Question about Schools and Neighborhoods Near Medina (Minneapolis, St. Paul: homes, best school districts)

[FamilyMan02]

Relocating for a job in Medina. A top priority is an excellent public middle school and high school. Based on my research so far there are several good school districts within a reasonable commuting distance of Medina. However, home prices seem generally higher than where we live now. Any recommendations for areas with homes less than $500K and excellent schools? Secondarily, which of these areas have a semblance of a walkable downtown with restaurants and shopping? Thanks in advance.

[Justabitoff]

Plymouth is partially in the Wayzata school district and many homes are under $500K (depending on what you are looking for of course). Rogers is north of Medina and since it's an outer ring suburb it is quite affordable and has an excellent school district. Maple Grove is kind of in the middle, more expensive than Rogers but less than Plymouth. Good schools but not as good (by rankings of course, they are still good!).

Wayzata and Excelsior have walkable downtowns, but they are expensive towns. Maple Grove, Plymouth and Rogers are mostly made of strip malls (although Maple Grove has a giant outdoor mall called Arbor Lakes which serves as a "downtown" so that's nice). Most of the suburbs of Minneapolis and St. Paul are "suburban sprawl." Not all, but most. It's just how it was developed. Not sure where you are moving from.

[ellysbelly]

Most of Medina is in the Wayzata school district, largely perceived to be one of the best school districts in the state-- and, yes, there's definitely a premium to be paid.

Other "top ranked" districts that you are close to would include Minnetonka-- and, unlike Wayzata, you can "open enroll" into Minnetonka regardless of where you might live (Wayzata can ONLY be attended by those who reside in district-- most other districts allow for open enrollment which allows your child to attend as long as you provide transportation). There are likely some more affordable pockets in Minnetonka's school district than you might find in Wayzata. Maple Grove, as mentioned above, also has a strong reputation (but be sure that you're in the Maple Grove and NOT the Osseo school district, if possible). I genuinely was surprised to learn that Rogers' high school is so highly rated-- that might be both close and relatively inexpensive.

PLEASE NOTE that school districts do NOT always line up with town names-- you can live in Minnetonka and be in Wayzata's school district-- you can live in Wayzata and be in Orono's school district-- you can live in Plymouth (most of which attends Wayzata) and be in the Robbinsdale school district--- you can live in Chanhassen and be in Minnetonka's school district--- and you can be in Victoria (most of which is in Chaska-Chan's district) and be in the Waconia school district). I know, clear as mud, right? Be sure to VERIFY with the SCHOOL BOARD and don't rely solely upon a realtor for school district info as we've seen quite a few listings that listed the wrong schools/district (and, yes, there's often a LARGE difference in price for those premier school districts).

Best of luck!

[TxTnVtMn]

You might consider Mound or the eastern half of Minnetonka (city). The former puts on the western (and, I think, more affordable) side of Lake Minnetonka and the latter puts you close to the walkable downtown Hopkins.

[danielle_pal]

Orono, Wayzata and Minnetonka school districts would all be great options.

[Izzie1213]

Hopkins School District is pretty good. It covers a large area. The City of Hopkins has a small "Downtown" mainstreet, it's been remodeled over the year and is pretty quaint. The homes and size of yards are small but there have been some remodeling and upgrading of homes lately. Part of Golden Valley is in Hopkins Schools, it has a shopping area close to some homes ,but no grocery store there anymore. I grew up there, parents still there. Homes are selling very quickly, average on the market 1-3 weeks in the past year. Parts of Minnetonka, St. Louis Park are also in the District.

[mr roboto]

Walkable downtowns with close proximity to Medina...

Excelsior
Wayzata
Hopkins

That’s really it.

[Glenfield]

Originally Posted by mr roboto

Walkable downtowns with close proximity to Medina...

Excelsior
Wayzata
Hopkins

That’s really it.

I would suggest you look in the other direction, west to Delano, Buffalo, and Rockford. They’re all nice small towns with good schools, and places where your money would go further than in some of the suburbs mentioned earlier.

[Izzie1213]

My sister lives in Rockford. Her son went to Rockford school. It was small enough so getting to play sports wasn't as competitive to get on team, because they just we're not many students. Enrollment has increased lately. There are having budget issues and last I heard they were thinking of being annexed by Buffalo District. Delano school district might be another choice.