davis county (Salt Lake City, Ogden, Layton: house, neighborhood, best schools)

[Bridget]

Can anyone tell me about the Davis county area? I was wondering about the schools (ones with good reputations, ones with bad reputations), any areas to avoid, any areas that are great. We are looking in the Syracuse, Layton, Clearfield, Kaysville area. What are some of the perks of this area and what are some of the drawbacks. Thanks!

[mountainfaith]

I don't live there just yet, but from reading the posts I at least do know that Davis High School in Kaysville was recently ranked one of the top in the nation. I just now looked up the Newsweek article and checked out the UTAH listings in - The Complete List: 1,200 Top U.S. Schools. Here's the news article link since this is very much related to the topic:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12532678...np=13&sort=raa

There were quite a few Salt Lake City area schools on the list. And I see Viewmont in Bountiful and Woods Cross in city of Woods Cross.

Just thought I'd bump up your post for people to see. I'm sure someone will fill you in here soon about the other schools & the area questions you have. Best wishes.

And just to help ya out some, here's some favorite county links with tons of helpful info. for ya:

http://www.utah.com/daviscounty/
http://www.daviscountyutah.gov/
http://www.davisareacvb.com/

[tp72]

I'm in the same boat you are. We are looking to move to the Davis County area (my husband will be working in Clearfield) but where we look for a house depends on where the good schools are. So far I haven't had much luck finding this kind of info., but I did find out that some of the Davis county schools are on a year-round calendar. I don't care for this and would like a traditional school calendar, but where are the good schools? We'd live almost anywhere in the Davis county area if we can find a good school. Let me know what you find out!

[thompson84606]

Davis District Schools

there you go

[bacalways]

We live in Bountiful and LOVE it!! My kids go to Muir elementary, Mueller Park Jr. High and Woods Cross High school. I LOVE Muir elementary. The principal there is awesome! We used to go to Orchard in North Salt Lake and they changed the boundaries....I LOVE Muir...the jr. high is Okay...my older one went to South Davis Jr. High and although it is bigger I think I liked it better...nothing really bad/good...just a feeling. I LOVE Woods Cross High school as well. One thing to think about is that the kids who go to Woods Cross are in a growing area so there are lots of new move ins and the kids there are really accepting and friendly. I've heard from friends who moved here and went to Bountiful High that the kids there are more "cliquish" and not as accepting. These 3 people I knew switched to Woods Cross after about 2 weeks because of this and LOVED Woods Cross. The teachers and administrators are fabulous!!! The traffic going up to Clearfield wouldn't be bad because you are going against traffic. The bad traffic is people traveling down from there into Salt Lake and then going back home...so you'd be good on that front! Good Luck.

[alexei27]

HI there...

I would highly recommend Layton (esp the north or east side). It is a vibrant town with everything you need. Hill AFB is right there which keeps a strong tax base and allows for more diversity than you find in much of Utah. We are a non-LDS family who have been extremely happy here for 3 years.

Northridge High is a fantastic school and there are lots of community activities.

Feel free to PM if you want more info.

[dojilynn]

I second the Layton recommendation. I have lived in this area for 14 years and it is really great. I really don't know of any schools with bad reps (unless you don't want your elementary kids to go year-round, then there are a couple you would want to avoid). The school I attended was Northridge. It is a beautiful building and the teachers were great. It has many extra-curricular classes that are offered as well. The elementary that my children attend is Sarah Jane Adams Elementary. I have had a wonderful experience there. They have a very active PTA, and the school is always having some special thing going on (carnival, bowling nights, swim passes, etc.). The teachers that my kids have had are great. Overall, I am very satisfied with the Davis County School District.

Layton is a great place to live. There are many places to find employment, shopping, dining, etc. If there is anything you want that it doesn't provide, Salt Lake and Ogden are only a short drive away (in opposite directions). I have never had to worry about safety while living here, and I don't know of any area of town where I would not want to be after dark.

Layton has a great park system, the largest being Layton City Park which is beautiful. It has a great walking path that lies next to a creek where there are swans, ducks, and geese. The kids love going to feed the ducks and then to play on the playground.

Overall it is a great community to live in. But you shouldn't take my word for it. I would recommend that you visit if you can to decide for yourself. I hope you find what you are looking for.

[commandingspirit]

We lived in Centerville Utah during my husband's 3 year army assignment. We are a non-LDS family who couldn't have been more welcomed into a neighborhood. We LOVED it there - friendly, friendly people, gorgeous scenery, great weather...it was lovely. Our kids were too young for school then, but I heard the Centerville schools were top-notch. It is a wonderful place.

[tantan220]

Any school in Davis county is a good bet. Last year it had the highest graduation rate out of any School district in the entire country!!

[mamort]

We live in Centerville, have friends in Bountiful, Farmington and Kaysville. It's true--we're very lucky where we live. Everybody is sure THEIR kids are in the best schools. Our principal told me it's because parents here are very involved in their kids' classrooms. My own experience tells me that Mormon culture (which couldn't be stronger here) encourages moms to stay at home with young children and many areas of Davis Co. are pretty well-off. Parents are then able to spend many volunteer hours at school. A school teacher friend in SLC said she couldn't ever get a room mom and bought all party supplies and threw class parties herself. I tried to be a room mom this year but ended up 6th on the list. I'm the assistant to the assistant-room mom....I'm NOT kidding. Basically, there is always a volunteer in the class reading with the kid's who need extra help or doing "enrichment activities" with the kids who find the regular work too easy. You don't get that everywhere, but that's pretty standard in many Davis Co. schools.