Moving to Tulsa area June 2016 (Broken Arrow, Moore: house, best schools, tornado)

[ConnieR]

Hello!

My husband has been offered and accepted a job in Claremore. We currently live in a suburb of Portland, Oregon--what a change we will have in climate as well as the community!

We have three daughters: two will be entering 8th grade next school year, and one will be entering 3rd grade. I am looking for information on schools in the Owasso, Collinsville, Claremore area as well as Broken Arrow. I've check greatschools.org (where Owasso isn't even rated and Broken Arrow is rated 5/10) but would like some info from people who live in the area. Where are the best schools? So far, the only "sport" that one of my girls is involved in is horse lessons/riding--one of my soon-to-be 8th graders. She is also in our current middle school band. My other 8th grader isn't into sports but participates in middle school choir, and my 3rd grader hasn't found a sport that she loves but hasn't given up on sports yet.

Thank you all in advance for any info!

[StillwaterTownie]

If you're not used to having strong thunderstorms we're you're at now, then there will sure be at least a few from April-June in the Claremore area.

[Rubi3]

Originally Posted by StillwaterTownie

If you're not used to having strong thunderstorms we're you're at now, then there will sure be at least a few from April-June in the Claremore area.

Only in Claremore? I thought we had them all over the state, including Owasso, Collinsville and Broken Arrow.

[ConnieR]

I grew up in Ohio and have lived in Moore, Oklahoma, in 2000-2004 so I know what a good thunderstorm is like. My girls have experienced thunderstorms and tornado warnings in Omaha when we lived there for a year. It'll take some time to get used to it again, though, as we don't have good thunderstorms here in the Portland area.

[Oklahomagirl74]

Claremore is a great little town! I grew up in Verdigris, which is an even smaller town right outside Claremore, with excellent schools. I do believe Claremore schools are fine as well. Owasso is a nice area, but much bigger like Broken Arrow. Collinsville is nice as well, but is pretty small.


If it were me personally, I'd live in Verdigris and have my children attend those schools. Its a 5 minute drive to Claremore.


Good luck!

[StillwaterTownie]

Owasso is one of the fastest growing suburbs in the state. I bet they're having a lot of traffic congestion from heavy traffic meant for 4 lanes going on 2 lanes.

[timipa]

Owasso schools are listed on greatschools here: www.greatschools.org/oklahoma/owasso/owasso-school-district/
Also the district's A-F report card: http://www.owassops.org/about.cfm?subpage=938338

My two will also be in 8th grade next year and one is in band and one is in choir. Both programs are fantastic. You can google Pride of Owasso to check out the band program. There are separate schools for each middle school grade, which is different than any of the places we grew up or have lived, so that was something new for us. A lot of people commute to Claremore from Owasso for work. Owasso has morning and afternoon "traffic" for a town this size I guess, but it's nothing compared to an actual large city. They're widening the freeway and replacing the old bridges where it crosses into Tulsa right now, so that's added a little bit more congestion during rush hour but unless there's an accident, it hasn't been a real problem. My only gripe really is how little forethought they gave to designing some of the roads and stoplight placement. They love to put them too close together. If you want an idea about Owasso, check out Owassoisms on Facebook. It's a great resource.

Feel free to message me if you want any specifics about Owasso, the schools, etc. Good luck!

[sunnyspring]

Hi ConnieR, I'm from the Portland Metro too and also planning a move to OK. I am undecided if OKC or Tulsa Metro but also looking at best schools. Once you figure out where you're headed it would be good to hear back.

[ConnieR]

Hi, sunnyspring. We are heading to Owasso. House hunting trip set for May with relocation to happen in June after school is out here. Have you decided where you are going to settle? I think that any place you settle in OK or NWA is going to be cheaper and have a ton less traffic than OR. It's beautiful here and I will certainly miss the lush green. ��

[el gato bandito]

Owasso is a good school district, and an area that is growing quickly. OKC area schools split up their districts so the high schools don't get too large, but the Tulsa area schools leave them quite a bit bigger. Schools like Jenks, Union, Broken Arrow and even Owasso are huge schools. They have their advantages and disadvantages. Make sure you are comfortable with that school systems model before you enroll the kids.