Good schools, interesting neighborhood 30 min commute to Durham VA (Chapel Hill: chapel, home)

[mandapanda1]

I've been offered a position at the VA in Durham, which I'm thrilled about because we've been trying to relocate to the area for over a year.

We have three kids ages 3,5,7, so school quality is pretty important. At the same time, we value walkability, culture, proximity to parks and and kid friendly amenities. Our budget is 300-350K, and we are considering building a home.

I have cold feet about DPS, although I will look a bit more. We are looking for a school system that is strong K-12. With three kids I'm hesitant to rely on magnets and lotteries.

Finally, I'm hoping to have a commute of 30 or less door to door to the VA. AND my husband, who will need a new job, needs to be open to anything in the triangle area, making central location important.

Any suggestions?

[dcgrl]

with that budget Chapel Hill is going to be sort of out of reach--estes hills might fit, but it's not exactly walkable.

you really should consider Durham. It's funny to me that people considering relocating to this city always exclaim how important schools are to them, so they're not sure Durham is a good fit. I'm sorry, but Durham is home to thousands of highly educated people, many of them with children. Schools are important to us, too.

if you get a chance to visit the area again, spend some time with your kids at Oval Park, Duke Park, or Trinity Park. Introduce yourself--talk with parents about where they send their kids. You will find many happy families with kids in Durham public schools. EK Powe, Watts, Morehead, Club, Easley, Pearsontown--kids are learning and thriving all over this city.

Durham has really wonderful neighborhoods and a great family vibe, and it's centrally located for your husband's eventual commute.

[Bull City Rising]

I would agree with dcgirl. Best bets are to check out the Strong Durham Schools web sites, which has feedback and reflections from students at various DPS schools (and is thus a good proxy for schools that have, or lack, strong parental networks.)

North, central and South Durham all have neighborhoods with excellent base schools. Worth keeping in mind that there are guaranteed transfer options under law if you're assigned to a school that has persistent, known issues with school performance; few parents take advantage of these, and there also have been some changes to them (hopefully TinaPDX or another commenter more knowledgeable on these can speak to that.)