Input on Elmsford and Tarrytown schools (New York, Union: house prices, buying, school district)

[delmommy]

DS starts school in Sep this year. We have zeroed down on a few places including chappaqua..But we think we get more space for our $ in Elmsford and Tarrytown ..and so needed input on schools in these two areas. We are asian indians and so input on diversity would be really great as well..

[cali_to_nj]

Chappaqua is vastly different from both Elmsford and Tarrytown not only in terms of schools (Chap is known as elite and highly competitive) but also community vibe and demographics. You can look up school district info on sites like Great Schools and search these boards for more info on these towns. Not sure what your other criteria are (house size, budget, commute, etc.) but in between the extremes of Chappaqua and Elmsford/Tarrytown you can look at Pleasantville, Hawthorne, Valhalla, Croton, Yorktown Heights, Mt Kisco.

[delmommy]

Hi,
To be honest the criteria is just safe neigborhood, good schools and space (we have two kids)..I will work from home so need some space for that as well..
We do like Chappaqua but were concerned about diversity. And also the 'pressure cooker school district'..We liked it nevertheless. But thinking if we can get more space in Tarrytown/Elmsford , we would choose that..only if the schools are good (if not great)..
We do not care about'elite' places..we are middle class both parents working family..

[cali_to_nj]

Chappaqua has a lot of dual income families (easy commute with express trains) and does have some ethnic diversity although not much socio-economic diversity. The elementary schools are wonderful and nurturing, with the competitiveness coming more in the middle and high school grades. You should definitely check out Pleasantville (we rented there for a year before buying in Chap) and actually any of the other towns I mentioned would probably be safer than Tarrytown/Elmsford. Hopefully someone who lives in those areas can speak on that more specifically.

[Forest_Hills_Daddy]

I don't know about Elmsford but when I checked Tarrytown, house prices and taxes were not cheap so you may not get the more space for the $ that you're looking for.

[delmommy]

An intresting thing to note though:Tarrytown does not seem to have any Public Elementary schools. At least I could not find any on Greatschools.org

[cali_to_nj]

They are in the Union Free School District of the Tarrytowns (sharing with Sleepy Hollow).

Union Free School District of the Tarrytowns in Sleepy Hollow, NY | GreatSchools

[mclairch]

They also use the Princeton method and have three elementary schools that everyone in the district attends separated by grade level not where you live. I do not live in the district but have spent some time in their schools (all levels). I was impressed by what I saw. I would send my kids there. They have good programs and motivated children can success. Their test scores a bit lower than other districts in Westchester, but I would argue that is a function of their greater diversity (both ethnic and socio-economic) which is a plus in my book. Why not ask to visit the school or meet with someone from the district?

[delmommy]

Are you talking about Sleepy Hollow school? BEcause for elementary level I see only one elementary school for Tarrytown and it is IN Tarrytown

[ckhthankgod]

Originally Posted by delmommy

Are you talking about Sleepy Hollow school? BEcause for elementary level I see only one elementary school for Tarrytown and it is IN Tarrytown

Like previous poster stated, this is the school district for Tarrytown: Test Scores for Union Free School District of the Tarrytowns | GreatSchools

Here's information for the other districts mentioned: Test Scores for Elmsford Union Free School District | GreatSchools

Test Scores for Chappaqua Central School District | GreatSchools

You can check specific demographics here too: Search For Schools, Colleges and Libraries

Or here: New York Schools - Find a Public or Private New York School - SchoolDigger.com