Best small school districts within 30 min of Syracuse?

[ckhthankgod]

Originally Posted by gingergirlmom

My parents are in Elmira. We were thinking south or west because it would make the drive shorter. In reality, proximity to I90 or I81 would probably make most areas feasible. I would really like to keep the drive to my parents house less than two hours because their health is declining and I would like to visit them more often. We currently live near Buffalo and the three hour drive to their house is tough. Day trips are completely draining and we hardly see them in the winter. We're just concerned about the school situation and want the best fit for our elementary age child who is in panic-mode about the move.

If you want immediate proximity to either I-81 or I-90, Weedsport(I-90), Tully(I-81), LaFayette(I-81), parts of the Onondaga Central SD(I-81) and Homer(I-81) would fit. Homer is the closest to your parents, but is still within a 30-45 minute drive from Syracuse. Tully is the next district north of the Homer SD and of course is closer to Syracuse. You could also look into the town of Preble, which has parts in either the homer or Tully SD's and is very rural. Town of Preble NY Official Web Site Homer is a little bit over on the 2000 student limit, with about 2200-2300 students. So, I don't know if that rules them out.

My only concern is with Route 13 in terms of plowing. Besides that, those two might be perfect in terms of being closer to your family, the good, small school districts that offer the arts and music opportunities and that also have homes that offer a lot or enough land for horses.

Also, if any of your children are into sports as well, Skaneateles and Homer offer the most opportunities in that regard. I believe that Jordan-Elbridge is the only district of those mentioned that has a marching band.

[proulxfamily]

Originally Posted by gingergirlmom

(eta: Elmira isn't known much as the southern tier, which is more like the southeastern quadrant between 81, the Catskills, Utica-Rome and the Hudson Valley/Capital District. Just wanted to clear that up for you, since you'll get somewhere further away than you need to be if you ask a realtor for a place in the Southern Tier. Elmira would be more Binghamton/Finger Lakes Region.)

That's interesting and something to keep in mind when talking to someone in Syracuse. I've never heard of Utica-Rome or the Hudson Valley referred to as the Southern Tier, but you learn something new everyday! Most of the people that I know in Elmira consider themselves to be in the Southern Tier (specifically the "Twin Tiers" as it relates to Northern PA) and not really a part of the Finger Lakes. I think it's just in the eye of the beholder, but something to keep in mind with people that might think otherwise. Thanks for the heads up.[/quote]

It's not that those ARE the Southern Tier... those are the quasi-borders surrounding it.

[bellafinzi]

Jordan, NY makes list of friendliest towns in Upstate NY.

https://www.worldatlas.com/cities/11...-new-york.html

[ckhthankgod]

Originally Posted by bellafinzi

Jordan, NY makes list of friendliest towns in Upstate NY.

https://www.worldatlas.com/cities/11...-new-york.html

How is this related to school districts? Jordan is in the Jordan-Elbridge SD, for those that don’t know.