Moving to SF - pls help!

[jumparoo]

Great thank you!! Are their private preschools that you know of? I'm pretty lost when it comes to the west coast. Born and raised in NYC and pretty clueless where to start in SF. Thanks everyone.

[jumparoo]

Should I be looking at suburbs for better schools than the city? Which suburbs should I start my research? It's almost 40 mins from surround ing suburbs to get into manhattan - is this the same case in SF?

[jade408]

Originally Posted by jumparoo

Should I be looking at suburbs for better schools than the city? Which suburbs should I start my research? It's almost 40 mins from surround ing suburbs to get into manhattan - is this the same case in SF?

I think is similar in that sense, but some suburbs have a shorter trip. At least for burbs with good schools. Not a lot of selectionnaroind here. But also it can take 45 minutes to travel from outer San Francisco to the financial district via transit. But it is much easier to get into the schools.

I personally like Lafayette for standard. It is a good mix of suburbia and proximity to interesting stuff. You could also look at Burlingame. Each allows you to take BART. The ride is 25-30 minutes from either. The trains are less crowded from Burlingame. You'll have to decide which vibe you want. Both have walkable downtown areas but are largely not walkable. Limited transit outside of commuter rail. That is the case of all Bay Area suburbs with good schools.

Piedmont is not really suburbia but is also a good option. There are buses to downtown SF (the one I take is about a 20-25 minute ride most days - I live in an adjacent Oakland neighborhood, add 5-10 to get into Piedmont). This gives me a one seat ride and the bus is across from my apartment. It's an affluent residential enclave surrounded by similar Oakland neighborhoods. Price premium driven by school district reputation. If you want to be closer to urbanity and have great schools it is a good choice.

Most of Berkeley and Oakland can offer short commutes to downtown SF but these places are urban and schools can range in city limits quite a bit. Better odds of getting in a neighborhood school. And more transit options. North Berkeley is a good choice. And areas in oakland like Glenview, Crocker Highlands, Rockridge and Montclair all feed into good schools (these spots are also adjacent to Piedmont so super easy to explore in one day).

Other suburban areas to explore: Albany and Alameda. Albany has easy BART access. Alameda not so much but it is a nice place.

[HappyinCali]

Moraga has the best public schools in bay area. It is an easy bart commute

[artemis78]

OP, are you looking to rent in the city first, or go right to a community where your child would later attend school? If you want the SF experience first, I'd do Noe at your price point. It sounds like what you are looking for, and is awash in young kids and a number of stay-at-home parents, with plenty of preschool options. The SF suburbs are all quite different from one another (and very different from typical NYC suburbs) so I think you'd benefit hugely from having time to explore them. How old is your toddler? There is a September 1st cutoff for school here (unless you happen to have a child born in Sept/Oct/Nov, in which case you can do a year of PreK, called transitional kindergarten) so you likely have some time. Many, many families stay in SF through the preschool years and then move out. Especially if you are from NYC and are coming directly from Manhattan, you may want to get a taste of what urban and suburban feel like in California before jumping in. Commute times from the suburbs are going to be similar--you have to add the time to drive from your home to the train station to the length of the train ride itself. Good luck!

[jade408]

Originally Posted by HappyinCali

Moraga has the best public schools in bay area. It is an easy bart commute

Moraga is pretty far from BART. It is tucked in on a two lane road, so it may take 20 minutes to get to the train. (from Orinda or Lafayette). Unless you want a really quiet town, I'd stick to the larger neighbors - Orinda and Lafayette.

[Rez123]

I agree with the recommendation of Noe Valley + private school. It would be a good way to transition from NYC.

I would also consider Burlingame, Sausalito and Tiburon. They don't have the same lottery school system as SF and have solid schools and nice neighborhoods.
Sausalito and Tiburon would require taking the ferry to work. I understand the last ferry is pretty early though. Burlingame could be a combination of driving or Caltrain/bike.

I live in Palo Alto and commute to the Fidi every day but that wouldn't make sense for you.

[Pietro25]

I'd like to put in a word for public schools in SF. Many of them are very good. My children got excellent educations in public schools and went on to good colleges. Private school kids in SF IMHO are sort of one dimensional. Being in a private school is like living in a gated community -- it's closed and safe but boring and puts you in with like-minded people only. Plus it costs a fortune. Several private school educated kids on my block have had trouble adjusting to the real world after their schooling ended.

[jade408]

Originally Posted by Pietro25

I'd like to put in a word for public schools in SF. Many of them are very good. My children got excellent educations in public schools and went on to good colleges. Private school kids in SF IMHO are sort of one dimensional. Being in a private school is like living in a gated community -- it's closed and safe but boring and puts you in with like-minded people only. Plus it costs a fortune. Several private school educated kids on my block have had trouble adjusting to the real world after their schooling ended.

The problem is SF has a school lottery and your kid may end up way across town. And sf is not easy to get around during school hours. At the wrong time and it takes 45 minutes to go 3 miles.

[silverkris]

Originally Posted by Pietro25

Kid-friendly neighborhoods: Noe Valley, Glen Park, Bernal Heights. You'll meet lots of young marrieds with children in those neighborhoods. Public transportation to downtown from these neighborhoods is easy.

Also consider West Portal. You can take the Muni Metro into downtown SF.