Best school system near Boston (Newton, Brookline: how much, house, neighborhoods)

[MontanaTripper]

Thanks for your help with this:

We are looking at places to live outside of Boston: Lincoln, Weston, West Concord, Wellesley.... We are shocked at the prices of private school [$32,500.00? Are you kidding me?] and realize that with three kids it just isn't an option. So...I have looked at the rankings, but would like some feedback as to others' experiences with these school systems [I have read other posts about them, but not all have been addressed, and not comparatively].

Also, if you know any of them well, could you address the "feeling" of the community? We would be moving from Montana, and are very down to earth folk. I am not sure how we would fair with people who are overly concerned with class issues.

Thanks for your help!

MT

[twentyfour]

Consider Westwood and Needham as well. Wellesley might be too snobby and less laid back for your type.

[brsdad]

South of Boston you may want to look at Cohasset and Norwell. Great schools (among the best in state) and very inclusive

[ogre]

I know less about the reputation of Wellesley's schools than those in the other towns you've considered. Being that Wellesley is a very affluent town, I'd guess that the schools are good, but I don't happen to know. The other towns have excellent schools. They're really basically public prep schools, geared toward the purpose of getting the kids ready for college, and they send more than their share of kids to prestigious colleges. If you live in any of those towns, you can save the expense of private schools, unless you're interested in having a private school's name on your kid's resume, because your children will get similar educations at the public schools in Weston, Lincoln, or Concord.

Regarding the atmosphere in those towns, I can't speak about Wellesley from inside knowledge, but as TwentyFour points out, Wellesley's reputation is that it's a snooty town. Again, that's only the town's reputation in the area, not something I can tell you from having spent a lot of time in Wellesley. Of the towns you're asking about, I'm most familiar with Weston, having grown up there and still having family there. If you can afford to live in Weston, it's kind of a given that you're at a certain economic level. I don't know the attitude of Weston's adults toward people of more modest means, though I can tell you that I recall some snobbery among the kids there as I was growing up. Among their own crowd, Weston's adults seem reasonably laid back, although, as is the case in most towns, there is a core of political types who try to throw their weight around in town affairs.

In terms of physical setting, Wellesley is more of a grid-pattern suburban town, with sidewalks and a fairly sizable downtown. Downtown Wellesley does tend to be defined by fancier stores, coffee shops, and somewhat upscale little eateries, though there is a drugstore, as well as a supermarket maybe half a mile from downtown along the main street.

The other towns are more woodsy, with trees and fields and winding roads. They all used to be genuine country towns before becoming bedroom communities. Of the three, Weston is the most suburban in population density, thogh the streets do wind around, and there is a fair amount of woodland scattered through town. Off the main roads, there are distinct neighborhoods. Only a few of the principal thoroughfares have sidewalks, but most residential neighborhoods have little enough traffic that you can go for walks without endangering your life. There is a small town center with a collection of businesses where you can take care of everyday needs. Concord is the most country/exurban of the towns you've listed, though West Concord has a good basic shopping area. Lincoln is somewhere between Weston and Concord in population density, and, as far as I know, though I'm not highly familiar with the town, has less of even the basic kind of shopping than Weston or West Concord.

So, there are some basics. Best of luck with your move and your search for the right town.

[smarty]

First, I would like to say if you think private school tuition is high... have you look at 2007 median house price and average tax bill for those towns? Also, be prepare to put up $50-100/hr private tutoring fees... it's like dance lessons... it is so popular.

Lincoln $1,117,500 ; tax $10,789 ; % tax increase 2000-2007 44.3%
Weston $1,225,000 ; tax $13,739; % tax increase 2000-2007 70.4%
Concord $780,000 ; tax $9,740; % tax increase 2000-2007 72.2%
Wellesley $963,250 ; tax $8,962 ; % tax increase 2000-2007 76.3%


They are very different towns...

Lincoln... a very small town... rural feel... people are really into privacy, preserving agriculture. MA Audubon society/Drumlin Farm Nature Center and DeCordova Museum are some big attractions. As much as 40% of the kids goes to private schools. Population 8K; density 552/sq mile
Lincoln MA Community Web Page

Weston... It rank 9th in Money's top 25 earning towns. The town has six units of affordable housing. There's not much in the way of local commerce, and residents who want a drink still have to drive out of town since the tavern isn't set to open until 2013. Their high school rival most private schools. Population 11.5K; density 680/sq mile.

West Concord is the "low price" housing area of concord where there are lots of shops, restaurant, car dealership, historical sites, and even a medium security Prison. It is most famous for Walden Pond and many historical sites like Minuteman National Historical Park. Concord population about 17K; density 675/sq mile
Concord Chamber of Commerce, Concord, Massachusetts 01742

Wellesley... biggest of them all with about 27K population; density 2,650/sq mile. I would say it has most to offer in terms of shops, restaurants, services, ... Like Weston, it has great highway access. Wellesley college and Babson College are in town. Like Concord, the town offers sidewalk.
Town of Wellesley, Massachusetts - Visitor Information

[jayrandom]

There are a lot of very good school districts in the suburbs. At some point, the difference in quality becomes negligible. Your budget and what you're looking for will determine which one is best. In the price range of those other towns you've mentioned, you might want to consider Dover and Sherborn, as well. They are both very rural.

[MontanaTripper]

Thank you all for your very helpful, very thoughtful responses. It is interesting to see how much of our society here in America is factioning itself off. I suppose if we move to any of these wealthier towns we will do the same. Mind you, with Montana's meth problem, and below-average school system, we pony up extra money for a private schools here [which is affrodable]. *Sigh.*

Anyway, thanks so much!

MT

[munkiz]

My husband and I both have good jobs, yet are finding impossible to buy a house and send our kids to good schools all at the same time. The cities mentioned above are great if you have lots of money. Less expensive is a town called Reading which has a fairly good repuation. We are considering it, but you can't get a house for under 400K there.

[CarolineS]

My subjective rankings of suburban school districts:

1. Brookline
2. Wellesley
3. Newton
4. Needham

These all have excellent reputations for quality teachers, lots of kids going on to good colleges, great leadership opportunities and lots of money dedicated to them. Personally, I wish I had gone to the Brookline schools. I visited Brookline High during my senior year of hs and wished that I had gone there over my own private school. The best elementary school in Brookline is generally considered the Baker school, which is in the south brookline/chestnut hill area. Brookline would also be good for you, as it is not a "snooty" community at all. People there are extremely down to earth. If I had to (once again subjectively) rate the towns by that characteristic, my ratings would be adjusted as follows:

1. Needham
2. Brookline
3. Wellesley
4. Newton (although the north side is generally better than the south)

I would still recommend checking out private schools. Many have more flexible tuitions than it would appear. I went to one, and it gave out a LOT of "need based" scholarships, just like a college.
To put this all in perspective, I grew up in Newton and graduated from high school in 2004.

[MontanaTripper]

Thank you. I have looked at Dover and it looks lovely. Almost too isolated? I will look at Brookline; somehow, it did not hit the radar. Both Wellesley and Dover made "top 100 Schools" by US News and World Report. Not one school from Montana on THAT list....

MT