Looking in to relocating to Columbus (Cincinnati, Lakewood: section 8, house, neighborhoods)

[ervinlr]

My husband maybe relocate with this job to the dublin area.
I was wondering about the schools.I have child who will be in 10 grade.Plus 4 in Grade School.The area we were looking at our Dublin,Hillard,Powell.We are moving from NW sub of Chicago.

[LancasterNative]

Northwest suburbs of Chicago and Northwest suburbs of Columbus have some striking similarities: relative affluence, largely educated populace, generally safe environment, family-friendly atmosphere, etc.

For schools, I would go with Dublin or Powell over Hilliard. While these three communities have all grown rapidly in the past 10+ years, Hilliard has done the poorest job adjusting to its new size (i.e. building adequate schools, roads, etc.)

The growth in Powell and Dublin has been much better planned and accommodated. Of these two, Dublin has perhaps a bit more of the "keep up with the Joneses" thing going on (materialism) whereas Powell is more laid back.

Anyway, welcome to central Ohio!

[streetcreed]

I would also like to add the suburb that is east of Dublin, Worthington. Many built homes exist in nice neighborhoods in worthington. Also the areas of Columbus that attend Worthington and Dublin and Hilliard schools are always an option.

[LancasterNative]

That's a good point: there are outlying parts of Columbus (city proper) that are included in various suburban school districts. Not sure if Chicagoland has any arrangements similar to this; it seems rare outside of central Ohio. Some folks joke that, when telling anyone what Columbus suburb you live in, you're really just giving them a close approximation!

The deal is...you can live in a nice, safe, suburban neighborhood with the relatively lower taxes of Columbus, but your kids still attend the superior suburban schools! City honchos have used this as a bargaining chip for decades to help convince otherwise-leery residents that it's OK to be annexed by Columbus.

Anyway, as streetcreed pointed out, there are really decent areas of NW Columbus whose students attend Dublin, Hilliard and Worthington schools.

The Hilliard schools/Columbus city-proper area between the Scioto R. and I-270 is without a doubt the nicest part of "Hilliard" overall!

[bgfalcons86]

Originally Posted by LancasterNative

That's a good point: there are outlying parts of Columbus (city proper) that are included in various suburban school districts. Not sure if Chicagoland has any arrangements similar to this; it seems rare outside of central Ohio. Some folks joke that, when telling anyone what Columbus suburb you live in, you're really just giving them a close approximation!

The deal is...you can live in a nice, safe, suburban neighborhood with the relatively lower taxes of Columbus, but your kids still attend the superior suburban schools! City honchos have used this as a bargaining chip for decades to help convince otherwise-leery residents that it's OK to be annexed by Columbus.

Anyway, as streetcreed pointed out, there are really decent areas of NW Columbus whose students attend Dublin, Hilliard and Worthington schools.

The Hilliard schools/Columbus city-proper area between the Scioto R. and I-270 is without a doubt the nicest part of "Hilliard" overall!

LancasterNative, I'm not sure why you are always so negative about Hilliard. We've been in the area for more than six years and we are glad to be here and are very happy with the schools. A recent survey indicated that most Hilliard residents are very pleased with the schools.

Hilliard schools met all 25 of the state standards last year (as did Dublin and Olentangy). (BTW, the same can't be said for Lancaster.) Most of the school buildings are new and are far more than 'adequate' as far as facilities go. The district is building a new elementary school and a new high school to handle the increased enrollment.

As far as nice areas in Hilliard, there are plenty of options - most inside the City of Hilliard itself (Heritage Lakes, Lakewood, Hoffman Farm,etc. on the west side of town; Britton Farms, River Landings, Shire Cove, etc. on the northeast side). There is even Brown Township, if you prefer areas with a little land. I'd encourage you to visit the area and check out the options. Hilliard does have quite a bit of construction going on right now to improve the city's infrastructure.

[LancasterNative]

Originally Posted by bgfalcons86

LancasterNative, I'm not sure why you are always so negative about Hilliard.

I think in all honesty, my number one gripe about living in Hilliard was the TRAFFIC. It was an absolute, unmitigated nightmare. Going anywhere else in greater Columbus required an additional 10-min. time allowance just to get out of Hilliard (i.e. to get on the freeway).

The massive conglomeration of shipping/distribution facilities along Roberts and Renner (Trabue), just off the freeways, always meant navigating around whole fleets of trucks every AM and PM commute.

That, coupled with the fact I wasn't too far from Section 8 apts. and could hear police choppers overhead on certain nights as they tracked thugs thru the area, didn't especially endear the place to me.

Originally Posted by bgfalcons86

BTW, the same can't be said for Lancaster.

LOL! No offense taken at that statement. Seriously! Unlike the majority of people I know around here locally, I don't generally judge a community by its schools. (This is in part because I consider government schooling a failed enterprise, but that's a whole 'nother topic for a different thread!)

In any case, my hometown once went more than 8 (maybe 10?) years without passing a school levy, and I say that with pride! Too many Franklin County parents & voters, in my opinion, are easily swayed by school bureaucrats every time they demand more money. And more money does NOT necessarily = better education.

Other than those things, I'll grant you that yes, other parts of Hilliard have some very pleasant upscale residential areas. East of 270 is still tops, in my book, although both sides of 270 are nice up toward Davidson and Hayden Rds.

[bgfalcons86]

ervinlr - I'd encourage you to visit the area (Dublin, Hilliard, Powell, etc.) and check out the options.

[sftong]

I will not be happy if I live in Hilliard. Ohio Department of Education rated Hilliard School District as "Continuous Improvement" in 2006, which is 2 grades below Excellent enjoyed by Dublin or Powell (Olentangy School District).

Moreoever, for the same price house, Hilliard property tax is substantially more than Dublin and Powell. I am not sure about the reason why it is so, but I guess it's just too many residential housing than Commercial in Hilliard, so all district expenses fall on the shoulder of residents.

[bgfalcons86]

Originally Posted by sftong

I will not be happy if I live in Hilliard. Ohio Department of Education rated Hilliard School District as "Continuous Improvement" in 2006, which is 2 grades below Excellent enjoyed by Dublin or Powell (Olentangy School District).

Since you're using the Ohio Dept. of Education rating, let's look at the whole picture a little more closely rather than just saying 'Hilliard hmmm' because of the overall district rating, which I think is misleading in the first place.

Hilliard's rating was affected by missing Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) for 3 years. Hilliard CSD met 25 out of 25 indicators this year with a Performance Index of 101. All of Hilliard CSD's schools were individually rated either excellent (including both high schools, all three middle schools and both 6th grade schools) or effective.

As the standards to meet AYP are made increasingly difficult, more districts are missing it. Among districts that missed AYP last year were Upper Arlington, Dublin, Worthington and yes - Olentangy (where you're from). It is likely that more districts will have a similar situation as Hilliard as AYP standards become increasingly difficult to meet.

To have Hilliard (25 out of 25 standards, PI of 101) and Cincinnati (6 out of 25 standards met, PI of 81.5) both rated 'Continuous Improvement' seems confusing and misleading to me. Just for comparison's sake, Olentangy met 25 of 25 standards and had a PI of 103.3 - pretty similar to Hilliard.

[ervinlr]

We found house in dublin with the school district is worthington.how our there schools compared to dublin