Thinking about moving to PA, but don't know where to live. (Pittsburgh: school district, colleges)

[ninaxela]

Originally Posted by BrianTH

In the City you have to go school by school, but overall the City is actually doing better than you would expect given the number of disadvantaged students it has. Part of that is because of various honors programs, but they have also been initiating various reforms to try to do better on a broader basis, and there have been some improvements along those lines, although mostly at the K-8 levels so far. For great information about all that, you can look here (this is a watchdog group for the City schools):

Welcome To A+ Schools! (http://www.aplusschools.org/index_current.shtml - broken link)

Their annual report to the community is particularly helpful:

A+ Schools: Equity: Reports To The Community: 2010 Report (http://www.aplusschools.org/eq_reports_11.shtml - broken link)



There are definitely some very nice neighborhoods in the City or near its borders, but these days decent homes in those neighborhoods would be stretching your budget. There are also some neighborhoods in the City or near its borders that are less expensive and pretty safe, but those neighborhoods might be more transitional/rundown. That latter category is where you start getting into real differences of opinion, with some people thinking those neighborhoods are worth exploring, and other people thinking you should simply rule them out.

Thanks for the links!

I don't really mind places that are a bit more transitional/rundown, as long as they're not terrible. I've lived in a couple places that were kind of run down, but I was always super close to a lot of things (shops, parks, library, etc.). If an area is like that, I'd actually prefer it to a nicer area that involves more commuting by car. Daughter likes to do things by herself, so if she could walk to the library or to pick something up at a store when she's bored without having to ask for a ride, she'd be absolutely thrilled.

Originally Posted by Bong477

There are several nice city neighborhoods but you'll have trouble getting in one in a livable home for under 100k. Even the not so great ones, most aren't so bad that you would fear for your life. But you're far better off in the suburbs if you have a limited budget and want/need to use public schools. Mind you, some of the suburbs are awfully close to the city and would probably be considered part of the city if Pittsburgh were set up like many other cities.

Greensburg is pretty far for a daily commute, but individual tolerances for that sort of stuff varies. I did an hour each way for a while, wasn't THAT bad but not very enjoyable.

What are some examples of the really close suburbs you're thinking of?

I need a fairly short commute (again, not 5 minutes, but not too long). I thought I'd be able to handle fairly long ones, but when I moved where I am now and started driving 45 minutes to an hour just to get into town (well, the better, more interesting side of town ), it got old very quickly. :l

[ninaxela]

Does anybody know where I can find something that tells me what schools someone would be zoned for based on address (or something akin to that)?

Edit: Nevermind. Found one.

[Bong477]

the ones i suggested already... ross (maybe a bit expensive but can find some homes in your price range), westview, bellevue, avalon, ben avon.

Downtown is about a 20minute drive from most of those areas depending on how far you are from 279. Oakland only slightly longer. I could get to downtown in about the same time from Ross as I can from Squirrel Hill during rush hour.

[BrianTH]

The City schools usually have an online street directory, but as of right now you have to call with an address in hand:

Pittsburgh Public Schools | Student Information Systems (OIT)

[Travellin]

Since everyone has been talking about Sharpsburg, I wonder why nobody has said Glenshaw.
I stayed there last Oct and found it pretty nice.
Of course, I'm a single guy who has no idea if he's had any kids

I have to admit that you can't trust my judgment as I'm a white guy who loved Homewood.

I can't wait for May so I can get back down to Pgh again.
I seriously want to move there.

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by airwave09

Are you kidding? I work with someone who commutes from Greensburg past downtown twice every day. If it really was that bad then he would have gone crazy by now.

Mapquest it yourself. 50 minutes. If weather or traffic is bad, it will take longer.

And I answered from a child's perspective since the OP didn't want to hear "How much longer?"

[onwardandupward]

Originally Posted by ninaxela

Also, I think I remember reading something about technology programs in some of the schools in...some area. That's about the extent of my knowledge, because I read that quite a while ago. Anybody have any idea what I could be talking about?

I think we need some clarification here - I'm not sure you're asking about Vo-Tech kind of schools, but more about schools that offer a Technology focus... Are you talking about high school programs that might offer AP Computer Science, Robotics and other high-level engineering/technology courses? For a student who might end up going to a Carnegie Mellon-type school?

A better understanding of your needs would help, and what age student we're talking about.

[ninaxela]

Originally Posted by onwardandupward

I think we need some clarification here - I'm not sure you're asking about Vo-Tech kind of schools, but more about schools that offer a Technology focus... Are you talking about high school programs that might offer AP Computer Science, Robotics and other high-level engineering/technology courses? For a student who might end up going to a Carnegie Mellon-type school?

A better understanding of your needs would help, and what age student we're talking about.

I figured out (with the help of the wonderful people here on this forum that I wish I'd discovered sooner) that what I was thinking of was part the magnet programs in the Pittsburgh schools.

(Though if anybody happens to know that (insert name of non-magnet high school here) offers quite a few technology (or STEM in general) classes, please share. )

[onwardandupward]

Originally Posted by ninaxela

(Though if anybody happens to know that (insert name of non-magnet high school here) offers quite a few technology (or STEM in general) classes, please share. )

Our local colleges and universities are a great resource for not only high level cutting-edge research, but middle school and high school programs to engage students in STEM and other fields. Pretty much all of our great colleges and universities have some sort of these programs.

A number of local high schools that have integrated Robotics into their middle school and high school curriculum by partnering with Carnegie Mellon's Robotics Academy. The Robotics Academy also provides training, materials and competitions for afterschool programs in Robotics to many schools and community groups. They have an initiative called FIRE (Fostering Innovation through Robotics Exploration), whose mission is to “Sharpen American students’ abilities to solve complex problems” by teaching them algorithmic thinking skills, engineering design process, and mathematics.

I'm very familiar with the Robotics Academy and their programs, and they are really wonderful. If you give them a call, they should be able to tell you which schools and community groups in the area are involved. I know that both Riverview High School in Oakmont, and Sarah Heinz House on the North Side (an after-school provider) do, but those are just a few.

In addition, CMU offers a number of programs for advanced students in grades K-9 in STEM and other fields through its C-MITES program.

Community College of Allegheny College (CCAC) allows high school students to enroll in their courses under certain circumstances, and I believe some of the local high schools permit dual high school/CCAC attendance.

The University of Pittsburgh has a College in High School and an Accelerated High School program, in addition to a Medical Explorers program for high schools students considering medical careers.

The Pittsburgh Tissue Engineering Initiative (PTEI) on Second Ave. sponsors highly-regarded PTEI summer camps and internships for students in middle and high schools.

La Roche College has a Scholar program that is "a concurrent enrollment partnership between La Roche College and a number of western Pennsylvania high schools. Since 1995, Scholar has enabled qualified junior and senior high school students to earn credits toward a college degree."

Carlow University has ECO Camp (Environmental Career Opportunities), which is "a three-day workshop focusing on core themes for high school girls interested in environmental and green science careers: Environment, Energy and Sustainability,"Summer Science Nation, which is "a three-day workshop for high school girls interested in science and exploring diverse career options in research, pharmaceuticals, education and the biomedical industry," andPrepare to Care, which is "a three-day workshop for high school girls who are interested in learning about healthcare professions, taught by expert University faculty, nurses, and other health care specialists."

There may be more, but that's a good start.

[ninaxela]

I'm not sure how many of you have had experience with this, but can somebody give me an idea of what these towns are like when it comes to religion (particularly regarding those who aren't religious)? Daughter is an atheist, and people tend to seriously look down upon her for that here. She says she doesn't care if towns have a pretty noticeable religious presence, as long as people are generally respectful when it comes to discussing religion. She's not really concerned about this, but just in case.

And thanks onwardandupward! That's really helpful.