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How does Osborn Hill elementary fit into the rankings? Is it perceived to be a stronger (more of a Mill Riverfield, Sherman, Burr) or weaker (more of a Holland, McKinley)?
All schools in Fairfield are excellent, really can't go wrong with any.
All kids from Tomlinson go to Warde, all kids from Roger Ludlowe go to Fairfield Ludlowe, and Fairfield Woods is split between the 2. Generally speaking, I think if you went to an elementary school on the West side of Black Rock Turnpike (Osborn Hill for example) you get sent to Ludlowe, and if you went to an elementary school on the East side of Black Rock Turnpike (Jennings for example) you went to Warde, but the boundaries are stupid. I know kids that live on/off Burr street north of the Merritt that drive by Woods & Ludlowe, but they get sent to Tomlinson. Likewise, kids that live on/off Park Ave by Sacred Heart literally drive by Woods & Ludlowe but they end up at Tomlinson as well. Of course you get these weird boundaries when 2/3 of the town's middle schools are on the same street, less than half a mile apart from each other.
Though the schools are excellent, many of the decisions made by the Board of Education were downright stupid. It has a lot to do with the state's stupid racial balancing rules so you get some really dumb districting decisions. I have friends who live within walking distance of Fairfield Woods, yet when their kids get to the middle school level they will be bused to Ludlowe Middle. Brillant. Jay
Though the schools are excellent, many of the decisions made by the Board of Education were downright stupid. It has a lot to do with the state's stupid racial balancing rules so you get some really dumb districting decisions. I have friends who live within walking distance of Fairfield Woods, yet when their kids get to the middle school level they will be bused to Ludlowe Middle. Brillant. Jay
Really stemmed from the hair brained idea to re-open Ludlowe to be quite honest. Yes we needed a new MS, but the Warde campus would've been fine for that and have a bigger unified school where Ludlowe MS and HS are now. But that's in the past and the town is trying to work with that decision.
How does Osborn Hill elementary fit into the rankings? Is it perceived to be a stronger (more of a Mill Riverfield, Sherman, Burr) or weaker (more of a Holland, McKinley)?
JG
As stated before, you can't go wrong with any of them. Great teachers, great administrators through the whole system. Best thing to do is look for the neighborhood that provides the amenities you're looking for, whether that's walk-ability/more removed, which parks you like, near the beach/lake, general feel of the neighborhood, etc.
Hate to say but school shopping in Fairfield is almost a fool's errand because of the quality and uniformity of the curriculum. It's easy to overthink it, and Fairfield is a well balanced community all around!
Really stemmed from the hair brained idea to re-open Ludlowe to be quite honest. Yes we needed a new MS, but the Warde campus would've been fine for that and have a bigger unified school where Ludlowe MS and HS are now. But that's in the past and the town is trying to work with that decision.
Warde was not big enough to accommodate all of the high school students in Fairfield. Warde was designed to accommodate about 2000 students at most. Warde and Ludlowe each have about 1500 students. Ask any high school educator and they will tell you 3000 kids in one high school is too much. It is harder to control and for faculty and administrators to know all the kids. I think they made the right decision reopening Ludlowe.
I question why they went with three middle schools. Seems strange to me since it means one school has half going to Warde and the other half to Ludlowe. I think they would have been better off doing what Glastonbury did, open a school for all of the 6th graders. That would have made more sense creating a bridge for students between elementary school and a large middle school. At first I thought that Glastonbury was odd but after my kids went through I saw what a great value it had. Jay
I wonder if when they built Burr, I believe the newest elementary school in Fairfield if it would've helped to make that the middle school and make Tomlinson another elementary school. That way kids that went to Dwight (north of the Merritt) and North Stratfield (students on/near Park Ave near Sacred Heart) would have a slightly faster ride to middle school instead of driving past the 2 other middle school's in Fairfield to get to their own at Tomlinson.
You could've kept the same high school boundaries too: Everyone from Roger Ludlowe goes to Fairfield Ludlowe, Fairfield Woods is the split, and Burr would be all Warde students, since the elementary school districts are the same as current.
Granted in that case Tomlinson & Sherman would be pretty close to each other, but I don't think it would be any closer than Osbourn Hill, Jennings & McKinley are too each other.
Eh they knew there was a few years bubble in enrollment and then a cliff. They went through with it anyways. I was in either the biggest or second biggest class through FHS and with the outside rooms never seemed that bad. And IIRC the faculty was pretty adament against two schools.
Though a 6th specific school would've been a good idea.
Eh they knew there was a few years bubble in enrollment and then a cliff. They went through with it anyways. I was in either the biggest or second biggest class through FHS and with the outside rooms never seemed that bad. And IIRC the faculty was pretty adament against two schools.
Though a 6th specific school would've been a good idea.
Why would faculty be against smaller high schools? Every teacher I know (and there are a number of them) say the best sized high schools are under 1800 students. They are more manageable. As I said Warde would have about 3000 kids today so they would have had to do a significant addition to the building. I am not sure where they would have done that. Jay
A little off topic but the town had the enrollment numbers projection and it basically forecast the issue the town faces now and frankly has for a decade. A mega campus of one school two branches net to reach other was floated, but a vocal and persistent minority frankly hated that McKinley kids were getting valedictorian and qb spots in FHS. One school two buildings was a much better half point but alas there waa a contingent of those that came from out of town and forced their way.
Let’s return to the topic of the OP. JayCT, Moderator
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Jay
