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Old 11-07-2015, 12:42 PM
 
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We are moving from Indiana and found a house we really like in Bethlehem, but in researching, it doesn't look as if the schools get great ratings. We would be assigned to Lincoln Elementary..any thoughts on that school? Are there better schools in town that I could send my son to? Also are there a decent amount of things such as parks and sports leagues in town? Thanks for the help!
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Old 11-07-2015, 04:08 PM
 
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There is no school choice in the Lehigh Valley unless you want to try a charter and I believe they are all done by lottery, with weight given to the school districts where the schools are located. That is, if you wanted your child to go to Lehigh Valley academy, Bethlehem and Saucon Valley residents have a better chance. Admissions - Lehigh Valley Academy RCS How good that chance is, I have no idea. There are also some unsafe areas in Bethlehem and I would look at that closely. Bethlehem PA crime rates and statistics - NeighborhoodScout
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Old 11-09-2015, 05:01 AM
 
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hi my family and i moving to bethlehem i am in nj now looking for a place in bethlethem so which area is good because i really like to live safe area and for my grandkids to go to a safe school we are from mn please help.
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Old 11-09-2015, 05:51 AM
 
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Please re-read the post above yours. Bethlehem is a great little city, but it's a city. There's crime and the schools are not very good. If you want a higher degree of safety and good schools, choose one of our many small towns that surround the city. As a parent, our choice has always been 1) Good schools 2)within commuting distance 3)friendly neighborhood/town.
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Old 11-09-2015, 06:34 PM
 
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I live in Bethlehem and have nothing but great things to say about it. There is so much to see and do. Like most parents when our kids were little we chose to live in a small town in the cul-de-sac neighborhood in only the best school district. Fast forward to the high school years and we decided to move out of our "cocoon" and into a "not so good" school district in a city that is vibrant, and diverse. What I have learned is that even though the school ratings may not be the best that if you, as parents, are involved in your children's education they will thrive and do well.

Bethlehem is an amazing city and I was afraid to move here because of all the crime I heard about. What I have actually found is that my neighborhood is like stepping back in time to the 1970's when I was growing up. Neighbors all know another, take nightly walks, look out for one another and care about their community. Our biggest "crime" problem is teenagers in the neighborhood that have the loud exhausts on their cars lol. Yes, there is crime in Bethlehem, but you have crime everywhere. Common sense keeps you safe and I wouldn't live anywhere else.

Just for curiosity sake I found this on School Digger. Hanover is in Bethlehem School District. Parkway Manor is in Parkland School District, one of the "top rated" school districts.

In 2015, Hanover Elementary School ranked better than 98.1% of elementary schools in Pennsylvania.
In 2015, Parkway Manor School ranked better than 97.5% of elementary schools in Pennsylvania.

There are good public schools in the BASD, as well as private schools. If you truly want to live in Bethlehem, you just have to work with a knowledgeable realtor that can get you a home in the school that you want. I selected Hanover as a comparison because it is in the 18017 zip code which is where I live. Good Luck.
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Old 11-10-2015, 05:44 AM
 
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HALIT, Thanks for posting! I appreciate the perspective of someone that actually lives in Bethlehem. I've found that neighborhoods, and neighbors, can play a huge part in how we view where we live. I grew up in a very small town and while we knew our neighbors, we weren't really friends with most of them. As an adult my husband and I moved around quite a bit, and in some places we made friends with our neighbors, and some places we just knew who they were. When we moved here to a development right outside of Coopersburg, we were overwhelmed with friendship. People came with food in hand to introduce us to their whole family. The elementary school PTA Mom's welcomed me with open arms. The library people were friendly. We've lived here 18 years now, and I have never felt so at home. Our neighbors are our close friends. We are in and out of each others houses and our now adult kids still hang out with each other when they are home.

This is a big reason I am such a cheerleader for Southern Lehigh, even though I know that not all neighborhoods are like ours. Your story, HALIT, and mine, is why it's important to step away from evaluating areas solely on stats. Yes, you do have to look at schools (I always evaluate schools in HS stats, not elementary) and crime rates, but after that look at the actual neighborhood. Talk to the people that live there. I know one young couple that lived in a nice row home just west of the fairgrounds in Allentown but felt they had to move because their neighbor was rude and crazy. They now live what's considered a more dangerous area closer to CC Allentown, but the street itself is a good one, with friendly (normal) neighbors.
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Old 11-11-2015, 02:38 AM
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by HALIT View Post
In 2015, Hanover Elementary School ranked better than 98.1% of elementary schools in Pennsylvania.
There are 16 elementary schools in Bethlehem Area School District. The schools with the highest assessments are invariably HANOVER EL SCH and ASA PACKER EL SCH in Hanover Township
Quote:
Originally Posted by lmharrison83 View Post
We would be assigned to Lincoln Elementary..any thoughts on that school?
Of the 16 schools it is invariably in the lower half. Not a very good school.

You can't judge a school district by an odd choice of an elementary school. Even some of the lowest rated overall school districts in the state have some excellent scores at an individual elementary school.


My old elementary school is now the Sayre Child Center and was a 600 yard walk from my house. You can see the name "Hamilton" in the stone. Today, children in my old home would go to Lincoln (about a 2 mile drive).
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Old 11-11-2015, 11:36 AM
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by lmharrison83 View Post
Are there better schools in town that I could send my son to?
I posted this information on high schools a few years ago, but I haven't seen it updated with new PSSA scores. I think they are avoiding an overall ranking of schools.

Elementary schools within a single district tend to cover a wide range of scores, particularly in BASD. Even if your child is not currently in high school, buying and selling houses is not as easy as it used to be.

Total population of high school seniors is 28,926 (grades 9-12). Enrollment statistics are for HIGH SCHOOL only.

Wealthiest Suburban School Districts 31.1%
92.5 Emmaus High School East Penn School District 2,566
90.9 Parkland High School Parkland School District 3,109
90.6 Nazareth Area High School Nazareth Area School District 1,533
88.9 Saucon Valley High School Saucon Valley School District 751
88.0 Southern Lehigh High School Southern Lehigh School District 1,032

Inner Suburban School Districts 9.1%
86.9 Whitehall High School Whitehall-Coplay School District 1,411
86.4 Salisbury High School Salisbury Township School District 553
84.9 Wilson Area High School Wilson Area School District 669

Mostly rural School Districts 10.4%
83.5 Northwestern Lehigh High School Northwestern Lehigh School District 733
81.5 Bangor Area High School Bangor Area School District 1,087
80.6 Pen Argyl Area High School Pen Argyl Area School District 598
77.8 Northern Lehigh High School Northern Lehigh School District 587

Urban School Districts 49.4%
73.2 Freedom High School Bethlehem Area School District 1,939
72.9 Northampton Area High School Northampton Area School District 1,734
68.2 Catasauqua High School Catasauqua Area School District 497
64.9 Easton Area High School Easton Area School District 2,693
57.1 Liberty*High School Bethlehem Area School District 2,809
54.5 Louis E Dieruff High School Allentown City School District 1,783
50.8 William Allen High School Allentown City School District 2,842
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Old 12-02-2015, 04:49 PM
 
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just an fyi as well... Bethlehem does have school choice, it's listed right on their website https://www.beth.k12.pa.us/Departmen...62D7oNSKDED423

it's new from this past summer I believe
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Old 12-03-2015, 06:34 PM
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jphik1987 View Post
just an fyi as well... Bethlehem does have school choice, it's listed right on their website https://www.beth.k12.pa.us/Departmen...62D7oNSKDED423

it's new from this past summer I believe
Thanks for passing that on- I was not aware that they had that. I see that it's just for elementary students and there is some very strict criteria.
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