[knitclose]

moving to South Florida - looking for best private schools (could be Ft Lauderdale/Boca/Weston/Miami) and also places to live. looking for pluses/minuses or anything to help narrow search. schools are most important to us.

[doggiebus]

That is a large area from Miami to Boca. Where will your work be? What is you budget for private schools? The best private schools can cost $30k a year.

[knitclose]

i know it is a large area - and understand the costs - but want to pick the schools first - will work around the rest

[bale002]

Originally Posted by knitclose

moving to South Florida - looking for best private schools (could be Ft Lauderdale/Boca/Weston/Miami) and also places to live. looking for pluses/minuses or anything to help narrow search. schools are most important to us.

Saint Andrew's PK-12 in Boca Raton.

Pine Crest School in Boca Raton PK-8, in Fort Lauderdale PK-12. There may be others in Broward County, but I am not familiar with them.

Ransom Everglades in Coconut Grove section of Miami 6-12.

For elementary, Gulliver or Riviera Day School, both of which also have 6-12, located across Coral Gables, Pinecrest and the Killian section of Miami-Dade.

Of course there are many others, but to my knowledge these are the "best", at least measured by tuition prices.

Among those, Ransom Everglades is the premier in the sense that it offers a standout university-like curriculum, especially at the high school level, and this is reflected in the price tag. Many graduates go on to Ivy League universities.

Miami is more expensive, especially in terms of housing, than Boca Raton and Broward County in general, but Miami also has a greater concentration of wealth and career opportunities for those with the right set of connections, wealth and skills, probably in that order.

All three offer warm temperatures all year round and no state income tax. In my opinion, Palm Beach and Broward Counties have better beaches than Miami-Dade.

Hope this helps.

Good Luck!

[kyle19125]

Pine Crest in Fort Lauderdale would be my recommendation as it has the size (2500 enrollment) to offer diversity and clubs/athletics to round out the top-notch academics allowing students to get the well-rounded experience.

https://www.pinecrest.edu/

[knitclose]

thank you all! it is good to hear more rave reviews about pine crest, ransom and gulliver - we already put in applications there! we don't want to apply to religious schools so st. andrew's is out - but wanted to find one more school to apply to... we heard of american heritage, benjamin school and university schools - any idea which is the "best" of those three? and are they a very distant third or just behind the others mentioned? i will look into riviera day school - although i do prefer a K-12 as my daughter will be entering 5th grade.

[kyle19125]

Originally Posted by knitclose

thank you all! it is good to hear more rave reviews about pine crest, ransom and gulliver - we already put in applications there! we don't want to apply to religious schools so st. andrew's is out - but wanted to find one more school to apply to... we heard of american heritage, benjamin school and university schools - any idea which is the "best" of those three? and are they a very distant third or just behind the others mentioned? i will look into riviera day school - although i do prefer a K-12 as my daughter will be entering 5th grade.

I would throw in University fourth behind Pine Crest, Ransom Everglades and Gulliver without too much of a dropoff. In my opinion the others would be a bit of a fall off.

[knitclose]

Is Weston too far from pine crest ft lauderdale campus? Looking for a neighborhood and love Weston but wondering if too far from ft lauderdale. Any pluses and minuses welcome to living in one place versus another.

[Momma_bear]

Originally Posted by knitclose

Is Weston too far from pine crest ft lauderdale campus? Looking for a neighborhood and love Weston but wondering if too far from ft lauderdale. Any pluses and minuses welcome to living in one place versus another.

Weston is a nice place to live. American Heritage and University School are closer than Pinecrest. Both are good schools but the atmosphere is different. American Heritage has a more competitive academic environment, University School is more nurturing and forgiving academically. Heritage is larger than University School although both are smaller than the public schools around here. Both have lots of clubs, sports and activities. Fine arts is better at American Heritage.

Plenty of kids commute by bus to Pinecrest from Weston. There is a bus that leaves from Tequesta Trace Park. I think it is too long to commute to school. Pinecrest is a fine school but its far from Weston.

[Momma_bear]

Originally Posted by kyle19125

I would throw in University fourth behind Pine Crest, Ransom Everglades and Gulliver without too much of a dropoff. In my opinion the others would be a bit of a fall off.

My ranking would be American Heritage ahead of Pinecrest then University school.