Good School Systems on the South Shore, MA (Boston, Brockton: 2015, public schools)

[steenka01]

Thanks to everyone for such quick responses!

I didn't consider Marshfield per se because I drove through there with my husband and we didn't necessarily love the vibe we got. I certainly could be wrong as we drove through on just one day, but I liked the more quaint feel of Scituate and liked the downtown feel the harbor had without it feeling overdeveloped and had more unique shops and restaurants. It seemed that Marshfield had more chain restaurants and big-box stores, which certainly isn't a bad thing, but wasn't the charm we were looking for. We will probably rent for a year before buying, so once we're up there we can take more weekends getting a feel for the surrounding towns.

I do like how Duxbury seems to have bigger lot sizes and more bang for your buck when you look at homes, and because we don't need the train every day, could be a very good option for us.

Cohasset and Hingham seem pretty out of our price range at this point; we will be first time home buyers and will most likely be maxed out at $500K.

Due to our family's income, we want to be able to save to send our children to any college/university they like, but we won't be able to do that if we also have to pay for private school, which is why I am hoping to buy a home in a good school district. It seems that about 85% of Scituate graduates go on to higher education, which is a great number. I hate to sound snobbish myself but the town I currently work in and also graduated high school from has 98% of the student body go to college, so college readiness is something that is very important to me.

I very much appreciate everyone's input here, and if there are any other educators and/or parents on the South Shore that know more about Scituate's school system, please let me know. The more information, the better!

[jan0105]

I think Scituate and Marshfield feel very different. I'm always a little confused by how often people here suggest that they're similar.

[steenka01]

Originally Posted by jan0105

I think Scituate and Marshfield feel very different. I'm always a little confused by how often people here suggest that they're similar.

Okay so it wasn't just me! Being a non-Massachusetts native I usually trust other opinions over mine, but when we were driving through Scituate and Marshfield they seemed very different to me too.

[vtecluder617]

Originally Posted by steenka01

Cohasset and Hingham seem pretty out of our price range at this point; we will be first time home buyers and will most likely be maxed out at $500K.

$500K won't go very far in Duxbury either..depending on how big of a house you're looking for. That price point will get you small ranch/cape style homes that might need updating, and even those are hard to come by with such low inventory lately.

[jan0105]

If you can be patient and not terribly picky, there are houses in both Duxbury and Scituate under $500,000. In the past 12 months, 76 houses between $400,000 and $500,000 have sold in Scituate, with 45 sold in Duxbury.

As a comparison, 28 sold in Hingham and 15 in Cohasset.

One thing to keep in mind with Duxbury, though, is that even though the housing stock is more affordable, there is LOTS of money there. Median household income there is $120,000. For comparison, it's $117,000 in Cohasset, $103,000 in Hingham, and $102,000 in Scituate.

[Beachcomber4]

Originally Posted by jan0105

I think Scituate and Marshfield feel very different. I'm always a little confused by how often people here suggest that they're similar.

Agreed!

[steenka01]

Again very helpful information. I think 500K will be conservative, but I don't want to overextend ourselves and haven't even gotten a pre-qualification letter yet, but next spring we should have 100K for a downpayment and closing costs.

Jan0105-Just out of curiosity, if there is a lot of money down in Duxbury, why are the homes cheaper? The only reason I can think of is that is further away from Boston and no commuter rail? Thanks

[Dm84]

Originally Posted by steenka01

Again very helpful information. I think 500K will be conservative, but I don't want to overextend ourselves and haven't even gotten a pre-qualification letter yet, but next spring we should have 100K for a downpayment and closing costs.

Just remember there's more costs than just the downpayment and closing costs, especially if you buy a house that you know needs some work.

[jan0105]

Originally Posted by steenka01

Jan0105-Just out of curiosity, if there is a lot of money down in Duxbury, why are the homes cheaper? The only reason I can think of is that is further away from Boston and no commuter rail? Thanks

You got it! There is the ultra-luxury market there, with $2 and $3 million-plus waterfront estates, horse farms, etc., but the houses for us regular folk are cheaper because they're just that much farther away from Boston.

[NS-GR]

Originally Posted by jan0105

I think Scituate and Marshfield feel very different. I'm always a little confused by how often people here suggest that they're similar.

I have to say that I am confused that you are saying this too, because as far as the schools rankings (e.g., college graduation rates etc), demographic data, stats etc., the two towns are very similar. I am not sure about the community "feel" though, since I have not lived there (but as I said, we explored the area a lot because we are moving soon).
I think that many people choose Marshfield as a very good alternative to get more for the $.
In addition, some neighborhoods in Marshfield are really very nice and some areas in Scituate are not so nice (not very beautiful I mean)...
I also think that people move around the south shore all the time. The bottom line is that all these towns are great and for many people the decision about the town comes down to where they can find the best house that they like for the $$ they are willing to spend. I am not sure for example, if a house on a busy road in Scituate is better than a house in a cul de sac in Marshfield etc...