Colleyville vs Southlake homes (Plano, Denton: 2013, rentals, house)

[tinman1412]

Hi Everyone,

Need some unbiased advice. I'm looking to move to either Colleyville or Southlake. Please give me some key reasons why you would choose one over the other. My #1 priority is getting my kids to the best schools from elementary all the way to high school.

Thanks in advance

[Rice&Curry]

As much as I can tell, both are fine areas and schools are comparable as well. Just buy where you find a better deal/features for a house.

[synchronicity]

Originally Posted by tinman1412

Hi Everyone,

Need some unbiased advice. I'm looking to move to either Colleyville or Southlake. Please give me some key reasons why you would choose one over the other. My #1 priority is getting my kids to the best schools from elementary all the way to high school.

Thanks in advance

Carroll ISD has better metrics than Grapevine-Colleyville ISD, so with that backdrop, you'd prefer Southlake (assuming the part that is within Carroll ISD, as the western part of Southlake is in Keller ISD). For example, the most recent SAT score average (reading and math) for Carroll Senior HS was 1155 (4th best among non-magnet publics in all of DFW, after HIghland Park HS at 1215 and JUST behind Plano's West and Senior at 1156 and 1157), while the Grapevine and Colleyville high schools were 1096 and 1101 respectively (which I believe is around 10th and 11th although there may be another school that slipped ahead of them that I've missed).

THBS, it's not like GCISD is a "bad" school district, it's one of the best in DFW. The likely reason for the slightly lower metrics is that Carroll ISD has about 2% "economically disadvantaged" students districtwide, while GCISD has about 20% (predominantly from certain parts of Grapevine). This may be a plus or a minus depending on what you're looking for.

Looking forward, I would expect both Southlake and Colleyville to continue to have excellent schools (thanks to TC80 for a recent post comparing 1998 school ranks to 2013, showing little change among most of the top schools).

Colleyville and Southlake are both affluent suburbs with a lot in common relative to many other parts of DFW. I'd give Southlake an edge based on schools but would not discount Colleyville if there are other reasons you'd prefer it.

Full disclosure - both suburbs were on my "short list" to move to over the last two years; we had a slight preference for Colleyville based on commute issues, more trees and being a bit "quieter" than Southlake, but wound up in Southlake because the "best fit" house for us happened to be there. Both areas have a lot going for them.

Edit to add - also, regarding schools, part of Grapevine is within Carroll ISD and the northernmost part of Southlake is in NW ISD, although I think there's some "opt-in" arrangement for Carroll ISD if you live that far north but don't know for certain so obviously be sure to research that issue if you do find something you like in Southlake that is in that area (IIRC the ISD dividing line is also the Tarrant/Denton county line).

[tinman1412]

What about Colleyville but flowing into Grapevine High School instead of Colleyville Heritage. Is there a concern there?

[synchronicity]

Originally Posted by tinman1412

What about Colleyville but flowing into Grapevine High School instead of Colleyville Heritage. Is there a concern there?

I quoted the scores for both Grapevine HS and Colleyville-Heritage HS in my earlier post, and they're almost identical. Colleyville Heritage HS seems to have a SLIGHTLY better rep than Grapevine HS but really, they're extremely similar schools in terms of achievement levels. SAT scores almost the same, TAKS scores almost the same, I believe both had 5 NMSF in 2012.

Maybe some other posters who have kids in either school can shed some more light, but really, by all objective measures they're about the same. If you look up the feeder zones for the district online, you'll see that both schools pull from much of Colleyville. IIRC Heritage pulls from a small part of Euless that's less affluent, and Grapevine HS pulls from the less affluent areas of Grapevine.

Both are excellent schools, but again, strictly by metrics they both trail Carroll.

[Rakin]

Can you afford Southlake ? It's an expensive area.

[tinman1412]

Yes, affordability is very similar based on our criteria. It really comes down to the physical location of Colleyville vs Southlake at this point. Sounds like Southlake has a slight edge with the schools but not enough to swing one way or the other

[Gino'61]

Originally Posted by tinman1412

What about Colleyville but flowing into Grapevine High School instead of Colleyville Heritage. Is there a concern there?

If you want to go for a deeper due dilligence, stand outside Grapevine HS in Mustang when the school day is over and you will get a good idea of the population that your kids could be mingling with. Do the same exercise in Coleyville Heritage and Carroll Senior High School.

We chose Southlake a couple of years ago and do not regret it for a minute. There are also very nice neighborhoods in Colleyville. It is up to personal preference. The two cities are a great choice and Grapevine could also be a candidate.

[Grainraiser]

Originally Posted by tinman1412

Yes, affordability is very similar based on our criteria. It really comes down to the physical location of Colleyville vs Southlake at this point. Sounds like Southlake has a slight edge with the schools but not enough to swing one way or the other

Your conclusion is pretty spot on.

[Pama]

Finding affordable rentals would be easier in Colleyville so you can start there and if you like it then buy a house otherwise off to Soutlake.