Question about San Marino (Pasadena, South Pasadena: rentals, house, to buy)

[apa1128]

Would you live there solely for the schools even though it has a large Chinese population? Or would South Pasadena be a better option for more diversity....I'm curious.

[pbergen]

Originally Posted by apa1128

Would you live there solely for the schools even though it has a large Chinese population? Or would South Pasadena be a better option for more diversity....I'm curious.

san marino is an extremely desirable town, and there's no doubt that affluent asian families (mainly chinese/taiwanese) have moved there for the schools and overall quality of life. but from what i understand, a pretty significant number of SM's non-asian families send their kids to private school nowadays. this means that SM's public schools are even more heavily chinese/asian (over 75%) than the town's population as a whole (over 50%).

south pasadena is definitely more diverse than san marino, although the asian population is still significant (slightly over 30%). you really can't go wrong either way IMO.

[apa1128]

Well, that's kind of annoying to spend that much to live there and then pay tuition....on greatschools it looks about 60/40 asian in san marino. More like 40/40/misc in south pasadena from what I can tell.

[pbergen]

Originally Posted by apa1128

Well, that's kind of annoying to spend that much to live there and then pay tuition....on greatschools it looks about 60/40 asian in san marino. More like 40/40/misc in south pasadena from what I can tell.

well, you've got to be pretty wealthy to afford a house in san marino, and apparently a lot of the town's residents can afford private school tuition on top of the housing costs and property taxes. this is actually not uncommon in a lot of wealthy communities of the LA area, especially places zoned to LAUSD which (unlike san marino) don't have top-notch public schools as an option (e.g. the westside of LA, the san fernando valley south of ventura blvd, etc).

btw, according to schooldigger.net, it appears that the asian enrollment at san marino high school is actually down from 70+% just five years ago or so to the low 60% range today. not sure if that's the beginning of a trend or merely a blip on the radar.

[apa1128]

well, we would be renting. we certainly couldn't afford to buy in san marino. our daughter is in private school now, and I have no problems keeping her in one, but thought if the public schools were that good, why spend the money. however, I'm not sure she could keep up with all the asian kids! that would concern me.

[pbergen]

Originally Posted by apa1128

well, we would be renting. we certainly couldn't afford to buy in san marino. our daughter is in private school now, and I have no problems keeping her in one, but thought if the public schools were that good, why spend the money. however, I'm not sure she could keep up with all the asian kids! that would concern me.

well, as i mentioned earlier, you really can't go wrong with either school district. clearly there is a significant number of san marino residents who don't feel comfortable with their local schools' racial/ethnic demographics and subsequently decided that private school is a better option.

you just have to make a decision based on your personal preferences. and considering your concerns and budget, it definitely sounds like south pasadena is a better bet for you.

[CA4Now]

Originally Posted by apa1128

well, we would be renting. we certainly couldn't afford to buy in san marinoe.

I don't believe that San Marino has much in the way of rental properties.

[apa1128]

I will concentrate on south pasadena. I just have to get past this one house I'm in love with in san marino! Any suggestions on where to find great rentals in south pasadena?

[drshang]

South Pasadena and La Canada are both excellent, pretty diverse school districts, although La Canada generally has better stats. Personally if there was one school district in the LA area I would put my kids (if I had them), it would be La Canada. Not only is their API pretty close/same as San Marino, they also emphasize things like sports, arts, etc., and it is pretty diverse ethnically.

I think in most metrics San Marino schools are definitely better than South Pas, but the debate is to whether or not that's education related or demographics related. There is certainly a pretty high competitiveness from what I understand in San Marino. If your kid is average/slightly above intelligence, they will most likely feel like one of the "dumb kids" in the class in a school district like San Marino. If they are very/really smart, they will be more likely to be OK. South Pas is certainly less competitive than San Marino, but the school district is also not as good, so that part about it makes sense.

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by apa1128

I will concentrate on south pasadena. I just have to get past this one house I'm in love with in san marino! Any suggestions on where to find great rentals in south pasadena?

I would take So Pasadena over San Marino anyday and I was raised in the general area. La Canada is a good choice as well. The thing about So Pasadena, overall the schools are outstanding and there is more diversity. NO, it won't be inner city living, which I doubt you are wanting anyway, but your daughter will get exposed to a little more variety.

NIta