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I have visited Chicago many times and it is one of my favorite cities to visit. Friendly people, lots to do, and fun.
For fans of urban living Chicago has density, tall buildings, some interesting, at least fair (maybe better?) mass transit, walkable, etc.
Yet as the current public school teacher's strike shows, the public schools are a mess. ~85% of the K-12 kids are on some kind of assistance program. Achievement is very low including graduation rates. If you want to live in the city and care about your kids schooling, you have to have $$$ for private schools. Two kids = $50K per year for private schools.
Unless you are close to wealthy, how and why would a family choose to live in the city instead of a suburb (example Naperville) with good schools?
I'm not familiar with Chicago, but I have a friend from a middle class area of the north side who turned out OK in public schools. I'm sure we here in Baltimore have similar statistics but we also have some very good schools.
I agree that ATTRACTING families is hard. Some cities are trying harder than others.
I'm not familiar with Chicago, but I have a friend from a middle class area of the north side who turned out OK in public schools. I'm sure we here in Baltimore have similar statistics but we also have some very good schools.
I agree that ATTRACTING families is hard. Some cities are trying harder than others.
There is a good reason so many people who work in Wash DC live in Northern Virginia (or Maryland) - it has many choices of affordable neighborhoods with good schools. Wash DC on the other hand has arguably the worst public schools in the US. No US Congress member with a family sends their kids to DC schools.
1. many people find that the quality of education is not always connected to the achievements of OTHER kids, and that their kids can do well anway
2. For those who do only want to send kids to schools with good scores and low assistnace, there are often elem schools in large systems that are exceptions
3. some people pick private schools anyway (cheaper if one kid, some have fin aid, most Catholic and some Jewish schools cheaper than that)
4. Some people like to homeschool
5. some families dont have school age children yet. lots of families with kids pick cities in the preschool years, then move.
There is a good reason so many people who work in Wash DC live in Northern Virginia (or Maryland) - it has many choices of affordable neighborhoods with good schools. Wash DC on the other hand has arguably the worst public schools in the US. No US Congress member with a family sends their kids to DC schools.
There are some DC schools with decent stats in upper NW and in Capital Hill. in Upper NW there is even a desirable middle school.
There are also LOTS of affluent families with preschoolers in DC.
The fact is that most middle-class families with school-aged children opt for the suburbs over living in Chicago. For those who live in the city, private schools may be cost-competitive compared to higher property tax bills in the suburbs.
I have visited Chicago many times and it is one of my favorite cities to visit. Friendly people, lots to do, and fun.
For fans of urban living Chicago has density, tall buildings, some interesting, at least fair (maybe better?) mass transit, walkable, etc.
Yet as the current public school teacher's strike shows, the public schools are a mess. ~85% of the K-12 kids are on some kind of assistance program. Achievement is very low including graduation rates. If you want to live in the city and care about your kids schooling, you have to have $$$ for private schools. Two kids = $50K per year for private schools.
Unless you are close to wealthy, how and why would a family choose to live in the city instead of a suburb (example Naperville) with good schools?
In most major cities, there is always one or two schools at the elementry, junior high and high school level that are really good, and families might win a lottery, or are fortunate to live in that district to send their kids there. I'm from new orleans and there are at least 2 high schools that are comparable to all the private and catholic schools in the city so you'll have families that have the ability to stay in the city. For the most part, by the time kids are 5 or 6, parents move to the suburbs to send their kids to the public school. Of course, because I just made a generalization, I'll get the normal crowd telling me "they know a number of families that live in the city and send their kids to public schools"
In most major cities, there is always one or two schools at the elementry, junior high and high school level that are really good, and families might win a lottery, or are fortunate to live in that district to send their kids there. I'm from new orleans and there are at least 2 high schools that are comparable to all the private and catholic schools in the city so you'll have families that have the ability to stay in the city. For the most part, by the time kids are 5 or 6, parents move to the suburbs to send their kids to the public school. Of course, because I just made a generalization, I'll get the normal crowd telling me "they know a number of families that live in the city and send their kids to public schools"
There are a handful of elementary schools that are quite good and are neighborhood schools (not selective), so if you live within their school boundary, you're automatically in. Unfortunately, at the high school level, there are no neighborhood schools that are acceptable to middle class parents. You have to try to test into a selective high school, pay for private schools, or move to the suburbs. Again, four (or eight if you have two kids) years of high school tuition may be cheaper than 20 years of doubling your property tax bill.
I understand that in some "weak" school districts there are individual campuses that are very good. Here in the Austin school district that occurs where upper income families feed those schools or a few schools where they have selective admission.
But a family moving into Chicago that wanted to attend public schools would have serious difficulty with that decision.
Quote:
1. many people find that the quality of education is not always connected to the achievements of OTHER kids, and that their kids can do well anway
I think if you said "a few" instead of "many" I'd agree with your statement. That is a very difficult choice for a parent to make though. It takes extraordinary commitment and diligence to prevent the tendency of most kids to assimilate with their peers. It might be easier if the child already had the drive for achievement before they moved into a challenged school. Start that way? Low odds of success.
I understand that in some "weak" school districts there are individual campuses that are very good. Here in the Austin school district that occurs where upper income families feed those schools or a few schools where they have selective admission.
But a family moving into Chicago that wanted to attend public schools would have serious difficulty with that decision.
Why? Its the exact same here in Chicago.
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