researching schools: Concord, Sudbury, Lexington, Carlisle, Wayland, Winchester (Boston, Woburn: house, buying)

[johngolf]

OP

Throw Andover into the mix.

You still have not thrown out any numbers as to housing cost.

[mom2ak]

Thank you for input. I am aware of the housing pricing and am looking in towns that are well in our budget. I would prefer to not give an exact number on a forum board to be honest and I hope I am not sounding rude.

Lynnfield - I just took a peak, that is too far north in my mind and from looking on our map.

Are there any amenities in Carlisle, ? The houses we find that we like are in Carlisle, Lincoln and Sudbury. Few in Lexington.

What are Wakefield and Reading like in comparison the the Carlisle, Lincoln, Sudbury and Lexington's?

Thank you for all the help and information.

I am really trying to narrow the map here.

Thanks!

[495neighbor]

Originally Posted by mom2ak

Thank you for input. I am aware of the housing pricing and am looking in towns that are well in our budget. I would prefer to not give an exact number on a forum board to be honest and I hope I am not sounding rude.

Lynnfield - I just took a peak, that is too far north in my mind and from looking on our map.

Are there any amenities in Carlisle, ? The houses we find that we like are in Carlisle, Lincoln and Sudbury. Few in Lexington.

What are Wakefield and Reading like in comparison the the Carlisle, Lincoln, Sudbury and Lexington's?

Thank you for all the help and information.

I am really trying to narrow the map here.

Thanks!

Wakefield and Reading are very different from the towns on your original list. Much more compact, less exurban.

Carlisle is mostly residential, but centrally located between Concord center which is nice to walk around and has many small independent businesses and good historic preservation and Bedford/Burlington for the big box stores and malls. It also contains Great Brook Farms for doing all kinds of outdoor activities.

[Parsec]

Originally Posted by kingeorge

I think that 1 acre in new big development near Boston with great schools pretty tall order around here. We do not have many new "executive style" developments around. There is simply no space.

Carlisle could work with commute but it seems most insular of the bunch. Also the smallest with no amenities and most rural in comparison to the rest. Somehow in my mind newer executive style home and Carlisle do not mix. Same for Concord.

Winchester, Lexington, Concord tend to be more walkable, and most homes are not on 1 acre lots. Winchester has the most "executive" vibe for me, and the best commute. Lexington and Concord commutes are doable, Lexington being better of the two. Lexington schools are highly regarded with some complaining of pressure cooker environment.

Good luck.

1 acre lots are nonexistent in Winchester. If budget is truly not a concern, OP can find what she's looking for in Lexington for under $2 million. It checks every box and along with Winchester has the shortest commute to Woburn. Of course if she wants to save a buck and still be in a top tier school system, she can find the same type of house in Westford, Sudbury or Wayland for just under $1 million but will have to deal with a 45-60 min rush hour commute and not have the nice walkable downtown that Lexington has.

[Parsec]

Originally Posted by mom2ak

Are there any amenities in Carlisle, ? The houses we find that we like are in Carlisle, Lincoln and Sudbury. Few in Lexington.

What are Wakefield and Reading like in comparison the the Carlisle, Lincoln, Sudbury and Lexington's?

There are no amenities worth mentioning in Carlisle or Lincoln aside from a few farm attractions and the Lincoln commuter rail. Carlisle shares a high school with Concord (in Concord) and Lincoln shares a high school with Sudbury (in Sudbury). I would not put Wakefield or Reading in the same class as the other towns you asked about in your first post. This will come off as snobby, but people with $1+ million budgets simply don't buy houses in those towns.

[mom2ak]

@Parsec - thank you for your input. What is your personal take on Bedford? It seems to be have nice homes, amenities and schools are good.

I am trying to understand what private school (s) to the towns of Bedford, Carlisle, Sudbury and Concord feed into?
Our elementary aged child is currently at an independent, co-ed PK-12 - very well regarded academically and overall private school. It is a wonderful school NOT snobby, although you can have that anywhere but truly not a big snobfest (do NO want). Suggestion on which schools DAY schools private to consider for elementary into middle school or is there one that has K-12?

Curious as to what private schools are noted in these areas and the reputation they have to be very frank.

Carlisle has some really nice homes along with Bedford and Sudbury. I am not sure about Lexington - lots seem a lot smaller from what I can see on realtor.

Please keep the input coming - I am very overwhelmed at the moment trying to absorb lots about the towns and also the schools.

Thank you very much!

[MikePRU]

Originally Posted by mom2ak

Thank you for input. I am aware of the housing pricing and am looking in towns that are well in our budget. I would prefer to not give an exact number on a forum board to be honest and I hope I am not sounding rude.

I can certainly understand your desire for privacy. However, keep in mind that the more detail you can give about your move the more helpful we can be. While I'm sure you've looked at these towns and determined you can afford some of the houses there we don't know if you're on the low end or the high end of these towns. Budget has a serious impact around here on where you can/cannot live. Keep in mind you're posting on an internet forum with an assumed name.

That's all. If you want to give more information . . . great! If not, we'll do the best we can to help you but our hands our somewhat tied in giving you the best direction possible.

Also, keep in mind that towns with easier commutes to Boston tend to have better resale value. So if you tend to be a bit transient (many relos are), you should keep that in mind. Some of the towns being mentioned here have longer commutes to Boston.

[gf2020]

I'll make the comment once again that I would never be in favor of moving a student the summer before their senior year in high school.

However, you've mentioned a need to commute to Burlington & Woburn and access to airports in Boston & Manchester. Towns like Carlisle, Sudbury and Wayland, really are not optimal for those requirements.

If you can afford it, and based on your prior comments, your focus should be on Lexington and Winchester first. Concord, Bedford, Winchester, Reading and Lynnfield could be the next round of alternatives.

There are some excellent private schools, including Catholic high schools, in the area, but for the most part, these towns have among the best public school systems in the nation and most people send their children to public schools.

Sharing with us an optimal high school size and a housing budget would be helpful in winnowing down this list.

[Scriptkitten]

Fenn in Concord is a well regarded boys day school.

[mom2ak]

Hello all - again information is so helpful.
As a reminder I am from MA but grew up more NW Worcester county - I have family still in the area but the towns we are looking at: Concord, Carlisle, Bedford, Sudbury - primary areas we like and then Winchester - I hear it is beautiful but know nothing about it.
Commute: we are very aware of the horrible traffic at rush hours with 95/128 and 93 or even Rt2. Ideal would be to not have a commute longer than 45 minutes. Work will be in the Burlington-Woburn area.
Budget for house: we would like to stay under $2.2M.
High school size - we would like something we say around 1500 students. Lexington HS looks BIG at around 2100 students from what I am seeing online.
We could go either way with our youngest using the public schools in these areas would probably make sense, a lot easier to connect with other kids, families and moms to be honest with our youngest in elementary school. She currently attends a private school in the Midwest (we started her in public) but academically she needed a bit more to keep her mind busy. Our son is a Junior - public school, average academically and a talented athlete. (soccer).

In touching base with our education coach for high school - they are suggesting we consider moving while our son is still in his Junior year vs. waiting until summer. Allowing a transition into the new school in his Junior year and ability to integrate academically as well as socially. He is a social kid, many friends, sports etc.

I hope this bit of more info is helpful. Thank you again - I am soaking up all this data and truly your personal takes on the towns.

Thanks!