What's the real story for finding the good schools? (Tampa: rent, how much)

[sandandwater]

We will be transferring with my company and have the flexibility to work out of my home 2-3 days a week. My office though will be right outside of TPA on the Bay... when I need to go there.

Our number one critieria for finding a place is the schools that my 6 year old and 3 year old will be attending next year.

Several years ago we lived in Orlando and loved the northern suburbs (Lake Mary). We would like to find something similar in the Tampa/St. Pete area. The online reseach we have done for the past several weeks has been all over the map... literally. We can't seem to find any consistency on which parts of the area are the best for a young family to meet others like us and enroll in the best schools.

If we were to stay in Minnesota we would be attending a private school... not that we are looking at private schools per se, or even believe they are any better then public schools we just want the comfort in knowing we made a good decision and looked at all the facts.

We have heard that charter and magnet schools in FL are not all that they are cracked up to be (or I should say marketed to be). We have been told that charter and magnet schools attract alot of kids that have been kicked out of other schools. On the other hand, some people have said just the opposite - that they are involved parents and don't see any negatives in these types of schools.

We have also heard that Safety Harbor, Dunedin and Westchase may have the best options for us. As well as Riverview.

We will also be renting for the first year or so... probably for the same reasons as everyone else.

Please shed some light on the area if you can help us!!

[jessiesma]

schools appealed to you in MN you should stick with that plan anywhere you go. I'm a grandma and my DH is a substitute teacher in both Pinellas and Hillsborough. We wouldn't put any kids, if we had them, in any public school because even the ones with magnet programs also have the "problem" kids and problem teachers. If you can afford private, it is the way to go. The problems have gotten worse since you or I were kids, no matter where we lived. If you must I'd suggest Palm Harbor, in Pinellas and maybe Dunedin.
Little kids don't get bused far in Hillsborough but it will come up eventually.

And just for everyone's info, another female teacher (#3?) has been arrested in Hillsb. for having sex with a student or 2 or more. There has to be something wrong with a system that is unable to screen potential employees adequately enough to avert repeating the same problem. Criminal background checks are not the way. They only report CONVICTIONS. This arrest will not be on her record unless she is convicted and sentenced. This piece of trash gets a permanent job while my DH, youngish grandfather to 6, languishes as a sub even tho he is well qualified and of exceeding good character. Put your kids in public school and take your chances.

Originally Posted by sandandwater

We will be transferring with my company and have the flexibility to work out of my home 2-3 days a week. My office though will be right outside of TPA on the Bay... when I need to go there.

Our number one critieria for finding a place is the schools that my 6 year old and 3 year old will be attending next year.

Several years ago we lived in Orlando and loved the northern suburbs (Lake Mary). We would like to find something similar in the Tampa/St. Pete area. The online reseach we have done for the past several weeks has been all over the map... literally. We can't seem to find any consistency on which parts of the area are the best for a young family to meet others like us and enroll in the best schools.

If we were to stay in Minnesota we would be attending a private school... not that we are looking at private schools per se, or even believe they are any better then public schools we just want the comfort in knowing we made a good decision and looked at all the facts.

We have heard that charter and magnet schools in FL are not all that they are cracked up to be (or I should say marketed to be). We have been told that charter and magnet schools attract alot of kids that have been kicked out of other schools. On the other hand, some people have said just the opposite - that they are involved parents and don't see any negatives in these types of schools.

We have also heard that Safety Harbor, Dunedin and Westchase may have the best options for us. As well as Riverview.

We will also be renting for the first year or so... probably for the same reasons as everyone else.

Please shed some light on the area if you can help us!!

[rtjr]

Originally Posted by jessiesma

Put your kids in public school and take your chances.

I'm sorry, but you're full of it. I also read another one of your posts where you state that "I was raised in a very cultivated European family and public school was the last place I belonged. It's not about money. That's not it at all. It's about what families hold dear" What a load of elitist crap. So if parents either cannot afford private school or just choose to send their child to public school, then somehow they don't hold dear the same family values?

To answer the OP's question - There are some very good public schools in the Bay area - Westchase, New Tampa, and South Tampa are areas that have good schools. There are others too - I will let others chime in on those.

[mquintana]

If you want to find out about schools, go to this website and you can look at the school's grading and such...
Hillsborough County Public Schools-Tampa Florida

[Keeper]

I have to agree with rtjr and the schools listed.

How much do you want to spend for housing? That is important on which area would work for you.

There are some good public schools and several good private schools although you are going to pay a lot to attend the private schools.

[TampaKaren]

There are some very good public schools in Carrollwood as well. Zips 33624 and 33618. They were good enough for my 30 something daughter and now for her 11 year old son and soon her 5 year old will attend kindergarten. As a family, we are involved with our childrens' education and I think that has as much to do with it as the curricula. I'm with Keeper on this one.

[EB2]

I can't speak for all of the schools in the county, but I can tell you that north Pinellas tends to be better (maybe not a lot, but a good amount, imo), than south Pinellas (I know first hand from attending a few years in a south county middle school, and then going to a northern county, magnet school [at Tarpon], for HS). All places have their violence/bad behavior....just in different forms. I'd say take a look at private schools, it can't hurt.

[Tampasteve]

You might check out this site put together by the state School Accountability Report to test out different areas. There are a lot of great private school options as well.

[San72]

Hi everyone,

I'm not familiar with the schoolsystem in USA yet, can anyone explain me what "charter" or "magnet" schools mean?
Thx

[annesg]

I live in Carrollwood--we're actually moving out of state soon, if we can EVER sell or rent our house, but that's another story--but we've been in the area 7 years. We lived in Brandon and NW Tampa/Carrollwod (where we are now) and we LOVE this area. We also lived in Orlando for a year so we know Lake Mary, too. I think NW Tampa/Carrollwod/Odessa/Lutz would suit you well. The elementary school where our house is zoned is A-rated and it's SMALL which is the key--there are some elementary schools so crowded and spilling over it's crazy. All our neighbors with kids there LOVE it. The middle and high schools are supposed to be good, too. We're in zip 33625 but we're north of the veteran's xway, amost in Odessa/Lutz but not quite. The elementary is called Northwest and it's not even 2mi from my house.

My kids go to private school bc we started there in preschool and just fell in love with it. Sometimes I think it's silly b/c the public schools in our neighborhood are supposed to be so wonderful! But the nice thing about this area is that there are a LOT of private options as well so you have a lot of choices.

This area just seems very family friendly to me. It's also better developed than Brandon or South Tampa, IMO, b/c there are just more trees, more space to breathe, the main roads are less visually chaotic. I guess it all depends on what you are looking for. My kids are 5 and 8.

We would not go to the magnet schools b/c the stories I have heard about them would curl your hair.

Hope that helps. This is obviously just my experience. Feel free to PM me if you want more info