Top School Districts in Rockland County (New York, Ramapo: lease, homes, to buy)

[SuburbanDweller]

Well, not much has changed! In my graduating class (this was in the 2000's) we had *slightly* more minorities - *slightly*. There were only two African American students in my graduating class and they were twins. There is a larger Asian and Indian population but still it's very, very white bread!

I *totally* agree about the 'if you don't go to college you are a failure'. It's so true. Seems like everyone went to top tier schools - Cornell, Smith, Princeton....*sigh*

I feel the same about raising children in that kind of an environment but I guess that most schools in wealthier areas are basically the same.

[VA Yankee]

SD, I'm sorry nothing has really changed. Where I live we have similar schools but the CHSN kids make ours look like amature hour. Luckely with (1) school system for the entire county I can have my prefered neighborhood with a more diverse school. Housing patterns are reasonably consistent and yes we have areas that look like Spring Valley.

My daughters classes look like the UN and the kids don't care which I think is great. Many of there classmates went on to UVA ,William & Mary, event Columbia. So I got the best of both.

[East Ramapo]

Whats so bad about it is it the test scores. hmmmm is it the Immagrants you guys are afraid of. What is it the Black children? I attended Ramapo highschool and i assure you that there is nothing wrong with the schools. When you are attending "white bread" schools you have to worry about your kid doing harder drugs than marijuana and also binge drinking. That is ridiculous the reasons our test scores are low is because we one of the only schools with ESL. They force the kids who cant speak a word of english to take it the first year out of their country. Im upset that you guys look at school for race that is ridiculous. COME ON 2007 i guess u guys still view us like monkeys huh.

[OhBeeHave]

Originally Posted by East Ramapo

Whats so bad about it is it the test scores. hmmmm is it the Immagrants you guys are afraid of. What is it the Black children? I attended Ramapo highschool and i assure you that there is nothing wrong with the schools. When you are attending "white bread" schools you have to worry about your kid doing harder drugs than marijuana and also binge drinking. That is ridiculous the reasons our test scores are low is because we one of the only schools with ESL. They force the kids who cant speak a word of english to take it the first year out of their country. Im upset that you guys look at school for race that is ridiculous. COME ON 2007 i guess u guys still view us like monkeys huh.

Your lack of writing skills, loose grasp on grammar as well inability to properly punctuate indicates that something, somewhere is lacking in the education your received from the secondary institution. You (in mangled English) stated that the problem is the low test scores. People looking at schools take all of this into account -- they want their children to do well and will buy a house in the district that will provide them with the best education for their money. Sometimes race plays into this, which is sad, but more often than not low scores make the final determination.

Learn when an apostrophe is appropriate, when to or not to use a question mark. Rediscover the joy of proper capitalization. Spelling is always a hit when you are posting for the masses whether they are citizens or immigrants. It was rather sad to see that despite having attended school there, you can't write it out properly. It is not Ramapo highschool. It is Ramapo High School. Yet you managed to spell marijuana correctly.

Honestly, you've nailed some of the problems in your post; it's unfortunate that your district did not provide you with the skills to convey your views in a clear and concise fashion.

[grassroots]

Oh snap...

[shirl23]

I live in Chestnut Ridge near the Montvale NJ border. It is a great town, real estate prices are more reasonable and taxes are lower relative to other Rockland towns and nearby Bergen County NJ (hence the lousy school system). And yes, my kids do go to private school. They attend Our Lady of Mercy Interparochial school in Park Ridge, NJ. There are other private school options, and one good thing is the town does provide busing to private schools within a certain distance. I did check out Saddle River Day School, which was wonderful, but I just could not afford to pay $17k per year for 1st grade. There is Rockland Country Day School and the Waldorf school (latter is right in Chestnut Ridge), but both are also costly and Waldorf may not be for everyone. Also St. Margarets Catholic school in Pearl River. HOPE THIS HELPS!

[JennyOnTheMove]

I think I may stick with it then. Chestnut Ridge offers the quiet, almost Orange County Feel to it, big property, and quiet, but yet a skip away from Tice's Corner, Pottery Barn, and everything else in upscale Bergen County. Park Ridge, Montvale, and Ridgewood. Yet also a hop skip to the Tappan Zee and to the GSP. My kids went to private school, even though we lived in Paramus, which is an 'excellent' school district. Because of what VA Yankee mentioned. Kids lazy, and parents bought them new cars, and were losers. My kids are in good colleges, work hard, waitress to pay their way through college, and bought their own cars. Private school is sometimes better. My kids went Waldorf preschool up in Warwick NY and then catholic school. They turned out pretty good! LOL

[teachmom15]

Can anyone tell me if clarkstown SOUTH is different from North in population and pressure (money, college, etc.) as mentioned in this thread?

Also, you probably already know this, but you must call each town or school district in Rockland that you hope to be in to be sure that the street you are looking at for a home is actually included in a certain district...do NOt trust the owner/landlord or even a realtor...sometimes they just don't know for real themselves! Airmont, for example is divided between a very good school district (Ramapo Central) with the best Elem. School (Cherry Lane) and then some parts are East Ramapo.

Moderator cut: Advertising/Soliciting

[SuburbanDweller]

No, it's no different at South. The two are excellent schools, but there is a lot of keeping up with the Joneses. If it were between North and South, I'd just go with whatever house you liked better.

[ckhthankgod]

What about Nyack? It is a very diverse school and the area doesn't seem to be bad.

Also, a college friend of my wife and I is from and still lives in West Nyack. I can see how the Clarkstown schools are like that in terms of keeping up and competition. Our friend did have quite a few Filipino friends too.

Here is a good place to look at districts in that area: New York schools - NY elementary, middle and high school information