[jk627]

We are relocating in the next few months to CT. It is hard for us to come and visit to check out the state. Which is driving me nuts because how do you pick somewhere to live you have only spent a few hours in. We did a quick drive through a month ago to try to get a feel for things. But again you can't really know a place by a drive through. I have been reading many different threads on here about places and am finding them helpful. We have narrowed our towns down it seems to Shelton and Milford. We are ok with Branford but its the max North we want to go. PLus eventhough Guilford and Madison seem really nice, they are a bit rural for our taste. We are looking for towns with a suburban feel. Neighborhoods, about .4 - .6 acres of land. Nothing to big. Shopping and kid activites are important too. We really liked Shelton at first and with our house budget of about 550K we seem to be able to get alot there for our money, but have read schools are not up to par. Milford has plenty to do but housing is a bit more hard to come by ( for what we want). Trumbull and Orange seem nice but again haven't found a house yet we liked there. I will be a stay at home mom, and my husband will be traveling in CT for work so we don't need to worry about commuting to one certain place. You guys are our eyes basically. We will get up there one or two more times before we move but thats it. SOOOOOO any and all opinions welcome.

[JayCT]

I am not sure why you think Shelton schools do not perform better than Milford. They both perform around the state averages on the Connecticut Academic Performance Tests. In fact Shelton High School seem to perform better than Milford's high schools on three of the four subject areas. Also it looks like Shelton schools generally perform higher than Milford on the Connecticut Mastery Tests as well. I know that this does not mean Shelton schools are better, but it does mean that they are not a worse either.

As far as access to amenities go, it is hard to beat Milford with its great shopping (one of the state's largest retail districts) and access to beaches on Long Island Sound. Milford also has the wonderful Eisenhower Park which offers a lot of different recreational opportunities.

Shelton is also nice but it has some fairly rural and remote areas. I will say that the Huntington section is very nice with its small shops around the town green. My point is that either town is good. I would look in both towns and select the one that has the home best suited to you. Good luck, Jay

[kidyankee764]

I'd suggest you look into North Haven. It's centrally located, has great access to three major highways (91, 95, 15), has very nice homes in your price range, great schools and a lot of shopping.

I have really grown to like North Haven over the past few years as I've spent more and more time there. It's a solid middle class community.

[jacoby23]

Go to Milford. We live in Fairfield and have looked extensively at both areas, Milford will not dissapoint.

[Stylo]

If I were given the choice, I'd go Milford.

Milford offers more than Shelton. It's a little more expensive too. Part of that is location. You've got an excellent downtown/green with lots of events, several great beaches, the most shoreline in CT, great restaurants/bars/shopping, the Metro North train that goes direct to Norwalk/Stamford/NYC, some gorgeous historic/coastal neighborhoods, etc. It has more of a tight knit neighborhood feel than Shelton as it's much more dense.

If the most house for the money is your priority, Shelton is your best bet. You'll get a lot less house in Trumbull than either Shelton or Milford. Orange is on the high side, but not that much more than Milford in general.

What are you looking for in a house?

Jay, I'm not sure where you're getting that info, but if you look at the Strategic Profile PDF's for Foran High School and Shelton High School (at State Department of Education - CEDaR), Foran scored higher on all CAPT tests except Math, which was within less than a percentage point. Foran also scored higher on all SAT measurements, and had a much higher graduation rate (95.2% vs. 81.9%). Foran scored higher than the state average on all CAPT subjects.

That said, I know parents and people that have experience with both school systems, and I've never heard any overtly negative feedback. In fact, I've heard a lot of positive things. When you hear complaints on the Internet, you have to understand that some of these people would complain no matter where they were. I would not worry about the schools in either town. If anything, Shelton's slightly lower performance may be due to economic differences.

Also, what's your commute?

[andthentherewere3]

I think Shelton and Milford schools are both very similar in performance. Both are pretty much average. If you would like being near the sound Milford would be a good choice. Shelton has a more woodsy feel than Milford. I'd second kidyankee and also look into North Haven.

I like to use the link below to compare school districts to one another. It lists recent test scores, class size etc.

Connecticut State Cities - CT City School Rankings / Shelton Rank

[kidyankee764]

Comparing Shelton and Milford public schools is really splitting hairs, as they are very similar in performance. Not overly high performing, but not poor either.

Like I said, if schools are of chief concern, and house for your money, North Haven has everything you're looking for.

[jk627]

Thank you everyone for your input. I am a teacher so schools are important, but that being said, as a teacher I know how test scores really do not tell the whole story about a school or school district. But I was curious. Of course we want a nice house that we are comfortable in but I think neighborhood and community feel is what we care about most. Milford seems to be what we want from the descriptions I have seen and read. I think. We haven't really explored North Haven so I will look into that as well. Does North Haven have its own shopping area? Big box stores like Target? Not that that is a must but a nice feature

[Stylo]

Originally Posted by kidyankee764

Comparing Shelton and Milford public schools is really splitting hairs, as they are very similar in performance. Not overly high performing, but not poor either.

Like I said, if schools are of chief concern, and house for your money, North Haven has everything you're looking for.

North Haven is worth looking at if it fits the OP's commute. If they're commuting to anywhere in Fairfield County that could be a problem. I will say in a practical sense I don't think North Haven schools are THAT significantly better than Milford or Shelton's to warrant looking there instead, but it's a good town and a good value for sure.

[Stylo]

Originally Posted by jk627

Thank you everyone for your input. I am a teacher so schools are important, but that being said, as a teacher I know how test scores really do not tell the whole story about a school or school district.

Exactly. From a practical standpoint I don't think you can go wrong with any of these schools. I just prefer Milford as a town, but it fits me: denser, more activity, restaurants, nightlife, outdoors dining/bars, shoreline/beaches. Shelton and North Haven have a more woodsy/hilly feel overall.

North Haven does have big box shopping including Target.