77079 vs 77024 ? (Houston, Spring, West: apartment complex, condos, townhouse)

[EasilyAmused]

Originally Posted by LocalPlanner

I heard from someone recently (someone who just pulled her child out of Stratford) that Stratford is great - really excellent actually - if your child is on advanced track. Pretty horrific if your child takes regular classes. They said that the students in those classes from the working-class area near the high school caused an unruly and very non-academic classroom atmosphere. Seems like a strong statement to make, but just repeating what I heard.

This can be said about any public high school in the country. The curse of the average, or B student in Non-Ap classes,is that they don't qualify for the fast track classes, and get filed away with those that don't give a rat's butt. And it isn't PC anymore to have "neighborhood kid" classes, that keep those who aren't gifted learners, but honestly do try, seperate from Future Thugs of America or those on the GED track.

This one of the reasons you see children being sent to private school, no matter the district they are in.

[fnh]

Oh my, I agree with EA - this happens at any school. But it is odd to me that certain schools get a pass on low scores while other schools are written off as horrible with same or even better metrics.

I am zoned to Dean Middle, recently the only Unacceptable school in Cy-Fair. But I've heard from parents with kids there in the high achieving group who are surprisingly satisfied. Those kids get a great deal of personal attention, as you can imagine.

nismom, my kids are at Awty.

[nismom]

Slim choices in the wilchester neighborhood. Am I missing some search criteria on HAR? I am usong 77079 and wilchester

Originally Posted by Glossa

My kids went to Wilchester Elem/Memorial MS and Stratford HS and we had positive experiences all the way through. I'm not sure why Stratford gets slammed on here so much.

[Glossa]

Originally Posted by nismom

Slim choices in the wilchester neighborhood. Am I missing some search criteria on HAR? I am usong 77079 and wilchester

Try not putting Wilchester in the school field and just put 77079 and then Nottingham in the neighborhood field.

[EasilyAmused]

She's right, pickings are pretty slim east of Kirkwood. People just aren't moving. There was very low inventory last spring, I think it will be worse this year.

[Maybe So]

Yes- the only neighborhoods that feed into Wilchester Elem are
Wilchester (north of Memorial), Wilchester West, Nottingham and Nottingham West (zoned to Spring Forest Middle). Those neighborhoods are HOT HOT right now. EC booming, good
schools, location etc. Reasons have been stated. Best way to get in is through off market listings. If you know someone in those hoods ask them to forward you those listings many times circulated through moms clubs. Inventory has been tight...patience and the ability to pounce is key.

[golferadam]

Great thread. To the OP, sadly $700K won't get you much in either of these zips anymore. We just went through the process earlier this year. We ended up in 77024. Personally I would have preferred some of the housing stock in 77079, but DW wanted to lock in zoning all the way through high school. I loved some of the architecture of those homes in Wilchester West! Anyway, we're zoned to Bunker Hill/MMS/MHS.

Not sure if any of the other posters really live in this area (although I know EA does). Reason I say that is that a lot of the houses are owned by Asians. So don't think you'll be living in a non-diverse neighborhood, although white is certainly the majority. The whites seem to be here for the status/reputation and the schools. The Asians are here for the schools and because they believe the homes will appreciate, which they do. I am white for the record but many of my neighbors are Asian.

If you can find a place, even a fixer upper, either zip is a great choice. Good luck with your search.

[nismom]

How is bunker hill elementary? .Schooldigger does not rank it as high as frostwood but experience of parents is a valuable Insight. We are a mixed race couple so diversity matters but either way it does not bother as as long as people are warm.

What do you all think of the power lines running in the backyard of many of the 77024 homes?

Originally Posted by golferadam

Great thread. To the OP, sadly $700K won't get you much in either of these zips anymore. We just went through the process earlier this year. We ended up in 77024. Personally I would have preferred some of the housing stock in 77079, but DW wanted to lock in zoning all the way through high school. I loved some of the architecture of those homes in Wilchester West! Anyway, we're zoned to Bunker Hill/MMS/MHS.

Not sure if any of the other posters really live in this area (although I know EA does). Reason I say that is that a lot of the houses are owned by Asians. So don't think you'll be living in a non-diverse neighborhood, although white is certainly the majority. The whites seem to be here for the status/reputation and the schools. The Asians are here for the schools and because they believe the homes will appreciate, which they do. I am white for the record but many of my neighbors are Asian.

If you can find a place, even a fixer upper, either zip is a great choice. Good luck with your search.

[golferadam]

BHE has been great in our experience. Very active PTA. They even have their own website which is updated frequently. The school has significant financial support through parent contributions. The PTA installed a new gym within the past year or so. This semester they are installing a new football field and track area with professional irrigation and drainage. As far as BHE versus Frostwood, I think it's splitting hairs. I suspect most kids coming out of either of those elementary schools will be well-rounded and quite prepared for the next level of education. There are numerous extracurricular opportunities at BHE. I'm sure it's the same at Frostwood. Personally I'd view Wilchester, RCE, BHE, and Frostwood as about the same.

It's funny you bring up the power lines. We considered Katy and Sugarland before settling on this area. When we viewed homes in those two suburbs any sign of power lines was a deal breaker. It was like everyone wanted a cul-de-sac, non-busy street, non-corner lot, non-power line backyard. However, the power lines are running all over the place here. Personally I don't like them because our utilities were buried in our prior neighborhood. But it doesn't seem like it affects property values much at all. It's just a fact of life living in an old section of town.

[ToyYot]

Originally Posted by nismom

How is bunker hill elementary? .Schooldigger does not rank it as high as frostwood but experience of parents is a valuable Insight. We are a mixed race couple so diversity matters but either way it does not bother as as long as people are warm.

What do you all think of the power lines running in the backyard of many of the 77024 homes?

With your budget you really need to look somewhere other than 77024, $700k just isn't realistic and is a stretch even in 77079 east of Kirkwood. I live in Nottingham Forest, west of Kirkwood, zoned to Meadow Wood, Spring Forest and Stratford. Your budget is fine here and even better west of Dairy Ashford.

Most kids attend public here, many do go private too. None of these schools rock the ratings on paper but I suggest you tour the schools, walk the neighborhood and talk to the people who live here. These a good public schools and the neighborhoods have a lot to offer with park access and adjacent shops and services. No doubt the ratings and SFMS will improve with three big apartment complexes being razed but the diversity will still be here in the remaining condos and apartments.

The Oak Forest suggestion is a good one too, and with 77055 you can spend what you save on house sending the kids private. Not a bad option either if you're just not comfortable with public schools as some on here clearly aren't - not that there's anything wrong with that, we plan to keep that option on the back burner. Going private opens up some great housing choices much with a much better commute.

What's good about this area is the location. It serves the EC and Westchase in the same way West U serves downtown and the Med center. And the Galleria isn't too bad a commute either. Access to the I-10, Westheimer, City Centre, Town & County etc. is great. These neighborhoods do not exist in some special bubble where they would depreciate in the order of 20% while the rest of Houston is sitting pretty. That's just not realisitic.

I thought the commute from Sugarland to Downtown wasn't too bad, have you looked there?