Best public schools in Westchester County? (Yorktown, Cortland: rent, houses, buy)

[J&A'sMOM]

Hi
We are in the same boat. We moved to CT almost 2 years ago now DH has a job in NYC, so he communte is 1hr 40min or more. After we sell we will be moving to Westchester County. We've been looking at homes. To find something affordable and reduce his communte we'll probably reduce our house size by 1/3 - and it will be worth it. We'll also be able to get into a neighborhood setting which is really rare in CT. What is your price range? You may want to look into Briarcliff - their public schools are excellent. If you don't mind Catholic Schools Tarrytown is very affordable and there is a Catholic School that we are thinking about in the town. I really like the Rivertowns. I also really like Larchmont and Bronxville but they are out of our price range. What ages are your children? If they are in highschool then maybe a condo is a good alternative and get into one of the top schools like Bronxville. There are many, many town in Westchester and they all have their own flavor. They are all very different and have different vibes - which is great but it takes alot of time to investigate them all. We are also interested in Pelham but have not visited there yet. Towns we have visited and would consider are: Bronxville, Larchmont, Tarrytown, Dobbs Ferry, and Irvington. Tomorrow we will look at Briarcliff Manor and maybe Pleasantville.

Other areas we haven't explored yet are towns West of the Hudson in NY and also NJ. I don't know anything about NJ yet except the commute can be more difficult in areas with really good schools.
Good Luck - Happy Thanksgiving

[mead]

Well I think it really depends...

I am sure a lot of people like the security of living in an excellent school district. Even if your kid isn't the best of student, if you live in Bronxville or Scarsdale you can rest assured that your child will be getting a top notch education. (Perhaps he won't be paying attention in class, but he'll be getting a good education nevertheless).

The problem with private high schools is that it is not a 100% sure thing. Yes there are a couple of Catholc High Schools where as long as your kid doesn't have any disciplinary problems and is generally a good student he has a pretty good shot at getting into the school. These types of schools are quite affordable ($5,000 - $10,000 range), however I doubt that the college placement is on the level of a public high school like Scarsdale.

Then a step up from that you have the pretty good Catholic high schools, places like Fordham Prep or Iona Prep. The tuition is about $11,000 per year and the college placement is pretty good. I am pretty sure that Fordham Prep feeds a lot of students into Fordham Univ. which is pretty respectable in its own right. The competition is fairly rigorous at these types of schools. You have to make sure that your kid has had no disciplinary problems at all up to that point in school and very good scholastics. Usually these types of high schools have their own entrance exams (like a shortened version of the SATs) and an interview process where the students are first interviewed and then the parents of the students are then interviewed by the same person.

Then if you go up to the next level, this is when you're talking about spending a good deal of money on tuition and the competion to be accepted into these schools is fierce. I'm thinking of the prep schools in Riverdale (Horrace Mann, Fieldston, and Riverdale Country), and Hackley over in Tarrytown.

Your chances of getting into this type of school are very slim and excellent academics are needed in addition to something that makes your child standout (sports, extracurriculars, language ability, etc). These types of schools also generally have K-8 schools and many of the children will have been in the school since they were very young. The tuition is very high at these types of Prep schools, comparable to tuition at a private university. Expect to pay about $30,000 per year.

However if your child gets into one of these schools he has an excellent chance of being accepted into a very highly ranked University, although that is not a given. Generally a large portion of the graduating high school class will attend Ivy League schools or other very highly ranked universities.

Originally Posted by Uri1010

Would it make more sense to buy an affordable home in the nicer part of Yonkers like a co-op or condo and use the money that you have saved to put your child in a private high school opposed to buying a home in lets say, Bronxville, Edgemont, Scarsdale where the public high schools are better but the homes including co-ops and condo's being far more expensive? Can anyone tell me about the tuition of these private high schools, thanks...

[ping pong ball]

Uri1010,

Just to add to Mead's observations, one significant problem with private schools in Westchester is that it's pretty difficult to compare them, and more so to compare them with public schools. The tools are just not there.

Now this probably is not so much an issue with the high-end private schools that Mead listed above (you'd have to include The Masters School in Dobbs Ferry and Rye Country Day School to that list), but private schooling in Westchester is dominated by parochial schools, and in many instances, parents who send their kids to these schools have little to go on beyond word of mouth.

[LisaZ]

My advice about schools is you are going to pay a lot in taxes no matter where you live in Westchester County, so pick the town you like and can afford with good schools. Even if you have to spend a little more for your home or get a little less house for your money, you won't have to pay high school taxes and private school fees each year which will save you money and your house will hold it's value much better. One of the biggest selling points in Westchester County is the schools.

[cityuser]

I grew up in the Scarsdale school district, which has one of the best reputations in Westchester County and the country. Unfortunately, it did not live up to my parents' expectations when they moved there.

Although Scarsdale served me well, the schools do not cater to all children's needs. My brothers all have disabilities, and my mother had to fight constantly to obtain services required by law. My sister, who struggled academically, fell through the cracks. It seems that if you're not an academic superstar, it's easy to get lost in the system. Meanwhile, a public school system should be inclusive to all students, not just high achievers (who happen to make up the vast majority of Scarsdale students.)

Furthermore, my parents had problems with the adults in Scarsdale. They often complained about their snobbishness and obsession with money and status. My parents, while wealthy, have always prided themselves on living modestly and not giving their children everything they ask for. They definitely did not fit in with the other parents, and consequently, I had trouble fitting in with my classmates- until my parents wised up and started buying me things to help me fit in. It's sad, really.

That said, Scarsdale schools are extremely well-funded. I did not fully realize this until I became a teacher in what's considered to be a wealthy town in Massachusetts, and saw how truly above the norm Scarsdale is. I had many exceptional experiences, especially with the drama club, that I'm sure would not have been possible without the budget we had.

[Futcha]

CityUser, how long ago was this? Scarsdale Schools are great now and has plenty of help for academically impaired students. I'm a Junior at Scarsdale HS right now.

[WESTCHESTERFAN]

Somers, and Yorktown are two very good school districts.

[brittlestar08]

lewisboro katonah schools are really good schools and you get more for your $$$ than Yorktown... they are rated better also.

[WESTCHESTERFAN]

Originally Posted by brittlestar08

lewisboro katonah schools are really good schools and you get more for your $$$ than Yorktown... they are rated better also.

Something tells me you hate yorktown. Altough Katonah is a good option.

[brittlestar08]

Originally Posted by WESTCHESTERFAN

Something tells me you hate yorktown. Altough Katonah is a good option.

Something tells me that you are unrealistic about YH and yes Katonah is the better option