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Can anyone give their thougths about New Rochelle, White Plains and Pleham schools compared to each other? Which out of the 3 is the most desirable? Things to consider about each school district good or bad? Thanks!
For high schools it's probably Pelham, WP, New Rochelle. Although, I think New Rochelle's grade and middle schools are some of the better schools in the county.
Seems bizarre to put Pelham in with White Plains and New Rochelle...
Pelham is a very highly regarded district, while the other 2 are middle of the road because they are large districts with a lot of diversity. Pelham is more uniformly wealthy.
Reason I put Pelham in with WP and NR is because I just wanted some clarifiaction from those familiar with the districts. I had the impression that Pelham was the best choice out of those 3, but a family member of mine was arguing that WP is a top ranked school in Westchester County (??)
That sounded like new news to me, but I thought perhaps I was mistaken.
Glad to know I was on the right track. I guess it really depends on what one is looking for in a school, but I agree that the North end of NR is fine lower grades. HS is just huge and a bit too much chaos and disengaged students when I visited recently. WP, I just never really heard many good things about it that made it stand out among schools in Westchester.
Considering moving to Pelham ourselves and my brother is considering WP for his family. Both of us have young children. My husband and I are moving for reason of being able to use a good school system for our children. Hoping Pelham will fit the bill.
Actually, no. My brother and I were both born and raised in the Bronx. He resides in Yonkers, I currently still live in the Bronx.
We are pretty familiar with Westchester County, which is why when he was trying to make the point about WP schools, I started scratching my head!
I don't know where he is getting his research from regarding schools. YIKES!
Almost everyone I've spoken to in the WP school district is very happy - including us. Our son is only in kindergarten but I did a lot of in-person research before moving here, talking to kids in the high school, etc and everyone loves it. The high school has tons of clubs and activities - more than a lot of other schools in the area. It also offers large number of AP classes, amazing grounds and athletic fields, an indoor pool, jazz band, marching band and one of the highest teacher retention rates in the county. Their literary magazine, ROAR, won a gold medal from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association. Another student was a finalist in the 2012 Intel Science talent search - the only finalist out of all of Westchester selected from 40 nationwide. There is a very active chess program that begins in 2nd or 3rd grade and White Plains is frequently a finalist in national chess championships. The elementary schools have a special professional gymnastics program and a ballroom dance program that the 5th graders can participate in. Graduates from the high school go to Harvard, Yale and all the other ivy leagues. There is a lot going on.
Another interesting thing to note, is that White Plains High School just hired a new principal that they lured from the Katona-Lewisboro district which is rated one of the best districts in the county. Good things are coming for the district.
If you're scared of having ethnic diversity in your school, look elseware. If your main criteria for determining a good school is comparing test scores, also look elseware. When you talk to people that actually are in the district you will be find almost everyone is very happy there. Don't believe everything you hear on messageboards from people that are based on misguided perceptions.
If I was going to make a list of the to 5 schools in Westchester, would WP be on it? Probably not. If you made a list of the top 5 schools for the value, I would think WP would probably be in the top 3 if not #1. I pay around $12k in taxes for a nice sized house. In Larchmont the same house would be $25k+ in taxes. I just don't think that the education is so much better to justify that difference. Everyone has different things they are looking for in their towns, and its never cut and dry, but in terms of value for your money, WP is a winner in my opinion.
Feel free to PM me if you have any questions.
Last edited by hominamad; 04-18-2012 at 09:41 AM..
Thanks for your opinion based on your experience. That is what I like to hear about. I think a large majority of schools in Westchester county offer great opportunities for its students. I do not believe one school is "the best". There are many factors involved in choosing what may be right for a family or student. Just a really tough decision to make.
Thanks for your opinion based on your experience. That is what I like to hear about. I think a large majority of schools in Westchester county offer great opportunities for its students. I do not believe one school is "the best". There are many factors involved in choosing what may be right for a family or student. Just a really tough decision to make.
Totally agree. Also another thing I forgot to mention is that WP is a big district and has a large high school. Some people don't like that. I like it because I was coming from Brooklyn where I enjoyed my anonymity. However, even though WP is a city, it still has a real suburb feel and I always run into people I know around town - which I sometimes find annoying. I don't think I could live in a town where everyone knows you and you can't get 5 steps without making small talk with tons of people.
If money were no object and I could afford a brownstone in Brooklyn, I'd probably move back in a heartbeat. I found that WP was a good "in between" step, where its still a city (although not comparable at all to Bklyn), but I could have a house and afford a decent amount of living space.
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