Schools in Johnson Ranch/Anthem in Merrill Ranch (Sun City, Florence: relocating, real estate)

[2elindys]

Looking at relocating to this area, we have 5yr old twins. We aren't concerned about commuting areas, however are wanting more information regarding schools in this area. Does anyone have advice or opinion?

[millenniumman35]

hi there,

I was 1 month away from closing on a new build in Johnson Ranch, and I cancelled my contract to build in Anthem. Walker Butte (school) is overcrowded, and they are discussing and have already moved some kids from JR to Anthem. I thought that sucked, because the way they were rezoning the school boundries, my children would be forced to got to Anthem even though I was 1/2 mile away from Walker Butte. With 1 in school, and my 5 yr old starting, i wanted to have fate in my own hand and chose to build in Anthem instead. I feel better already, plus Anthem has a waterpark, indoor fitness, tennis courts, baseball fields etc. JR is nice, but it doesn't come close to all Anthem has to offer. Plus Pulte is offering 8 new models that are more affordable, so the prices are even in the same range. it was hard to cancel the house in JR, but i feel good about moving to Anthem. Good Luck

[Boatdrinks]

I don't know if this is true for all of Johnson Ranch, but I know someone who lived there but moved b/c her kids were being sent to school in Florence - not a great area - and the school was terrible.

I'd do a LOT of research on schools before I bought out there. Real estate is so affordable now, throughout the valley, that you have a lot more to chose from then you did 2 yrs ago.

Check greatschools.net for ratings. I imagine many schools out there are new, so not sure if they'll be rated. But I'd take a few trips out there, do some tours of the schools in person, talk to people who send their kids there now, etc.

Also, resale in that area is terrible right now. The plus side is that you can get a resale for a great price. The downside is that you won't be able to sell it again, if you need to. If you plan to live there 10 yrs, it may not be an issue for you though.

Good luck with your move!

[2elindys]

Thank you for your responses. You mentioned that you moved or are moving to Anthem. Do you know how many people have purchased homes so far, out there? Is it more built up now? How many kids from Anthem are attending the K-8 school or are there mainly Johnson Ranch residents attending?

[millenniumman35]

In response to where Anthem is as far as development, they are pretty much in the infancy stage. They are in phase 1. But the community center is opening up May 12th. The Safeway will be open at the end of summer(which is right in the community). I believe the salesman told me they have about 200 homes that have closed....including the Sun City side of Anthem. They said the build out is 9 yrs, and about 9,200 total. My lot is within walking distance from both the school, and the community center. So Anthem has a long way to go, but they aren't waiting on building the ameneties. Walker Butte (JR) is way overcrowded, & Anthem is about 60%, from what I been told. I hope this helped. No idea how many kids are from JR attending Anthem.

[mrsmom]

I am currently purchasing a new home in anthem and have two children a two year and a one year old. Does anyone know of any good daycares in the area?

[RandyCurnutt]

I don't think greatschools.net is as reliable of a tool as it may seem. It is a parent site. Anthem K-8 and Florence High are part of the Florence School District, which has undergone a great deal of change, reorganization, and improvement over the past few years. Most of the schools in this district are rated with the state either at a "performing" level or "performing plus", though I believe Anthem is too new to have any rating.

I talked to the school on October 17th... they currently have 1033 students total attending Anthem K-8. Their student/teacher ratio is approximately 25:1 for 2nd grade and under, and about 29:1 for 3rd grade and up.

The residents within the Florence Unified School District voted to continue the 10% budget over-ride. While that keeps the property taxes from 'dropping', it will infuse necessary funds to make improvements in the classrooms. Gary Nine, the new District Superintendent has been very busy meeting with the Board, teachers, parents and students. Anthem's new Principal, Kathy Brown has received rave reviews. Both Gary and Kathy are veteran administrators with high expectations on improving the quality of education in the District. I expect that with news of this funding over-ride, new leadership, and the implementation of new programs/processes, we will see even more good things to come!

[abmiku]

You'll care about the commute after a month of it, Johnson Ranch is practically in Florence...Where the gigantic Prison is...that's why rent is so cheap there, because no one wants to make that drive.

[hts]

If you don't care about the commute, why not look at the original Anthem up north? Mature community, unmatched amenities, lots of businesses/shopping, schools still are 'newish' but most have been operating for 4-5 years now, so they have the bugs worked out, easy weekend drive to scottsdale for shopping, etc.

[sablebaby]

Originally Posted by hts

If you don't care about the commute, why not look at the original Anthem up north? Mature community, unmatched amenities, lots of businesses/shopping, schools still are 'newish' but most have been operating for 4-5 years now, so they have the bugs worked out, easy weekend drive to scottsdale for shopping, etc.

Not very easy this weekend is it with one portion of the freeway closed (rerouted)?