Which is the best? Arapahoe, Littleton or Douglas County schools (Denver: HOA, insurance)

[DFields]

I know there are Cherry Creek schools in Arapahoe County and have heard they are great and have also heard that Littleton and Douglas Counties are good as well. Trying to narrow down the area to live w/ my family whether it be Lone Tree or certain areas of Centennial (Willow Creek, Homestead neighborhoods).

I believe that Douglas County has done away with tracking which I am happy about but am concerned about the problems w/ the voucher program.

Thank you in advance for any feedback.

[2bindenver]

The voucher program has been shut down. "Best" is subjective. Every school has a culture unique to that school. Sometimes athletics, clubs, music, theater is the most important for the kid....

[Dreaming of Hawaii]

What is your criteria for ”best“? CSAP scores? AP classes? What grade levels are your kids in? Would you be looking for charter schools or magnets schools?

There have been previous discussions about schools on this forum, and various people have their favorites (as you've found). Personally I favor Cherry Creek because my husband was a teacher at the Challenge School. But my kids went to Littleton schools, and I like those, too.

I suggest that you re-post with more specifics on what you are looking for.

[goldenmom]

I think that the secret with schools is that you have to find what works best for your kids. My kids have attended Douglas County, Cherry Creek and Littleton schools (love open enrollment) We know kids that have left Cherry Creek High because it was too big. Other kids flourish there. The thing with districts too is that some of the schools are better than some of the others within the same district.

I will say that you can't go wrong with Willow Creek, Dry Creek or Homestead Elementary. They are all good schools. I don't know much about the schools in Lone Tree....

[Kibbiekat]

The voucher program in Doug Co has been shut down, yes, but the District will appeal, and keep spending money on this fiasco. And, even with no voucher program, we still have a board who feel that the best way to deal with our public schools is to send kids to private schools. We have great schools here, and abundant choices between open enrollment, magnets, and charter schools. It is a nice place to live with good schools, we just happen to have a bunch of clowns on the school board right now. I hope that changes soon.

[DFields]

I'm looking for a school district and schools where the teachers and parents are involved, good scores, but not so much pressure on children that they can't enjoy being a kid (ex. dropping the one sport they may be in to have the highest GPA). I am all for successful students/grades but I do want my children to be able to enjoy it as well. My daughter just started second grade today and my son is four (to answer Dreaming of Hawaii). Schools that encourage arts, not just sports. I am looking at the public schools. Does Colorado have a 'lottery' to be able to get your children into the magnet/charter schools like Texas?

Thank you for the info.

[Kibbiekat]

Originally Posted by DFields

I'm looking for a school district and schools where the teachers and parents are involved, good scores, but not so much pressure on children that they can't enjoy being a kid (ex. dropping the one sport they may be in to have the highest GPA). I am all for successful students/grades but I do want my children to be able to enjoy it as well. My daughter just started second grade today and my son is four (to answer Dreaming of Hawaii). Schools that encourage arts, not just sports. I am looking at the public schools. Does Colorado have a 'lottery' to be able to get your children into the magnet/charter schools like Texas?

Thank you for the info.

It probably depends on the district. I believe Douglas County uses a lottery system. I think it is safe to say that all districts are concerned first with standardized test scores. The arts would come second to that. I don't know what other districts or schools do, but our elementary school rotates the kids through art, music, technology, and gym, so they do a week of each/month, more or less. I'm not sure how high school sports are treated. At the elementary level none of the sports are connected to the schools.

[ToastyReward]

DFields,

We just moved in for Keller, Texas and our boys are 7 and 4. When we moved into TX it was easy to find a house in our area due to the school district and commute to the office. Now in Denver, my husband works from home, but often uses the airport. Plus---there are lots of great schools! We had narrowed our search down to a small area of Parker (love The Timbers, but it takes awhile to reach 470), Greenwood Village (great schools, but ugh! the homes are a change for the big/new construction we're used to). We're also considering Castle Pines, but I'm trying to find out more about why the taxes are high and what the $240 a month HOA cover.

Please share any information you find as it literally sounds like we're doing very similar things!

[2bindenver]

I found one in Castle Pines for $371 a month HOA it includes: Clubhouse w/Fitnes,Exterior Maint w/Roof,Insurance,Community Pool,Snow Removal,Tennis Courts,Trash Removal,Grounds Maint

Others are only $80 a month for a clubhouse and a community pool.

[qazw]

I like Littleton schools