Neighborhood/School Advice- Richardson (Corpus Christi, Plano: houses, school district, college)

[floydtp]

We currently live in Allen but want to move farther south due to my job being downtown and we also aren't quite sold on Allen schools. We have 2 kids but the oldest is only 2 and a half so we aren't in school yet. Previously we were thinking private schools but with having a 2nd child now we really want to take advantage of an area with outstanding public schools if possible. Our priorities for a house are:

Price- $450-500 max
Size- 4 bedrooms and 3,300+ feet as I have a number of space consuming hobbies
Location- better commute to downtown than Allen and ideally somewhere with plenty of other young families and local restaurants.

Obviously, HP/UP is out of the question. Based on some research, it seems that the Brentfield/Parkhill/Pearce track in RISD has a great reputation and the houses in the Prestonwood neighborhood would fit the bill in terms of size. However, it seems that area might be aging without a lot of younger people moving in. Does anyone have any insight or have any other suggestions?

[FalconheadWest]

How many times do you think you would move before the kids got to High School? If High School isn't really a thought yet, and you're focused mainly on Elementary and Junior/Middle School, look in NE Richardson that's Collin County feeding into the Plano schools. 75082 up Renner. The elems are exemplary and Murphy Middle school is really good too, can't remember the rating. You might want to move prior to High School, but that would get you a good 10-12 years in this house and most people move every 6-7 years.

[Texas is only OK]

I personally cannot say enough good things about the city of Richardson. We are on the east side (our budget is not nearly as high as yours). The reasons I like Richardson may give you some insight on whether or not it is for you.
My criteria were: location that is not too far from the hub city, great schools, lots of racial diversity. I found all of that in East Richardson. There will be slightly less diversity in Prairie Creek and Canyon Creek, which is what your budget would allow. Keep in mind that from East Richardson the train to downtown is more accessible, if that is something that interests you. Personally, I would much rather be on the train that frustrated in traffic.
Another thing to consider about the schools: I am not sure where you moved from (like what school system you and your spouse were raised in), but Richardson schools are demanding, rigid, unforgiving, and pile on the homework. Although I have commended the schools in many ways, I am torn, as I also see the benefit of letting kids be kids from time to time. If you stay in Richardson for HS, your kids will be working non stop from about 6am until about midnight if they are in any activities or any AP classes. You are also not allowed to take your kid out of school for any reason. Anything other than grave illness is an "unexcused absence" and you are only allowed 3 until there is a suspension.
Another good thing: city of Richardson (probably like Allen) is very strict on keeping the city appearance and cleanliness top notch. The city crew, PD, management, and even the website are fantastic and organized. They were also I believe, the first city to put in a city run recycling program in the area. I insist on forward-thinkers, so that is another thing I <3 <3
Homes in Canyon/Prairie Creek as well as Prestonwood will be older and require some love. Since all of the schools are completely full to the brim, logic would tell me that there are plenty of younger to middle aged couples there. There are defintiely also some empty nesters to elderly there due to the age of the homes/ when the neighborhood built up.
Another part of Richardson to look at (if older homes are ok): Off of Waterview south of Arapaho, all the way down to Spring Valley. There are some huge and beautiful homes with mature trees. At the same lattitude further west past Hillcrest (which would be south of the Prestonwood neighborhood), almost down to LBJ, there is a gorgeous neighborhood which name escapes me. There are huge creekview back yards behind the houses which back up to (I think) the south. I am not positive which school that area would be however.

[BigDGeek]

Originally Posted by Texas is only OK

I personally cannot say enough good things about the city of Richardson. We are on the east side (our budget is not nearly as high as yours). The reasons I like Richardson may give you some insight on whether or not it is for you.
My criteria were: location that is not too far from the hub city, great schools, lots of racial diversity. I found all of that in East Richardson. There will be slightly less diversity in Prairie Creek and Canyon Creek, which is what your budget would allow. Keep in mind that from East Richardson the train to downtown is more accessible, if that is something that interests you. Personally, I would much rather be on the train that frustrated in traffic.
Another thing to consider about the schools: I am not sure where you moved from (like what school system you and your spouse were raised in), but Richardson schools are demanding, rigid, unforgiving, and pile on the homework. Although I have commended the schools in many ways, I am torn, as I also see the benefit of letting kids be kids from time to time. If you stay in Richardson for HS, your kids will be working non stop from about 6am until about midnight if they are in any activities or any AP classes. You are also not allowed to take your kid out of school for any reason. Anything other than grave illness is an "unexcused absence" and you are only allowed 3 until there is a suspension.
Another good thing: city of Richardson (probably like Allen) is very strict on keeping the city appearance and cleanliness top notch. The city crew, PD, management, and even the website are fantastic and organized. They were also I believe, the first city to put in a city run recycling program in the area. I insist on forward-thinkers, so that is another thing I <3 <3
Homes in Canyon/Prairie Creek as well as Prestonwood will be older and require some love. Since all of the schools are completely full to the brim, logic would tell me that there are plenty of younger to middle aged couples there. There are defintiely also some empty nesters to elderly there due to the age of the homes/ when the neighborhood built up.
Another part of Richardson to look at (if older homes are ok): Off of Waterview south of Arapaho, all the way down to Spring Valley. There are some huge and beautiful homes with mature trees. At the same lattitude further west past Hillcrest (which would be south of the Prestonwood neighborhood), almost down to LBJ, there is a gorgeous neighborhood which name escapes me. There are huge creekview back yards behind the houses which back up to (I think) the south. I am not positive which school that area would be however.

If you're talking about that neighborhood off Dilbeck, that is DISD.

[PISDstudent]

Hmmm...I've actually heard that Richardson is a relatively easy/low stress district for AP/other high level classes. It's certainly more of a forgiving environment than PISD high schools. Not that it's a bad program; the schools are still quite strong; they just come with less competition/stress/rigor than an AP student will have to deal with at Plano West/Senior/East. You can decided if that's a good or bad thing.

They do seem to be tougher on unexcused absences though.

[Texas is only OK]

Originally Posted by PISDstudent

Hmmm...I've actually heard that Richardson is a relatively easy/low stress district for AP/other high level classes. It's certainly more of a forgiving environment than PISD high schools. Not that it's a bad program; the schools are still quite strong; they just come with less competition/stress/rigor than an AP student will have to deal with at Plano West/Senior/East. You can decided if that's a good or bad thing.

They do seem to be tougher on unexcused absences though.

You are probably correct. I was comparing to my school district growing up as well as the Beaverton ISD (Oregon) that my kids attended for one year.

I was in Corpus Christi growing up. I hardly ever had homework, and never made a B until Jr year and never made a C until college. I finished most of my homework at school when I was done with all other work. The thing is, though, that I did just as well in college (UT). I did not have to study much, and still made great grades, plus worked full time- and I got a science degree!. My experience made me think: is it really necessary to have all this stress and homework? Does it make these kids do any better in life? That might be an interesting case study. Maybe there's one out there....?
Beaverton ISD was so laid back as to almost be annoying to someone from this area. However, I started to appreciate that the kids had time to run and pay outdoors each and every day before starting on maybe an hour of homework.