Well, just came back from a 2 week stay in OC (Huntington Beach: rentals, houses) - Orange County - California (CA) - City-Data Forum

DawnW · 08-12-2017, 08:09 AM

and it looks like instead of moving to LA as we had planned (where we moved from 10 years ago), we are now strongly looking at a move to OC. DH has been told he can transfer to the Irvine office of his job and my oldest son is planning to go to college nearby and has already met with the admissions, etc... and although he isn't fully accepted, admissions didn't think it would be an issue. Middle child will probably attend Community College for a year or two, we aren't sure. He is a senior this year, which is a huge reason we aren't moving now.

Which just leaves youngest child, who will be a 9th grader in 2018. I know Irvine schools are rated decently.....does anyone have any strong preferences for one over the other Or any specific insight? This particular child is very strong academically and socially, so I am not worried about how he will do. His current school is raked in the 250s by US New and World Report, so he is already in a very good school. Nearby school to Irvine info would be welcomed as well, we aren't sure exact location yet, but he is my biggest concern. We don't want to move him after he starts high school, so that is tricky.

I will be looking for a job. That is my biggest worry, but I will be working on that this school year and trying to figure out what to do.

Electrician4you · 08-12-2017, 10:54 AM

There are other schools rated as good as Irvine schools and the COL isn't as high as Irvine.

DawnW · 08-12-2017, 08:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Electrician4you

There are other schools rated as good as Irvine schools and the COL isn't as high as Irvine.

Can you link some of them?

I am looking at this:

https://www.niche.com/k12/search/bes...nge-county-ca/

Out of the top 5, two are in Irvine, one is over 20 miles away, one is a specialty magnet type school, and the other is 15 miles away and in a higher cost area.

Electrician4you · 08-12-2017, 09:20 PM

I was going to say Fountan Valley HS and Huntington Beach HS. We have a rental in FV and whenever one comes up for rent I get families who want their kids in those schools. And theire very insistent about wanting the rental. Very in demand. Also for Garden Grove school district Westminster HS and LA Quinta HS are highly rated too. All those cities have a lower COL than Irvine.
We have rentals in those surrounding areas. Right now I have one coming up vacant and a comparable in Irvine runs about 500 a month more.

DawnW · 08-13-2017, 08:20 AM

We have an added issue with getting my son to Laguna each day. He doesn't drive (he has Asperger's) and there is public transportation he could walk to from where we are looking at living to the Metro and get to school (college) on his own that way. The areas you are mentioning could be more challenging for that.

I know we looked at houses to BUY in Mission Viejo and Aliso Viejo, and that still might be a possibility, (we didn't go inside the houses with a realtor, we just looked up homes in our price range and drove around a bit to see the area and a few of those particular houses), but the schools aren't AS highly rated. Some of them would still probably be ok.

I will look into transportation from the areas you mention though.

How would the 17 mile drive from Garden Grove to the Irvine Spectrum center be everyday? It is 17 miles on google maps. DH would have to work pretty normal hours.....8-6 or so, so he can't avoid heavy traffic times.

Thank you

Electrician4you · 08-13-2017, 08:28 AM

It's really not that bad. He will have some slowdown around 55 north/south and JW airport, but he's going against traffic which is heading into LA. On the way home he can get off on Harbor and shoot up north into Westminster or Garden Grove or cut across and take streets into Fountain Valley or HB.
The reason you want to get off at Harbor is because inexplicably the freeway gets slow as a snail after that heading into HB and to the 605. Not all the time but it's regular.
They are also widening the 405 north from 73 to 605 so that's gonna be a big pile of crap for a while too. That's going to be a big factor.

However he can get to Irvine by taking the 22 East to 5 south and get off at Jamboree or Irvine center drive too. In fact if you move to Westminster or Garden grove that will be a closer freeway than 405. He can actually take any big street running east west to hit the 5 freeway south. He has a lot of options.

Once he gets used to it he will find all sorts of little cut through streets. I used to work in Mission Viejo for a client so I'm familiar with the drive.

pacific2 · 08-13-2017, 09:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DawnW

We have an added issue with getting my son to Laguna each day. He doesn't drive (he has Asperger's) and there is public transportation he could walk to from where we are looking at living to the Metro and get to school (college) on his own that way. The areas you are mentioning could be more challenging for that.

I know we looked at houses to BUY in Mission Viejo and Aliso Viejo, and that still might be a possibility, (we didn't go inside the houses with a realtor, we just looked up homes in our price range and drove around a bit to see the area and a few of those particular houses), but the schools aren't AS highly rated. Some of them would still probably be ok.

I will look into transportation from the areas you mention though.

How would the 17 mile drive from Garden Grove to the Irvine Spectrum center be everyday? It is 17 miles on google maps. DH would have to work pretty normal hours.....8-6 or so, so he can't avoid heavy traffic times.

Thank you

Aliso Viejo is tiny with only one high school, Aliso Niguel High. It's shared with most of Laguna Niguel. You can check with your realtor to see which Aliso Viejo homes are zoned for the Laguna Beach School District.

I don't think there is any public transportation down to Laguna Beach, but I imagine you would probably be offered an opportunity to pay to have your son ride a school bus. The same is true, I believe, within AV.

loveorangecounty · 08-13-2017, 09:44 AM

The only first hand experience we have had is with Tesoro High School. I think it has a good balance between strong academics and positive social experience. I can't say enough great things about this school. We have moved on from the South OC area due to job opportunities but I truly miss the area. After sending 2 kids through Tesoro HS we heard good and bad about the different schools in the area. If it were me and working in Irvine I would look at the areas south. Irvine schools are very highly rated academically but many complain about the social setting, again just hearsay, but we heard it a lot. Personal friends kids attended Beckman and were not happy at all. Beckman is technically in Tustins School District although it is located in Irvine. South OC is very family oriented and that sounds like what you're looking for. Good luck with your move.

NewbieHere · 08-13-2017, 09:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DawnW

Can you link some of them?

I am looking at this:

https://www.niche.com/k12/search/bes...nge-county-ca/

Out of the top 5, two are in Irvine, one is over 20 miles away, one is a specialty magnet type school, and the other is 15 miles away and in a higher cost area.

My kid still argues with people from Northwood High which is a better high school in Irvine. She went to University High.

NewbieHere · 08-13-2017, 09:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DawnW

We have an added issue with getting my son to Laguna each day. He doesn't drive (he has Asperger's) and there is public transportation he could walk to from where we are looking at living to the Metro and get to school (college) on his own that way. The areas you are mentioning could be more challenging for that.

I know we looked at houses to BUY in Mission Viejo and Aliso Viejo, and that still might be a possibility, (we didn't go inside the houses with a realtor, we just looked up homes in our price range and drove around a bit to see the area and a few of those particular houses), but the schools aren't AS highly rated. Some of them would still probably be ok.

I will look into transportation from the areas you mention though.

How would the 17 mile drive from Garden Grove to the Irvine Spectrum center be everyday? It is 17 miles on google maps. DH would have to work pretty normal hours.....8-6 or so, so he can't avoid heavy traffic times.

Thank you

I wouldn't live in Garden Grove nor Westminster. However, public schools in Irvine has no transportation. This is the problem we faced when our kids were younger. So we had to live nearer to the school or near walking distance to bus stop. My husband dropped them in the morning. But it made participation to afterschool activities difficult. I did get to work at home and did fair amount of picking them up, but when a I had to travel, they had to rely on bus.
But I think some homes with address in Irvine but actually zoned in to Tustin schools. Houses in Irvine hold up value better I think. But Beckman High school is still very good.