Narrowing Down the Search! (Boston, Lexington: environment, job, college)

[puffle]

Believe it or not, we have narrowed down our search to four towns. For those of you who haven't kept up with my annoying posts regarding areas to live, I think I might be the longest poster who has been asking questions without moving, not due to poor choices but lack of funds. Anyway, we have narrowed it down to Acton,Westford,Lexington, and Hingham in that order. I know all the high schools have high scores, but I am most concerned with the quality of the teachers and the students. Reading the comments from parents on greatschools about Lexington has scared me off a bit, Acton seems too good to be true as well as Westford. My son has a comfort factor for Lexington because he went to six grade there, but we have a much bigger criteria than 6th grade memories. It seems that the kids in Westford and Acton seem more involved in the community and with the school and have mostly positive things to say. What do you have to tell me? Again, I already know about the test scores, I want to know if these are schools with a good environment for learning and socializing without heavy drug and alcohol use. Thanks in advance!!

[Norwellian]

Originally Posted by puffle

Believe it or not, we have narrowed down our search to four towns. For those of you who haven't kept up with my annoying posts regarding areas to live, I think I might be the longest poster who has been asking questions without moving, not due to poor choices but lack of funds. Anyway, we have narrowed it down to Acton,Westford,Lexington, and Hingham in that order. I know all the high schools have high scores, but I am most concerned with the quality of the teachers and the students. Reading the comments from parents on greatschools about Lexington has scared me off a bit, Acton seems too good to be true as well as Westford. My son has a comfort factor for Lexington because he went to six grade there, but we have a much bigger criteria than 6th grade memories. It seems that the kids in Westford and Acton seem more involved in the community and with the school and have mostly positive things to say. What do you have to tell me? Again, I already know about the test scores, I want to know if these are schools with a good environment for learning and socializing without heavy drug and alcohol use. Thanks in advance!!

I don't know if anyone got back to you about Hingham, but it is a great community. Schools are fantastic and getting a lot of money pumped into them now that the commercial tax base in town is growing like crazy. School sports teams are well regarded. Great restaurants, fantastic shopping, a charming and walkable downtown as well as lots of beautiful neighborhoods to choose from. A new train line ("Greenbush") connecting the south shore to Boston will start running in September. There is also a commuter boat into Boston from the harbor. Check out nemoves.com and take a look at the movie on Hingham.

[puffle]

Originally Posted by Norwellian

I don't know if anyone got back to you about Hingham, but it is a great community. Schools are fantastic and getting a lot of money pumped into them now that the commercial tax base in town is growing like crazy. School sports teams are well regarded. Great restaurants, fantastic shopping, a charming and walkable downtown as well as lots of beautiful neighborhoods to choose from. A new train line ("Greenbush") connecting the south shore to Boston will start running in September. There is also a commuter boat into Boston from the harbor. Check out nemoves.com and take a look at the movie on Hingham.

Thanks so much. I received a post that I should stay away from Hingham because of the heavy drug and alcohol use in the high schools with the parent's knowing and that if you are not rich you are looked down upon. Considering our humble existance, this scared me along with the rest.

[NY'er lost in MA]

Puf,

Alot of it will have to do with your son's personality. You can place a bad student in a good school and the teachers might not be able to make a difference. Much of it will depend on your son's interaction with other student s and teachers. This is not something you can control Mom.

I would focus more on what he feels and also on what towns you feel most strongly about. Ideally, you should really narrow it down to one town and have a back-up plan. My wife and I just recently bought in Ashland. Our back-up town was Northborough. Both very different and good in their own ways (pros and cons).

Also- no matter what the school system, teenagers experiment with alcohol and sometimes drugs. I went to a prestigious school in NY with a college graduate percentage of 98%. Were there students that did drugs and alcohol- YES! Did I turn out ok- YES. This is also something that will be hard to control. But seeing a strong PTA group is probably a good sign. Maybe you can get in touch with the respective Superintendent's offices to set up a time to speak to a Principal via phone?

Good luck with everything!

[smarty]

Heavy drug use? No... Not my kid...

You cannot get drugs without money. Hence, don't give him money!!!

If your kid cannot stand on his own to refuse drug use, What made you think he can resist it when he goes to college? Are you going to college with him and be his roommate?

As a parent, kids need guideline. Make sure you communicate what is acceptable. Make sure he understand consequences.

Btw. There is no perfect school system. Just pray you have teachers that are decent or care. Most systems are good because of the caliber of students. A school with many kids scoring 800 on SAT usually is because of the students not the school.

[puffle]

Thanks Smarty and NY'er. I agree about the money thing. It seems a lot of kids who are given large amounts of money by parents for whatever reason, have more opportunity for drugs,etc. We believe in our son earning his money by dog walking,babysitting, car washing,etc. When they earn it they respect money more. I stopped getting allowance at 15 which forced me to get a job which I believe is a good thing. Don't worry, I don't intend to go to college with my son. Just a concerned Mom who has had all the proper talks, given the proper info and wisdom but going through the reality that I can't protect him forever.

[artichoke63]

I went to Hingham High School and did plenty of drugs. LSD doesn't cost that much. Rich friends share their cocaine.

Artie

[Rico]

We live in Acton and have kids in high school. The school is very competitive and most kids love it here. Academics are a priority and there are so many smart and talented kids here, it is just amazing. It is a big school though and that has its drawbacks. It is difficult to make many of the sports teams - so many kids tryout. I am sure drugs are here, but it is certainly not the norm. Alcohol is probably more of a problem. Westford is a nice town, too. Maybe a little less demanding/competitive and I think that might be a good thing.

[puffle]

Originally Posted by Rico

We live in Acton and have kids in high school. The school is very competitive and most kids love it here. Academics are a priority and there are so many smart and talented kids here, it is just amazing. It is a big school though and that has its drawbacks. It is difficult to make many of the sports teams - so many kids tryout. I am sure drugs are here, but it is certainly not the norm. Alcohol is probably more of a problem. Westford is a nice town, too. Maybe a little less demanding/competitive and I think that might be a good thing.

Thanks so much for commenting on these towns. The more imput the better. My son is primarily interested in soccer...has been playing since he was five. I believe he wants to either be a forward or goalie again. Next spring he wants to try LaCrosse. We really don't have much in the way of La Crosse in California yet, so he hasn't had the chance to play but would like to try it. No football!! Does Westford Academy have a good sports program or do you have to sell your soul to have your kids play?