What schools would you send your children to? (Pittsburgh, Shaler Township: chapel, neighborhoods)

[cathydavis]

I would like to know some more about the schools in Pittsburgh. We may be moving to Pitt. early summer and finding a good school district is our #1 priority. I understand that Mt. Lebanon and the North Hills have excellent schools, but I would appreciate any information that someone out there may have to offer. We would rather steer clear of the burbs if possible but will settle if that is where the best schools are. My husband is a high school English teacher and we are huge proponents of public education and will not consider private school (not to mention most teacher salaries don't allow for it anyways ).
My questions are: Are they any other areas close to the city aside from Mt. Lebanon with decent schools? Are there any magnet schools that would be worth checking out? What neighborhoods should we avoid in terms of their school districts?
Thanks in advance to anyone who may be able to help.

[claremarie]

I grew up in Ross and was one of about 800 students graduating from North Hills H.S. in the late 1970s. There are now about 400 students in a North Hills graduating class; the North Hills school board just voted to CLOSE three of the district's seven elementary schools because of continuing enrollment declines and the expense of maintaining (literally) crumbling older buildings. If you can afford to buy in Mt. Lebanon, North Allegheny, or Upper St. Clair, I would recommend any of those districts over North Hills. I would likewise steer clear of the City of Pittsburgh schools.

[PghREA]

Shaler Township Schools - suburban but, close to the city.

Hampton Township, Pine Richland, North Allegheny, Fox Chapel - these are all good school districts in the north suburbs.

[krlang223]

I think you would like Moon Township very much. They have an excellent school district. It is not a small community setting like Sewickley is. It is close to everything, in my opinion. Not as close as being in the city, but it is only 20 minutes to downtown Pittsburgh. It is right near the airport. Robert Morris University is there for continuing education opportunities.

[cathydavis]

Thanks for all the information. We live in Charleston, SC right now and magnet schools are very popular down here because of the poor schools. Is the same true for Pittsburgh and if so, does anyone know the names and locations for some of the better ones? Thanks again.

[Lookingforasafehome]

Honestly, do not send your child to any pgh city school...please!

[Sideblinded]

We are moving soon and our son will be attending Minadeo Elementary School in Pittsburgh. Gasp! A public school!

He is moving from an extremely non-diverse small town in the midwest to Pittsburgh Public Schools. He is 8 and is excited to meet people from other cultures. He is a bit obsessed with meeting Native American's due to his current chapter in social studies.

I just hope he doesn't go overboard and ask too many questions. I didn't realize how naive and sheltered he has been until this move.

[claremarie]

You're not going to find Native Americans in Pittsburgh.
And precious few Hispanics, Vietnamese, Filipino, Indian (from India), Chinese, Japanese, Thai, middle Eastern, etc.
Diversity is basically black and white, with white being heavily concentrated in Italian, Polish, German, and Irish.
Pittsburgh is, in essence, a midwestern city.

[Hopes]

For those interested in knowing the best schools, I think it's wise to just provide a link to the following website with the Allegheny County school rankings:

http://www.psk12.com/rating/USthreeR...untyID_20.html