Please help - moving to the Seacoast (Derry, Dover: real estate, renting)

[jlaneme]

My family are moving to the Seacoast region and have been searching for a great place to live since this past June. We finally narrowed our search down to Portsmouth, Dover, Exeter, Stratham, Greenland, Hampton (not Hampton Beach), Rye and Madbury. Of course, after further research, we found we couldn't afford anything in Rye, Hampton or Greenland and very little in Portsmouth, Exeter or Stratham. That left us with Dover. Feeling pretty good about our decision, I started doing further research on the school systems, particularly the Woodman Park School and the Dover High School. The High School is very large - any feedback on the school system? I noticed on previous threads that drugs are an issue (as in most schools these days) and the fact that it's just so big - 1600 kids? Also noticed the test scores were a little on the low side. I have a child not yet 3 so it's a couple years away but it will be here before I know it and it's of particular concern for me. Also, what types of activities are offered for families of young children? Sense of community, etc? It's hard searching for a new home when you are looking from away. How is downtown Dover? I guess I know there are good and bad to every place but I'm trying to get an honest and good sense of the perception of Dover and the people who live there, the school system, the community, etc.

Are there bad vs good areas of Dover? The house we are looking at falls in the Woodman Park School area.

I appreciate any feedback you can provide - thanks!

[rockyhillgal]

Have you considered Durham, Dover's next door neighbor? It has the best HS in the state and is home to UNH. The thing about NH schools is that they are all locally funded. So...wealthier towns provide their children with a better education than not so wealthy towns. It is choppy and uneven, and currently subject to reexamination by the legislature. You are wise to examine the school systems very closely before making your purchase.

[ribby84]

Hi,
My family is also relocating to the seacoast area. Have you looked at North Hampton. I absolutely loved it. I also looked at Exeter and Durham, but very big. Norh Hampton housing is expensive but us the school is well worth it. I have heard mixed reviews about the high school but there is some great charter high schools in the area also. Our first two of four are in K and 1st, so we are focused on elementary and middle for the moment. North Hampton offers a very creative curriculum and does not relay and standardizd math and reading programs. An intensive language program starts in 3rd. It is not for everone - we are looking for a more hands on project based curriculum. It is a school that is fighting "no child left behind" and cookie cutter education. All the other schools in ther area looked great but if your looking for something a little different it was just a thought. I visited North Hampton, Exeter, Durham, and Stratham. Exeter was aslo a very good school but the middle school has like 1200 kids. I would love to hear any feedback you have on the area as we are hoping to be moved by this summer.

[jlaneme]

Thanks for the feedback. We have looked at similar towns - the housing seems a bit higher but school systems seem well worth it. The Exeter School system is suppossed to be the best in the state and I believe the Durham residents attend the same schools...correct me if I'm wrong. I really appreciate any and all feedback regarding this topic. It's such a tough call - you want the best for your children and a solid school system is a MUST. The Seacoast is a beautiful area to live in - at least from what I've seen! I just want to be certain we are making the right choices for us and our daughter, who will be attending sooner than we think! Would love to hear any additional feedback. Good luck with your moves and thanks for everybody's help!

[wardlwag]

We have looked at all of those towns as well...we narrowed our search to Newfields, Stratham and Durham...Newfields and Stratham attend the Exeter Schools, which have a wonderful reputation...Durham kids go to the Oyster River Schools which I have also researched and is supposedly just as good if not better than Exeter...I am sure the kids will get great educations at either school...Yes, real estate taxes in these neighborhoods are very high, but still cheaper than where I am on Long Island, taxes here are killing me...we hope to sell our house and be on the Seacoast by the summer...good luck to all of us!!!!!

[ribby84]

Hi jlaneme,
Thanks for the info on North Hampton. I also grew up in Maine - central Maine. It is hard as the Seacoast is so expensive, but it is a great area. We are going to try to swing North Hampton as we have 3 boys and a girl and looking for a more hands on school as the kids thrive when involoved in projects versus static worksheets. I personally like Durham over Exeter. I didn't visit the high schools but was not impressed with the exeter middle school - 1200 kids. Durham was much smaller, and seemed like alot more organized. And alot more indivudual attention. Do you have children in school yet? you can also go to greatschools.net and read parent reviews.

[jlaneme]

Hi,
My daughter is 2 - so I've got a bit of time but it will be here before we know it! Thanks for the info on Durham and Exeter. I really liked Exeter and my husband currently is renting in Durham during the weeks while we are here waiting for the house to sell. Anyway, he loves Durham and I always liked the energy of a college town. The taxes in both places are so high - but I guess it makes up for no state taxes. Downtown Exeter is great - I really enjoyed it there this Summer. Our problem is that the expensive housing has forced us to look in Dover and the schools there are huge - I think the high school has 1600 kids! We will keep looking and thanks for the website - I'll check out some of the parent reviews. I think it's great that you've toured the schools. I guess you really have to - we all want the very best for our kids!

[geralynsch]

We are also from Long Island and looking in the Exeter and Oyster River Schools (Durham). We are still in the preliminary stages of deciding if we are really going to make this move. Mostly just looking on the internet at what we can get for out $. Anything I can find out about those districts would be good.

The other area we were looking into was Derry,Hampstead & Chester areas. The housing seems to be cheaper. The High School is Pinkerton Academy for all three towns. If anyone out there has information about that area I would be interested.

[jlaneme]

I have a great friend who lives in Derry. She's got 3 kids and moved there specifically because of the great school system. Lots of parent involvement, great teachers, enormus interest in the schools. It's about an hour away from Portsmouth. The drawback to Derry is that they don't have a public kindagarden but the townspeople are working hard to make that happen in the future. Good luck!

[ribby84]

Hi, It seem like their is a fair number of families looking to move to the seacoast, like ours. I have been back and forth about 8-10 times now so I wanted to share my thoughts. We are relocating primarily for a new school district as we are very unhappy with ours in Rhode Island and also our kids have spent alot of time in Maine with my Mom and Dad and love snowboarding and the outdoor winter activities. First is I think most areas have very good school systems but it depends on what you are looking for for your children. We have concentrated on North Hampton, Exeter and Durham. North Hampton is by far our first choice as we are looking for a less traditional setting. In that I mean less of a "cookie cutter" type school. What we don't want is what we have now - our two boys sitting all day doing work sheets. Everyone is expected to be at the same place at the same time and get there the same way. North Hampton is more like a charter school as it is a very hands on project based curriculum with a language immersion progaram. Kids are outside learning and playing instruments in the hall etc. Programs are individualized to meet the children's learning styles. I met with the principal Peter Sweet who is an adjunct proffesor at UNH. He is a true visionary. Great School. I also vistied both Exeter elementary schools and the middle school. A good school but very traditional (which a lot of people are looking for). They have quite a bit going on but they adhere to the curriculum and the kids are pretty much doing the same thing. They don't allow classroom observation which was a turn off for me, because I would never send my child to a school without sitting in on some classrooms. I am sure I could have pushed but after a visit to the middle school I decided it wasn't for me. The middle school is huge 1600 kids, and expecting that to be higher next year. They have the kids in "pods" with teacher overseeing groups but it was just way to big for me esecially for middle school. I did not visit the high school but it looks good from their web site. Overall parents seem to be happy with it. I talked with two teachers and one parent. The only complaint I got was in middle and high school they group people heterogeneously so some felt the needs of all the kids were not being met. Durham has a much different philosophy and is much more progressive I am sure do to UNH influence. If you look at the elementary's school philosophy on homework you will see the difference. They are very innovative in learning syles and offer a much more creative approach to their curricululum. The middle school was much smaller and more organized, reaching out to the kids at a crucial age. I did not visit the high school but also seems good. My husband thinks not having football is un american - - which Oyster River does not. Anyways my first pick for my family would be North Hampton. The high school isn't that great but they just got funding to research becoming an independent school district giving the kids in North Hampton the school of choice. I just thought I would share my thoughts and I would love to hear anyone elses thought on the towns/schools. Stratham is also suppose to be very good but I did not look as it feeds into the exeter middle school. Also for those with older kids their is an Equine Charter School in Dover and a Arts and Technology in Barrington if anyone is looking for an alternative High School. A math an science charter is opeinng in New Hampshire in Sept 2007 - they are still unsure of the location but it looks amazing for those kids looking for intense math and science programs.