Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Not going to a top ten school district is not the end of the world for your kid, the school district I attended (Baldwin) would not be considered good by the CD elitists, but it provided a GREAT education. Does everyone on CD really need to send their kids to Jericho?
Lots of extracirricular activities, many electives, many kids in Honors/AP, many nerdy kids, etc.
I honestly don't see why it wouldn't be an acceptable option.
My brother and his family live in Cold Spring, N.Y., in Putnam County. His three kids are in the town's public schools and are doing well. Of course the commute is over an hour, but it's direct into Grand Central.
All of the town's schools are grouped in a campus, so if you have one child in the grade school and one in the middle school, they are going to roughly the same place. I don't know about the bus service though. You'd have to look into that. It seems to me that my sister-in-law takes them to school and picks them up.
It's hard to stay in the city and get all of your kids into good schools. I am in District 2 in Manhattan and have only one child. She happens to test well and attended P.S. 6, the Lab School, and Stuyvesant H.S. But I'm glad to be finished with all that, because the process is extremely stressful.
Key word there is "accepted", who wants to go through that process just to get your kid into a good local middle and high school? Then comes the obvious question; what if the child does not get in, then what?
Persons are moving to the suburbs for many reasons but good schools and the simple process of enrolling their children is top of that list. It is pretty simple really: you live in the area, your kids are enrolled. No wait lists, no exams, no camping out overnight on vermin filled streets.
Yes that's pretty much it. No specialized high school exam, not lottery, no waitlists. You just turn up and show you now live in the district.
There are some exceptional high schools in the city - but the vast majority of kids won't get in. Plus even some of the very academically good schools that don't require the specialized entrance exam (like Townsend) can have pretty diabolical overcrowding and sports and athletic facilities or often very subpar compared to their equivalents in the burbs.
In short in NYC:
Elementary schools - there are many, many good zoned ones
Middle school - complete crapshoot - even middle schools classified as top or "good" can be wanting
High schools - a minority of excellent schools - but they have many hurdles for getting in.
Yes that's pretty much it. No specialized high school exam, not lottery, no waitlists. You just turn up and show you now live in the district.
There are some exceptional high schools in the city - but the vast majority of kids won't get in. Plus even some of the very academically good schools that don't require the specialized entrance exam (like Townsend) can have pretty diabolical overcrowding and sports and athletic facilities or often very subpar compared to their equivalents in the burbs.
In short in NYC:
Elementary schools - there are many, many good zoned ones
Middle school - complete crapshoot - even middle schools classified as top or "good" can be wanting
High schools - a minority of excellent schools - but they have many hurdles for getting in.
What about diversity? Doesn't that count as a bonus in city schools? I mean the only reason you can have excellent elementary schools and then poor junior high and high schools is because of the difference in zoning. And that difference in zoning is exactly what brings diversity to the schools.
What about diversity? Doesn't that count as a bonus in city schools? I mean the only reason you can have excellent elementary schools and then poor junior high and high schools is because of the difference in zoning. And that difference in zoning is exactly what brings diversity to the schools.
It might be a bonus if it was an actual characteristic of the schools. But, at large, most city schools are not diverse. They generally highly predominate in a single race. NYC is well know for segregated schools.
What about diversity? Doesn't that count as a bonus in city schools? I mean the only reason you can have excellent elementary schools and then poor junior high and high schools is because of the difference in zoning. And that difference in zoning is exactly what brings diversity to the schools.
NYC is overwhelming poor and minority, there is not enough upper middle class people with children living in NYC to offset the imbalance of poor minorities with children. The rich go to private school and the upper middle class moves to the suburbs. Most upper middle class families that choose to stay in NYC cluster around a few selective schools that are very competitive to be admitted into. If NYC was to end segregated school than all public schools would default to becoming bad schools as the remaining upper middle class families with children would move to the suburbs.
What about diversity? Doesn't that count as a bonus in city schools? I mean the only reason you can have excellent elementary schools and then poor junior high and high schools is because of the difference in zoning. And that difference in zoning is exactly what brings diversity to the schools.
Note that it's a live listing. May not still be there if you're seeing this a while after I posted it. The summary: 3 bed, 2 bath, 1390 sqft in Chappaqua, $525,000 ask.
Not going to a top ten school district is not the end of the world for your kid, the school district I attended (Baldwin) would not be considered good by the CD elitists, but it provided a GREAT education. Does everyone on CD really need to send their kids to Jericho?
Lots of extracirricular activities, many electives, many kids in Honors/AP, many nerdy kids, etc.
I honestly don't see why it wouldn't be an acceptable option.
Because it isn't your kid we're talking about, and the OP has every right to decide what is best for their child.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
