Good school district w/out having $500,000 home? (Raleigh, Durham: real estate, chapel)

[jnr4411]

Maybe I've been going about it backwards, but when researching moving to the Raleigh area, I've been looking at the best schools first, and then try to find houses in that area. Any suggestions on more affordable neighborhoods w/ good schools?

[lamishra]

I think it depends on how you are defining the "best schools". I think most people are generally happy with the schools they are in (not all, but most). My kids are not in a school that would be defined as "the best" when looking at external things like test scores, but IMO, we're in one of the best schools I could ever ask for and I wouldn't change a thing. I wouldn't even change my child to one of the "best schools" if they offered it to me on a silver platter. Sometimes the "best schools" have other issues and problems that are not necessarily reflected in test scores and sometimes the NOT best school have wonderful program and attributes that are not reflected in test scores either. That's not even to mention the redistricting issues that your children may face by trying to be in one of the "best" schools. My serious advice would be to find a house and neighborhood that you *really love* and the rest will usually fall naturally into place.

[MikeJaquish]

Park Village in Cary tends to be under $300,000, and some under $200,000, with Davis Drive Schools next door.
Charleston Village in Apex is near Salem Schools, and has offerings in the upper $200,000's.
In Apex, Vintage Ridge, Sheperd's Vineyard, and Surrey Meadows are in the mid-$200,000's and up and Apex Schools.
All WCPSS, and no one will guarantee that forever, but the schools are good.

There are a lot of nodes assigned to very good schools in W Wake, with homes available for much less than $500,000.

[SarahMom]

Jnr4411 - Your approach is one that most folks use, and it makes sense. However, Wake County's approach to school assignment is not based on common sense. Wake County is a great place to live, but you really really need to be aware of the school assignment model before you come here, to be sure it will fit your family.

Here is what you have to understand:
- the school closest to a house is not necessarily the school to which that residence will be assigned.
- residences can be reassigned every year, year after year. We have friends (several - more than a few families) who have lived in a house for 4 - 6 years and have attended 5 schools.
- this is done for socio-economic diversity engineering.

Wake County is a very diverse population, but the school district wants to 'balance' the population so that the schools produce good numbers and appear good on paper. This has very little to do with individual student achievement or education.

That said, most schools in Wake are pretty good. If you can be flexible, it could work for you. Please do your research. Lots of folks have moved here and said "if I'd known about this one thing that would distrupt my family so completely, I never would have come". You can start with the News & Observer Wake Ed blog. You'll get a feeling for the angst there.

Also, there are a lot of folks on this blog who just mainly want to sell you real estate. Buyer beware.

I'm a mom and have nothing to gain by telling you this. As a matter of fact, I've become somewhat unpopular by posting these warning signs.

Good Luck!

[lamishra]

Yes, I'll agree, the guy that does the Wake Ed blog does a very, VERY good job of feeding and reporting the "angst".

[MikeJaquish]

Originally Posted by lamishra

Yes, I'll agree, the guy that does the Wake Ed blog does a very, VERY good job of feeding and reporting the "angst".

We are drifting away from the OP's question...

[lamishra]

I answered it. It depends on what they are calling the best schools, and that is clearly subjective.

[jnr4411]

So, then would you recommend Chapel Hill or Durham over Wake Co? Is there a preference as to specific areas of Chapel Hill or Durham that are better than others? I'm from Memphis, and believe me, it makes a difference around here!

[North_Raleigh_Guy]

Originally Posted by jnr4411

So, then would you recommend Chapel Hill or Durham over Wake Co? Is there a preference as to specific areas of Chapel Hill or Durham that are better than others? I'm from Memphis, and believe me, it makes a difference around here!

It is hard to recommend anything without more info. Are schools the only factor? Where will you be working? What type of commute do you want? Ect...

As others have said, in Wake County you don't need to spend $500K to live in an area where your child would go to a good school. I can find homes between $160K-$200K that are serviced by great schools.

Good Luck!

[lamishra]

I really would not recommend one district over the other. I think people moving here should focus on finding an area that they love and feel the most comfortable in, whether that be Raleigh, Durham or CHapel Hill. Each area has a totally different vibe and a totally different approach to schools. If you find an area that really feels right to you, the rest usually falls into alignment. I would highly suggest coming for a visit and visiting each area and see where you feel the most comfortable.