Raising kids in palm beach gardens/jupiter (Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach: apartments, crime)

[Backpack456]

Started looking at schools for our little one this last year. Would prefer public school if possible, but it looks like there’s not a lot of great options here. Buy a house in a great gardens school district for elementary, end up in a poorly rated high school. Really seems like the best high school options are IB programs, art schools, or Jupiter high.

Are the ratings wrong? I see on other posts that this area is considered “Boca north” except Boca is packed with top rated schools. What am I missing? And what are other parents doing?

[logybogy]

Remember supposedly "bad" schools also may have great honors or AP teachers. As long as your kid is motivated and takes the advanced classes, their peer group will be the kids on the college track and not the average kid who may not take school seriously.

You have to stay vigilant. Even "good" schools will have kids doing drugs, teen pregnancies, violence, etc.

[City Guy997S]

Originally Posted by Backpack456

Started looking at schools for our little one this last year. Would prefer public school if possible, but it looks like there’s not a lot of great options here. Buy a house in a great gardens school district for elementary, end up in a poorly rated high school. Really seems like the best high school options are IB programs, art schools, or Jupiter high.

Are the ratings wrong? I see on other posts that this area is considered “Boca north” except Boca is packed with top rated schools. What am I missing? And what are other parents doing?

Ok lets look at this for a minute: Dwyer high school is a 5/10, Jupiter HS is 7/10.

Do you really feel this 2 point difference will make a huge difference in your kids academic career? Jack Nicklaus was a founder of the Benjamin School (30-35K a year private school) yet his own grandson attended Dwyer high school across the street (Nick Oleary, went on to be a NFL player).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nick_O%27Leary

That being said, Gardens high school is a 2/10......it has a large minority student body, there have been successes out of there also but I wouldn't send my kid there.

I think you need to look at your child as a student and see which school would fit them better. A very good friend lived in the Dwyer district and was convinced his kid would do poorly in such a large school, getting bullied etc. He sent the kid to a private school for tens of thousands of dollars. Kid is a "C" student at best, basically a lazy "get by" type kid. My opinion, he wasted is money because he didn't consider what kind of student his son really was. So fast forward 4 years, the tuition money is spent and the kid is looking at community colleges. Dwyer would have been a better option for free.

[City Guy997S]

Originally Posted by logybogy

You have to stay vigilant. Even "good" schools will have kids doing drugs, teen pregnancies, violence, etc.

I attended a private high school in the county. We had a popular girl graduate 7 months pregnant, drugs were common. Where did I see my first POUND of marijuana, the school parking lot. Public school kids couldn't buy a pound but the rich kids could!

Many of my classmates were successful but I'd say an equal number really didn't do much at all. The 10 yr reunion was an eye opener, kids I thought would set the world on fire did nothing......mediocre jobs/lives.

[logybogy]

Very true. Life can be a crap shoot. That brilliant stident from high school can go to a selective University and flunk out. They aren't that special there. It happens more than you think. Hang out with the wrong crowd, get into drugs/ alcohol, depression from a failed romantic relationship, family problems and all that potential can evaporate.

A lot of these rich kids do not have good resilience. Everything has always been handed to them and they are coddled growing up. But when they first experience true hardship, it can all fall apart.

[City Guy997S]

Originally Posted by logybogy

Very true. Life can be a crap shoot. That brilliant stident from high school can go to a selective University and flunk out. They aren't that special there. It happens more than you think. Hang out with the wrong crowd, get into drugs/ alcohol, depression from a failed romantic relationship, family problems and all that potential can evaporate.

A lot of these rich kids do not have good resilience. Everything has always been handed to them and they are coddled growing up. But when they first experience true hardship, it can all fall apart.

Yeah our valedictorian went to West Point and got kicked out in the first semester......great kid, just had some demons (alcohol). He ended up becoming a lawyer

Another kid drove a brand new Ferrari to High School...........mob money ran out, he runs a pawn shop now.

[Backpack456]

Thanks everyone for the feedback. Maybe this other question deserves a new thread, but I've also had coworkers tell me to stay north of PGA. Others say stay North of Northlake. At least one who worked at a fast food place on Northlake said it's a pretty dangerous area at times. Any truth to this?

[City Guy997S]

Originally Posted by Backpack456

Thanks everyone for the feedback. Maybe this other question deserves a new thread, but I've also had coworkers tell me to stay north of PGA. Others say stay North of Northlake. At least one who worked at a fast food place on Northlake said it's a pretty dangerous area at times. Any truth to this?

Northlake has million dollar homes (Steeplechase/BallenIsles, PGA National) and they have crappy apartments/duplexes closer to the highway. It's essentially the divider between Palm Beach Gardens and Lake Park/Riviera Beach.

Define danger? You can live in Fort Lauderdale in a 10mm house off Las Olas then drive west on Broward Blvd into a ghetto. In Coral Gables you can buy a 2mm house with bars on the windows! Jupiter has had issues with Broward county hood rats driving north to commit crimes then taking I95 home on the escape. Jupiter Island had a home invasion robbery 2 blocks from the police station from Lauderhill residents!
https://www.wptv.com/news/region-mar...-home-invasion


Crime is always looking for opportunity and often those opportunities are in wealthier areas. Even Palm Beach island has had issues with car theft/home invasion from West Palm Beach residents. Seems crazy to think you can cross the bridge/commit a crime and then escape over the bridge again! To me, entering an island to commit a crime is stupid, once the bridges are monitored/closed you lose you escape route!

[Dave_n_Tenn]

One county north and the schools are pretty good.

https://www.niche.com/k12/d/martin-c...l-district-fl/
https://www.niche.com/k12/d/palm-bea...l-district-fl/

[allenk893]

Originally Posted by logybogy

A lot of these rich kids do not have good resilience. Everything has always been handed to them and they are coddled growing up. But when they first experience true hardship, it can all fall apart.

In my opinion, this is an outdated stereotype. It doesn't always apply. And poor children, in my experience, don't fare any better.