Moving to Southeast Colorado Springs (80916) (Pueblo, Fountain: crime rate, house, neighborhood)

[Brain Harrison]

Hello, this is my first time posting on city data it very hard to use. I came from Pueblo, Colorado to Colorado Springs . I got 3 children with me. This area in Colorado Springs, called Southeast Colorado Springs we purchased a house nearby Silver Hawk Avenue, it a nice community. I heard all of negatively about Southeast Colorado Springs too, but when I saw the area between Hancock Expwy and nearby Milton E. Proby Pkwy it wasn't bad community that a thought, it pretty safe. I work at Peterson Air Force Base. Is Harrison District 2 a good district?

Would my kids like the area? Be honest!
The zip code is 80916

[otowi]

Harrison 2 - it struggles as a district due to transient population, lower SES and taxes than many surrounding districts, and some questionable leadership in recent times. It would not at all be fair to say that it is a universally bad experience to go to school there or that kids cannot get a decent education there, but I do think it is harder than some other nearby choices. For example, we have had high school students move from there to my high school that were honors students, but they were completely in over their heads in our honors courses - they were behind and really struggled, unfortunately. For people who like charter schools, there is the James Irwin Charter Schools which has offerings K-12 in that zip code and has a decent reputation as far as that goes - https://jamesirwin.org/

I do think there are some decent communities in that area and Soaring Eagles is one of them - I'd have no problem living there aside from maybe the schools when kids get to middle and high. You are also right on the boundary with Widefield District 3 schools (just cross Milton Proby and you're there) there which could give you more options if you think you need them. Widefield also has a great park and rec system your kids could probably participate in.

[Mike from back east]

1. Do you want your screen name to be Brain or Brian? Let me know if you want Brian as I can have that fixed.

2. If you work at Peterson, I'd urge you to look well up the Powers Corridor and get into any area served by the D20 (Academy school district) or look at our numerous threads pointing out the better school areas in D11. Also up the Powers corridor is D49 which people think is also far better than D2. Also in the south side of town is D8 which is well regarded. Bottom line is that D2 is the least liked school district in the area, so why go there....

[Brain Harrison]

Originally Posted by Mike from back east

1. Do you want your screen name to be Brain or Brian? Let me know if you want Brian as I can have that fixed.

2. If you work at Peterson, I'd urge you to look well up the Powers Corridor and get into any area served by the D20 (Academy school district) or look at our numerous threads pointing out the better school areas in D11. Also up the Powers corridor is D49 which people think is also far better than D2. Also in the south side of town is D8 which is well regarded. Bottom line is that D2 is the least liked school district in the area, so why go there....

Don't give me wrong, D20 is the best district in Colorado Springs, but the the problem is that it so far away where I work at, beside in Briargate income is so high. Am a 15 min from my home to Peterson. I got question. Why do you think this area literally that bad? What about D3 is that good? I well fixed my name lol.

[otowi]

From what you said of where your neighborhood is, in itself it is not bad, but D2 is definitely the worst school district in the city in most ways anyone would measure a district's performance - so that is one thing against the area. That is not to say the district is terrible - but it struggles in many ways in comparison to others in the city. However, if you took the exact same teachers, buildings, administrators, policies, etc., and put them up in the D20 attendance area, would it still be the worst district? No - its rating is largely a function of serving one of the neediest populations in the county. You see the same thing on the southeast side of D11.

The other is crime rate - your particular neighborhood is probably not an issue, but the zip codes on that side in particular simply have higher rates of crime. Not saying it is terribly dangerous, but compared to other parts of the region, it is higher.

Widefield District 3 is an average district. Many people who live in Widefield/Security or Fountain really love those areas - they still have some sense of small-town community that cannot be found just everywhere these days. Other people dislike these areas because they find them too diverse, or not high-class enough for their tastes. Fountain is also an average district but gets some pretty substantial funding from the military which shows in some of its facilities, etc.

[Brain Harrison]

Originally Posted by otowi

From what you said of where your neighborhood is, in itself it is not bad, but D2 is definitely the worst school district in the city in most ways anyone would measure a district's performance - so that is one thing against the area. That is not to say the district is terrible - but it struggles in many ways in comparison to others in the city. However, if you took the exact same teachers, buildings, administrators, policies, etc., and put them up in the D20 attendance area, would it still be the worst district? No - its rating is largely a function of serving one of the neediest populations in the county. You see the same thing on the southeast side of D11.

The other is crime rate - your particular neighborhood is probably not an issue, but the zip codes on that side in particular simply have higher rates of crime. Not saying it is terribly dangerous, but compared to other parts of the region, it is higher.

Widefield District 3 is an average district. Many people who live in Widefield/Security or Fountain really love those areas - they still have some sense of small-town community that cannot be found just everywhere these days. Other people dislike these areas because they find them too diverse, or not high-class enough for their tastes. Fountain is also an average district but gets some pretty substantial funding from the military which shows in some of its facilities, etc.

The neighborhood is called Soaring Eagles.I did heard there was high crime between Chelton, RD, and Jet Wing Drive nearby, and between Carmel, Rd, and Monterey Rd. I do have 1 child that is in elementary school, and 2 kids that go to high school. My question is what school district is Peterson Air Force Base zoned in?

[otowi]

Originally Posted by Brain Harrison

The neighborhood is called Soaring Eagles.I did heard there was high crime between Chelton, RD, and Jet Wing Drive nearby, and between Carmel, Rd, and Monterey Rd. I do have 1 child that is in elementary school, and 2 kids that go to high school. My question is what school district is Peterson Air Force Base zoned in?

Yes, I already talked about Soaring Eagles being decent above. Yet it is part of a zip code known for higher crime, as also explained above, and in boundaries of a school district with some problems compared to other districts - but that doesn't mean it wouldn't work for you or your family, you'll have to decide that. Peterson AFB itself is mostly in D11 (Colorado Springs), but the southern and eastern tips are in D3 (Widefield).

[Brain Harrison]

Originally Posted by otowi

Yes, I already talked about Soaring Eagles being decent above. Yet it is part of a zip code known for higher crime, as also explained above, and in boundaries of a school district with some problems compared to other districts - but that doesn't mean it wouldn't work for you or your family, you'll have to decide that. Peterson AFB itself is mostly in D11 (Colorado Springs), but the southern and eastern tips are in D3 (Widefield).

Am thinking about putting my child to D3. Is French Elementary School, and Widefield High School is good? Am driving them to school too.

[otowi]

Haven't heard anything bad about French. It is the newest elementary in D3, but not that new. I went to Widefield and it was really good back then, imho. I think Mesa Ridge has a slightly better reputation today but probably only because it is a newer school - didn't exist when I went to high school.