Schools (Roanoke, Leesburg, Cave Spring: 2010, crime, houses)

[jjdegs]

Hi,
My husband and I are considering relocating to Roanoke from Philadelphia for his work. We have 2 small children and our son will be heading into kindergarten in Sept. 2010. He is 3.5 and currently in Pre-k full time. We've gotten consistent feedback from his teachers that he is very bright and it will be important to continue to keep him challenged. His current class setting has a range of children from 3.5-5 so he's able to learn on a level that challenges him. Education is extremely important to us and the private schools in Philadelphia are fantastic. Along with the many public schools in the surrounding areas that are top in the country. However, we are looking to relocate to a place that is more family friendly and safe.

Here's my question, does anyone have an objective view of the quality of the schools (both public and private) in the area? It's a bit early to know what type of setting will be right for the kids given how young they are so I feel it's important to land in a place where there are multiple good options.

Much appreciate any input on the topic.

[seanpecor]

Both of my daughters attend North Cross School, a secular private school in Roanoke. We are very happy with North Cross. I'm a dotcom entrepreneur. My wife's paternal grandparents helped found Burgundy Country Day School in Northern Virginia, and her maternal grandparents helped found The Glaydin School in Leesburg, VA. My wife (Mt Holyoke Alum) was an elementary school teacher at Burgundy, and was even offered a job at Sidwell Friends School in D.C. (where Obama's daughters now attend). When my wife was a child, her parents managed the Farm & Wilderness summer camp in Vermont, helped build a private school on Virgin Gorda, and were in the Peace Corps in the Philippines. In other words, I'm just an internet geek so take my opinion on schools with a grain of salt, but I'm married into a family with an extensive private and alternative schooling background. My wife thinks North Cross is, all things considered, the best school in the entire Roanoke Valley. The tuition at North Cross is 1/3rd what you'd pay in NoVA, or New England. They also provide bus transportation, even to the rural fringes, which is a convenient service.

North Cross is rolling out a program for 3 year olds beginning in the 2009-2010 school year. They already have a pre-K program called Junior Kindergarten, or JK for short. JK is a half day (8am-1pm), but if you should desire it there is an extended day program beginning at 1pm. Our oldest is now in 3rd grade, our youngest is in 1st, and they're both very challenged, despite being quite advanced.

There are plenty of great schools in Roanoke, though. You'll have lots of great options. We moved here from Vermont in 2004 and love the area!

Sean

[jjdegs]

Thanks for your perspective Sean. Many of my husband's potential future colleagues reco'd North Cross, so glad to hear from someone with personal experience there. Would love to hear more about what you love about it.

I especially appreciate the background on your wife's upbringing as my husband and I are former Peace Corps volunteers (met in a program in Zimbabwe before it the country went south politically). We then relo'd to Portland, OR for the access to outdoor recreation and ultimately landed in Philadelphia for him to go to medical school. Despite the crime and bad rep that Philly has (we live in a very urban area), we've grown to love the city. Great education, lots of arts and culture, pretty progressive, and tons of career opps for me which has been important as I've supported us during the 8 years of his medical training. I currently work in marketing for a global consumer goods company. This is a big step for us as I transition out of a full-time career to enjoy more time with the family and he embarks on the beginning of his career. We're really looking to settle somewhere where we can put down roots.

During my husband's first trip down to Roanoke, he was very impressed with the people and the city. Everyone was very warm and welcoming, the area very beautiful and the city more cosmopolitan than he expected. It's the details that are hard to get close to from the outside, though.

In addition to education, some things that are important to us are a sense of community/good neighbors, walking access to some basic amenities (i.e. sidewalks with a small town center w/ a coffee shop would be nice), kid-friendly activities and safe for kids to play outside. Some arts and culture are a bonus.

Given these interests:
1) What's your opinion on Grandin Village/Raleigh Ct. area for young family?. Based on previous strings, seems like it may be ideal for us but I had some initial concerns about schools. With North Cross as the school option it becomes much more appealing.
2) Any thoughts on Cave Spring schools for public? I'm not sure that we're ready to be in true suburbs yet.
3) Know anything about Community School?
4) Any areas outside the city that are a bit more country that you'd reco exploring? Realize we'd be giving up the access/sidewalks etc, but there is a chance that we could go for a totally extreme change.

A lot of questions here, but appreciate your input as the resident Roanoke expert!

Best,
Jenna

[Erin1264]

Hello,

I used to work in a job where I interacted frequently with the schools - was very impressed with the Salem school system (it's very well respected) and Community School was nice as well, and I think it also is rated well.

In terms of the arts/walkability/neighborhood vibe, you are right to look into Raleigh Court and the Grandin area. I love that area too, though I know nothing about the schools there.

Cave Spring schools and North Cross - I've heard good things about them as well.

[seanpecor]

Originally Posted by jjdegs

1) What's your opinion on Grandin Village/Raleigh Ct. area for young family?. Based on previous strings, seems like it may be ideal for us but I had some initial concerns about schools. With North Cross as the school option it becomes much more appealing.

If we had a lifestyle that was more compatible with city living, then the Grandin Village area would be on our short list, with South Roanoke being the other area we'd consider. The Grandin area has a clearly defined village at it's center, with a cafe, a theater, restaurants, the Roanoke Natural Foods Co-Op, some shopping, etc. It's close to parks, walkable to the Roanoke River greenway, etc. The neighborhoods around Grandin are diverse and are not homogeneous so you don't feel like you're living in Stepford (*cough* *cough* Cary, NC *cough* *cough*). If you're comfortable in Philly, then you might be most comfortable with the Grandin area.

The other area we like is South Roanoke. Beautiful neighborhoods and close to downtown. Unlike Grandin, there is no clearly defined village, but you're closer to more amenities. The Crystal Spring Ave / Richelieu area has a small bit of that village vibe with a cafe, etc. In this area you'd fall out of your house and land at Carilion, and presuming your husband is being recruited by Carilion, that might be very convenient.

2) Any thoughts on Cave Spring schools for public? I'm not sure that we're ready to be in true suburbs yet.

It's the true suburbs. I know lots of great people living in the county, but many neighborhoods have a very homogeneous vibe. There are some close-in subdivisions like the Penn Forest area that don't feel exactly like the burbs, but in general, County neighborhoods are not walkable (most don't even have sidewalks). I've been to most of the upscale neighborhoods in the county and they all look mass manufactured. Even the 10,000 square foot behemoths scream Dream Home Magazine Page 94. Maybe that's just me. I grew up in New England surrounded by 100+ year old homes and each was unique unto itself.

3) Know anything about Community School?

I've heard nothing but good things about Community School. It's really inconveniently located, though. Off Route 11, a couple miles East of the airport. It could be a frustrating hike from the south side of the valley. Depends on your driving tolerance I suppose. I try to avoid Route 11 and all of its many ill-timed at all costs. Take that with a grain of salt, though. Maybe I'm just feeling overly judgmental this morning

4) Any areas outside the city that are a bit more country that you'd reco exploring? Realize we'd be giving up the access/sidewalks etc, but there is a chance that we could go for a totally extreme change.

We live in Franklin County, which is south of Roanoke. It's probably your best choice for exploring the possibility of semi-rural living particularly if your husband will be working at Carilion. We're under 25 minutes to Carilion from our house. You could be as close as 15 minutes from Carilion and still live "in the country". Out in the country, you are living without the conveniences of living in an urban village like Grandin. But in the city, you are living without many of the wonderful things that a semi-rural lifestyle can provide. One lifestyle does not fully deprive you of the other, however. Some folks (us, for example) are country mice that like to visit the city, but are quite happy to come back home to the country. Others are city mice who like to visit the country but are quite happy to return to their city houses.

Hope this helps.

Sean

[j1n]

Originally Posted by jjdegs

1) What's your opinion on Grandin Village/Raleigh Ct. area for young family?. Based on previous strings, seems like it may be ideal for us but I had some initial concerns about schools. With North Cross as the school option it becomes much more appealing.

If you are considering the Grandin area, you should have no worries with public schools. Grandin/Raleigh Court area is likely considered the best place to live in Roanoke.

Originally Posted by jjdegs

2) Any thoughts on Cave Spring schools for public? I'm not sure that we're ready to be in true suburbs yet.

Cave Spring HS is considered by many to be the county HS...very good reputation.

[coolasamoose]

I don't have much to add but can only agree with what others have said here. We moved to the Raleigh Court/Grandin Village area a couple of years ago. My wife and I are former Peace Corps volunteers as well We were drawn to the area because of some of the things you mentioned. We wanted to be able to walk to get basic amenities, sidewalks, a safe neighborhood and the option of taking a bus to work. We're very happy here. We have a young daughter who we plan to send to the local public school. Good luck with your search. The Roanoke Valley is a wonderful place to live, wherever you end up.

coolasamoose

[jjdegs]

Thanks to everyone for the very thorough responses and for allaying my concerns.
I'm getting excited about the possibilities and am sure I will be back with additional questions on the area as they come up. Best, Jenna

[livetolive]

Originally Posted by jjdegs

Thanks to everyone for the very thorough responses and for allaying my concerns.
I'm getting excited about the possibilities and am sure I will be back with additional questions on the area as they come up. Best, Jenna

Jenna,

May I ask being that you are relocating, can you suggest best places to stay while researching the area? We have never been to Roanoke, and will be visting in spring to check out the area. I just put the question out there, but I am curious what you thought when you visited the area as far as a place to tay while researching. It is nice to hear what people have to say that already live there, but I like to get an outsiders opinion also. We will be researching schools also, so I got good info from reading the answers to your post here. Thanks. And good luck to you in your relocation. We can't wait to see what VA is like, can't take the freezing winters any longer.

[Justme2010]

Talking about schools, this link might be of interest to you all,
America's Best High Schools - BusinessWeek

From many comments I perused there seems to be a lot of anger... disatisfactory...

Personally, from information organization point of view, I find it dumb, they listed each state by a number such as 1.htm (which is not very meaningful, a picture is not descriptive enough to provide sufficient clue), vs. had they used state abbr such as VA.htm and list them alphabetically... just too many dummies...