How are Avondale schools vs. Rochester? (Warren, Sterling Heights: house hunting, job, housing)

[kellycolorado]

Hi everyone,

We're moving back to Michigan after almost 15 years out west. (Yes, my husband has a job offer!)

We want to live near his job in Rochester. I'm not familiar with Avondale schools. Are they OK? I think Rochester schools would be better but I'm not sure and I don't want to end up regretting our choice.

Also, if anyone has recommendations on which part of Rochester is best, please post.

thanks! -Kelly

[RedWingsFan]

I haven't went to the schools... but I have heard that the Rochester schools are better. Troy schools are also some of the best around, they are highly recommended schools.

[M TYPE X]

Rochester schools are better than Avondale... and I think they are better than Troy, but I'm a little biased. None of these are as highly rated as Bloomfield schools, of course.

[kellycolorado]

thanks for the replies. It confirms my research... It's hard not knowing people who actually live and have kids in the districts to just go by statistics.

Yeah, we looked at the Bloomfield Hills district, but our kids would be "the poor kids" in their class with the under 400K home. I don't want them to grow up with a sense of entitlement and there are some filthy rich people in that part of town. I actually have had several people, including my husband's future coworker, warn us off of Bloomfield Hills district.

He said a lot of the teachers are riding on their reputation and the majority of the kids are snobby, and since a lot of them have so much cash, there are a lot of drugs circulating.

Why spend so much for an older, smaller house just to get that I say?

He recommended Birmingham but to live near town all we could afford is like a 1200 sq ft 1920's bungalow. If we were gonna do that we'd go back the San Francisco bay area where we lived for a while.

Any more insight, please post. We go househunting in a week!

[Angel Bear]

I concur that the Rochester schools are better than Avondale. I read all of this stuff when it comes to my door

Just wanted to give you some food for thought...Have you ever considered living in the Utica area? The Utica schools have a good reputation and well, taxes are cheaper in Sterling Heights which is still in the Utica school district. You can get much more house for your money in Sterling Heights than in Rochester. You can live in the northern end of town close to the Utica and Shelby Township border, which is a 10-15 minute drive to Rochester. Sterling Heights and Utica are more down-to-Earth places and less status conscious IMHO. And, most of my Rochester friends end up coming to the Lakeside area to do all their errands on the weekends in Sterling Heights and Shelby...It's a big shopping area with lots of restaurants, a mall, etc. It's super easy to get tons of errands done. Also, Sterling Heights and Utica have many nice parks. There's a nice family feeling there too.

Best of luck with your house hunting and decisions! I hope you guys find the best house for you

[kellycolorado]

Thanks AngelBear. Rochester is already about as far from my mom and DH's parents as we can get, but I'll definitely being going to Lakeside mall for the H&M.

[M TYPE X]

Warren was once like Sterling Heights ...

Just a word of warning.

[IndigoIdeas]

Originally Posted by kellycolorado

Hi everyone,

We're moving back to Michigan after almost 15 years out west. (Yes, my husband has a job offer!)

We want to live near his job in Rochester. I'm not familiar with Avondale schools. Are they OK? I think Rochester schools would be better but I'm not sure and I don't want to end up regretting our choice.

Also, if anyone has recommendations on which part of Rochester is best, please post.

thanks! -Kelly

Hi Kelly,

I'm sure Rochester has a fine school district as well, but Avondale is a GREAT school district. It's know as Oakland County's best kept secret. It borders and has students which attend from Auburn Hills, Rochester Hills, Rochester, Troy, Bloomfield Hills and Pontiac so the population if very diverse. Also, it is one of the "smaller" districts in the area which means that there is a smaller student to teacher ratio then you will find in any type of district besides Private. Also, if you plan on your children attending high school here - not only did Avondale High get several amazing upgrades over the last few years, but it's one of the few (if not only) high school in the area not located on a main road which is of course a huge saftey consideration.

[kellycolorado]

Thanks for the info on Avondale schools. I'm having a hard time finding advice, probably because it's such a small district. But isn't Auburn Rd (21 mile) a "major" rd? Stoney Creek High is on Tienken (25 mile) for example.

thanks, Kelly

[TrippingJay]

Actually I believe that Avondale Schools have higher MEAP test scores compared to Rochester Schools. However; the kids that attend Rochester schools are much more affluent than those who attend Avondale so that is where the whole Rochester is better than Avondale stems from.
Another alternative you to consider is Troy Schools. My neice and nephew used to be enrolled in Rochester Schools and now attend Troy schools, and my sister can see the difference in the quality of education; Troy is much better.

As far a places to live in Rochester Hills/Oakland Twp, look north of Walton Blvd. You can find a great selection of housing along Adams Rd, Oakland Township, and also in Rochester by Stony Creek High near Parkdale Rd.

Good Luck!