Best Places for good schools and race diversity in Dallas? (Arlington: 2009, home search)

[yemiray]

My family is considering relocating to Dallas from Bowie, Maryland this fall, We have a 12yr old son and 9 & 3 yrs old daughters.

We need some useful tips on the best places in Dallas,
our preferences are as follows:
-neat and safe neighborhoods
-very good schools(equivalent of Maryland's Top Magnet programs)
-race-friendly environment (we are blacks)
- affordable homes (200-300k Single Family homes)

We will appreciate any tips we can get as per the best places out there..

A friend has suggested Allen city in Collin County, but we need more leads
Sincerely.
Zer

[sonshinelife]

Honestly I think you will find it to be very diverse all over Dallas. Allen yes is nice but you could also look into North Carrollton near Lewisville (75010 area), Valley Ranch (Irving) area 75063. I work in the 75063 area at a local school (CFBISD). This zip is also Coppell ISD. I live in the 75010 area. Both would be good places to check out along with Allen, Flowermound, parts of Lewisville, Little Elm, Frisco. You really are not going to have too many problems in the price range you are looking. Good luck and welcome to Texas. Depending on where you will be working... it is easy to get all around the metroplex with the highway system and tollway system.

[sonshinelife]

I have heard that Trophy Club is not very accepting of diverse populations. This is just hear say though. It is west of North Irving near DFW if I have my facts correct.

[momof2dfw]

When you say "magnets" are you wanting TRUE magnet schools or just schools that offer AP and advanced classes mixed in? Not many school districts in the Dallas area have true "magnet" schools but a few do. I have a daughter that has attended the gifted & talented magnet schools in the Garland ISD since kindergarten and now into middle school and I have been VERY happy.

Some districts on the elem. level only offer the "pull out" program which means that during most of the day your child is sitting in a class w/ students of all varying levels of learning. Sometimes it is left up to the teacher to give them extra work on a higher level and others have someone that will come around and "pull" them out of class to work on something. I prefered not to do that as I wanted my child in a school where most of the kids were on the same level academically as her and so she would not feel "different".

You can look on most of the area districts websites and see if they offer magnet schools on a seperate campus.

Depending on where you will be working is how I would first go about narrowing down where to look. You don't want to live in Allen and your job is in the mid-cities (Arlington) or Irving area.

[Lakewooder]

Allen is a magnet for Anglos (as in White Flight) so I would be wary about that...see other post here on school district demographics.

The Dallas ISD magnets are nationally recognized and also the schools feeding into Dallas high schools Woodrow Wilson (East Dallas/Lakewood), W.T. White and Hillcrest (North Dallas) are diverse and their top students do as well or better than those from the best suburban and private schools.

[yemiray]

Thanks so much ShonshineLife!, thats a very useful list of places we can start looking at immedieatly ...North Carrolton(75010), Valley Ranch (Irving) Area (75063), Coppel ISD (75010), Flowermound, Little Elm & Frisco..

My wife is a Nurse and I am Stock trader(Day-trading)..She will definitely need a job not too far off from home...
Thanks again..

[yemiray]

LakeWooder: Thanks for your tips. I really appreciate..nice to know that Dallas ISD magnets are nationally recognized, we are coming from a good school system in Maryland and it will be great for the kids to continue at that level..Thanks..

[yemiray]

momof2dfw: Magnet Schools in MD offers advanced classes(i.e sciences) and specialized courses for gifted and talented kids out side the regular curriculum for elementary and middle schools..I believe its very similar to the Dallas ISD magnets..we are hoping the kids can continue with those kind of course offering when we relocate to Dallas.
I will check for the magnet programs in the school districts for those areas that members on this forum have just suggested to us.

[Lakewooder]

The hospitals in Central Dallas are Baylor, Presbyterian, Medical City, Parkland, Children's, Zale-Lipshy and Methodist. Most are on or near DART rail lines (Baylor station will open in 2009).

BTW, East Dallas/Lakewood is 75214, 75206 and 75223 if you want to do a home search.

[yemiray]

Momof2dfw:
I work from home (day trading) but my wife is a nurse and would need to have a job not too far from home..thanks.