need expertise from west boca parents on schools (Boca Raton, Wellington: neighborhoods, buy)

[dillonappraisal]

I am moving to West Boca. The school rankings website state loggers run is ranked a 10 and a blue ribbon school. I keep hearing from the locals to avoid it at all costs. Why????? Also, Olympia Heights High school is ranked as a 8 on school rankings yet high end areas such as Boca Isles and Saturnia go there. Want to understand the confusion... Any local insight is helpful

[Swimmom32]

Id stay away from both schools...We lived in West Boca and moved to Central Boca....The school used to be a really good one, there are alot of problems at that school as well as extremely overcrowded...Olympic I would NEVER send my kids too..its now a B rated School, I have people I know personally who have had kids attend these schools and they no longer attend them...If you would like more info you can Message Me.....You can always see about the Academy in West Boca HS at that point it doesnt matter where you live as your child would be able to attend...

[Floritar]

Not really confusion , certain neighborhoods even in the same town are zoned for different schools.boca Isles and Saturnia do not go to all of the same schools as other west boca developments. Olympic heights, is fine, not the best but trust me if your kid is a A kid,no school will change him and you can not push a B kid to a A, may be in grades, if you push him hard enough, but in the end no, it is very competitive now. My son goes to Olympic heights is in all AP, Honors classes and in The academy, so it is fine. He actually came from American Heritage(private) and he did well in both. The obvious difference is the student body. In schools like American Heritage you mostly have kids from families that have big resources to put into the kids, and it sure helps. But you have a lot of scholarship kids, think sports and it is a relatively small school, so it does affect the student body. I had three kids in a different private school, also good, better then public, but not as much as you would think. Olympic Heights is fine, maybe less so for a girl, and also for next year you can look into school choice and find a better program if you want(or even find an open spot if you miss the deadline). Logers run is actually ghetto in a way and that is why it has its rep, but some very nice areas feed into it as well. The truth is , it is mostly the kid . You know west boca is not the best area, it is ok, less costly then east boca,alot more bugs.and if people want a certain enviornment for the kid, then you go private, that is a basic fact, almost anywere in the country.

[Swimmom32]

OP...West Boca HS has Academy's our son attended when we 1st moved here last summer then it wont matter if you live in Boca Isles or Saturnia The Guidance Counselors are in school in July, You can always call them an find out how you can apply for an academy as they have quiet a few..Academy They have a great medical program, and Business Program our son was in that academy...We moved to Central Boca and he attends Spanish River and loves it....Good Luck with your
Decision...

The Other thing is if you buy in either of those subdivisions they wont be attending Loggers Run they will be attending Eagles Landing which is a much better school than Loggers from what our friends tell us...One of our friends moved from Loggers Run district to Eagles Landing and has been happy...the other one also attends West Boca HS in the Business Academy..

[SAKIRAV]

WB has Academy? what does that mean?

[Floritar]

You can go on the Palm Beach County School District web site and look up choice schools, They have several other options for school other then the ones a development is zoned for. They also have transportation in most cases. the programs usually involve the student taking one class a semester in that particular interest, like for instance Finance, or health science. Many also have a internship program, Everything else is the student attends is the same as the other students. they can be competitive to get into, some more then others.They also often have clubs and field trip activities planned, a very nice option. Some people use it as away to get into a better district then they are as for, as for example getting into Spanish River(considered one of the best HS). But then your kid is in a school different then the rest of the neighborhood, which has its own set of problems. A few of the options involve more instruction, the aeronautics for example, has a connection with Embryy Riddle University.

[Swimmom32]

It means that if you Child Gets into one of the academy's u can live anywhere in palm Beach...my son had a friend when he went there from Wellington who was in the Web Design Academy...If one wants to live in East Boca and send their kid to an academy well then you have to fill out the application and send it to the county..but I would talk to the Academy Cooridinator at West Boca HS as my son was able to get in with no problems..

[Floritar]

PBSD, has some great schools and programs , "Suncoast Community High, Dreyfoos School of the Arts, Boca Raton High and Atlantic High, are among the top 100 Newsweek America’s Best High Schools in the nation for 2010" "Suncoast Community High ranks the highest among the schools from Palm Beach County as number 9 in the nation. Dreyfoos School of the Arts, Boca Raton High and Atlantic High rank respectively 60th, 61st and 88th." Those schools are considered to be in the best areas, but they do offer good programs. An example of what the choice programs(magnet schools) offer to the students who are lucky enough to get in, “Suncoast continues to rank in the top 10 due to our relentless focus on AP courses for all students. It is always a matter of access, focus and support,” said Linda Cartlidge, the school principal. The school hosts four magnet programs (Computer Science (CS), Interdisciplinary (IDP), International Baccalaureate (IB), and Math, Science and Engineering (MSE).". The programs have deadlines,grade and class requirements(some of the better ones) and lotteries. YOu can get in though after the deadlines, people pull out, move etc.