Tustin Unified Schools (Irvine, Orange: houses, elementary school, college)

[debclark]

My husband has an offer that would return us to Orange County. He'd work in Tustin. We're looking at houses in North Tustin. We have two elementary school-age children. I know the state budget cuts have been impacting the schools for a while. How are the schools in Tustin Unified?

I really appreciate any input!

[Coldjensens]

I know about two of them. Tustin Memorial academy. An elementary school. Insanley competitive. Guaranteed to produce unhappy neurotic children and/or complete A- holes. Foothill High School - this is a pretty good high school. It has its problems like all high schools do, but for Southern California, this is a decent option.

Pverall Tustin schools are spupposed to be pretty decent, but some of them serve the lower end of Tustin residents and peform less well as a result.

How do you define a "good school"? The one that produces the greatest number of competent test takers? Most kids go to college? Fewest suicides within 5 or 10 years after graduation? Happiest kids

[debclark]

Thanks for your reply.

I'd say a good school is one that encourages and inspires kids to go to college, has high test scores but isn't so Irvine style competitive that it's anathema to average students, and doesn't have big problems with gangs or drugs. A healthy and diverse offering of extracurricular activities or elective courses would be great, but that's becoming too much to ask for in this economic climate.

That's why we're checking out Tustin Unified. At first glance it seems to have the most of what we want while being closest to my husband's job.

[Coldjensens]

Foothill High School pretty much meets your parameters. Respectable test scores and college maatriculation rates, not heavily gang infested, no more drug use than usual as far as I could learn. I do nto know about extra cirricular activities. They are big on girls softball. IN part it depends on what you want. Different schools excel n different areas, some music, some football, soccer, swimming, etc.

All schools have problems with drugs. If you are told otherwise, you are being told by someone without knowledge. The question is how rampant and what types of drugs. You will not find a high school that does not have kids using pot and cocaine and alcohol. However harder drugs like heroine, mesc., acid PCP etcetera are less prevalent at most decent schools.