[Stratford, Ct. Resident]

Originally Posted by JayCT

You can't really judge a school system by SAT scores. They are a voluntary test that is taken if a student is planning to go to college. I would go by Connecticut Academic Performance Test results which tests all students. Avon High School students performed well above the state averages on these tests. New Canaan performed even higher. Still I would say both schools are excellent. Jay

State Department of Education - CEDaR

I wasn't commenting one way or the other. I just provided the link to the data that hartford renter was citing for the basis of his/her conclusion.

[Aquaboy]

We moved from Hartford to WH when I was 10, the schools in WH were light years better than Hartford Schools. I got my a** kicked mentally after the move.
As Jay said, you get what you pay for...

[hartford_renter]

Originally Posted by kidyankee764

Case closed.

To be honest I didn't even look at the rankings but apparently New Cannaan is 1st in the state!

Oh well I just assumed avon and simsbury were higher because they are always at the top.

Still avon and simsbury are much higher than West Hartford despite spending much less.

The point is still valid extra spending does not equal better performance. I would rather live in avon and pay 6K in property taxes than live in West Hartford and pay 12K. The schools are better in Avon!

[Lintu]

Originally Posted by hartford_renter

To be honest I didn't even look at the rankings but apparently New Cannaan is 1st in the state!

Oh well I just assumed avon and simsbury were higher because they are always at the top.

Still avon and simsbury are much higher than West Hartford despite spending much less.

The point is still valid extra spending does not equal better performance. I would rather live in avon and pay 6K in property taxes than live in West Hartford and pay 12K. The schools are better in Avon!

Yeah, that's a big thing for us -- if the schools are just as good in Avon or Simsbury or Farmington, why pay so much more? Now, I really do find West Hartford more appealing from a community standpoint, but man...it's just so much. Part of the reason we want to leave Fairfield County is affordability, after all.

[hartford_renter]

Originally Posted by Lintu

Yeah, that's a big thing for us -- if the schools are just as good in Avon or Simsbury or Farmington, why pay so much more? Now, I really do find West Hartford more appealing from a community standpoint, but man...it's just so much. Part of the reason we want to leave Fairfield County is affordability, after all.

Between avon and simsbury the houses in simsbury are much more affordable.

You can easily get a 2000 sq foot house for 300K and pay about 7.5K in property taxes. The same house in avon is about 375K but avon is a little nicer then simsbury.

The schools are great in both towns and both are very safe.

[MikefromCT]

Originally Posted by hartford_renter

Still avon and simsbury are much higher than West Hartford despite spending much less.

The point is still valid extra spending does not equal better performance. I would rather live in avon and pay 6K in property taxes than live in West Hartford and pay 12K. The schools are better in Avon!

Then move to Avon. You've made your point.

[Stylo]

Lintu, have your kids started elementary school yet? I think you'll find that test scores and homogenous pedigree aren't all they're hyped up to be. Although Stratford schools are on the average side, I'd bet that the learning environment and opportunities available to motivated kids are very respectable.

There are problems even in the "best" CT schools.

[Lintu]

Originally Posted by Stylo

Lintu, have your kids started elementary school yet? I think you'll find that test scores and homogenous pedigree aren't all they're hyped up to be. Although Stratford schools are on the average side, I'd bet that the learning environment and opportunities available to motivated kids are very respectable.

There are problems even in the "best" CT schools.

Nope! My daughter is 2.5 and my son is in utero I like to think ahead The biggest thing making me want to move NOW is commute for my husband (being able to afford to live close enough to jobs), but schools are a factor for the longer term.

What I've heard from teachers around the country is that the lower the test scores, the more the curriculum is all about teaching to the test rather than getting a solid, well-rounded education that includes learning how to think critically and analyze. I find that very concerning. That said, I wouldn't be completely dismayed if we were here for elementary school because Stratford Academy seems pretty great (and we're willing to take half day PM Kindergarten to secure a spot).

[Stylo]

I don't know if I agree with that (re: test scores).

High performing schools have a lot of pressure to keep their test scores high. I went to a top 15 CT high school and they drilled us on CAPT and SAT and a lot of teaching was done for the test in classes in general. It's not all roses at a top performing school, trust me.

But man, were we all experts on CAPT after months of drilling that test.

[Lintu]

I was at a top school in TX and experienced minimal test prep activity of any sort on the gifted track, but this was well before No Child Left Behind and all that.

(Before anyone says "But CT schools are better," the schools in my town in TX actually rated higher than all but one of the CT high schools. Now, whether you agree with the rating system is another matter entirely...)