Beavercreek or Kettering? (Dayton, Fairfield, Centerville: crime rate, how much, houses)

[G Not]

Hi to all! We are relocating to the Dayton area and were originally sure that Beavercreek was where we wanted to live. We have a son with special needs and had heard that the district was good with kids on IEPs.
Additionally, the school we would want to attend received and 'A' on the Ohio Schools Report Card for "students with disabilities."

After researching further, however, it seems like Kettering is another good option. Kettering also seems like it has more parks, a great Rec Center, and more walkability. We live are very active and my son has boundless energy, so this is attractive to us.

My main concern, however, is that even though Kettering as a district seems to have a great reputation for working with special needs kids (and the district received an "A" on the "student's with disabilities" portion of the report card) The individual schools that my son would attend (Indian Riffel or Prass Elementary School) received a "C's" in the "students with disabilities" area. I was told that these were the two schools in the district that had "resource rooms" for special needs kids.

So, overall, which city do you prefer and why? Also, if any of you have any personal experience with having a special needs child in either area that info would be much appreciated as well!

Thanks so much!

[PerryMason614]

Everybody always asks these questions without divulging price point. How much do you want to pay for a house? I would guess if you want something new and with a higher price point, you go to Beavercreek. If you want an old established community with a lower price point you go to Kettering.

[SWOH]

Hey G Not, hope you're aware there is a Dayton subforum and if you posted this there you would get a lot more and better responses.

Anyways, I don't have any knowledge of schooling for IEP children, nor does anyone I know on the forum.

Your best bet would be to contact each individual school and talk to whomever you can about what exactly they offer. Also if you are somewhere within reasonable distance it would be a good idea to come over and check out the schools themselves.


Also, as the poster above noted Beavercreek is "newer build" and Kettering is "older build".
That being said, Kettering has houses with more character and higher walkability. IMO schools are equivalent, as is desirability for both communities. I would not claim one to be of a higher price point than another, both have very large and diverse housing stock - lots of people in both communities residing in houses worth under $100k as well as over $1 million.


Good luck!

[PerryMason614]

Originally Posted by SWOH

Also, as the poster above noted Beavercreek is "newer build" and Kettering is "older build".
That being said, Kettering has houses with more character and higher walkability. IMO schools are equivalent, as is desirability for both communities. I would not claim one to be of a higher price point than another, both have very large and diverse housing stock - lots of people in both communities residing in houses worth under $100k as well as over $1 million.


Good luck!

I've never seen those places. The parts of Kettering I've seen look very modest. I've always heard they were there, I've just never seen them. Oakwood, which I believe is next door, is very nice however/

[hensleya1]

Originally Posted by G Not

Hi to all! We are relocating to the Dayton area and were originally sure that Beavercreek was where we wanted to live. We have a son with special needs and had heard that the district was good with kids on IEPs.
Additionally, the school we would want to attend received and 'A' on the Ohio Schools Report Card for "students with disabilities."

After researching further, however, it seems like Kettering is another good option. Kettering also seems like it has more parks, a great Rec Center, and more walkability. We live are very active and my son has boundless energy, so this is attractive to us.

My main concern, however, is that even though Kettering as a district seems to have a great reputation for working with special needs kids (and the district received an "A" on the "student's with disabilities" portion of the report card) The individual schools that my son would attend (Indian Riffel or Prass Elementary School) received a "C's" in the "students with disabilities" area. I was told that these were the two schools in the district that had "resource rooms" for special needs kids.

So, overall, which city do you prefer and why? Also, if any of you have any personal experience with having a special needs child in either area that info would be much appreciated as well!

Thanks so much!

You might get more traction if you post this in the Dayton forum.

It really depends on what you're looking for. All things equal, a house of equal square footage and equal vintage will be worth more in Beavercreek versus Kettering... Part of that has to do with perception, and part of it has to do with it being in Greene County... on the other side of the county line where taxes are considerably lower. But there's plenty of houses at all price points in both towns.

Some parts of Kettering are fairly walkable (near the Town and Country shopping center), as is most of Oakwood. There's also plenty to do within the city limits - the Fraze comes to mind. Most parts of Beavercreek, by contrast, are centered on driving... that said, the Greene is a walkable shopping center but it's located on the Beavercreek side of the county line. This is because the housing stock is mostly newer and the bus line doesn't go out that far. Regardless of where you do end up living, the two cities border each other and you can get pretty much anywhere in the metro area in about 15-20 minutes.

I don't have any experience with special needs children but after dealing with lots of children from both the Kettering and Beavercreek school districts, I definitely think Beavercreek is doing a better job.

[wrightflyer]

Originally Posted by OliverD614

I've never seen those places. The parts of Kettering I've seen look very modest. I've always heard they were there, I've just never seen them. Oakwood, which I believe is next door, is very nice however/

Agreed. Parts of Kettering are older, 1940's salt box homes, parts are 1950's/60's ranches and colonials. Others are large executive homes from the 1960's/70's/80's. There are few homes in the 750K+ range and they are large estate homes, most of which are now 15+ years old. So, yes, Kettering has very diverse housing stock and pretty much every one of the plats are established with mature landscaping, etc.

That said, some of those salt box homes aren't as well cared for as others, so parts of Kettering have a "better" reputation than others. That mostly comes down to the more working class east side to the wealthier west side and parts of the south side.

Beavercreek is more open in that many of its older neighborhoods mostly date from 1950's and newer. Even then, most are built in the 70's/80's/90's all the way to the present. While Beavercreek proper is rather developed, there is more new development potential in its township portion to the east. Kettering, on the other hand, is landlocked and cannot grow new subdivisions easily. In all, Kettering tends to be much denser than pretty much all parts of Beavercreek, except maybe the parts around the Fairfield Commons Mall. Even then, there are probably denser parts of Kettering.

You'll get more home typically for your money in Kettering, though the home will be older. Similar size homes are more expensive in Beavercreek typically, though they also tend to be newer. More homes are listed on the MLS at the 200K and higher price point than in Kettering. Beavercreek also draws transfers for the air force base north and northwest of Beavercreek, so resale tends to be swift and gives better selection when it comes to inventory. This is most observable in the summer months when families move for the military when kids aren't in the middle of the school year.

Oakwood is beautiful and has great schools. Pretty much best in the area. But I've heard the special needs program isn't the best. The school is focused on high performance college prep and isn't a large district.

As a note, most new money is in parts of Centerville/Washington Township, Springboro/Clearcreek Township and Beavercreek/Beavercreek Township. Parts of western Kettering and much of Oakwood is where older money is. That is, if that is a criteria for you. It at least gives a reason for price points, IMO.

[Icemodeled]

I would prefer beavercreek over kettering though both are fairly nice. I think bcreek is nicer, more to do and enjoy. There are some beautiful homes, both new and older. Schools are very decent, though I am not sure about dealing with special needs kids. I have heard good things about the schools from parents who live their. We usually beavercreek 3-4 times a month, love the shopping and dining. Crime rate is rather low also.