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Old 09-25-2011, 02:02 AM
 
6 posts, read 8,059 times
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My husband accepted a job at Los Gatos, we will move to the area at the end of Oct from orange county.We have a boy soon to be 5y old.

What matters to us the most are Good Public School + Convenience (commute). As far as good school definition, we are not so much test score driven, and we like mix race ratio environment.

For these two reasons, I ruled out Cupertino and Sunnyvale, narrowed down to PA, MV, LA, SW SJ. Read a lot of discussions in the forum but still have plenty questions in head.

1. It seems to MV is highly recommended. Checked the API of MOUNTAIN VIEW WHISMANbut there is only one Elementary school API with 900+, middel and high school's API is not impressive either so I want to know why people say MV has a great schools?

2. How about PA schools? are they equally competitive/stressful as that of Cupertino's?

3. Is LG's air quality really bad?

4. If we want to buy a condo/twh that satisfy these 2 key factors, where would you recommand?

Thank you all in advance for your suggestions!
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Old 09-25-2011, 04:41 PM
 
30,871 posts, read 36,793,970 times
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I can't answer the stuff about schools, but no, LG's air quality isn't that bad. The air in the South Bay is not pristine, but it is reasonably clean by the standards of any large metro area. The general trend regarding air quality in this area has been toward steady improvement and that seems likely to continue with cleaner technology and ever stricter regulations.
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Old 09-25-2011, 07:17 PM
 
264 posts, read 829,894 times
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You tend not to "notice" the bad air quality until you drive up 101 from Morgan Hill/Gilroy into San Jose and notice the blanket of brown in the sky over much of San Jose :I In general, you'll usually only see it badly in the summer months. As for Los Gatos, I've heard mixed things about the air quality, but I wouldn't rule out the area even with the occasional noticeable smog.

If you can swing Saratoga prices, I'd look there also--great schools!
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Old 09-25-2011, 09:20 PM
 
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If you're not so much test score driven, why are you complaining about Mountain View's schools? They're solid schools, most with APIs in the 850 range. Not quite at the level of Los Gatos, Los Altos, Saratoga or Palo Alto, but keep in mind that you pay a steep premium to buy or rent in those places.
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Old 09-25-2011, 09:49 PM
 
Location: San Jose, CA
7,688 posts, read 29,075,417 times
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API scores speak only to student achievement on standardized tests. The value that buyers and renters place on Mountain View schools belies their numbers...
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Old 09-25-2011, 10:45 PM
 
6 posts, read 8,059 times
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thanks for all the replies!

For someone doesn't know the area like me, unfortunately, API is one of the few things I can rely on. I question the score b/c the two MV middle schools' score are below 820.

Is there a particular MV elementary school you would recommend?
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Old 09-26-2011, 06:10 AM
 
Location: San Jose
160 posts, read 453,456 times
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It's funny that folks aspire to living in Los Gatos and you're trying to get away :-)
Van Meter is a great elementary school and Fisher and Los Gatos High. If that's too money for you move more toward Campbell/West San Jose to Moreland or Campbell Unified.
I love mountain view - lived there in 94 - but it's a lot faster pace than I like. Kids grow up fast enough these days.
Just my opinion.
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Old 09-26-2011, 11:05 PM
 
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sonarrat, could you plesae elaborate your point - "The value that buyers and renters place on Mountain View schools belies their numbers..." do you mind?

Thanks!
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Old 09-26-2011, 11:11 PM
 
6 posts, read 8,059 times
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Default MV or LG

Quote:
Originally Posted by RebekahOwen View Post
It's funny that folks aspire to living in Los Gatos and you're trying to get away :-)
Van Meter is a great elementary school and Fisher and Los Gatos High. If that's too money for you move more toward Campbell/West San Jose to Moreland or Campbell Unified.
I love mountain view - lived there in 94 - but it's a lot faster pace than I like. Kids grow up fast enough these days.
Just my opinion.

LG is too expensive, and the smog scares me too. That's why I am thinking about MV or Southwest part of SJ. I am still struggling where to live, but I have one month to think about it as we will have the 1m free temp housing. My first priority is find a good school for my 4y old son.
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Old 09-27-2011, 09:41 AM
 
12,823 posts, read 24,308,185 times
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Mountain View is the sweet spot. Acceptable schools, funky atmosphere, diverse and location, location, location. Less snobby and overpriced than PA, more convenient to the City than any of the true South Bay places, great climate.
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