Good Private Schools in Bay Area - Family (San Francisco, Oakland: how much, house)

[J&A'sMOM]

Hi -
My DH is looking at 2 jobs and one is in SF. Where could we find a family oriented area - city or country is OK - We love horses and also love the city - DH will work in S.F. What is the best area for a family w/ young elementary school age kids? What are the private school's like? Is there a private school area listing with descriptions. My son really needs a small class size. We have an awesome school now and feel sad about leaving. Also big on our list is a 50 minute or less commute - currently he commutes 1 hr 40 min to NYC.

Any suggestions on areas - towns -would be greatly appreciated. We have a great friend in Novato and like the area. Also a friend in the city which we also like but it seems a bit cold and cloudy for me.

Not sure if this move will happen but I'd like to investigate possibilities.

[clongirl]

Your budget will dictate what town/city you live in. You will find good private schools in both- again, depends on how much you are willing to spend. Catholic schools (elementary) are more reasonable than other private schools but there is often a long waiting list and priority will go to those in the parish (at least the ones in SF). Then there are private schools like Town School for Boys which will set you back 13k a yr or so (might be more now). There are Waldorf schools, French immersion schools, etc, etc. Many choices.

I'm not that familiar with Novato specifically, but that whole general area is probably pretty nice and definitely more horse and kid friendly. If you like the weather warmer, this will also be a better choice. Sf is chilly for much of the year in certain neighborhoods.

[twins4lynn]

Here is a link to a website with Bay Area private schools, listed by county and city. Bay Area Private Schools, School List

Good luck

[J&A'sMOM]

Thanks - any towns I could research or specific areas in the city to look at as far as homes go?

Our current tuition is $14k/yr + donation which is more than catholic but much less than most of the highbrow private schools. We just love the current school but can't afford much more.

[hsw]

Woodside or PortolaValley or LosAltoHills....feel of Greenwich backcountry or Bedford....highly educated crowd of senior tech and financial execs/founders (most are 30-50yo); many young families; many Stanford/Harvard alums....very casual, effortless 40min drive into SF's financial dt (it's ~35mis, but 280 fwy is prob fastest urban fwy in world)....

Various well-regarded pvt schools....Menlo, SacredHt, Castilleja (?sp), etc

Weather is warmer, drier, less foggy and windy than City of SF; weather is similar to that of LA's Westside, but w/notably better air quality than BevHills

[18Montclair]

For elementary schools, I quite frankly think the best publics are better than the best privates.

[humboldtrat]

Check out Sacred Heart on the Menlo Park/Atherton border about 35 miles south of San Francisco. Sacred Heart Schools Warm sunny weather in a safe, upper middle class neighborhood.

[J&A'sMOM]

Thanks for the link to the web site and the neighborhood suggestions! The private school link was awesome and I've already contacted some of the schools! Love the choice of neighborhoods - DH is a princetonian!

The neighborhoods that have been suggested are really, really expensive - We can't go $2.5M for a house. WOW - and that's just comparable to our current home. Are there any cool areas that are not $2.5M but maybe $1.5M for a great family neighborhood where the kids play - bike ride - soccer w/ each other in the neighborhood. A gated community is not what I'm looking for. Perfect situation sidewalks - walkable community to coffee shop, library, shops. I have no problem driving to the Private School.

I know Napa is too far but one of the schools there sounds great!! Is there any place to live where the drive to school would be tolerable and yet my DH could still get to SF with in 45 minutes?? The housing prices there are soooo much more reasonable. Of course a safe community is #1.

What about SanFran itself?? Any enclaves of cool family "hoods" or Oakland? Need to see what's available on all sides. Don't get me wrong if I had the $$ I'd love to be in Menlo Park or Atherton but I don't see us living in a 1700 sq ft house.

Any advice is appreciated!!!

[sonarrat]

In that case, try Millbrae or Burlingame. These days $1.5M will easily get you a 2500 sf house in Burlingame, and it nearly matches Atherton for beauty. San Francisco has some great schools as well, and though there is a "lottery" system it's a bit overblown, if you live in Merced Manor or St. Francis Wood then you're probably going to be high on the list for the top schools in the city. By far, most parents get their kids into their first choice school.

[artemis78]

If you're planning to go the private school route anyway, you could certainly consider Oakland, which has a number of nice areas that definitely meet your description. Prices are still high for those neighborhoods since even in the down market they're in demand for families, but nowhere near what you'll pay for Atherton, SF, Menlo Park, Marin, etc. Also, schools tend to be what drives costs up in Oakland, so again, if you know you won't need them, there are several neighborhoods that are terrific but have mediocre schools, and thus aren't as high-priced. The Piedmont Avenue, Lakeshore, and Lower Rockridge neighborhoods come to mind immediately; each has a great local commercial district with coffee shops, a branch library in each, restaurants, services, kids' activities, playgrounds, etc. Particularly in the Lakeshore area, which shares a border with the upscale city of Piedmont, you'll find gorgeous larger homes, but the elementary school is very mediocre, so people looking for that size/price range often tend towards the hills or Rockridge proper. (For what it's worth, you might see if Piedmont's public schools would serve your needs---they're top-notch and tend to have small class sizes, as I understand it.) Similarly, you'll see prices in Rockridge, a very popular neighborhood, drop somewhat when you cross from the Peralta Elementary School area into the Emerson Elementary School area---but you still have all the same amenities, community, etc. There are also some walkable family-oriented neighborhoods a little under the radar: Glenview, Dimond, Temescal (latter two still a bit gritty but very much on the upswing with lots of young families). And there's always Montclair, which does have good schools and a neighborhood center, but is a little further removed commute-wise (it's up in the hills), so you could find something nice in that price range pretty easily, I think.

Oakland has a number of great private schools that run the spectrum. Some that I've heard especially good things about that are in these neighborhoods are: Park Day School, Archway, Julia Morgan (girls only), Head-Royce, others. There are also a number of private high schools, plus an assortment of specialty schools (Montessori, Waldorf, language immersion, Catholic, Jewish, special needs, etc.) in both Oakland and nearby Berkeley.

Good luck!