[npgl]

I love these forums. They are so useful!

My husband and I are currently renting in Stamford. We have a 4-year old who will be starting elementary school in the fall of 2009 and we would like to buy a home (single-family/townhouse - we're open) by then. My husband works in NYC and we need to be within commuting distance (1 hour or less). We are aiming to be able to afford a home by the spring/summer of 2009 but we're pretty dismayed at the cost of housing in the area especially in places where the public schools are supposed to be good.

Does anyone have any positive (or negative) feedback on the public schools in Stamford and the surrounding towns? Also, are there any townhouses in the Greenwich area that would be suitable for a small family? What is the public school scene like in the Greenwich boroughs?

Any input/advice would be greatly appreciated.

[HelloSam]

For Stamford public schools at the elementary level, I think you need to research district by district and shop for a home accordingly. The quality, I have heard, varies. There was some recent shuffling of districts that dismayed some friends of mine living in Glenbrook, who are parents of a 2 year old.

The least expensive townhouses in Greenwich that would be suitable for a small family are on the west side of town - Hamilton Avenue, Byram and Pemberwick area. These will still start at about 600K. Research Hamilton Avenue and Glenville Schools.

If your husband can handle a train ride that is @75 minutes, look in Fairfield. Schools are great and housing much more affordable. Nice townhouses start in the 400s, some are available in the 300s.

[npgl]

Thanks for the input...will look into those two Greenwich school districts.

[JayCT]

Unfortunately, southwest Fairfield County is among the most expensive places to live in the country. The towns surrounding Stamford are consider among the most desirable in the country as well, and you will be paying top dollar to live there. It might help know your approximate budget and needs/wants. Many people in the area, intially buy in one of the more affordable towns like Stamford itself or Norwalk when their children are young and then move to be nicer town before their kids get to middle school age.

I agree HelloSam about considering Fairfield. It is a great town with excellent schools and there are many wonderful affordable neighborhoods to live in. I know many people that chose Fairfield because it was more affordable and then stayed when their fortunes improved because they liked it so much. Jay.

[Stratford, Ct. Resident]

Last i knew, the 2Br. townhouse complexes at 566 Newfield Ave. and 168 Belltown Rd. were both zoned for Newfield School, which may be the mostly highly regarded elementary in Stamford. I believe that many are also happy with Springdale School. There is a medium sized 2Br. townhouse complex at 26(?) Weed Hill Ave. that would be districted to this school. Good luck with your search.

[Stratford, Ct. Resident]

Here's the school look-up link for Stamford. My post above was still accurate, according to this link.
Official Website of the City of Stamford, CT - Public School System - ##QTICONTENT_TITLE## (http://stamfordpublicschools.org/apps/schoollookup/default.asp - broken link)

[katyi420]

I'm a teacher in Stamford, and I want to warn you that the Stamford Public Schools will be redistricted in a year, so I would encourage you to, if you're buying in Stamford, buy a home based on it's location and neighborhood rather than it's districted school.

I also wanted to say that while, according to NCLB, the Stamford Public Schools as a whole aren't doing so well, I have not stepped foot into one classroom in Stamford in which children weren't learning and teachers weren't doing their jobs. The public schools in Stamford are a lot better than they are in other areas of the country (no Teach for America teachers here), and if your child goes to school in Stamford, you an be assured that he/she will have a well-rounded educational experience.

Good luck!

[kidyankee764]

Originally Posted by katyi420

I'm a teacher in Stamford, and I want to warn you that the Stamford Public Schools will be redistricted in a year, so I would encourage you to, if you're buying in Stamford, buy a home based on it's location and neighborhood rather than it's districted school.

I also wanted to say that while, according to NCLB, the Stamford Public Schools as a whole aren't doing so well, I have not stepped foot into one classroom in Stamford in which children weren't learning and teachers weren't doing their jobs. The public schools in Stamford are a lot better than they are in other areas of the country (no Teach for America teachers here), and if your child goes to school in Stamford, you an be assured that he/she will have a well-rounded educational experience.

Good luck!

Good point.

Stamford's schools often get a bad rep because they are compared with some of the surrounding districts that are among the best in the nation. An unfair comparison in my opinion.

[jjbradleynyc]

Originally Posted by katyi420

I'm a teacher in Stamford, and I want to warn you that the Stamford Public Schools will be redistricted in a year, so I would encourage you to, if you're buying in Stamford, buy a home based on it's location and neighborhood rather than it's districted school.

I also wanted to say that while, according to NCLB, the Stamford Public Schools as a whole aren't doing so well, I have not stepped foot into one classroom in Stamford in which children weren't learning and teachers weren't doing their jobs. The public schools in Stamford are a lot better than they are in other areas of the country (no Teach for America teachers here), and if your child goes to school in Stamford, you an be assured that he/she will have a well-rounded educational experience.

Good luck!

I completely agree with your first paragraph. Good advice for sure. As for the second paragraph, yes, the teachers are doing their jobs well and as best as they can, given Stamford's leadership right now. The Superintendant of Schools, Josh Starr, is doing such a bad job in Stamford. He's the root of the problem, along with the school board that is now in office. Once the school board changes, and Josh Starr leaves, a new Supt. should be able to fix the problems. Hopefully.

[cdv]

Originally Posted by jjbradleynyc

I completely agree with your first paragraph. Good advice for sure. As for the second paragraph, yes, the teachers are doing their jobs well and as best as they can, given Stamford's leadership right now. The Superintendant of Schools, Josh Starr, is doing such a bad job in Stamford. He's the root of the problem, along with the school board that is now in office. Once the school board changes, and Josh Starr leaves, a new Supt. should be able to fix the problems. Hopefully.

I have to agree. A lot of people at the moment will also tell you not to buy a house depending on school district. It is all up in the air. 2009 they will have changed attendance zones for most of the elementary schools to achieve "advantaged vs. non-advantaged" balance at +/- 10% of district population. Before the Seattle court case we referred to it as "racially" balanced schools. Which means, that your child may get bussed to a school you didn't intend it to attend. And regardless of what Starr says, all schools in Stamford are not equal. If I were you I would buy a house in the Shippan area (very expensive) or the area assigned for the new EMS school formerly known as Rogers that got a pretty sweet deal in the whole redistricting mess. If you search the Stamford Advocate forums you will find a wealth in information about the state of our schools and redistricting. Hope that helps.