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I am having high anxiety over the Wake County Public School System issue. Here is our situation in a nutshell. Our oldest is 4.5 and will have her first birthday before the school year.
I am racing around as much as possible to find a house so I can get her enrolled in school, but I'm afraid. I just don't understand enough about the area or the busing or anything to really know what to do. I read a message on here last night where the poster said his/her child was moved three times in three years.
So, should I just give up on Wake County and try to buy in another County? Dh works at the airport so we had ruled out Johnston County, but now I'm reconsidering for our child's well-being. I mean, we just reunited as a family after five months (Dh was already here for work), then she will be starting school for the first time and then she may not be able to build friendships because she or her neighbor's kids may be in a different school every year?
I understand most of the schools are good so it doesn't matter when they are bussed, but isn't starting Kindergarten traumatic enough without the uncertainty of where one will be established? Please help a stressed out mom figure out a workable game plan here.
I recommend buying a home close to a school you know is good or an area you like. If you don't know of good schools i know this forum has great threads on several areas. The new school board is getting rid of busing and going toward a community school stance. Which i think will be good. So chances are you will be sending your child to the school closest to you in a year or two at most.
Places i recommend to look for a home are below. But it depends on how much home you can afford.
Apex/Cary/Morrisville are very nice areas and tend to have good schools and your dh's commute would be minimal for the most part.
As for Raleigh look at West Raleigh through North/Northwest Raleigh. I recommend the area between Wade Avenue and Falls of Neuse Road and up. East of Falls of Neuse(Wake Forest is still not the best and when you get below Wade Avenue you get older homes in the Buck Jones Road section that is not the best either. ITB is also good if you can afford it.
Johnston County is a great also. Your dh won't have too bad a commute and you can get more house for your money and a little more land. I have friends in the Riverwood Subdivision in Clayton and enjoy it. They have schools right in the development along with pools, golf, an athletic club ets.
Thanks to you both for taking the time to respond. I am going to look in Clayton as well. Maybe I would feel differently if I wasn't used to being at home with my babies and they were already in school before we moved. Right now, I'm still dealing with the shock that my "baby" is almost old enough to go to school!
I'm probably going to get slammed for saying this, but IMO, choose a house you like in a neighborhood you like and don't worry so much about the school. The elementary schools in Wake Co. are just NOT that different! Unless you are intent on settling in a very urban area, the rest is a homogeneous yuppieville. And your neighbors will be in the same node as you are, so they will go to the same school.
Work with a good realtor and find a home you all love, get involved in your child's class and get to know your child's teacher. Even if you don't end up enrolling until the day before school starts, your school will be the same cookie cutter experience as if you planned it out precisely and painstakingly, house by house.
Seriously, don't let them scare you off! It's *nice here. You'll be hard pressed to find "not nice". Really, you'd have to go out of your way to find "not nice".
*Nice may or may not be represented on City Data, however.
I'm probably going to get slammed for saying this, but IMO, choose a house you like in a neighborhood you like and don't worry so much about the school. The elementary schools in Wake Co. are just NOT that different! Unless you are intent on settling in a very urban area, the rest is a homogeneous yuppieville. And your neighbors will be in the same node as you are, so they will go to the same school.
Work with a good realtor and find a home you all love, get involved in your child's class and get to know your child's teacher.
I agree with this 100%!
Find a neighborhood that you LOVE as that is where your child will spend his/her freetime playing with friends.
All of your neighbors will be zoned to the same school as well, even if you are rezoned, so those friends that she makes in the neighborhood will be her stability.
And I cannot stress enough to VOLUNTEER at your childs school if you have the time and you want a great experience. I volunteer as much as I can (once a week or so) and know my children's teachers well. I know my children's school friends and I get the "insider" information on how they are doing without having to request a conference. It breaks down the wall of "formality" with the teacher and they feel they can share with me little tidbits, concerns, successes, assignment information..etc about my child when they see me in the school.
I'm probably going to get slammed for saying this, but IMO, choose a house you like in a neighborhood you like and don't worry so much about the school. The elementary schools in Wake Co. are just NOT that different! Unless you are intent on settling in a very urban area, the rest is a homogeneous yuppieville. And your neighbors will be in the same node as you are, so they will go to the same school.
Work with a good realtor and find a home you all love, get involved in your child's class and get to know your child's teacher. Even if you don't end up enrolling until the day before school starts, your school will be the same cookie cutter experience as if you planned it out precisely and painstakingly, house by house.
Seriously, don't let them scare you off! It's *nice here. You'll be hard pressed to find "not nice". Really, you'd have to go out of your way to find "not nice".
*Nice may or may not be represented on City Data, however.
I'm probably going to get slammed for saying this, but IMO, choose a house you like in a neighborhood you like and don't worry so much about the school. The elementary schools in Wake Co. are just NOT that different! Unless you are intent on settling in a very urban area, the rest is a homogeneous yuppieville. And your neighbors will be in the same node as you are, so they will go to the same school.
Work with a good realtor and find a home you all love, get involved in your child's class and get to know your child's teacher. Even if you don't end up enrolling until the day before school starts, your school will be the same cookie cutter experience as if you planned it out precisely and painstakingly, house by house.
Seriously, don't let them scare you off! It's *nice here. You'll be hard pressed to find "not nice". Really, you'd have to go out of your way to find "not nice".
*Nice may or may not be represented on City Data, however.
I 6th holly Marshall's sentiments. I know that may seem pointless but I think it's important to see that it's a variety of people, from all over the county, who feel this way. My child was reassigned to a new school between k and 1st but there were 200 kids moved from the one school to the second one. All of our neighbors were reassigned too. There were lots of familiar faces at the new school. Very rarely are just a few kids moved at a time.
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