"Affordable" district with good schools/good commute to city? (Oakland: apartment complex, rent)

[nightlysparrow]

Originally Posted by jesslauren310

preferred). We have two kids, a 10 year old and a one year old, so 3 bedroom is what we'd need.

A one-year-old needs their own bedroom? Maybe rethink that. A 2-bedroom would be more in line with your budget. Maybe.

[sav858]

Originally Posted by roadwarrior101

Eh. Pleasant Hill looks like it has some good elementary schools but the Middle Schools / High Schools are just so-so: California School Ratings, school profiles, test scores - Contra Costa County

Yeah it's not Walnut Creek/Acalanes or SRV schools, which are some of the top districts in the state and what I would more consider "great/excellent", but I feel an 8/10 would be considered "good" by most people's standards.

But if the OP wanted "excellent" schools, they could probably get a townhouse or possibly a SFH with Walnut Creek schools. Not sure why some posters are acting like a 3-br for $3K is somehow an impossibility in areas of the East Bay with "good" schools near BART.

[04kL4nD]

in some places in the East Bay 3k a month won't even get you a 2BR/2BA apartment near BART, so...

[sav858]

And in other places it will get you a 3-bed house with "good" schools near BART and that was kind of the whole point of this thread, to find out where those places are, so.. Guess some of you just don't know the East Bay that well.

[04kL4nD]

No, we know it pretty well, actually. We just have different standards about what are considered "good schools" and a "good commute". The OP sounds more like they're looking for a Lamorinda situation than a Martinez/PH/CV one. Having to drive to BART and riding it to the city from PH is going to take about an hour. That's a crappy commute for some people.

[twins4lynn]

I use the California Department of Education’s Dataquest website. Pleasant Hill has over half of their middle schools with very good scores (in the 800’s) and two of their high schools are also in that category. They would be considered very good schools. API 3 - Year Average(CA Dept. of Education)

And lots of good elementary schools.

[sav858]

Originally Posted by 04kL4nD

No, we know it pretty well, actually. We just have different standards about what are considered "good schools" and a "good commute". The OP sounds more like they're looking for a Lamorinda situation than a Martinez/PH/CV one. Having to drive to BART and riding it to the city from PH is going to take about an hour. That's a crappy commute for some people.

Sounds like you're just making a lot of personal assumptions there based on the word "good". OP really didn't get specific but either way it doesn't really warrant writing off the entire East Bay when PH/MTZ schools and a BART commute from central Contra Costa County is quite common and doable for a lot of people. Perhaps it's more helpful to throw out viable options so the OP can decide themself instead of going on about unicorns no?

[roadwarrior101]

Originally Posted by smashystyle

8/10 isn't so-so. It's good/decidedly above-average. This isn't Lake Wobegon and not every school can be a 10/10 (not to mention that there are probably unhealthy dynamics to sending your kid to the type of hyper-competitive place that it takes to be rated a 10/10).

Above average is decent, but not everyone considers that to be good. In looking at the API scores at some of the 8/10 schools, they're barely above 800. Not only that, but Pleasant Hill borders Concord, and some of the areas on that side get a little questionable.

There are plenty of areas with much better schools in CC County - Lamorinda, Danville, San Ramon, even Walnut Creek. Sure, they're pricey, but let the OP decide if it makes the most sense to sacrifice price, school quality or commute distance, as they're not going to get all three.

[jesslauren310]

Thank you to everyone who gave a helpful response. I really appreciate it.

We are originally from the Boston suburbs and are currently living in the Philadelphia suburbs. Right now we are in the #2 district in the state, so I guess when I meant "good" schools, I would specify 8/10 or more. I would of course prefer 9-10/10 but realize that might not be realistic.

We can go above 3k a month but really don't want to, mostly because I'll be staying home and we will be traveling back to the East coast semi frequently to see family. That will definitely not be cheap x4 tickets several times a year.

And yes, my 18 month old, who will be 2.5 when we move, will need his own room. 2 bedrooms wouldn't work for us.

[comingbacktocali]

i have found that those good school ratings are not always reliable. so, i would take a look at the api scores and demographics of the school. a school with lower scores may mean that there are students who struggle with english and do not perform as well on the tests. this is not necessarily a reflection of the quality of school. the best thing is to go tour some schools in neighborhoods that appeal to you and work for your commute and budget. i did that when we were moving back to california. it was very helpful.

also, school districting is not always as claimed. you could move into an area that is zoned for a particular school but then find out there is no room and get sent to another one in the district. that *almost* happened to us but luckily we got into our walking distance school.

good luck!