Is it true about 1st come 1st serve with schools? (San Jose: rental, house)

[Momma_s]

We may be moving to SJ/Santa Clara, and I was talking with someone re, and they said students have to be registered every year, and it's 1st come 1st serve with where the kids end up. Her friend at one point ended up with 2 kids in different schools. Is this true??? She also said there are no school buses, and parents have to transport. true as well?

Can anyone share their experiences with the public school system in this area?

We don't have a living location picked yet, but I have 2 kids who'll need to be in public schools.

Thanks for the insight!

[socketz]

Don't panic. But yes, it is very strange that way here. It's like you need to be in a secret club to get your kids into a good school. That's why I said earlier to check the schools first before signing a lease or mortgage. However, once your kids are in that school, I don't think they will take them out the following year. That's the first I've heard of this. Cupertino is nutty though, so stuff like that could happen there...but then again, folks in Cupertino are finishing out attics so that an entire family can move in and send their kids to those schools.

I ended up in Pleasanton because of this and the fact that it feels more like Southern CA (where I'm from); and while all their schools are top rated as well, you do not have the politics and concentrations of a single ethnicity like you have in the South Bay. But your tradeoff is the commute. If you can make that 25 mile trek everyday, then there is a really nice suburban lifestyle waiting there for you. If commuting feels like a disease and suburbia makes you gag, then stay south and learn to play the game in San Jose. Tradeoffs is the name of the game here.

In a nutshell, there are several areas that have excellent public school systems across the board: Cupertino, Palo Alto, Saratoga, Los Gatos, Los Altos and Pleasanton. Start by researching these areas to get a big picture view, then start narrowing your focus into a specific spot based on the tradeoffs you are willing to accept.

[Momma_s]

Hi, socketz! Well, DH got the job, so we're a-movin on out your way!
A Q for U: Are we guaranteed to get into the school once we start renting in that school's zone, or could we be sent elsewhere in the city's district? I mean, here, you start living in an area, you go to that area's school--no issues.

Also, is it true that there aren't school buses?

Thanks!

[socketz]

No busses that I'm aware of, but that's pretty much the same throughout CA. The state is pretty poor when it comes to this type of funding.

As for schools, you usually stay in the same school district, but if the district just has say 2 out of 10 schools that excellent, the 2 schools will be impacted (i.e. people in the bad schools do inter district transfers to the good ones). You need to move to a distict where all the schools are excellent: Pleasanton, Cupertino, Los Gatos, etc.

[sharonsharon]

I live in the Evergreen area of San Jose (South San Jose) and the schools there are very good (they score similar to Cupertino, Palo Alto at the Elementary level). It is possible to rent a 3/4 bedroom house there for around $3000 too. As for school buses, we have them in Evergreen and my kids go to school on the school bus every day.

[tennis368fan]

Yes, for the most part, there are no buses for students.

When you move to a district with both excellent schools and those that are not, and your home or future rental is in the excellent school zone, just make sure that you register ahead of time before school starts for that year to get into your local school, usually during the summer, but sometimes even spring or June of the prior year. Call the school district to make sure. It is when you move in mid-year that causes problems, and your children are sent to schools outside your attendance area if your neighborhood schools are full.

Be prepared for a cultural experience! The Bay Area and its schools are very diverse in most cities!

[sanjose1990]

your child gets placed into a school according to where you live. at least for the east side union school district. a lot of people try to transfer out into different schools and do so by "borrowing" the address of a friend. yep.