College Hill Schools? (Wichita, Andover, Goddard: relocation, houses, rent)

[jettagirl]

We are relocating to Wichita from Michigan. Have a 3 yr old with mild Autism, speech/language delays who will attend special needs preschool at local elementary school. We already know that Goddard, Maize and Andover are great school districts. But we really don't like the houses available there. We really LOVE the houses in College Hill. So my question is does anyone know specifically if the elementary school for College Hill has a special needs program located there? Also is the College Hill Elementary School known to be a good school educational-wise? I have heard to "steer clear of Wichita and move to the suburbs"....but i can't help but hate the endless cookie-cutter feel that all the new suburbs have. They have no personality, and frankly, many look poorly and cheaply constructed. That is why we are considering College Hill, but we must take into account our child's educational needs as well. Thanks for any advice and input.

[Kansasfornow]

Originally Posted by jettagirl

We are relocating to Wichita from Michigan. Have a 3 yr old with mild Autism, speech/language delays who will attend special needs preschool at local elementary school. We already know that Goddard, Maize and Andover are great school districts. But we really don't like the houses available there. We really LOVE the houses in College Hill. So my question is does anyone know specifically if the elementary school for College Hill has a special needs program located there? Also is the College Hill Elementary School known to be a good school educational-wise? I have heard to "steer clear of Wichita and move to the suburbs"....but i can't help but hate the endless cookie-cutter feel that all the new suburbs have. They have no personality, and frankly, many look poorly and cheaply constructed. That is why we are considering College Hill, but we must take into account our child's educational needs as well. Thanks for any advice and input.

I moved from Andover into Wichita - the opposite of what you have been told. I was also told what you were when moving here from out of state. However, I too tired of the cookie cutter suburbs and the anonomous feeling of the Andover schools. I live in a charming old home surrounded by numerous large trees, and unlike living in the suburbs, I am closer to shopping and other things and do alot less driving. I live in Crown Heights, the area between Eastbourgh and College Hill - another area you might look at. The elementary schools were way overcrowded 2 years ago because of the large influx of people. They are now building some new elementary schools to cope with this. With that being said, I wanted my son to have a different experience. So, for the past 2 years he has been in a wonderful school in Wichita - Hyde Elementary School - 300 kids, international studies. They also have a special education program which my son uses for fine motor related delays. Parts of College Hill are zoned for Hyde and parts of it are zoned for College Hill elementary. I have given you a link to the Wichita school district website so you can check things out. Despite what you have been told, there are many wonderful public schools in Wichita. Do your own research and don't rely on what "others" tell you.

Wichita Public Schools - Home

[jettagirl]

kansasfornow: Thankyou for your input. We are actually considering a house near Central and Oliver on North Terrace St. Are you familiar with that area? I can see on a map that it's not far from Hillside, which I hear is an unsafe area. But is it far enough east that there is little crime? Thanks very much for your help. It's hard to make decisions when we're from out of state, but we really appreciate your help.

[KevK]

College Hill has wonderful schools and East High is the ONLY school in Wichita that is on the Great Schools list which is nationwide.

[Modron]

Hi JettaGirl. I don't know if you're still reading this thread but I have some knowledge abou the area around Central and Oliver. College Hill the area west of Oliver and south of Central is the original upscale area of town. Mybest friends lived on Terrace a few doors south of Central. t's a really nice neighborhood. There is a house on that block that's got a lot of damage from a time it sat empty and unmaintained. It sustained heavy water damage. I've never seen it sell and stay sold for very long. About a week ago I was driving past and saw some people looking at it. I remember thinking I hope they're getting the whole story on the house.

North of Central you get into areas with increasing crime rates. That area between Central and Kellogg is mostly pretty nice.

Crown Heights and Eastborough have some really nice homes, too. I have a friend who lives in Eastborough and her home has never taken a hit on its value.

Also with an autistic child, there is an organization in Wichita called HeartSpring. They work especially with autistic children: Heartspring, A Worldwide Center for Children with Special Needs. They are located in the newly developing areas on the northeast side of town.

How far you want to live from work my depend on your knowledge of road construction in Wichita. There's always road construction here. I've driven on a route to work (east and west on Kellogg) that's had construction for six years. Keeping up and improving the city's infrastructure is a good thing.... You just have to keep thinking of it that way.

Good luck with your relocation.

[jettagirl]

Thanks for the info Modron!

Yes, I know which house on Terrace you are referring to. My husband looked at it, and decided on the spot that it was waaay too much work to be worth it. Too bad, because he said it had the potential to be really cute.

We are still looking to be in College Hill, as we love the old houses. We are hearing many people say to stay away from that area...they say it's not safe at night, etc. My gut feeling is that being as we are, coming from living right next to Detroit all our lives, that living in Wichita is not really as bad as we are hearing. I'm not disputing that there is crime in areas, and vandalism. But College Hill (Terrace) seems very safe and the homes are very nice. I hope we are making the right decision. We'll find out!

[Kansasfornow]

Originally Posted by jettagirl

Thanks for the info Modron!

Yes, I know which house on Terrace you are referring to. My husband looked at it, and decided on the spot that it was waaay too much work to be worth it. Too bad, because he said it had the potential to be really cute.

We are still looking to be in College Hill, as we love the old houses. We are hearing many people say to stay away from that area...they say it's not safe at night, etc. My gut feeling is that being as we are, coming from living right next to Detroit all our lives, that living in Wichita is not really as bad as we are hearing. I'm not disputing that there is crime in areas, and vandalism. But College Hill (Terrace) seems very safe and the homes are very nice. I hope we are making the right decision. We'll find out!

Wichita is fine... I can't believe some of the comments made on this board. College hill and Crown Heights are wonderful communities. You willl really enjoy living there!

[shellywhitfield]

I grew up in College Hill, and am now raising my kids in the area. There is an outstanding catholic school in the area, plus the elementary, middle and high schools are outstanding, and rich in spirit and tradition since this is one of the oldest neighborhoods in the city. There are a lot of families in the area that have been here for several generations, and I even know a few that have moved back here from larger cities because they missed the College Hill 'experience'. You'll love it.