggest I use to evaluate schools? Serious question BTW, I'm not being snarky. I understand that schools can provide "life experience" that is sometimes not reflected in test scores, but it's just so easy for school officials to say that to justify low test scores, ya know?

[ehfp]

Oh, and it's totally different for everyone! (I was worried I'd sound snarky making that suggestion, and I'm so glad it didn't come across that way to you!) I looked for a strong arts program and a good choice of languages at the lower grades plus a strong selection of electives at the secondary level. I also wanted to find someplace where the kids do lots of writing and a strong link between student work and the real world starting in the early grades, either in the form of a big culminating project or service learning.

[Cleverfield]

I would look into Shaker Heights. The city has beautiful parks, beautiful architecture, lots of professional class people, 2 rapid transit lines to downtown, easy access to University Circle. Schools have an excellent academic reputation. The test scores may be lower than some other districts, due to the unique socioeconomic diversity, but Shaker Heights is a very special district, so I hope you can see the whole picture.

http://shakeronline.com/about/world-class-education

Quality in Education:

-Shaker High is poised to become the first school district in Greater Cleveland to adopt the highly regarded International Baccalaureate program at all grade levels, featuring a global focus, creative problem solving, hands-on projects, and inquiry-based learning.
-All students are exposed to Mandarin Chinese beginning in grade one, which they can continue to study through grade 12. By grade six, students can choose from among Mandarin, Latin, French, or Spanish; at the High School the offerings further expand to include German and Greek.
-Shaker Heights High School graduates attend a wide array of highly selective colleges and universities each year, including Ivy League schools.
-The High School offers 22 Advanced Placement courses, among the most in Northeast Ohio.
-Approximately one-third of students take one or more Advanced Placement courses, with 80% or more earning sufficiently high scores for college credit.
-Shaker students can travel the globe, through orchestra, band, or choir trips or as exchange students with schools in China, England, France, Germany, India, Latin America, and Japan.
-Shaker’s unique Asian Studies program, offered in conjunction with the Cleveland Museum of Art, offers students a window into the history, culture, politics, and economy of China, India, and Japan. Students also have the opportunity to travel to or host students from those countries.
-The High School offers more than 24 varsity sports and 50 co-curricular activities, ranging from Speech and Debate to Youth Ending Hunger and Model United Nations.
-Students can take advantage of unparalleled offerings in the fine and performing arts, including a nationally recognized theatre arts department.
-The District created nationally recognized student-led programs in human relations and minority achievement.

Also, look at the schools that Shaker grads are being admitted to:

Seniors Accepted to All Ivy Leagues
To date, Shaker students have been accepted to all eight Ivy League institutions: three at Brown, three at Columbia, two at Cornell, two at Dartmouth, three at Harvard, one at Princeton, one at University of Pennsylvania, and two at Yale. Students have also been accepted to Amherst, Hamilton, Duke, Georgetown, Johns Hopkins, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Tufts, and Vanderbilt, among many others.

In this case, I think it's worth trying to understand the whole picture, and to go beyond the black and white test scores. If not, your options are limited to places like Solon, Beachwood, Rocky River, Avon Lake, which are not nearly as interesting or accessible, nor are the schools well-known by top colleges.

[Clevelander17]

Based on all of your criteria, I think you have just a few options:

1. Shaker Heights
2. Rocky River

...and I'll throw a wild card into the mix:

3. Berea

[ctownballr27]

You could live in the Edgewater area of Cleveland. It's a great neighborhood with excellent access to the water and downtown. Great public transit options and some of the best private schools in the area. When your son is ready for high school St. Edwards and St. Ignatius are nearby and ranked up there with any school in the country. I wouldn't move to far from Cleveland if I was working downtown. Traffic is getting worse as some major ODOT projects are ramping up. Plus the economy is getting a lot better here as noticed by the amount of people working and driving to downtown again.

[ctownballr27]

Routes | Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority

We have some nice heavy and light rail options, plus a downtown trolley system.