Best DFW suburb for 2nd-gen Pakistani-American family? (Dallas, Plano: rent, new home)

[relocating2dfw]

Originally Posted by fleaflicker

If Frisco and Plano is considered extremely small lots for you, I recommend Parker. Houses are typically on 1 acre lot. City is right next east of Plano.

Awesome! How would you rate the schools there? We are probably going to go with public schools.

[relocating2dfw]

Originally Posted by biafra4life

Off the top of my head, Richardson would probably be the best fit for you. Especially the portion zoned to Pearce High school. Your budget would allow you to buy a top of the line home on a decent sized lot.

Pearce high school is not on Coppell/Plano level but is considered by most around here to still be a very good school academically without being dominated by Indian immigrant kids and all the pressures that would entail, allowing for a more typical middle class American educational experience.

Finally, Richardson offers arguably the richest ethnic diversity when it comes to food and shopping, including plenty of Indian/Pakistani stores. No idea on mosque locations, but due to the central location of Richardson, they cant be far away. Since you only go to the airport 3 times a month I dont think a commute from Richardson would be a killer for you.

Thank you!

I would gently say that we are not necessarily looking for a "middle class" experience.

We did take note that 33% of Pearce students are receiving reduced/free meals, so not sure we would opt into that district at this time.

[biafra4life]

Originally Posted by relocating2dfw

Thank you! This was really awesome.

You are so sweet for being so helpful, and yes we would be looking for pure Pakistani food and not Indian/other (we are big on beef lol).

Which of these neighborhoods would you consider "upscale"?

We don't have anything against the sensible Honda/Toyota crowd, but my husband and I are afraid of being judged or not fitting in.

I would also add that we have zero 1st generation Pakistani immigrant friends and find that we don't have much in common with them.

Flower Mound is similar to Coppell in having a very significant Indian subset. Especially in Bridlewood and Wellington subdivisions.
Prosper would give you what you are looking for demographically for now...but it's basically a Frisco 2.0. The same demographic of recent migrants that dominate Frisco are slowly moving into Prosper and Celina. Look for those two to be identical to Frisco in the next decade or two.

Southlake is actually not a bad idea as it's relatively close to Valley Ranch which is India Central. Heck there is even a movie theatre in VR that shows Bollywood movies. Yet Southlake is distinctly different from Valley Ranch so it's actually closer to the living experience you desire (it actually might be in the completely opposite direction as in not much diversity at all so keep that in mind.)

[biafra4life]

Originally Posted by relocating2dfw

Thank you!

I would gently say that we are not necessarily looking for a "middle class" experience.

We did take note that 33% of Pearce students are receiving reduced/free meals, so not sure we would opt into that district at this time.

Have you considered private schools or is that not an option?. If it is, then Preston Hollow would be ideal for you then. Of course they are not cheap and admission is extremely competitive so there's that.

[relocating2dfw]

Originally Posted by biafra4life

Have you considered private schools or is that not an option?. If it is, then Preston Hollow would be ideal for you then. Of course they are not cheap and admission is extremely competitive so there's that.

We have considered private schools, but the more we learn about them, the more the whole thing seems like a complete and exorbitantly priced scam.

I can understand wanting to send your kids to a faith-based school if that's important to one's family, but we are moderately religious and likely not heading in that direction either.

To be honest, we have really enjoyed unofficially "home schooling" our kids during the pandemic and feel pretty strongly that the best education takes place in the home.

We do want to send them to actual school for the social experience (particularly with 3rd generation Pakistanis), sports, etc.

[mastershake575]

Originally Posted by relocating2dfw

I would gently say that we are not necessarily looking for a "middle class" experience.

3 of the 5 elementary schools in Richardson that feed into Pearce (Mohawk, Prairie Creek, Canyon Creek) builders are paying 400-500k just for the lots alone. I would hardly consider Pearce a "middle class" experience. Maybe 20 years ago but that ship has sailed, even the Dallas portion of Pearce feeder (Prestonwood/Campbell Green) you can easily spend 600K+ on a house without even blinking an eye

Originally Posted by relocating2dfw

We did take note that 33% of Pearce students are receiving reduced/free meals, so not sure we would opt into that district at this time.

Pearce is ranked as a fringe top 5% highschool in the nation. Reduced lunch isn't a great criteria to base a school decision on, especially since your kids won't be in remedial/ESL classes regardless so that demographic is basically meaningless to you as long as all the other boxes are checked

[fleaflicker]

Originally Posted by relocating2dfw

Awesome! How would you rate the schools there? We are probably going to go with public schools.

City of Parker does not have its own school district. Students attend either Allen ISD or Plano ISD depending on specific neighborhood zoning. Both schools are good in my opinion.

I do live in Parker and kids go to Plano ISD schools. Based on your other comments and price range, I still think Parker is a good choice for you.

[turf3]

Originally Posted by relocating2dfw

We have considered private schools, but the more we learn about them, the more the whole thing seems like a complete and exorbitantly priced scam.

....

This depends greatly on which private schools you're talking about.


I can assure you that schools like St. Mark's, Hockaday, Greenhill, ESD, Jesuit, Ursuline, etc., which are comparable to Phillips Exeter, Groton, Middlesex, etc., are NOT scams, though they ARE expensive. This presupposes, of course, that your kids can get into those schools. Just look at the percentage of St. Mark's students who are National Merit semifinalists vs. the percentage at Plano or Allen or Frisco. Not the total numbers - you can't compare those, Plano West probably has 500 juniors and SM has about 70.

[relocating2dfw]

Originally Posted by turf3

This depends greatly on which private schools you're talking about.


I can assure you that schools like St. Mark's, Hockaday, Greenhill, ESD, Jesuit, Ursuline, etc., which are comparable to Phillips Exeter, Groton, Middlesex, etc., are NOT scams, though they ARE expensive. This presupposes, of course, that your kids can get into those schools. Just look at the percentage of St. Mark's students who are National Merit semifinalists vs. the percentage at Plano or Allen or Frisco. Not the total numbers - you can't compare those, Plano West probably has 500 juniors and SM has about 70.

The National Merit stuff tends to take care of itself within most South Asian communities, irrespective of which schools we attend, so we tend to dismiss that outright as a consideration.

What percentage of the student body would you guess is Pakistan-American at any of these private schools?

If it's 5% or less, we would probably not value the school in the same way you do.

We would probably be more inclined to send our kids to a full-time Islamic school rather than one in which they are an extreme minority, not only in terms of ethnicity but also cultural values.

However, you bring up many excellent points for us to consider when deciding on a school.

[WorldKlas]

Also do a little research on North Hills Prep, a charter school in Irving. If your kids were among the few to win the lottery and gain admittance you’d be pleased with the academic focus and diversity.