Moving - Fort Worth or nearby areas for best public high schools (Flower Mound: for sale, 2009)

[loves2read]

there are homes in colleyville priced around the 350 mark that are nice homes
but proportion is toward more expensive homes

[ladychef]

I second the opinions on Keller. Good schools, taxes are not too high, nice people and lots of community involvement.

[rogramjet]

I second Lakewooder in recommending Paschal High School in Fort Worth. It regularly produces one of the biggest shares of National Merit Finalists in the D/FW area. It is an excellent public high school and serves some of Fort Worth's nicest historic neighborhoods.

[GibboK]

Hi there...Colleyville / Grapevine are really nice. Grapevine HS is a Blue Ribbon School and there are lots of options around your price range. If you can afford more - Colleyville is a really nice area and is growing. The potential for capitol growth in Colleyville is probably better than in some of the other areas mentioned (but I live here, and love it, so that's just my opinion!) but I think Grapevine is really good too. Nice areas in Keller too. Good luck!

[GibboK]

when checking the houses in the area doing an MLS search, most will tell you the schools zoned for the house. Then you can go to GreatSchools.org and check out each school. That's what we did when we moved here from overseas and that's how we decided on Colleyville.

[marinewife91]

Originally Posted by adixyz

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.
.

My son was in the GATE program in California. Once in the Keller ISD, he had to be retested. He did not meet all the requirements to be in the program, and was declined acceptance into it. I would just prepare your son ( or yourself) for the possibily of that happening, and that its not the end of the world. As long as he is challenged and doing well in school.....who cares if he is in the Gifted program? My son was fine with it, he said he played dot to dot with the test anyways.... he really did not want to be singled out anymore I guess.
To me, anyways, that is all that matters.... that ,and that he is happy and healthy.

Good luck with your choice.

[auntlucy]

Check out Keller schools, and the Hertiage Trace sub division.

[padcrasher]

Originally Posted by auntlucy

Check out Keller schools, and the Hertiage Trace sub division.

Anything West of the Noth-South Rail line in Keller extending out past Saginaw will be run down in about ten years from now. It's already deteriorating. Too many cheap tract homes. See Arlington, The Colony, and Irving for glimpse of the future of this area. I speak from experience having lived in this area since 1976. And owning rental properties in Bedford, Euless, Grapevine, and Southlake. It sounds cliche, but you must buy for location and location only, sacrificing new and big if you must. These boxy, new 3000 sq footers built on tiny lots in these areas are a bad investment.

[loves2read]

padcrasher--I agree with you--
people who move in from other areas/states don't really have a feel for the nuances of community that are strong in Tarrant and I think most of TX (whatever the particular nuances in an area might be--they are not all the same)
...and frankly lots of people in real estate don't care about making those nuances known because it means alienating a customer or they are new and don't know how to read the neighborhoods any better than their customers...

just because something is new/big/cheap/"a good deal" or in what is touted as a good ISD does not mean that it will stay that way...some city councils will stay short-sighted and hopped up on giving developers (commercial and residential) a quick fix and not working with neighborhing towns to develop a broader based strategy for development--where "growth" is seen as a panacea for past bad management/decisions

there are expensive areas in Keller that are becoming difficult sales because of their location/schools/designs--and I think people who bought there and thought it would become the next Southlake are getting a rude awakening when they have to sell either because of job move or financial reasons...
The area to the west of 377 is just not going to hold up IMO although I know there are posters here that will take offense at that -- there are some nice streets in some neighborhoods but if you a drive=by from neighborhood to neighborhood ther are more negative impressions than positive ones...
but everyone has a budget to content with--it is finding the best deal for your situation--and sometimes that means rethinking what is a "good deal"

Colleyville has created a problem for itself with its Town Center retail development because that is just not holding its tenants and it has several large retail sites that are vacant and having a difficult time getting tenants in the downturn...
Even Southlake might start to see some problems with some of the construction projects it has entrain...

[jsw1965]

Paschal High School is by far the best high school in the area for an honor student. There is no testing for GT at that level -- AP courses are encouraged and open to all. They always have the largest number of National Merit Scholars if the county (public or private school), and consistently send students to highly selective universities each year. It's a very diverse school (a plus for me) with a significant number of low performing students as well, but the honors program is first rate. I have a senior at Paschal, and he described it best by saying it's "cool to be smart" at Paschal. It's academically competitive, but I consider that positive peer pressure. Check out the Academics section on their website www.paschalhs.org . Paschal has been ranked nationally according to number of AP courses offered and the success of students in gaining AP credit. It's located in a somewhat odd area of town -- near TCU and upscale homes as well as lower income areas immediately to the East. Students can transfer in from anywhere in the district, subject to openings, but last year transfers had to camp out for 3 nights outside of the school. I would highly recommend purchasing a home in the 76109 zip code since that is the nicest area within Paschal's feeder area. Nicer homes in that area range from around $200,000 + and are older than homes in other parts of Fort Worth. The area near TCU is beautiful, and near the city's prettiest parks and the arts district. McLean Middle School (76109)has one of the best honors programs in the district, and there are a couple of Special Interest Programs (magnet schools) for middle schoolers that are wonderful (Williams James M.S. for one), but in less desirable areas of town. Tanglewood Elementary and Alice Carlson Elementary are wonderful, and both are in the 76109 area. I just can't say enough positive things about the education my child received at Paschal -- I will camp out for weeks if necessary to get my younger child in. Hope this helps!