In Dallas Now! HPISD or Stonewall Jackson...Opinions Please! (Plano: section 8, real estate)

[amymaha]

We are in Dallas now thru Sunday afternoon! Great City!! I've been looking at houses in the elementary school for Stonewall Jackson. Today we looked at housing in Highland Park ISD (mainly University Park).

Just trying to see which is the best option.....

1. Highland Park ISD (living in a small shack!) OR
2. Stonewall Jackson Elem. (Dallas ISD) in a much more liveable home (ie: newer...we are NOT handy with a bit more space).

Today the vice-pricipal of Stonewall Jackson spent over a hour giving me a tour. He was extreemly helpful I'm just not sure about the area. The teachers were great (except for the one making a call on her cell phone when we walked into the classroom!) He said a large apartment complex is being torn down that was a former section 8 housing development and it seems the area is really improving???? I've herd nothing but positive things about the school. No second language offered though !

If I knew there was a significant learning environment difference I could justify the smaller (older needing more maint.) home in HPISD. This really wouldn't bother us. We're even considering a low maint. townhome in University Park.

I'm also concerned about the junior/high school and know we might need to go private so private school tuition would also have to be factored into the senerio. Bottom line....will the two situations be an equal wash??????

My husband doen't want a commute and we love the idea of being close to the "city" life!

[FarNorthDallas]

I would do Highland Park ISD although it will be tough to be the poorest ones there. (Poorest being relative, of course.) I know single moms who lived in apartments to be in Highland Park ISD and didn't last long. It's tough to keep up.

[hamiltonpl]

Living in a townhome in UP is difficult. It feels like you're the poor schlomo and everybody else is rich. (Even though those townhomes can cost $650,000+).

When I went to Highland Park, I had friends that lived in apartments/townhomes. But it was very rare. They talked about their insecurities living in a dive in the middle of mansions. But I really enjoyed my education in Highland Park. It was a really good place to learn.

From what I can tell, Stonewall Jackson is an excellent elementary school. The middle school in DISD (J.L. Long) and the high school (Woodrow Wilson) seem to be a couple of decent schools. But Highland Park is just really hard to beat on academics.

I'd probably choose Highland Park, and hope to redo the smaller house in the future. But it's a tough choice.

[cdelena]

My daughter moved her family to modest housing to get the kids into HP schools and is very happy with the move.

[Lakewooder]

Today's Real Estate Report in DMN shows East Dallas and Park Cities both appreciating at 9%.

HP is tough socially, Stonewall is easy-going - most people won't care what your job is, what you drive, how big is your house, where do you take vacations, what do you wear, etc. I went to Lakewood and I have life-long friends from there but the Stonewall people also stick together for life (I have a couple of friends who have their third-grade class picture handy at all times). I always say a house is just the price of admission in HP/UP.

As far as the upper schools, the kids from Stonewall and Lakewood usually lead the pack and are in the upper level courses doing very well. Robert E. Lee is coming along again. Long has been tops at state in science and math for the last three year and this weekend they are hosting the TMSCA tournament with 40 other schools coming to our campus. Long has even beaten St. Mark's in math (as has Lakewood). Here is a contact for Long: jschmieder@kw.com

Woodrow has a similarly stratified student body but more people transfer in from private schools (for instance St. Thomas goes to 8th grade). 132 seniors placed out in AP exams last year (from a class of 200-something); the valedictorian went to Yale and the salutatorian went to Princeton. It was chosen by DMagazine last year as the top comprehensive high school in Dallas and was ranked on Newsweek's Best Schools list. Our athletic teams tied for 6th with Frisco in for the DMN All-Sports Award. We also had a record number of seven students selected for the All-State Academic Team.

Both Long and Woodrow are also noted for their music and theater programs. Woodrow swept the Cappies (high school Tony awards) over Hockaday, St. Mark's, Highland Park, etc. At Woodrow the kids get to be involved in just about any activity they wish, as it is small and there is little competition for cheerleader, drill team, band etc. However competition for lead in a musical or the Variations show choir is very tough.

Tonight and Saturday, Woodrow presents its fall play, "Our Town" if you wish to visit: Lakewood-Now.net - Dallas Texas - online community newspaper

In these schools your kids will rub shoulders with people who would never, ever be accepted in the Park Cities. Personally I think that is a good thing. Many come out of HPISD feeling they are superior to everyone else.

I would suggest perusing Lakewood-Now.net - Dallas Texas - online community newspaper (search these archives) and also East Dallas / Lakewood Advocate Archives

I can give you some more people to contact if you like.

[hamiltonpl]

I still have a hard time with Woodrow because it is rated as "academically unacceptable." It does seem to graduate some good students, but how do I know my kid is going to be one of the good ones? More than likely, he/she will be in the middle of the pack.

In contrast, Highland Park is rated exemplary. I agree it can be difficult socially. But I never experienced anyone talking down to me. Or maybe I was just too dumb to notice! The kids are pretty laid back about cars, clothes, vacations and houses. The most difficult thing was that it was very cliquish. If you didn't start kindergarten with the kids, they weren't going to be your friend. That was the most difficult part. Snobbiness was virtually non-existent. Everyone is pretty much on the same level, so there's no need to look down on anyone.

Most of the kids drove average cars at the high school. Except for one girl who drove a Corvette Convertible. Everybody thought it was obscene. She transferred in from Plano.

[Lakewooder]

Well a few kids (some were absent) in one of the subgroups caused that rating, even though the scores improved from last year. The decision is being appealed. Our principal is in her second or third year now and she is very impressive - one of my classmates who returned to teach at Woodrow claims she will be superintendent some day. So I think the lower groups are going to make improvements. They have halved the class sizes and hired tutors. See: Woodrow Wilson High School and http://www.woodrowwildcats.org/Campu...vementPlan.pdf I would agree that some kids in the middle might fall through the cracks, but let's face it - the vast majority of the Stonewall and Lakewood kids are going to be in the top, where it almost is like a small private school.

It's just a different mindset than HP - do you want your kids to be educated and meet every spectrum of life, or do you want them only with the elites (no subgroups)?

Graduates of Woodrow are extraordinarily close. The first question we ask of a local we don't recognize is, "did you go to Woodrow?" It's almost like a fraternity or a family. That's one reason others get so sick of us!

My sister just got back from Cabo where she met another Wildcat at the pool - My BIL did the eye-roll again...

[Spree]

>> I'm also concerned about the junior/high school and know we might need to go private so private school tuition would also have to be factored into the scenerio. Bottom line....will the two situations be an equal wash??????<<

Are your kids going to want to change schools when that time comes or go on to middle/high school with the friends they've made in elementary? Many, many, many students attend private schools - would the stress of entry exams and the possibility of being on a waiting list until a spot opens up be too much?

Only you can decide if it's worth it. The Park Cities offer other good amenities besides exemplary schools. Good luck to you!

[Lakewooder]

Here's a story and pictures about Saturday's carnival at Stonewall:

Lakewood-Now.net - Dallas Texas - online community newspaper

[nativeDallasite]

Originally Posted by hamiltonpl

I still have a hard time with Woodrow because it is rated as "academically unacceptable." It does seem to graduate some good students, but how do I know my kid is going to be one of the good ones? More than likely, he/she will be in the middle of the pack.

In contrast, Highland Park is rated exemplary. I agree it can be difficult socially. But I never experienced anyone talking down to me. Or maybe I was just too dumb to notice! The kids are pretty laid back about cars, clothes, vacations and houses. The most difficult thing was that it was very cliquish. If you didn't start kindergarten with the kids, they weren't going to be your friend. That was the most difficult part. Snobbiness was virtually non-existent. Everyone is pretty much on the same level, so there's no need to look down on anyone.

Most of the kids drove average cars at the high school. Except for one girl who drove a Corvette Convertible. Everybody thought it was obscene. She transferred in from Plano.

I'll never forget when my high school played Highland Park in football one year. When our band was on the field, the Highland Park side literally roared with laughter at our feature twirlers who, in all fairness, were pretty bad. However, it is BEYOND cruel to laugh like that at kids who are trying their level best. When we went to the HP side to meet their band leaders (I was the drum major), people were pointing and laughing at us. To our faces.

We beat HP btw. On the way to my car, I heard one HP student say to the other, "I can't believe we got beat by a bunch of n-words." He didn't say n-word, though. He said THE n-word. I thought it was disgusting. This didn't happen in the 1960s either; it was in the 1990s.

I have been thoroughly disgusted with and by Highland Park ever since, exemplary though it may be.