Opinions on St. Patrick School in Lake Highlands (Dallas, Greenville: low income, apartment complexes)

[Dallas_Maybe]

Hello all:

I previously posted on our family's Dallas relocation plans. Well, things are moving forward and would like to seek information & opinions on the 'good and bad' of St. Patrick School in Lake Highlands. We are looking at our 2nd grader & a 4 y.o. Pre-K attending this school for religious education preferences....

Thanks for your feedback!

/ Dallas_Definitely
(***sorry, can't / don't know how to change my profile name.)

[FarNorthDallas]

I have heard mixed things about St. Patrick. It's so-so. I have known several kids who have been in the school in the last couple of years - none this year, as all bailed on it, not happy. I don't know anyone in the school this year.

I have heard much better things about this one St. Thomas Aquinas School, although it's closer to town - East Dallas

and this one St. Monica Catholic School which is on the other side of Hwy 75 - North Dallas. This is the biggest Catholic school in the city. Bill Gates' wife Melinda Gates attended this one.

[Dallas_Maybe]

Thanks for your prompt feedback; we will actually consider these excellent suggestions as well. The decision then would be to live in Lakewood vs. Lake Highlands....How's the traffic around these areas? /

[FarNorthDallas]

I would probably pick Lakewood over Lake Highlands if you have the money. I am not sure about traffic. Do you mean just driving around the area or are you talking about commuting to a job that is not nearby?

[Dallas_Maybe]

Per traffic, I am talking about commuting within the area, and to say, Medical City at the junction of 75 and Forest. And as far as homes are concerned, is there a big price difference between Lakewood and Lake Highlands? What can one get for $400k in Lakewood?

/

[FarNorthDallas]

I'm not the expert on Lakewood, but there are other posters who live there. I live north of 635 (north of Medical City). But you would be commuting up and down 75/Central Expressway if you lived in Lakewood and worked at Medical City and 75 can get backed up. I spent almost an hour on it this morning from the Medical City area down to downtown. You would be going the opposite way, but the traffic is heavy both ways.

If you lived in Lake Highlands you could avoid the freeway altogether. Just surface roads. Are you set on living east of 75? There is another really good Catholic school called St. Rita's which is at 635 and the tollway. school_homefinal

Generally, I would say Lakewood is more expensive than Lake Highlands. I am sortof down on Lake Highlands due to the increasing crime problem. Others will disagree with me that the crime is increasing in Lake Highlands, but from what I see - connections to the area and people who monitor crime in Lake Highlands - there is an increase. Lake Highlands has way more low income slumlord owned apartment complexes than any area should have. They are tearing them down, one by one, so that's good.

[Dallas_Maybe]

This concern about 'crime' in Lake Highlands has me very worried, and has thrown a wrench into our supposed inclination...Is it possible to define discrete areas or neighborhoods of higher concern and plan to avoid them? Or are we looking more at random instances, which would be harder to deal with?

[Smito]

Originally Posted by FarNorthDallas

Others will disagree with me that the crime is increasing in Lake Highlands, but from what I see - connections to the area and people who monitor crime in Lake Highlands - there is an increase. Lake Highlands has way more low income slumlord owned apartment complexes than any area should have. They are tearing them down, one by one, so that's good.

I live in Lake Highlands and monitor crime stats in my neighborhood area and have seen no increase as there wasn't much crime to begin with. It's like any area in Dallas you have pockets of crime in various places.

As far as the apartment tear downs go, it's a little more than a one to one basis. There were 5 complexes bulldozed during the same time period in 2008 to make way for the new Lake Highlands Town Center. Lake Highlands Two others close to the area (Skillman Street) have been shuttered and will be redeveloped. Apartments on Forest Lane were torn down for the new Walmart SuperCenter. Another complex has been torn down on Greenville Ave. near Forest Lane and luxury apartments will be built.

[Dallas_Maybe]

Smito:

Thanks for the 'insider opinion'. Do you have any specific developments that you recommend we focus our search on? Any areas to avoid? We are hoping for a SFH in the range of $300-400K. How old are the homes in the neighborhood by the way?

Do you have any information on St. Patrick School, or any other Catholic Elementary School?

[turnbun]

I live in Lake Highlands. We love it. I'm a stay at home mom, husband is a lawyer, we have 3 kids and a dog, etc. The area has a nice mix of families, empty nesters, young professional couples, and a few single professionals as well.
The only crime I hear of are things like car break-ins when cars are left on the street overnight and a couple of home burglaries during the day when people are not home. Nothing more than in any other part of Dallas proper. Crime does exist here, but I don't think it's any worse here than in Lakewood, M Streets, or any other inner ring neighborhood. The apartments aren't great around here, but many are being torn down, and Lake Highlands will be much more upscale in the next 5 years, I think.
The homes in Lake Highlands range from about $200k up to $700k+. Most homes were built in the 70's, some (like on the L Streets) a bit before that. Even though you don't plan on sending your child to public school, focus on neighborhoods that feed into the following elementary schools: Moss Haven, Meriman Park, White Rock, Wallace, and Lake Highlands. Those are all nice areas of Lake Highlands.