[CTartist]

Originally Posted by JayCT

You can find rentals in Fairfield for that price. The schools are excellent with lots of amenities and things for families and there are many quiet neighborhoods. It also has three train stations so a commute to Stamford is fairly easy. It is a great town to buy in too. Jay

I was thinking of Fairfield and Milford too but in his second post it says "Do not want coastal". The houses in most northern sections of Fairfield would be to expensive. The area which would be good is the area some of my relatives are in being Stratfield. Going by his post I am thinking it will be too close to Bridgeport's urban core and maybe a little too hectic for him. Also when he goes to buy the house he might not be able to afford Fairfield in the long run.

Here is a house in the Stratfield section wit 20% down that is near his budget.
https://www.coldwellbankerhomes.com/...d/pid_25017199

You can go look at some houses in Stratfield section of Fairfield and then take a ride to southern Bridgeport and see if the area is to close to the urban core for you.

I have two cousins that live in Milford. One lives in the northern section so it does not "feel" coastal/hectic at all. He lives in a little pocket north of the Parkway. They both love Milford.

This house in northern Milford is $2200 a month with 20% down. But now you are further out from Stamford.
https://www.coldwellbankerhomes.com/...d/pid_24961038

[hvexpatinct]

Pre-K is not universal in CT, but some school districts do offer it. You'll have to check with each of the towns you are considering.

[Stylo]

Originally Posted by CTartist

But now you are further out from Stamford.

40-47 min train commute. Easy peasy.

[edrican]

Wow, Stamford schools must be really bad if people are willing to commute so far.

[CTartist]

Originally Posted by Stylo

40-47 min train commute. Easy peasy.

I didn't realize that you an get to the Milford train station from the northern part of Milford in less than 10 minutes. I just did map directions from my cousin's street and it was 8 minutes. This is on a Saturday though. I just did Milford to Stamford AM and there is one for 41 minutes at 7:40. The entire commute would be about an hour.

From Trumbull it takes about 15 to 20 minutes to get to the Fairfield Metro with about a 35 minute train ride.
It's just about the same time as Trumbull. Maybe Trumbull would be 5 minutes less. Remember I posted the house values of Milford in that other thread about "extreme commuting"*. That is probably why the houses are getting up near Trumbull.

*I almost hate to bring that up lol.

[CTartist]

Originally Posted by edrican

Wow, Stamford schools must be really bad if people are willing to commute so far.

I was born and raised in Stamford and I was in high school when they started busing. I would say 10 years after the busing started the schools tanked. I was already graduated though. I went to Westhill HS and it was a great school in the 1970's.

[edrican]

Originally Posted by CTartist

I was born and raised in Stamford and I was in high school when they started busing. I would say 10 years after the busing started the schools tanked. I was already graduated though. I went to Westhill HS and it was a great school in the 1970's.

That busing really messed up the school system. I wanted to relocate to Stamford after several visits, but the schools situation concerns me.

[dec38]

I'm a parent with kids in Stamford public schools. We care a whole lot about education and know many others like us in Stamford. I take a look at this forum every so often and am disappointed by the persistence of the misinformation.

--Regarding busing: I don't know all the particulars, but I do know that if you live in any of the neighborhoods that typically get discussed on this forum, you will more than likely be districted to the same school as all of your neighbors (e.g., if you live north of the Merritt between High Ridge Road and Long Ridge Road, your kids are probably going to Northeast school; if you live in the Newfield neighborhood, they will likely be at Newfield school, etc.). In addition, there are excellent magnet schools that have a mix of districted neighborhoods and lottery applicants. As far as I can tell, it appears that perhaps kids from denser, lower income neighborhoods are bused to schools outside those neighborhoods. I do not believe the contrary is true. So if you live in one of the nicer, family friendly neighborhoods in Stamford, your children's peers will include all of the kids from your neighborhood, and probably also more disadvantaged kids from around Stamford.

--Regarding school quality: Stamford schools are very diverse. I believe around 50% qualify for free or reduced lunch. A large percentage come from non-English speaking households. And there are also a large percentage of kids from professional, well educated, well-off families. Stamford is not Bridgeport. There is a critical mass of families with children in Stamford public schools who care about education and have the resources to ensure their children lead enriching lives. We love the diversity of Stamford and believe it is, on balance, a real benefit for our children. Stamford's test scores reflect its diversity. But look closely -- you will see many schools (like the schools my children are in), have overall test scores above state averages despite having a more educationally disadvantaged population than state average. And when you break down the data and look, for example, at the scores of kids who are NOT low income, you will see that kids at many of the schools in Stamford (including the schools my children are in), score far above state average. I see that my elementary aged children are learning, feel safe and loved at school, have enriching experiences at school. When I read about Stamford schools on this forum, I do not recognize what I read as my experience.

--Regarding choosing where to live for schools: There is no question that the wealthy towns immediately surrounding Stamford (New Canaan, Darien, etc.) have among the best schools (with the best test scores) in the country. Those towns are expensive. The commute becomes difficult pretty quickly the further east you go. Even a Wilton to Stamford or Fairfield to Stamford commute is more than my family could bear, as a two income family that wants to spend time together as a family. People on this forum often discuss one hour + each way commutes as a necessity to find a good school in an affordable town. I think it does a disservice to such families to dismiss Stamford.

The Great Schools website now breaks down the test data so you can dig into some of the demographic factors:

https://www.greatschools.org/connect...mford/schools/

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by dec38

I'm a parent with kids in Stamford public schools. We care a whole lot about education and know many others like us in Stamford. I take a look at this forum every so often and am disappointed by the persistence of the misinformation.

--Regarding busing: I don't know all the particulars, but I do know that if you live in any of the neighborhoods that typically get discussed on this forum, you will more than likely be districted to the same school as all of your neighbors (e.g., if you live north of the Merritt between High Ridge Road and Long Ridge Road, your kids are probably going to Northeast school; if you live in the Newfield neighborhood, they will likely be at Newfield school, etc.). In addition, there are excellent magnet schools that have a mix of districted neighborhoods and lottery applicants. As far as I can tell, it appears that perhaps kids from denser, lower income neighborhoods are bused to schools outside those neighborhoods. I do not believe the contrary is true. So if you live in one of the nicer, family friendly neighborhoods in Stamford, your children's peers will include all of the kids from your neighborhood, and probably also more disadvantaged kids from around Stamford.

--Regarding school quality: Stamford schools are very diverse. I believe around 50% qualify for free or reduced lunch. A large percentage come from non-English speaking households. And there are also a large percentage of kids from professional, well educated, well-off families. Stamford is not Bridgeport. There is a critical mass of families with children in Stamford public schools who care about education and have the resources to ensure their children lead enriching lives. We love the diversity of Stamford and believe it is, on balance, a real benefit for our children. Stamford's test scores reflect its diversity. But look closely -- you will see many schools (like the schools my children are in), have overall test scores above state averages despite having a more educationally disadvantaged population than state average. And when you break down the data and look, for example, at the scores of kids who are NOT low income, you will see that kids at many of the schools in Stamford (including the schools my children are in), score far above state average. I see that my elementary aged children are learning, feel safe and loved at school, have enriching experiences at school. When I read about Stamford schools on this forum, I do not recognize what I read as my experience.

--Regarding choosing where to live for schools: There is no question that the wealthy towns immediately surrounding Stamford (New Canaan, Darien, etc.) have among the best schools (with the best test scores) in the country. Those towns are expensive. The commute becomes difficult pretty quickly the further east you go. Even a Wilton to Stamford or Fairfield to Stamford commute is more than my family could bear, as a two income family that wants to spend time together as a family. People on this forum often discuss one hour + each way commutes as a necessity to find a good school in an affordable town. I think it does a disservice to such families to dismiss Stamford.

The Great Schools website now breaks down the test data so you can dig into some of the demographic factors:

https://www.greatschools.org/connect...mford/schools/

Thank you for posting your experiences with Stamford schools. It is very good information that the OP can use in making their decision.

That said, when someone comes here looking for "good schools" it is hard for anyone here to recommend Stamford. While you say that you can live in neighborhoods and not have your kid bussed to a school outside the neighborhood, there is the chance that could change. Towns that have busing do so because they must maintain racial and educational performance standards. It is hard to make a recommendation when the school a child goes to is subject to the whim of the school district. Also note that there have been many cases people here will recommend Stamford to families but that is when they are not putting a strong emphasis on the schools.

Since you come here on occasion, I would encourage you to come and post here more often. There are always people looking for information on the Stamford area and your opinions/experiences would be welcome. Jay

[dec38]

Just out of curiosity, I took a quick look at rentals on realtor.com. In case the OP has flexibility in their budget, this is a Stamford option:

https://www.realtor.com/realestatean...7-12750#photo0

Rental is in a nice neighborhood. Quiet but very centrally located. School is districted to Hart Magnet elementary, which is good. Rent is $2800/month so above OPs budget but they'd save on commute.