relocating (Charlotte, Cary, Apex: real estate, incomes, work)

[kevkait02]

Hi,
I'm new to this forum , but I've been reading a lot of posts. My family and I are moving to North Carolina in July 2007. We've been considering Cary/ Holly Springs areas. However,we have 2 children who will be in the 6th and the 8th grade next year. We currently live in NY and my kids attend a Catholic elementary school. When we move, they will go to public school, since the private schools are way too expensive. I'm really concerned about the redistricting in the Cary schools. I'm not sure which school are good. Also, they could get moved because of over-crowding. If any parent could give me any sort of insight, I'd greatly appreciate it. Where my kids go to school and the quality of their education is my top priority. It all seems so iffy because of overcrowding issues. We visited NC last week and the real estate agent we saw mentioned that Cary HS was not that good. Please help me ... I'm very concerned and confused. Thanks so much.

[okaydorothy]

Hi there
We are also doing the catholic school here on the island and when we move the boys will go to public scholl. However, we are buying in Charlotte ; its Lincoln county schools which seem to be rated pretty high.

Just wanted to let you know you arent alone.
dorothy

[Bear Creek]

You can go to greatschools.net and click on North Carolina and then Cary and then the schools you are interested in and get a few reviews that might help, alittle. I taught in the mountains of NC. Alot of peolple have moved there. Alot of those are retired and on fixed incomes. When school bond issues come up, they vote against them, because it would raise their taxes. As a result, schools suffered.

[NCHomeFinder]

The school bond in Wake county just passed, $970M, so the plans are to renovate old schools and build new ones where needed. There really aren't any "bad" schools in Cary, although there is good and better. You can compare the scores at www.ncreportcards.com. You can also look at Wake County schools at www.wcpss.net. I taught in a Wake County middle school when we first relocated here, and I was impressed with the collaboration across the county. Yes, there are issues with redistricting to ease overcrowding, but depending upon where you buy, this may or may not be an issue.
Good luck in your search!

[raleighhomes]

I have always heard good things about Cary High School. THough you may check the county website at www.wcpss.net and go to the school directory, and click on the testing scores on the right hand side of the screen. Hope this helps. Moderator cut: Removed

[CAKD]

I have a son in 7th grade and a next year my 5th grader will be entering middle school. We are in Holly Springs. So far we are very happy with the school/s. Great teachers. Most important my kids LOVE school here. They are happy to get up and go every morning! Makes such a difference. The High School is new. If you want any more details feel free to PM me. We have been extrememly happy.

[Lizardlips]

Cakd;
We have been looking at houses in Holly Springs and Clayton, I see you moved to Holly Springs. How is it community wise?? Do you feel part of a community? Did you ever look into Clayton?? I wish I had a crystal ball. I am sure most of us do, that way we would know if this move is the right thing for us.

[CAKD]

Originally Posted by Lizardlips

Cakd;
We have been looking at houses in Holly Springs and Clayton, I see you moved to Holly Springs. How is it community wise?? Do you feel part of a community? Did you ever look into Clayton?? I wish I had a crystal ball. I am sure most of us do, that way we would know if this move is the right thing for us.

You get a nice home and a bit more land for you money in Clayton. For us it was a bit too far from hubby's work. We were coming from long commuting times in Ca and avoiding them here was top priority. We really love Holly Springs. It is a sleepy little town. I think really it is about finding the right neighborhood more than anything. I am finding that the neighborhood is the "town"/ community. Ours is great and everyone is very friendly, social and accepting.

[kevkait02]

Thanks for all your responses. CAKD, it's good to hear that your children love school. School is really my main concern. My children are excited to move, but I'm more concerned about my 12 yr old daughter, who tends to be more shy.Holly Springs sounds like it could be a good alternative to Cary. I'm going to continue w/ looking into 3 main areas-Apex, Cary, and Holly Springs. Thanks for your help.