davis, CA nice? (San Francisco, Sacramento, Roseville: appointed, renting, houses)

[treeluvr]

Just in case you like your in town transportation gas-free: Everyone rides a bike in Davis. The main roads are about 50% bike path. You see everyone from six year olds to eighty year olds on their bike. And folks in a parked car seem to be pretty good about checking for bike traffic before they open their car doors.

[Mossy]

Thanks for the reply. Well, we maybe looking at moving there. It will be a hike to Folsom for my husband but hecan stagger his starting/end times. Where can I find those school scores?

[quasi888]

Davis Schools

Click on Elementary/Middle/High to compare schools with each other.

My wife teaches at Birch Lane Elementary, which is generally regarded as the "lowest performing" public elementary school. Well, you know it's a good district if the lowest performing school still ranks an 8 on GreatSchools, with APIs solidly in the 800s.

[Mossy]

Thanks Quasi for the school info.

Know of any good realtors in town?

[clairerandall]

I went to Davis for most of my K-12 education. Yes, the schools are good. But there is also such a tight-knit community that even though I came there in 3rd grade, I still felt like the "new kid" through my senior year in high school. Also, we did not have a lot of money and I definitely felt like an outcast for much of my education. I couldn't afford to do the soccer, the school trips, etc. that all the other kids did. I would not put your kids in that community unless you truly can afford it.

There is a very snobbish feel in Davis and the school system. However, I'm not trying to be totally negative. I did get an excellent grounding. A 3.5 GPA in the Davis school system (me) is like a 4.0 GPA anywhere else. But that doesn't mean I didn't have to work for it. I don't think the school system offers enough support to struggling students because they focus so much on high-achieving students. I'm not saying that's bad--that could be great if you have gifted children. It's just a consideration if you have students with learning disabilities or just need extra help. A lot of Davis parents will pay for extra private tutoring.

As far as jobs go, unless you are in upper management you cannot afford to work at UC Davis and live in Davis, unless your spouse has a high income. I know this because I used to work there. You need to make at least $80,000 minimum (by yourself) at UCD to live there, and that means your partner also makes at least $40-50k somewhere else (or at UC Davis). The house prices are ridiculous for the quality. But the exchange is that it's true, I got around on foot or a bike for everything but shopping. You can commute to Sac and there are also several commuter express buses from Davis that take you to downtown Sac.

Hope this helps!

[christeen]

Wow, clairerandall, sorry you had such a difficult experience in school. Your post is what I was afraid of finding in my research into Davis. Like the OP, we're thinking of moving to Davis and very much like what we see and hear about the town.

Our main concern (besides the summer heat), is the competitiveness of the schools. One of the biggest draws about this town is the quality of public schools. But we're wondering what the flipside is like, ie, how the kids handle the pressure of a super-performing school.

My husband thinks a kid like ours -- (we think she's) bright, w/ highly involved, educated parents -- might be better off in an average school, w/ average performing kids where she'd have a chance at being a star, rather than being an "average kid" at one of the state's super-schools where she might feel she didn't have a chance no matter how hard she tried (ie, big fish in small pond analogy).

On the other hand, I think she'd do well in an environment where everyone values education, where she could develop a strong educational foundation and love of learning. A bit idealistic, I realize, but my theory held until I read clairerandall'st post.

Anyone else have input on this issue? Thanks everyone for a very educational () thread.

[quasi888]

Personally, I would rather have my child in a school where there is high parental involvement, and a culture of academic success. When you're in a group of peers that wants to do well academically, it's infectious -- it makes YOU want to do well too. It's not necessarily about competitiveness; it's about striving for excellence because it's "cool" to do so and to work harder.

Clairerandall does make some great points that illustrate how some districts may not offer enough support to students with special needs, etc. I have no firsthand experience with that as it pertains to Davis, but I'll ask my wife what her thoughts are since she teaches there. Being the new 3rd grade teacher at her school, her classroom has been the "dumping ground" for transfer students, students with known needs, etc. This has been a hard week for her -- one student had to be taken away from the class -- literally -- by Child Protective Services because the father (who is in the middle of a divorce) had left his home in such shambles that CPS deemed it unfit. Another is getting tested for autism. She takes an active role in the welfare of all her kids -- not just in the classroom, but in their personal lives (as much as she can) too; one time at her old school, she called a homeless shelter where a student had just moved into to make sure he was OK and was still doing his homework. So, I think a lot depends on the willingness/capabilities of school faculty and staff *individuals* to deal with these issues. Her principal has been quite supportive of her efforts too. So let's not paint schools/districts with too broad of a brush.

[clairerandall]

I hope I didn't dump on it too much. I really did appreciate a lot of the opportunities there. I was able to take some really good classes, like Classical Humanities and Japanese History and Culture that really helped me later on choose what I wanted to do in college. I just think sometimes when people talk about the Davis schools they get rose-colored lenses.

On the whole I would definitely recommend Davis schools over most of Sac City Unified, Folsom-Cordova, Washington Unified, and certain schools in Elk Grove (Elk Grove is likely where my kids will go and I'm lucky because I know so many teachers there I know which schools to target). I think if you decide to move to Davis, you should be prepared for that community and should ensure you're able to (1) tolerate the headaches other parents may give you and (2) be wiling to invest a lot of time and money in the activities that go along with an education there, in order for your kids to really be an active part of things. I will be really interested in hearing what Quasi888 can tell you as well!

[clairerandall]

Oh, one other thing...there are NO gangs and barely any violent crime, etc. in those schools. The only gang we had were the Davis Snails, i think, and they were just a bunch of skateboarding hoodlums who probably eventually went to an Ivy League college anyway. You can't say that for many other districts. I guess I should appreciate that more. There IS bullying, however.

[Mossy]

What headaches can the parents give you? I agree with Parent involvement but my husband and I feel there is too much and the parent can dominate. Let the teacher do his or her job, IMO.

I know we are very excited about moving there. My daughter will be going to Redbud Montessori in the Fall. Again, the only downfall is that my husband will have to commute to Folsom but he can go on the off times. I really like to hear all the opinions.

Mossy