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Husband is a Marine pilot and we have three children (8, 6, 2)...moving there in July for him to attend Command and Staff at the Naval War College. We will live there a year and want to find a good rental in a safe neighborhood.
We have heard contradicting things about the elementary schools. Does anyone have any expertise in this subject. We want the best possible school for our kids...even if that means having to drive 30 minutes to the Naval College. Can't really afford private and really want a safe place. They will be in 3rd grade and 1st.
Barrington is on the east side of the bay, not too far from Newport, and has excellent schools. My cousin is an educator and moved there specifically for her childrens benefit. It's a bit pricey, though, and I don't know about rentals.
Portsmouth also has very good schools and is even closer than Barrington (especially since part of the way from Barrington you are stuck on small roads that easily clog up). It is on the same island so you don't even have to cross a bridge. The schools are very safe in Portsmouth and I am fairly certain that the cost of living is a bit less than in Barrington.
I grew up in Portsmouth and attended the schools there and still know a lot of people who send their kids there. They are all happy with the education their kids are getting as well as with the safe surroundings. I think you can still find some areas of Portsmouth which are not too outrageously expensive.
We had to live in East Providence for a couple of years and my daughter attended one year of elementary there. I wish we could have had her in Portsmouth!
I would strongly recommend staying 'on island'. It would be a major pain to take the kids to school off island. Both Middletown and Portsmouth have good schools, with Portsmouth being slightly better.
Also, if you are Christian (your username looks like a Bible verse), you may want to check out Aquidneck Island Christian Academy or St. Philomena's. Both are very good and I at least know Aquidneck Island Christian Academy is very affordable.
Newport Public schools are the pits. Staty away if you can.
I'll chime in with another Portsmouth vote. It's a good family town and a short drive into Newport. I've heard good things about the schools without actually knowing firsthand, if i were moving anywhere in RI, Portsmouth would be one of my 1st picks.
Thanks so much for the the advice. That is very helpful. Now, I am narrowing it down to staying on the island b/c I also heard the toll was 2.00/each way or 1.00/with new EZpass. I have looked at the greatschools.net website and found that Hathaway and Elmhurst are good...then also Aquidneck. I will look at the prices of the Christian school, too. My oldest two go to a Christian School now and we love it! However, we are selling our house here in AZ and losing quite a bit, so we may need to save some money and let them attend public for one year. I so appreciate the time you put in to giving advice. So selfless!!!!
Hi! My daughter went to both Forest Avenue (smaller in size..which could be a good thing :P ) and Aquidneck School and we are very pleased with both experiences...good teachers, safe environment, but have to give thousands and thousands of *kudos* to the Forest Ave principal, Mr. Stephen Ponte who was very helpful when we first moved here (my daughter had to start school late) Hope you enjoy Aquidneck Island
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