Moving - Fort Worth or nearby areas for best public schools (Dallas: house prices, transfer)

[adixyz]

I have a job offer from a reputed Fort Worth based company and will have to move from Kansas to Fort Worth or nearby areas. Need your advice (i will search other threads as well) on the following criteria:

1> My eldest son will go to high school(9th grade) next year and is currently in a gifted/talented program in Kansas blue valley school. One of the reason of my move is to provide him better/ competitive education environment so i am looking for excellent high schools in Fort worth / adjacent area. Not sure of Fort Worth high schools ratings/ quality??

2> Cummute time from 30 mins -45 mins is acceptable to me.

3> My budget on a 4 BR house is 250-275K ..Age of house is flexible.

Thank you so much in advance !

[beer980]

I don't live there yet but also plan on moving as soon as our house sells. I do have a handout from the local schools in the area if you can name a area for me to look up and see how it scored. I think the house budget is very dooable from what we have seen. We are interested in the: Keller, Saginaw, White Settlement and Arlington area.

[kdogg817]

North Crowley is a good high school. Paschal is probably the best inner city high school in Fort Worth. The keller and HEB also have pretty good schools.

[adixyz]

Appreciate everyone for the response. I like Pascal HS and Colleyville ISD. Will check Grapevine.Irving seems to be a little farther. I am hoping that all these high schools will accept my son in their Gifted/ Talented program (like some kind of transfer instead of re-test). If anyone knows what these schools do for Out of State gifted/Talented transfer, please advice.
The other concern i have is the house prices..i hear that houses in Colleyville ISD or Southlake are way out of my budget. Not sure of House prices near Pascal HS. I live in OP,Kansas which has very friendly family oriented neigborhoods so i am kind of looking for similar neighborhood close to excellent schools..may not be easy.

[ripley]

Aledo, Weatherford

[ChristieP]

See my other response: Grapevine-Colleyville ISD

[loves2read]

Crowley ISD is having problems with some of its schools-that is not the high school I would recommend--check out the students who are National Merit scholars--don't think there are any

Paschal is the top rated hs in FTWISD and many people who are zoned into other areas apply for the inner-district transfer each year to get their children in Paschal...
other districts that have quality programs are HEB ISD--Bell and Trinity are IB programs and have G/T and AP programs as well--very strong academics--good program for students interested in pre-med or nursing in college

Just be aware that even in this area there are issues at most districts in the country or in the city with drugs/alcohol being available/used--being in Aledo or Weatherford is no guarantee that your son won't be exposed to kids who use/abuse those items--
personally would not recommend Fort Worth ISD to anyone unless you are sure you will get into Paschal (and even in Paschal there are groups of students who are not academically oriented--which is why it gets the minimal score from the TAKS tests each year)...
Keller has not done that well on last TAKS test and has problems related to its strong growth over past 5 years...make sure you know the high school your area is zoned for --and understand that some subdivisions that advertise "KELLER" are in Keller ISD, have a Keller mailing address but are in FTW city limits--and pay FTW taxes--have FTW police/emergency services...not Kellers--makes a difference...

Grapevine Colleyville is not really possible at that price range nor is Southlake/Carroll--some parts of Grapevine might be--but that is pretty good commute
The FTW metroplex is large--some road systems are better than others--you need to think about where you actual job location will be--not just generic Fort Worth--that included 40 miles across from one direction to another almost...

[adixyz]

Thanks 'loves2read' for the recommendation. Very valid points which i might have overlooked. I am going to work at Western Central Blvd & I-35W. Pascal HS is approx 14 miles south from here. If i find better schools i might travle north or East. I heard Trophy Club area has a wide range of housing where i might find something within my budget. I would like my son to be in a school that has more % of kids who are academically oriented and has excellent IB- GT program assuming my son gets his GT program transferred from Kansas to Texas Schools. I know its hard to avoid drugs/ alcohol in High Schools but I'll prefer my son to go for a school with more academics to lower this risk. Any other mearby area/ schools recommendations are welcome.

[loves2read]

tx law states that all public schools must offer G/T programs--some are better than others obviously--Trophy Club is in Northwest ISD--getting lots of press lately because of growth in Haslet/Trophy Club area--but frankly Northwest has not done as well with the type of students it has IMO from their test scores and National Merit finalist results---
sometimes it is just a matter of picking a school within a district--Paschal is perfect example--they turn out some truly gifted students but that is like a school within a school--many at Paschal are lower-income minority students who struggle to just get out of high school...
Your work area is prime for like Villages of Woodland Springs--that is FTW city limits/tract housing/small lots for the most part--many people live there and are very happy--

Azle/Eagle Mtn ISD is not that far from your work site but again check out their national merit scholars--that is true test of what a school is doing with its gifted students IMO--I would put it in the second tier of ISDs in FTW metroplex...
one word--I-35 is a bad commute--narrow/choked with traffic--few options if it is slowed by accidents--area around 820/I 35 is the pits--going or coming...
there are surface roads that are useable and while might be slower on a good day are probably faster on bad ones and there are more bad than good from what I hear...

going N on the west Loop 820 from White Settlement or Hulen area is probably the best part of the big circle around FTW--going across 820W from say the Mid-Cities/Hurst to I-35 is just a killer either way...narrow lanes, much traffic, and they are getting ready to "improve" it again...

[adixyz]

I see some old houses in South lake/ Collyville under 325K ( 1960 -1965 built) . Some folks have called them a tear down lot. If i get some decent one with good schools around should'nt these old homes hold their values and also appreciate when housing market improves? Since i am not from Dallas am not aware of home warranty plans if they cover such old houses? is it worth the risk to buy these old homes with low values in a higher value neighborhood?