Information on schools in Louisville and Surrounding areas (Lexington: houses, neighborhood)

[rauroy1]

My family is looking to relocate to the Louisville area and I am looking for information on the schools. There are a lot of posts out here, but haven't found one that specifically answers my questions, so I am hoping my own post will help.

What I am looking for is where the best public schools are in the Louisville area. Is it better in Louisville or a suburb in Kentucky or Indiana? We have a young family. When we move (hopefully early next summer), one child will be in 2nd grade and the other in preschool. The very most important factor in where we live is the school where our children will go and the neighborhood they live in. We are coming from Green Bay, WI, where our oldest goes to a good public school and we live in a good neighborhood within walking distance to that school. Hoping to find a neighborhood where the public school is similar in quality of education and to be able to be in walking distance to it.

I have been trying to do research regarding the schools by looking at the data provided on the Kentucky public school webiste. I have been able to see some schools that seem to having higher "percentages", but not really sure how that equates in the "real world". And Louisville's system of school clusters confuses me. How often does is a student assigned to a school that is different from their primary school where they live? I see each cluster has better and worse schools, based on the numbers I was looking at. I just don't feel comfortable not knowing what school our children will go to until we move. And if we buy a house in a good neighborhood, I don't want our children going to a different school that where the neighborhood kids go. Again, the most important thing is the safety and educational experiences for our children. We prefer public over private school due to the cost of private schools.

I don't know where my husband will be getting a job, but he is willing to commute somewhat, not more than 30-45 minutes, so I don't believe that will be a factor in where we live. We are looking to buy a home in a residential "suburby" neighborhood, at about $175,000. I have been on realtor.com just getting general ideas on houses in that price range that seem to fit our needs, but not sure about the school part of it, if it would be a good neighborhood for us.

I must say that we have never been to Louisville before. We chose it as our a possiblity, along with Lexington, after doing research on numerous cities based on population, crime, cost of living, house values, etc, and weather. Weather is why we decided to move in the first place. Wisconsin winters have finally gotten to much for us, and are looking for a place that is warmer but still has some of the Midwestern qualities that we appreciate. On a side note, are we correct in believing that it does snow a little in Louisville, but just doesn't stay for very long?

I hope I have explained our situation well enough and I thank anyone in advance who can help.

[tomocox]

Originally Posted by rauroy1

My family is looking to relocate to the Louisville area and I am looking for information on the schools. There are a lot of posts out here, but haven't found one that specifically answers my questions, so I am hoping my own post will help.

What I am looking for is where the best public schools are in the Louisville area. Is it better in Louisville or a suburb in Kentucky or Indiana? We have a young family. When we move (hopefully early next summer), one child will be in 2nd grade and the other in preschool. The very most important factor in where we live is the school where our children will go and the neighborhood they live in. We are coming from Green Bay, WI, where our oldest goes to a good public school and we live in a good neighborhood within walking distance to that school. Hoping to find a neighborhood where the public school is similar in quality of education and to be able to be in walking distance to it.

I have been trying to do research regarding the schools by looking at the data provided on the Kentucky public school webiste. I have been able to see some schools that seem to having higher "percentages", but not really sure how that equates in the "real world". And Louisville's system of school clusters confuses me. How often does is a student assigned to a school that is different from their primary school where they live? I see each cluster has better and worse schools, based on the numbers I was looking at. I just don't feel comfortable not knowing what school our children will go to until we move. And if we buy a house in a good neighborhood, I don't want our children going to a different school that where the neighborhood kids go. Again, the most important thing is the safety and educational experiences for our children. We prefer public over private school due to the cost of private schools.

I don't know where my husband will be getting a job, but he is willing to commute somewhat, not more than 30-45 minutes, so I don't believe that will be a factor in where we live. We are looking to buy a home in a residential "suburby" neighborhood, at about $175,000. I have been on realtor.com just getting general ideas on houses in that price range that seem to fit our needs, but not sure about the school part of it, if it would be a good neighborhood for us.

I must say that we have never been to Louisville before. We chose it as our a possiblity, along with Lexington, after doing research on numerous cities based on population, crime, cost of living, house values, etc, and weather. Weather is why we decided to move in the first place. Wisconsin winters have finally gotten to much for us, and are looking for a place that is warmer but still has some of the Midwestern qualities that we appreciate. On a side note, are we correct in believing that it does snow a little in Louisville, but just doesn't stay for very long?

I hope I have explained our situation well enough and I thank anyone in advance who can help.

In direct response to your post, Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) are out. You can find several nice areas to live in Jefferson County, but the ideal neighborhood you are looking for there will require a public/parochial school to keep your child within walking distance their entire elementary through high school tenure.

You can find a very solid education in several of the smaller S. Indiana communities, none better than Brownstown, which gives you the price/walk range, but I don't know which is truly best for you within commute range.

While Oldham County Schools are the best public school value in the area, there is not a public school within a $175-200,000 price range for walkers. I will share that Oldham County by and large is an excellent place to live at any age. If you don't mind a short school bus ride, you'll find that not only are the Oldham County schools arguably the best in the state, you'll also find them extremely balanced in quality.

Many members of this forum will disagree with me, but none who disagree have lived in both Oldham and Jefferson County with students in each district.