[mayopac]

Hi...Just wondering if there are any part of New Haven that are ok for families with young children....Or perhaps the border of new haven and something else....there seems to be cheaper home values there...just not so sure about the school districts and the crime...any suggestions?

[ctcoldplay11]

I would not recommend New Haven or West Haven AS A WHOLE to raise children. However, there are certainly areas that could be considered acceptable. East Haven would be OKAY, not great, but better than the aforementioned towns. New Haven and West Haven are more urban while East Haven is more suburban. Schools across the board for all three towns are relatively poor for CT standards...I'd recommend a visit if at ALL possible. These towns aren't idealistic, so they would need a personal interpretation and visit. I don't know if you are tied to the area, but perhaps you should look into other towns that have better schools and lower crime rates: Milford, Shelton, Seymour, Ansonia, Derby, North Haven, Wallingford, etc.

[weesy68]

Check out greatschools.net, you can check out the overall scores, and individual scores for specific schools. I highly recommend Stratford in terms of affordability, quality of life, sense of commumity, convenience in terms of shopping and transportation, and services provided by the town for children.

[JayCT]

Mayopac - I truly believe that you generally get what you pay for. The reason those places are cheaper is that they are less desirable. Only you can decide if they are right for you and your family. Many people live and raise their kids in New Haven and have a positive experience. Some do not. The best I can tell you is that look at the school information in the links below and judge for yourself. Jay

Strategic School Profiles by District

Strategic School Profiles by School

[Stratford, Ct. Resident]

Originally Posted by ctcoldplay11

I would not recommend New Haven or West Haven AS A WHOLE to raise children. However, there are certainly areas that could be considered acceptable. East Haven would be OKAY, not great, but better than the aforementioned towns. New Haven and West Haven are more urban while East Haven is more suburban. Schools across the board for all three towns are relatively poor for CT standards...I'd recommend a visit if at ALL possible. These towns aren't idealistic, so they would need a personal interpretation and visit. I don't know if you are tied to the area, but perhaps you should look into other towns that have better schools and lower crime rates: Milford, Shelton, Seymour, Ansonia, Derby, North Haven, Wallingford, etc.

Wow. I'm not sure how a 97.6% graduation rate could be considered as poor?????

East Haven Graduation Rate for Class of 2006: 97.6%
West Haven Graduation Rate for Class of 2006: 91.5%

State Average Grad Rate for Class of 2006 : 92.2%

Ansonia Graduation Rate for Class of 2006: 90.8%
Milford Graduation Rate for Class of 2006: 92.2%
Shelton Graduation Rate for Class of 2006: 93.4%

FWIW, my town was 93.3% for the Class of 2006.

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by Stratford, Ct. Resident

Wow. I'm not sure how a 97.6% graduation rate could be considered as poor?????

East Haven Graduation Rate for Class of 2006: 97.6%
West Haven Graduation Rate for Class of 2006: 91.5%

State Average Grad Rate for Class of 2006 : 92.2%

Ansonia Graduation Rate for Class of 2006: 90.8%
Milford Graduation Rate for Class of 2006: 92.2%
Shelton Graduation Rate for Class of 2006: 93.4%

FWIW, my town was 93.3% for the Class of 2006.

Yes, but their scores on the state standardized tests are not that great. East Haven schools generally perform at the state average while West Haven performs below the average. Jay

[jetter01]

Originally Posted by JayCT

Mayopac - I truly believe that you generally get what you pay for. The reason those places are cheaper is that they are less desirable. Only you can decide if they are right for you and your family. Many people live and raise their kids in New Haven and have a positive experience. Some do not. The best I can tell you is that look at the school information in the links below and judge for yourself. Jay

Strategic School Profiles by District

Strategic School Profiles by School

Jay I agree! You do get what you pay for here. If you want a cheaper house (Derby, West Haven, Bridgeport) you will get lesser quality schools! More expensive house (Orange, Woodbridge, Bethany) = very good schools.

[Faithi]

What about Hamden?