Thinking of moving to Brighton Heights, Pittsburgh PA (Crafton, California: house, neighborhoods) - Pennsylvania - City-Data Forum

CLARISSEPLAZA · 08-27-2015, 11:25 AM

Can anyone living here give me some feedback before I put a contract on a house. I heard it was a good neighborhood and not to far from downtown, but my main concern are the schools. I plan to apply to Pittsburgh CAPA for next year because my daughter is presently in a magnet art program in Miami. However, I need a good school for one year and don't see good ratings for the schools in this area. I called the charter schools nearby but I have to go on a waiting list which I will do but meanwhile does anyone have any feedback on the public schools, my daughter is in 6th grade now. HELP!

norcider · 08-27-2015, 11:39 AM

The local elementary school is John Morrow. For what it's worth; I chose not to send my daughters there and instead they go to a charter school. I remember receiving a letter from either the school board or district some years back explaining that John Morrow was recognized as one of the under-performing schools, something about a potential scholarship fund they were trying to get going. Our kids were already attending the charter at that point. The neighborhood in my opinion is one of the safest of the North Side neighborhoods. Good luck.

ferraris · 08-27-2015, 03:47 PM

I sent you a PM but I'll respond here too. I live in Brighton Heights and like it quite a bit. As you mentioned it is very close to downtown and you can drive there without any real traffic even during rush hour. There's also 3 bus routes that run pretty frequently. It is a city neighborhood so there is a little crime, but it's usually minor stuff like people going through unlocked cars or stealing something from a porch. My wife and I have never felt unsafe here.

Is your daughter in 8th grade now or is she already in high school? The public option for K-8 is Morrow and Morrow Intermediate, but there is also the K-8 Northside Catholic School which is also right in Brighton Heights. The public high school is Perry and is in Observatory Hill. I don't have kids so i won't comment on the quality of the schools.

What part of the neighborhood is the house in if you don't mind saying? Some house listings use the term "brighton heights" pretty liberally to include areas that aren't really in the neighborhood.

jea6321 · 08-27-2015, 08:21 PM

a lot of homes in marshall-shadeland will be listed as brighton heights to get more interest. I persoanlly feel BH is one of the better deals in the city currently. You can get a beautiful colonial or victorian home for about half the cost of a similar home in highland park/e lib/shadyside etc. The location is very convenient to downtown and is one of the easier commutes to just about all points NSEW. And if the davis ave bridge could ever get rebuilt, it would have easy access to riverview park once again. Just dont hold your breath on that ever happening.

CAPA is a great school. I hope it works out for you ( her)

CLARISSEPLAZA · 09-10-2015, 08:48 PM

Thanks for all the feedback, I'm still trying to put a contract now on another house there. This one is on Orchlee Street going this weekend to Pittsburgh to check out this area. Also im going to check out another house in Crafton, any input on this area? I'm trying to find a good neighborhood close to downtown and easy to get there without having to go through the tunnel. I really hope one of these two neighborhoods work out I prefer Brighton Heights but I see schools are better in Crafton so we'll see. i look forward to going there this weekend!

RogersParkTransplant · 09-10-2015, 09:12 PM

Crafton is lovely. Brighton Heights and the surrounding streets have better access to downtown, but Crafton is a very beautiful area - a little sleepy, but in a good way.

Crafton schools are pretty solid, as you are seeing. North side is a little hit or miss, but the elementary school statistics are a little misleading because the whole area has changed so much in the past decade, and is still improving rapidly.

Is Allegheny 6-8 an option? It has a lot going for it, but I don't know the process for trying to enroll in a magnet in September/October.

ferraris · 09-10-2015, 10:21 PM

Orchlee is a fine street! It's a really good location because you're smack dab in the middle of the neighborhood, so you have really good access to the California Ave business district and the Benton and Brighton business district. There's a few playgrounds and sports fields nearby too. You also have easy access to all 3 of the bus lines (13, 16, and 17). The only downside I can think of is parking, as Orchlee has a fair number of mult-units without off-street parking, and cars park on both sides of the already narrow street.

Morrow, Northside Catholic, and Allegheny Traditional all offer 8th grade. Morrow and Northside Catholic are both a 5 minute walk from Orchlee, while Allegheny is a short bus ride or drive away. Northside Catholic obviously would cost money, but for just one year of tuition it could be worth it if you like the house and neighborhood otherwise. The BHCF education committee is very active in trying to improve Morrow; I'd recommend contacting them if you are considering Morrow.

RogersParkTransplant · 09-10-2015, 10:58 PM

Can someone explain Northside Catholic to me? How does the Brighton Heights school relate to the Troy Hill version (and didn't something move to Cranberry recently?) I have no real stake in this question, am just curious for information.

norcider · 09-11-2015, 04:55 AM

North side catholic was previously St Cyril's. The catholic school that was St Petes near the children's museum closed and those kids came up to St Cyrils to form North side catholic. No affiliation with North Catholic which followed the money trail and left the city. FWIW, there are rumors that north side catholic isn't doing well and could close.

RogersParkTransplant · 09-11-2015, 05:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by norcider

North side catholic was previously St Cyril's. The catholic school that was St Petes near the children's museum closed and those kids came up to St Cyrils to form North side catholic. No affiliation with North Catholic which followed the money trail and left the city. FWIW, there are rumors that north side catholic isn't doing well and could close.

Thanks! That is very helpful, though I am sorry to hear that last bit. I gather from my neighbors that there used to be many more Catholic schools on the North side (including one on Spring Hill, which many of my neighbors attended back in the day), and that they added a lot to the area. Hope North side Catholic pulls through.