Buying a house around the Philadelphia or King of Prussia area NEED HELP (Glenside: crime, school district)

[rowhomecity]

This totally makes sense. You rate education as your #1 though so there are a few things to be mindful of. Upper Darby is not a top performing school district. It is very diverse which is important to you, but the district is one of the lowest performing in Delaware county and the state of PA. Therefore being that education is your #1 I personally would not recommend Upper Darby to you.

So here are your options.

1) Upper Darby: So the district is very diverse and comprises of urban and suburban inner ring suburbs. You can get a lot for your money here. I know the district does not have the best reputation, and so it is challenging for me to comment on it. I know it is one of the most diverse. I would try to do some research on Upper Darby schools. Look up scores, reviews and maybe schedule a visit to get a feel. I know though the reputation is subpar, and to be honest though I do not have the information at my disposal to give specifics, so I encourage you to do your research on the district. I know that the real estate is cheaper within the district because well it is subpar. And to be frank I just do not recommend you to move here.

2) Norristown: Again this district does not have the strongest reputation. A little less diverse than Upper Darby, but you will get more house for your money. I am not really sure how it compares against Upper Darby. The adjacent Upper Merion School district in King of Prussia though is a well rated school. But Upper Merion you are going to get less house for your money. Honestly though the commute for you AND your husband could be very unpleasant. If you will be working in Center City, then you can take the train into work, which is a big stress reducer, but your husband will have an awful commute to Wilmington. 76 is notorious for always being traffic clogged and 476 (called the blue route) is not much better. This is why I was trying to focus on Southwest Suburbs for you.

3) Options:

I think you have 2 options moving forward.


a) Consider Havertown/Rose Valley/Swarthmore/Media/Broomall/Springfield/West Chester areas. This covers a wide area, school districts are better rated than Upper Darby (although some of Havertown is in Upper Darby school district so make sure you look at this), you are still in a favorable commuting area, the big thing is you are going to get less house for your money, but it is definitely doable to find something. It just will not quite be as large, but you will be in excellent districts. And this is what I recommend most. I would go to zillow, and put in your requirements and look for any area that is around Media. You will see quite a large of inventory is at your disposal. None of it is new, but there are some nice options. I did a quick search and there are some nice homes in your price range and your quality of life will be much higher here than living out in the exburbs, and you will be in well regarded schools.


b) Look into Coatesville School District. And focus on Downingtown, PA area. Now Coatesville is not the highest rated school district and has a iffy reputation, so again this is something I would really do your research on. You will get more house for your money here but you are not in a top performing high school. It is not the worst commute to Wilmington and you can take the train to work if you do work in Center City. Again the ability to take the train to commute though has a big impact on quality of life. If you have to drive because your job is not accessible via transit your commute to the city is going to get old quick. But you will find TONS of new construction in your price range.

I personally do not recommend Upper Darby or Norristown and im 50:50 on Downingtown. I know Coatesville is improving but I also know it is not ranked high.

Therefore I really recommend focusing around the Media/Springfield/Broomall/Rose Valley/West Chester areas. This entire region gives you alot of options in terms of housing. You will most likely find a home in your price range that is nicely updated. For example here is a nicely remodeled 4 bedroom in Media https://www.zillow.com/homes/for_sal...53_rect/11_zm/. Again in my opinion it is worth having a bit older of a home and having the higher quality of life. I do not think you would be happy in the exburbs because your commute would be absolutely awful. And I do not think you would be happy in Upper Darby School district, because it just is poorly rated.

Let me know if you have any other questions!

[Pilot1]

I'd stay out of the Coatesville School District, and focus on areas served by the Downingtown School District. It is much more highly rated, and safer. Close in (to the city) suburbs in Delco would also NOT be high on my list. Springfield, and Havertown are OK, and west of there.

[chessimprov]

I would also avoid Coatesville and would avoid Chester-Upland. You could also consider cyber school, especially if your kids are not involved in sports. You'll get a quality education, and at high school age, your kids need to be more independent learners. This is a great transition for them to do so. But they have to have the self-discipline and motivation to keep up with their work- especially at a cyber school.

You could also consider Clifton Heights, Aldan, maybe Collingdale, Glenolden, Essington, or Ridley Park.

[Flyers Girl]

I would avoid the Upper Darby School District. I know that the housing prices in Drexel Hill are likely very attractive (I used to live there), but that's because there is a major trade-off. Very high taxes. For a subpar school district. I will say this about UDSD, though. The bad reputation is due mostly to the high school. Elementary schools in the district are average and decent.

[cpomp]

I am surprised no one mentioned Aston Township. Large township, very suburban, quiet, various types of housing, reasonable taxes, basic amenities either in the town or within 10 minutes, located in Penn Delco School District (not prestigious, but a very solid district). Aston also borders Media and other well-off areas so no fear of the area going downhill, and within 45 minutes to Philadelphia and Wilmington by car or train.

[erica1225]

Thank you everyone for your help. I have done a lot of research on the areas suggested. I have plans to visit the areas very soon. Does anyone know anything about Wyncote area and Cheltenham High School?

Thank you

[Crashj007]

My only suggestion is you look out towards Lancaster and plan on commuting by train to Downtown. Much more affordable housing and a healthier atmosphere.

[bdeclee56]

Originally Posted by Pilot1

I'd stay out of the Coatesville School District, and focus on areas served by the Downingtown School District. It is much more highly rated, and safer. Close in (to the city) suburbs in Delco would also NOT be high on my list. Springfield, and Havertown are OK, and west of there.

I second this. Downingtown schools are first-rate. I live in Chester Springs and just sold my home to a family who specifically wanted to send their children to Downingtown because of its reputation. However, there is no train service here. For that you have to drive down into Malvern or Paoli (about 20 minutes).

[Pilot1]

Originally Posted by bdeclee56

I second this. Downingtown schools are first-rate. I live in Chester Springs and just sold my home to a family who specifically wanted to send their children to Downingtown because of its reputation. However, there is no train service here. For that you have to drive down into Malvern or Paoli (about 20 minutes).

I am also in CS, and I use the Exton Septa station, which is closer than Downingtown, or Malvern for me at least.

[KansastoSouthphilly]

Originally Posted by erica1225

Thank you everyone for your help. I have done a lot of research on the areas suggested. I have plans to visit the areas very soon. Does anyone know anything about Wyncote area and Cheltenham High School?

Thank you

Cheltenham High is very diverse but it has had some struggles. It recently got some bad press because of an ugly fight that broke in which a teacher was injured. A student recorded the incident on a cell phone and the video went viral nationally. That said I know someone who is planning on sending her kids to Cheltenham high (they are currently attend a very good Cheltenham elementary school and her oldest is almost HS age). She has been pleased with the progress that has been made. I know she is a fan of their newish superintendent.