Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
We are thinking about considering a move to CO...somewhere CS to south Denver. We don't want to move again after this, so we have to get it right the first time.
Focusing on Larkspur and south.....
I know District 20 schools are great, probably the best.
I know Districts 12, 14 and 38 are also very good.
But what is the truth about Falcon 49 district? I currently have elementary age, but soon to have one in middle school. Looking long term though, I need the high schools to be excellent too. So tell me about 49. I have one gifted kiddo....not sure about the other two as they are too young for testing just yet (done in 3rd grade in my current district).
There are soooooo many homes that I love that fit our criteria and are in our price range....most in Falcon 49....that almost worries me. Why so many homes for sale in Falcon 49?
So as not to waste anyone's time....our criteria....
excellent schools with honors, AP, sports, academics, music etc (great schools are our number one priority)
2800 sq ft above grade with at least 4 bedrooms also above grade.
Total sq ft including basement no less than 3300 sq ft (many homes on MLS don't differentiate above grade, only total sq ft)
1/2 acre lot or better....would LOVE 5 acres! Not for animals, just for space to run and play.
45 minutes or less commute to CS airport area
LOW crime area (Briargate is almost too high of a crime area for us)
Would love all utilities in CSU area but not required of course
Need our total mortgage payment (inclusive of taxes and insurance) to be $1800 or less per month, prefer lower than that, so that puts our purchase price around $375,000
The problem I am finding is I can get the house, land and price I want but it is in Peyton or Calhan....not desirable school districts from what I can tell in my research. Or I can find the house and price in a good school area but then I have to give up the yard.
If you live in a neighborhood like that what you'll end up with is bored kids with no friends to hang out with. In fact, I don't know of too much for kids to do in Falcon - unless you live in one of the subdivisions where they can have friends. I drive through there every day and I don't see anything there except homes, horses, and shopping. If someone knows better, please chime in. You might want to get to a housing area where there are things for kids to do: skate parks, movies, YMCA, and most importantly lots of kids in the neighborhood to hang out with.
Your post is really good, you listed lots of good info.
I think you'll find what you want but for those specifics I think you'd either have to work with a realtor or access a data source which breaks out the above ground/basement data....not sure about getting to that...
There are several threads which have lots of Falcon school posts in them.
Do you know where you and your spouse will be working?
Try checking this excellent school performance mapping tool...
I am a teacher in D11 - the urban part of Colorado Springs. One of the ladies in my department came here from D49 Falcon. There has been a lot of growth there in recent years, and lots of building, and the school facilities have struggled to keep pace. Although they are working on solving the problem and have finally gotten voters to pass some things so they could do some building, from her perspective the overcrowding issue is still a big concern.
Thanks for those honest answers. It troubled me to see so many great looking homes on the MLS listed in Falcon....seems proportionally more than the other areas.....I have read hours worth, and keep getting the same answers. Thanks!
So confirmed, I need districts 12, 14, 20 or 38. That is helpful. I have been struggling with whether or not to include 49 or not....so unless it looks like their growth issues are resolved, better stay away. School growth issues are one reason we would be leaving northern VA.
As for our employment....I am a stay at home mom (masters degree in nursing, but SAHM for 8 years now). I may desire to do substitute teaching, but my youngest will only be in kindergarten for the 2008-2009 school year, so any real amount of anything would need to wait for first grade. Hubby is in aerospace/defense industry.
Above grade information can easily be found on the El Paso County assessor's web site. That is how I discovered that the MLS was listing total sq ft, not above grade.
As for the 5 acres.....I am just feeling the need for some space. 5 acres may be an exaggeration. We are on 1/2 acre in a 40 house (non-HOA) neighborhood and we feel like our neighbors are too close. Our boys play baseball in the front yard and they smack it across the street into the neighbor's yard all the time (whiffle balls, not solid balls). An acre or two would be ideal. Around here (we live in a sort of rural small townish type area with lots of homes with acreage....we can't afford that, but lots of it here) anyway, kids just go home on the bus for play dates or moms shuttle kids back and forth. Is it different in CS? I mean really, on a school day, how much free time do the kids really have by the time they do their homework, relax, go to their current season sport practice, piano lessons or whatever before bedtime? Around here, weekends are social time and like I said, going to pick up a kid or take them home is no big deal. My kids are pretty choosy about their friends (keep in mind my kids are very little at 5, 8 and 10). There are kids their age in our neighborhood, but they don't play with them. They would rather just play with each other or have their friends come home from school with them. But maybe it is different in CS??? But I do agree with you that 5 acres out in the middle of the prairie might be a little too isolated....and really, if we are not going to have animals, we don't need THAT much space.
Really, any words of advice or thoughts that come to mind would be so appreciated. We are just so undecided if this is a good idea or not. I do not want to do a lateral move. I want to get more house, more yard, as good or better schools for less money. I may be living in la-la land, but I am just being honest.
For what it is worth. My propane (we don't have natural gas out where we live), electric, water and sewer average about $600 a month total. So we will get some cost savings in CS with just our basic utilities. So we are considering that factor as well in our decision.
Above grade information can easily be found on the El Paso County assessor's web site. That is how I discovered that the MLS was listing total sq ft, not above grade.
but lots of it here) anyway, kids just go home on the bus for play dates or moms shuttle kids back and forth. Is it different in CS? I mean really, on a school day, how much free time do the kids really have by the time they do their homework, relax, go to their current season sport practice, piano lessons or whatever before bedtime? Around here, weekends are social time and like I said, going to pick up a kid or take them home is no big deal. My kids are pretty choosy about their friends (keep in mind my kids are very little at 5, 8 and 10). There are kids their age in our neighborhood, but they don't play with them. They would rather just play with each other or have their friends come home from school with them. .
I was wondering "where" he worked or will be working...where (intersection or neighborhood) in Colorado Springs; If he is working on the far west side of town then living in Falcon might be sort of a hassle drive as east west traffic isn't too efficient.
Also, the further north you live in COS the more realistic it is to consider the Denver metro as a commutable destination should anyone ever need to work there. This was a big factor in our decision to live near Monument; Denver jobs are 45 easy minutes away.
I have four girls 8, 6, and 4 years and six months. We live on 2.5 acres but there are a couple of empty lots nearby and just about all the neighbors within a 1/2 mile are either retired people or families with teenagers. Guess what? My kids hate living in this situation. Play dates are a total hassle. Requires such proactive participation by two sets of parents and many other parents in our elementary school zone already have kids in their neighborhood so there is no incentive for them to have play dates with our kids. We just had bad luck with our street as other families in our neighborhood have lots of kids on their streets; it's just that 2.5 acre lots make things more challenging. We would much rather just open the door and have our kids run outside and ride their bikes or walk across the street and play with kids who live within a few houses. We have resorted to hiring neighborhood middle school girls for $5/hr to play with our kids, serving as Mother's Helpers.
I am very sincere about this recommendation. The spacing between houses is hitting us hard. If we didn't have kids we'd love our situation. Also, because the winters can be cold and windy off and on for several months the kids will find themselves wanting to play inside; Without kid friends close by (like next door or two) the kids get cabin fever and wild inside the house with little interaction to diffuse their energy - drives my wife and me nuts.
Maybe your kids are more independent than ours and they can keep themselves occupied without neighbor kids but if could do it over again, I might have reconsidered living in a large lot neighborhood with four kids.
Take a look at the north end of Colorado Springs: Briargate, Pine Creek, Stetson Hills, and Jackson Creek (in the Monument area). Lots and lots of neighborhood kids. You won't have the big lots but I am 95% sure your kids will like living there a lot more.
D38 has school growth issues as well. Did the voters pass a mill levy or did they work something out so they could finally build a new high school? I'm not sure, maybe someone else here knows. D12 is declining enrollment - they are closing schools. But that won't hurt them academically. D12 is where the old money lives ( of course not everyone there is rich). I tutor kids from there and some of them complain it is extremely cliquish. D20 I think is a good all around choice.
D38 has school growth issues as well. Did the voters pass a mill levy or did they work something out so they could finally build a new high school? I'm not sure, maybe someone else here knows. D12 is declining enrollment - they are closing schools. But that won't hurt them academically. D12 is where the old money lives ( of course not everyone there is rich). I tutor kids from there and some of them complain it is extremely cliquish. D20 I think is a good all around choice.
The new Palmer Ridge High School is expected to be ready for fall 2008 (I think this is very realistic - haven't heard any risks). However, another ballot/vote thing is expected in Fall 2008 to raise money to operate the school. Regardless if the vote passes or not, the school will open and operate however if the ballot fails cuts are expected across the district (extracurricular activities, buses, faculty associates....I am not sure about all of these just that cuts are expected..) to provide money to operate the new Palmer Ridge High School.
I'm in District 49. I'm in Ridgeview at Stetson Hills in a John Laing Home. I moved here from San Diego. Our criteria was for a 3 car garage with a walk out basement. We also wanted a decent size lot that backs up to land. I'm on a 1/4 acre which backs up to an open space. We are very close to Ridgeview Elementary which also has a park close by. They are building a brand new high school right down the street and a middle school is close by. My children are not in school yet, but I did waiver a lot on District 20 and District 49. I honestly just liked the area I'm in better. For the house that we got and the money we spent. We just found exactly what we were looking for. Also my sister lives close by and that helped make our decision. I hear about the overcrowding but I know they are continuing to work the issue. Both my husband and I came from neighborhood areas and I wanted my children to grow up on a street close to their friends. I hope that I'll be pleased with the schools. I'm sorry I couldn't offer more opinion on the district.
Really, every little bit of input is helpful to us. Thank you so much.
My hubby would be working just south of the airport near South Powers Blvd and Grinnell Blvd. But he will also be driving to the south side of Denver/ DTC area some....not sure how much some is....right now he flies there from here less than once a month. But if he were closer he would be there more, I am sure.
In an ideal world, we would find a nice big house on a great big lot in district 20 that fit in our price range...not impossible, but not sure how probable.
Keep the opinions and thoughts flowing as it really is helpful.
Where did you move from when you moved to Colorado Springs?
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
D49
