[ohwhattodo]

Hey all - My husband and I currently live in the southeast and we are contemplating a move back out west to be near family. We're originally from California, but are looking at the Las Vegas area to live as the taxes in California are CRAZY! We figure it would be better to be 3.5-4.5 hours away from our loved ones than 2,000 miles. I keep coming up with Summerlin as a good place to live (and I'm sure everyone on here is sick of hearing about Summerlin from all the posts I've seen on here about it). But... are there other places around Vegas that are family-oriented (I'm not really sure Summerlin is - is it?), safer than most areas and have REALLY GREAT schools? Our kids are first and foremost in our decision. I sincerely appreciate your replies and any info. ya'll can provide. We used to spend weekends in Vegas quite a bit when we lived in Cali (LOVE it!!!), but never really ventured into the outer realm. Obviously we don't want to live really close to The Strip (Although that could change when I'm older ).

[LVPoker1]

Henderson is similar to Summerlin in crime and school quality. Have you checked out greatschools.org? That is where to start is schools are a concern.

[logline]

Good news/bad news:

Public schools in Vegas are generally not great. But they can't possibly be any worse than the overcrowded crime academy they call "schools" in CA. I went to high school in one of the most highly sought after school districts in the SF Bay Area and my education was HORRIBLE!

Besides Summerlin, you'll be happy to know there other are nice, family-friendly neighborhoods in Henderson/Seven Hills, Southern Highlands, etc. If education is your #1 priority, find a good private school. It'll still be cheaper than living in CA and sending them off to public school. No matter what, the first thing you need to do is drive out here and spend several days looking at all the neighborhoods you might find to your liking. You'll be able to get a feel for the place and narrow down your choices much more accurately than any advice you'll get here. Good luck.

[Nolan05]

I live in 89052 and that seems to be where a lot of the better schools are. We have Del Webb and Bob Miller for middle schools; Twitchell, Vanderburg and Lamping elementary schools and Coronado high schools. Henderson International is also a good private school there and there is a rumor that the guy who used to run Warren Walker/Hend Inter is going to re-open the old campus on Windmill. Basically your kids will do well anywhere if you are involved and know what is going on. Many parents are not and that is why a lot of schools get a bad rap

[ohwhattodo]

Hey - sincerest thanks for the replies. Private school would be nice, but way too expensive. I'd be going to no job while my husband could possibly transfer with his company. I'm pretty sure jobs are hard to come by. I already did check out great schools org, but wanted to hear what people on here had to say about it. The things I would look forward to if we could find awesome schools is being closer to some people I really care about, NOT having to cut a lawn (I hope) - I'm so over that!, I LOVE the desert (I'm a native New Yorker and fell in love with the west coast many years ago. No way I could go back to snow!!! Uh-uh!!!!). I have family in NY that I love n' miss, too - but all anyone ever does is complain about the weather. Who knows. Maybe we'll just end up staying put, but it sure WOULD be nice to get back out west. I know we could at least afford a home in the Vegas area. But there's so much more to it than that.

[dancesport20]

Sorry I know this is an old thread but I would also love to know if anyone has had any great or terrible experiences with any schools. I saw online that Halle Heweteston got a 10 out of 10 so was looking into that school as well as Challenger and LVDS if Halle Heweteson doesn't work out.

[NLVgal]

Magnet schools. Northwest tech, for one, is fabulous.

[ScoopLV]

There are three high schools in the Newsweek top 1,000 list. Ed W. Clark, and CSN High (two locations). Green Valley High and Advanced Technologies were once ranked. But they fell off the list in 2012. They would be ranked around 1,200 if the poll ranked the top 2,000 schools. If your child can get into the College of Southern Nevada High School, he or she can get a big head start on college credits.

For the most part, though, our schools are abysmal. Even our "good" schools aren't nearly as good as they are in a state that truly cares about education. Pick a school, then choose an appropriate neighborhood.

America

[tbill618]

You better hurry. Houses in Henderson are selling in a few weeks. I am really regretting waiting until this spring to put my house in Illinois on the market.

[lvoc]

Originally Posted by dancesport20

Sorry I know this is an old thread but I would also love to know if anyone has had any great or terrible experiences with any schools. I saw online that Halle Heweteston got a 10 out of 10 so was looking into that school as well as Challenger and LVDS if Halle Heweteson doesn't work out.

Same old rules. Go where the well off reside. High Schools tend to be heterogeneous...The magnets are strong but a reasonable student will do well in the top 15...which gives lots of choices for homes.

Clark is NOT a strong school. It does have a very effective magnet program for science and math.

The college high schools are quite good but limited to 11th and 12th grade.