School Districts to avoid? (Minneapolis, St. Paul: neighborhoods, buying, best schools)

[Haver]

Everyone asks "what's a good school district", but I really have a sense that except for a few outlyers most districts do a good job of teaching - and the real stress on the school system is from the surrounding community more than money spent or what the educational emphasis is.

If I'm wrong, then please educate me.

If I'm right - then what districts should I avoid buying into, and why is it so avoidable? The only scenerios I can think of are distressed neighborhoods or communities with a lot of fixed-income types that can't afford to fund services, or perhaps areas with a libertarian "I got mine, now you go get yours" attitude to public services.

[MNNative]

Hopefully I'm not just reiterating your point, Haver, I hope you don't mind but I'd like to add to your question.

I've actually been wondering the same thing, primarily cause we're moving and looking for a new district, and I'm noticing that the majority of responses to other threads have been that MN has great schools overall.

It seems to me the "bad apple" districts is a shorter list. But what I struggle with is how some people disregard districts and say it's cause there are better options nearby. Regardless of the better districts nearby I'd like to know specifically which ones would be off limits and why. (If for whatever reason you didn't want to live in X district, which is excellent, but would like the one next door that is great but not excellent, it's misleading to disregard the great one and make it seem worthless.) Or better yet, which districts would be alright providing you live and enroll in ____areas/schools/neighborhoods. <~I'm thinking about Mpls for example. There are fantastic schools in that city and to say the district sucks is an obvious mistake.

[golfgal]

My short list of schools to avoid in the metro:

St. Paul Public Schools
Minneapolis Public Schools
North St. Paul/Tartan-not very good schools, better choices near-by
Cottage Grove-same as above
Farmington (only because a mile away you have the best schools in the state) ok schools but not great
Anoka-Hennipen--long time financial troubles.
Inver Grove Heights--expensive to live there, not very good schools, right next door to 196 schools
South St Paul--schools are ok, community is not the best

Woodbury I put on the list just because it isn't a town I like, never have. Schools are ok but again, better choices on that side of the cities.

[MNNative]

Originally Posted by golfgal

My short list of schools to avoid in the metro:

St. Paul Public Schools
Minneapolis Public Schools
North St. Paul/Tartan-not very good schools, better choices near-by
Cottage Grove-same as above
Farmington (only because a mile away you have the best schools in the state) ok schools but not great
Anoka-Hennipen--long time financial troubles.
Inver Grove Heights--expensive to live there, not very good schools, right next door to 196 schools
South St Paul--schools are ok, community is not the best

Woodbury I put on the list just because it isn't a town I like, never have. Schools are ok but again, better choices on that side of the cities.

What makes a school "not very good"? I've always wondered that. I mean really, in general is there a benchmark? I have read different "school ratings" and each one pegs a different school or district at the top based on however they chose to calculate scores or whatever data they're reviewing. So what should be things to look at when you are evaluating schools/districts?

Also, why isn't Osseo on your list? According to the "ratings" they're worse than some of the schools you mentioned.

[nick is rulz]

send them to public schools in the city. That way they wont take life so seriously and develop ulcers when they get a B in Chemisty and consider suicide because it will "ruin their chances of being successful".

[Slig]

Some of the most well adjusted, most open minded and most intellectual people I've come in contact with came up through Minneapolis public schools, mainly South and Southwest. I think the increased diversity can be extremely valuable for exposing someone to different cultures and different styles of thinking. In retrospect I would rather have gone to South than Anoka High School where I graduated in 2000 with a bunch of ignorant racist hicks.

[nick is rulz]

yeah plus a couple Minneapolis public schools are in the top 5% of the country.

[golfgal]

Originally Posted by nick is rulz

yeah plus a couple Minneapolis public schools are in the top 5% of the country.

In what ranking????

[golfgal]

Originally Posted by MNNative

What makes a school "not very good"? I've always wondered that. I mean really, in general is there a benchmark? I have read different "school ratings" and each one pegs a different school or district at the top based on however they chose to calculate scores or whatever data they're reviewing. So what should be things to look at when you are evaluating schools/districts?

Also, why isn't Osseo on your list? According to the "ratings" they're worse than some of the schools you mentioned.

There are a lot of things that make a school 'not good'. Graduation rates, program offerings, administration, community support, atmosphere in the school, the value the students put on education. While it is difficult to define completely these schools tend to rank among the 'worst' have have for a long time. As far as Osseo not being on the list, not all that familiar with the district. I am sure there are other schools, that is just the list I came up with off the top of my head.

[MNNative]

Originally Posted by golfgal

There are a lot of things that make a school 'not good'. Graduation rates, program offerings, administration, community support, atmosphere in the school, the value the students put on education. While it is difficult to define completely these schools tend to rank among the 'worst' have have for a long time. As far as Osseo not being on the list, not all that familiar with the district. I am sure there are other schools, that is just the list I came up with off the top of my head.

I don't mean to single you out.

Thanks for your reply, though.

As for which Mpls schools fall in the top 5%...off the top of my head, Patrick Henry HS (according to Newsweek) and Southwest is 13th in the state for HS's (according to School Digger). There are a few elementary and middle schools who rate well also...can't remember there names (Anthony and Lake Harriet stick in my mind though...)