New to Pittsburgh. Information about schools? (O'Hara Township, Fox Chapel: low income, lease, chapel)

[Enchanted_forest]

Hey guys!

We are a family of four new to Pittsburgh with two kids aged 3 and 1. We are currently renting at Squirrel Hill on a short term lease and are looking to buy a house to settle down. Work in Oakland. We are pretty much mind set on Fox chapel and Squirrel Hill after few months of living in this area.

How is Colfax compared to Fairview/Ohara/Kerr? The ranking seems obvious, but I heard from some people that Colfax is actually not bad when factoring out the diversity.
Any thoughts or pointing in directions that I can dig up some stats and info?
Thanks!

[gg]

Originally Posted by Enchanted_forest

Hey guys!

We are a family of four new to Pittsburgh with two kids aged 3 and 1. We are currently renting at Squirrel Hill on a short term lease and are looking to buy a house to settle down. Work in Oakland. We are pretty much mind set on Fox chapel and Squirrel Hill after few months of living in this area.

How is Colfax compared to Fairview/Ohara/Kerr? The ranking seems obvious, but I heard from some people that Colfax is actually not bad when factoring out the diversity.
Any thoughts or pointing in directions that I can dig up some stats and info?
Thanks!

I’m sorry but there is no way you can compare Colfax to the FC district. Kerr is the least favorable, but way better than PPS. FC has real funding. City people hate suburbs and will promote city schools, but don’t risk your child’s future.

[Enchanted_forest]

Originally Posted by gg

I’m sorry but there is no way you can compare Colfax to the FC district. Kerr is the least favorable, but way better than PPS. FC has real funding. City people hate suburbs and will promote city schools, but don’t risk your child’s future.

Thanks for the input! The thing is, my kids are not white. They are multiracial. FC schools seem to have 85-90% white kids. Not sure if they will be left out by the others.

[eschaton]

It's harder these days to disaggregate the data, but like essentially every school in the country, there is a racial test score gap at Colfax. When comparing like for like (e.g., excluding the 21% or so of black students at Colfax) there is literally no difference between performance between the school and the elementary schools in Fox Chapel School District. Note that black students at Colfax also perform better than average. The bottom line is the school does a good job educating everyone, but it can only do so much against national headwinds, and the only reason it is perceived as a bit worse in aggregate is because it has more black (and low income) students.

Keep in mind that not everywhere in Squirrel Hill attends Colfax though. I'm unaware what the current feeder line is between Colfax and Minadeo, but it's somewhere around the Squirrel Hill Tunnels. On the other hand, all of Shadyside, Point Breeze west of S Dallas, and even a small bit of East Liberty (South of Penn) goes to Colfax these days.

As for Fox Chapel, I would not say that it's racist these days, but it has had a reputation as being a bit classist/snobby, with the working-class white kids in Sharpsburg in particular being teased historically (called "river rats" and the like.

[Enchanted_forest]

Originally Posted by eschaton

It's harder these days to disaggregate the data, but like essentially every school in the country, there is a racial test score gap at Colfax. When comparing like for like (e.g., excluding the 21% or so of black students at Colfax) there is literally no difference between performance between the school and the elementary schools in Fox Chapel School District. Note that black students at Colfax also perform better than average. The bottom line is the school does a good job educating everyone, but it can only do so much against national headwinds, and the only reason it is perceived as a bit worse in aggregate is because it has more black (and low income) students.

Keep in mind that not everywhere in Squirrel Hill attends Colfax though. I'm unaware what the current feeder line is between Colfax and Minadeo, but it's somewhere around the Squirrel Hill Tunnels. On the other hand, all of Shadyside, Point Breeze west of S Dallas, and even a small bit of East Liberty (South of Penn) goes to Colfax these days.

As for Fox Chapel, I would not say that it's racist these days, but it has had a reputation as being a bit classist/snobby, with the working-class white kids in Sharpsburg in particular being teased historically (called "river rats" and the like.

Hi Eschaton! Could you share something like a link or anything that gives the numbers that I can look into? What you said is very close to what I heard from some neighbors.
Yes, we are very aware about the feeder map of Colfax. We are currently renting at SH north, which we like and think it would be a great neighborhood for raising kids.

[svband76]

Fox Chapel Schools also include O'Hara Township which has affordable homes and is nowhere near as pricey. Have relatives that went there. Today's Fox Chapel kids are nothing like 40-50 years ago. I think the area and school still have that snobby reputation but I think it's overblown. You would do fine there. Lovely area that respects nature. Good luck.

[Moby Hick]

I don't know how someone doesn't die every day on 28. But apparently no one does.

[svband76]

Originally Posted by Moby Hick

I don't know how someone doesn't die every day on 28. But apparently no one does.

You know, I say the same thing. I have no idea how or why two electronic jumbotron tv screens (aka "billboards") were allowed along an already quite dangerous road. A tremendous distraction. Nobody drives the speed limit either.