[Wanjiku]

Thanks all for your suggestions. I checked out the newly suggested cities. The ones south of Hartford (Meriden, etc) look like will get us into Hartford traffic. We are coming to CT this week to check these places. In looking at the towns a new question comes up. Sounds basic but we didn't go to elementary and high school in the US so its hard for us to gauge the system. Here's the question: How good are standardized test scores in gauging a good school? To us, if many of the kids are getting below average, then it seems they are not getting it and will be at a disadvantage compared to their classmates so there is a problem. We went to rigourous schools in Africa and in the US we live in a nationally top 10 district where the teachers will give homework according to ability so that more advanced students get more challenging work. They learn Russian in K, Chinese in 1, Spanish in 3 and pick up instruments every year beginning at 3. More than three quarters of the kids score over 90% in all tests at all grades and parents who have lived here for long attest to the system. So, can a child who goes to a school rated 5 or 6 or 7 by Greatschools still get a REALLY GOOD educaction if you are working with them rigorously at home or do the advantages of being in the 8 or 9 or 10 rated schools far outweigh the lower rated schools? For us education is a top priority. Thanks again.

[JayCT]

I generally look at the standardized test scores and use them as a gauge in comparing different school districts. If the schools score above the state average, I consider it to be very good. If more than 80% of the students reach the state goals, then I consider it excellent. I also take into account class sizes which I like to see around 22 students per class or less. This tells me the town is a bit more concerned about being able to provide more teacher time per student. For information on various programs each school offers, check the links below for information.

Strategic School Profiles by District

Strategic School Profiles by School

In the Hartford area, the towns that generally fit this criteria best are Avon, Simsbury, Farmington, West Hartford and Glastonbury. These are upscale, pricier towns that are not really known for being diverse. The most diverse of these is probably West Hartford. You do not indicate exactly where your job is located, except to say it is "toward Springfield". Any of these towns would be accessable to the towns north of Hartford but it might require traveling on local roads to get around Hartford. I hope this helps. Jay

[Wanjiku]

Thanks JayCT. The job is in Enfield. How long would be a commute from WH to Enfield on local roads?

[KH02]

WH to Enfield would require the highway. You would use 84 to get to 91 and it would take about 25 minutes or so, without morning rush hour traffic.
WITH traffic it would likely take a bit longer.
But it's not a bad commute by any means.

[Stratford, Ct. Resident]

Originally Posted by Wanjiku

In looking at the towns a new question comes up. Sounds basic but we didn't go to elementary and high school in the US so its hard for us to gauge the system. Here's the question: How good are standardized test scores in gauging a good school? To us, if many of the kids are getting below average, then it seems they are not getting it and will be at a disadvantage compared to their classmates so there is a problem.

It's all about money when you're discussing education in the state of CT. The lower the average income of the residents in a town or city, the lower the student test scores will be. High income towns do not have very much diversity and that is an irrefutable fact. I know that some well meaning people will tell you that you can go to a certain section of a particular high-income town to find diversity, but once your children leave that cocoon(elementary school) and go on to middle/high school, half of their schooling years will be spent in a non-diverse environment. If diversity is a must, your best option would be to purchase in the most expensive area of a diverse town(not a city) that offers an Advanced Placement program for their students. I have to defer to others here on what would be the best towns in the area for this.

Originally Posted by Wanjiku

So, can a child who goes to a school rated 5 or 6 or 7 by Greatschools still get a REALLY GOOD educaction if you are working with them rigorously at home or do the advantages of being in the 8 or 9 or 10 rated schools far outweigh the lower rated schools? For us education is a top priority. Thanks again.

I would take Greatschools ratings with a grain of salt. Their rankings for schools in my town seem to indicate that the lousier schools in town are better than we perceive them to be, and the better schools aren't as great as we believe them to be. Generally speaking, i believe that the 1-3 and 9-10 "ratings" are the only one's of value on their site. Between 4-8 on their scale, i see too many questionable applications.

[Rich Lee]

Originally Posted by Stratford, Ct. Resident

High income towns do not have very much diversity and that is an irrefutable fact.

It's not just high income towns: Wolcott, Prospect, Thomaston, etc. Our state is diverse, but its towns are not.

I've posted the figures before (August, 2008). Manchester came closest as the town whose population mirrored the state's with respect to diversity.

FYI...
>90% White (130 towns = 47.04% of pop.)
>91% White (123 towns = 41.29% of pop.)
>92% White (114 towns = 34.99% of pop.)
>93% White (101 towns = 27.98% of pop.)
>94% White ( 83 towns = 17.90% of pop.)
>95% White ( 64 towns = 11.44% of pop.)
>96% White ( 47 towns = +8.06% of pop.)
>97% White ( 30 towns = +4.73% of pop.)
>98% White ( +4 towns = +0.37% of pop.)
>99% White ( +0 town = +0.00% of pop.)

81.00% White / 9.13% Black / 3.55% Asian - Connecticut population figures
81.04% White / 9.07% Black / 5.10% Asian - Manchester (town closest to state figures)

[goldenband]

Originally Posted by Wanjiku

We went to rigourous schools in Africa and in the US we live in a nationally top 10 district where the teachers will give homework according to ability so that more advanced students get more challenging work. They learn Russian in K, Chinese in 1, Spanish in 3 and pick up instruments every year beginning at 3. More than three quarters of the kids score over 90% in all tests at all grades and parents who have lived here for long attest to the system.

Despite being well above average for the nation, I suspect that most, if not all, CT schools will be a comedown from this (extremely high!) standard.

[goldenband]

Originally Posted by Rich Lee

I've posted the figures before (August, 2008). Manchester came closest as the town whose population mirrored the state's with respect to diversity.

Hmmm, without the Hispanic/Latino %, those figures aren't too meaningful IMHO...

[Rich Lee]

Originally Posted by goldenband

Hmmm, without the Hispanic/Latino %, those figures aren't too meaningful IMHO...

Hispanic isn't a mutually-exclusive group. If these figures were included, the total average would exceed 100 percent.

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by Wanjiku

Thanks JayCT. The job is in Enfield. How long would be a commute from WH to Enfield on local roads?

It is about 20 to 25 miles from West Hartford to Enfield depending where you live and where you work. This would take about 30 minutes. You do not necessarily have to take I-84. If you live in the north end of town, you could take Route 216 across Bloomfield to I-91 and then north to Enfield. I-91 north of Hartford is pretty good traffic-wise. If you are interested in West Hartford would recommend that you try to stay north of Farmington Avenue (Route 4) so that this commute would be more reasonable. Note though that the more diverse parts of West Hartford are more toward the southern part of town. Jay