Best place to raise a family in Orange County? (San Diego: renter, HOA)

[danandlova]

Hello all,

We are relocating to the Orange county area. My husband is required to work in Irvine. We are in our mid-30's. We have 2 young children, 5 and 2; and one on the way. We originally did our research in SD but now that my husband is required to work in Irvine, we are extending our search to the Orange county area.

At this point, or at least for the 1st year, we're looking to rent. We own a home in VA and are thinking to lease it as well.

After reading some threads, we kind of interested in Mission Viejo especially Lake Mission Viejo. It looks beautiful and is not too far from Irvine and SD.

Here's what we're looking for:

- very good schools:
--Smaller class size ( have heard that class size in Irvine public schools is smaller compared to the other districts because of the Irvine Public School Foundation that raise funds to pay for teachers and educators that the CA state doesn't fund. Is Irvine the only one doing this?)
--Art, music, science and math programs, after school enrichment courses.
- Our budget is $3,000 a month/ (hoa included) ( low HOA and mello roos taxes)
- 3 bedrooms, 2 bath
- family and kid- friendly
- safe
- close to hospitals and urgent cares

I will be staying home at least for the next 5 years. I'm looking forward to joining Moms groups for playdates and things. Also hoping to be close to parks, pools, playgrounds, etc...

We definitely want to stay within 30mn from Irvine so that my husband gets to spend enough time with us during the week.

Thank you in advance,

Lova.

[LuvSouthOC]

Hello Lova. I saw your thread on the San DIego forum but didn't respond. I think Lake Forest and Mission Viejo are great choices for you. Consider also Tustin, Rancho Santa Margarita and Foothill Ranch. I think you will find that overall Orange County has better schools than San Diego County. And all of the mentioned areas have good schools. With regard to Tustin, I know they have good schools but I not sure about the entire city. Maybe someone here can set me straight on that issue.

[ExeterMedia]

Originally Posted by danandlova

Hello all,

We are relocating to the Orange county area. My husband is required to work in Irvine. We are in our mid-30's. We have 2 young children, 5 and 2; and one on the way. We originally did our research in SD but now that my husband is required to work in Irvine, we are extending our search to the Orange county area.

At this point, or at least for the 1st year, we're looking to rent. We own a home in VA and are thinking to lease it as well.

After reading some threads, we kind of interested in Mission Viejo especially Lake Mission Viejo. It looks beautiful and is not too far from Irvine and SD.

Here's what we're looking for:

- very good schools:
--Smaller class size ( have heard that class size in Irvine public schools is smaller compared to the other districts because of the Irvine Public School Foundation that raise funds to pay for teachers and educators that the CA state doesn't fund. Is Irvine the only one doing this?)
--Art, music, science and math programs, after school enrichment courses.
- Our budget is $3,000 a month/ (hoa included) ( low HOA and mello roos taxes)
- 3 bedrooms, 2 bath
- family and kid- friendly
- safe
- close to hospitals and urgent cares

I will be staying home at least for the next 5 years. I'm looking forward to joining Moms groups for playdates and things. Also hoping to be close to parks, pools, playgrounds, etc...

We definitely want to stay within 30mn from Irvine so that my husband gets to spend enough time with us during the week.

Thank you in advance,

Lova.

Why not just live in Irvine? At $3,000 a month you could rent a 3/2 SFH. It won't be luxurious or huge, but for a family of four, easily doable.

[pacific2]

I think you'd enjoy Mission Viejo, and you would definitely get more for your money there than you would in Irvine. I also think that MV is much prettier than Irvine. Additionally, I like the fact that it is much smaller than Irvine. I don't see how you could go wrong by moving to MV.

[Joe Van Fossen]

FYI, as a renter you won't be responsible for HOA or mello roos

[danandlova]

Thank you all. That's exactly why we're renting out first and learn as much as we can before buying.
I will look into these places, and will base it on the schools that have smaller classes.

[pepollo33]

Hi there, stick with south orange county. I am also a mom of 2 young boys and we live in Aliso Viejo and LOVE it! I prefer it over Irvine and Mission Viejo. It's close to the beach (10 min), very kid friendly, safe, great schools and family oriented! Other great cities I would look into would be Laguna Niguel, Dana Point.
My husband works in Irvine and it's about 20 minutes without traffic depending where in Irvine you are.

Lake Mission Viejo is nice but you have to live in that community to gain that access. There are parts of Mission Viejo that aren't so nice though just to be honest.

[danandlova]

Thanks. Does anybody know the average class size in the public schools in Orange County ( Irvine, Aliso Viejo, Mission Viejo, Laguna Niguel etc...)?

I know most schools there are great, but we're specifically hoping to find ones that have some class sizes.
Our 5-year old is very shy, and does well with small classes. In VA, a KG class has 25 kids/ 1 teacher and 1 aide.

Irvine and Los Alamitos districts seem to participate in the Class Size Reduction Program--and they are top rated among the best--but when I look up on school digger/greatschools-- it says their average class size for KG class is 30 kids for 1 teacher? Does anyone know how these schools manage to adjust and still academically excel?

I think now that we know we want to stick with South Orange county, we can narrow down our search by checking on the schools/districts that have small classes.

Thanks!
Lova.

[lrmsd]

Originally Posted by LuvSouthOC

Hello Lova. I saw your thread on the San DIego forum but didn't respond. I think Lake Forest and Mission Viejo are great choices for you. Consider also Tustin, Rancho Santa Margarita and Foothill Ranch. I think you will find that overall Orange County has better schools than San Diego County. And all of the mentioned areas have good schools. With regard to Tustin, I know they have good schools but I not sure about the entire city. Maybe someone here can set me straight on that issue.

Considering SD is a very large county/city, that might be true. But I find SD has far more options/choices for good districts, as well as charter and magnet schools, lower commute times and cheaper COL. Anyway, that is moot b/c the OP needs the Irvine/OC area. But otherwise it's speculation and opinion on your part. SD has some of the top ranked HS in the country. [They are actually ranked much higher nationally than most Irvine high schools, for example. ie, Torrey Pines/Canyon Crest. But who cares: They're all solid schools and rate 9 or 10/10 on great schools dot org] No point in making a dig that isn't necessary. Both are great places in their own right/way and have good options for families.

OP: I just want to mention that solid schools and slightly more for your money can be had in Chino Hills, with an okay (not great but there are worse) commute. It's not OC, of course, but I just wanted to throw an additional option into the mix, since the best districts is OC are fairly exclusive in terms of rental pricing and options. Chino Hills is an affluent suburb and is technically in the 'southwestern corner of San Bernadino County'.

Also, I agree that Laguna Niguel and Dana Point are also great choices. San Clemente is also nice. Great areas!

[lrmsd]

Originally Posted by danandlova

Thanks. Does anybody know the average class size in the public schools in Orange County ( Irvine, Aliso Viejo, Mission Viejo, Laguna Niguel etc...)?

I know most schools there are great, but we're specifically hoping to find ones that have some class sizes.
Our 5-year old is very shy, and does well with small classes. In VA, a KG class has 25 kids/ 1 teacher and 1 aide.

Irvine and Los Alamitos districts seem to participate in the Class Size Reduction Program--and they are top rated among the best--but when I look up on school digger/greatschools-- it says their average class size for KG class is 30 kids for 1 teacher? Does anyone know how these schools manage to adjust and still academically excel?

I think now that we know we want to stick with South Orange county, we can narrow down our search by checking on the schools/districts that have small classes.

Thanks!
Lova.

I think (???) CA state has class size regulations; I believe k-3 is 23 max, and it goes up from there-I think middle school is something like 30. BUT, the laws change all the time and the individual districts as you mentioned will vary. You'd have to check with the district or google the info.
http://www.cde.ca.gov/ds/sd/dr/cefteachavgclssize.asp
Also: Although some schools may have the higher class sizes listed as an option in case they need the space, actual sizes will vary based on a given year, population demographic changes, etc. People move in and out of districts often, etc.

Anyway, it may not be a statewide law, but those numbers come to mind as common among districts. Charter schools typically build into their charter and program the platform of small class sizes and caps. I am not sure if OC has a range of charters or if you are interested in that route, but it's something to consider.