Phoenix Suburb Schools (Mesa, Glendale, Scottsdale: real estate, how much, homes)

[BuggJr]

Hi everyone, I am a former south phoenix resident of about 2 years. I used to live off of south central and broadway. Not the greatest neighborhood, but I have definitely seen much much worst. I plan on moving back to Arizona, but not to this particular area because my kids are older now and are ready to go to school. Granted they are only 3 & 4, I am already thinking about middle and high school. I have heard the horror stories about the school system, I myself am not from Arizona I was raised in Philly, where the schools are also horrid, nothing but horrible teachers, hopeless kids, and metal detectors. My question is are the schools in the outer areas of Phoenix, i.e., Mesa, Tempe, Gilbert, Peoria, Goodyear, etc...better than what I have been hearing about in Phoenix? Or is the entire area or state system not worth sending your child to? I would rather know now so I can move elsewhere and not set my children up for failure the rest of their lives. I loved living in Phoenix but not at the expense of my children's education.

[sassieb75]

There are some good schools. You just really have to do your research!

[azloft]

Hi BuggJr,

Please check out the Arizona Dept. of Education at: Arizona Department of Education Home Page .

From that home page, on the left upper side, click on Find a School. From that page, you can research all our public/private/charter state schools in more detail, both the stats as well as a yearly School Report Card for the latest year as well as previous years. The report cards are very detailed and each school is given an important yearly designation on the upper left corner ("Excelling" is the highest); along with the latest designation you'll also see two previous-year designations to see if the school has made progress, been rated downward, etc. The report cards contain a safety section where the schools have to report how many "incidents" occurred requiring police intervention; many of the schools will also voluntarily report in this section what they do to keep their kids safe on campus. It's my understanding that the schools provide a lot of input for the school report cards, but the report cards also contain very important academic statistical information enabling you to compare all the state schools.

Our real estate taxes are very low here in Arizona and, therefore, we don't have the money many states do for education. We've tried to get propositions passed increasing the amount of school funding, but the "snowbirds" or others not wanting higher taxes seem to always vote it down. From there, it's up to the state to determine how much to allocate for education. It's not enough money in my book, by any stretch of the imagination. Somehow, though, the state still seems to attract quality teachers at the best public/private schools; I'm sure our weather helps!

That being said, don't let that deter you altogether if you need to move here. There are great schools in great school districts; just be sure to do your research so you move into the best district and get your children into the best schools. I've heard that the Scottsdale and Paradise Valley school districts are very good, and I believe Kyrene and perhaps another down south (can someone help here?) are also highly rated. Still be careful, as there are good/fair schools in even the best districts. Please don't rely entirely on what your real estate agent says or anyone else who has a vested interest. Ask potential neighbors, co-workers, ask around town, research the Arizona Republic online, and definitely check out the ADOE site linked above.

Generally speaking, the better schools are located where the most expensive homes are located, yet any given school can pull its student base from a large enough area within that district, so some homes may be quite affordable while others are over $1 million. Every minute you spend researching beforehand will be time well spent.

[Great Joy]

There are quite a few areas in/around Phoenix that have good school districts and have many schools that are rated "excelling". Here's a good website link to help you: AZ LEARNS Achievement Profiles

According to that link, Queen Creek, Mesa, Cave Creek, Phoenix, Fountain Hills, Scottsdale, Peoria, Paradise Valley, Mesa, Tempe, Glendale, Gilbert, Chandler, and Litchfield are the better areas for "excelling" schools. There may be other cities I'm missing because I didn't take the time to find out the city locations for all of the districts. As written by others, be careful because not all schools in the better districts are "excelling".

We purposely chose Peoria of the schools and proximity to work. We're very happy with our schools, which are Vistancia Elementary, Liberty, and Sunrise Mountain High School. VE and SMHS are rated "excelling", and Liberty hasn't been rated yet because it is new.

Best wishes in your search!

[BuggJr]

thanks you all for the info and good advice. I really appreciate the links too, they are really helpful. Thank you very much.