New Rochelle High School (Eastchester, Chester: real estate, chapel, homes)

[rubygreta]

Originally Posted by ping pong ball

So what would you consider the "best" school districts? Not that I am personally enamoured with the school-district rat-race, but if I was looking for the best, it surely would have to come from the ranks of those you mentioned (and dismissed).

If you consider that the per-capita costs of educating their pupils, which are by and large not that significantly different amongst districts in Westchester, you'd have to say they do a somewhat better job than most of the others, wouldn't you?

However, I do get the point you are trying to make. Personally, I'd just as soon settle for Yorktown as Bronxville. I'll however take a pass on New Rochelle. There's just much more of a chance that your kid will stray from the straight and narrow in that sort of environment (i.e the real world environment ).

There is no good way to determine the "best" school district. There are some school districts in Westchester I would not recommend because there is not a positive environment for learning.

Yorktown, as you mention, is a fine school district. But if you use SAT scores to determine the "best" schools, Yorktown is "inferior" to adjacent Chappaqua. But does Chappaqua have better teachers, programs and administrators than Yorktown? Of course not. What it has is a very affluent and educated population who can give their child every advantage, and who think the Chappaqua School District guarantees junior access to the Ivy league. It doesn't.

I would rather have my kids in Yorktown than Chappaqua, despite its "inferior" SAT scores. The wealthy, pressure cooker, get your kid a BMW for his 16th birthday thing has no appeal for me.

[johncv]

[SIZE=3]Hello I am a senior at New Rochelle high school and happen to run across this and felt obligated to reply due to the misleading nature of some of the replies and the lack of attention played to what was actually initially being asked. I truly feel that New Rochelle High school provides the best possible environment to raise a child in a “real” environment while at the same time getting the extremely strong extremely competitive academic environment Westchester schools provide. It is unrealistic to judge new Rochelle based on New roc or based on isolated incidents from the past. I have lived here my whole life and have never experienced any such incidents. If u want to experience new Rochelle, visit new Rochelle high school and visit one of our 27 ap classes. In addition there is absolutely nothing wrong with “ the type of kids your child will be going to high school with” as one person put it. There is how ever something wrong with raising your child in a place like Bronxville or Bedford Hills. I have been to both places on several occasions and have friends in both and can safely say that there is absolutely nothing “real” about either places, especially Bronxville. Neither place can offer as strong a academic environment if your child so chooses that path, or an alternative environment in the means of a whole wing dedicated to the arts, very strong sports program, or specific trade training that out BOSES program offers. Like wise in today’s ever increasing competition at top tear colleges, New Rochelle’s diversity provides that extra boost in the résumé of a student who has the same perfect scores as the rich kid from the town over. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=3]So I sincerely advise that it is in your child’s best interest to at least look in to new Rochelle, if not for our matching academics and gateway into ivy’s, at least for the life experience which its diversity provides. Something that, apparently by looking at these other posts, this county is in dire need of. [/SIZE]

after all who wants to live in a place where the mind set of its resedents is to "scr*w the real world"

[newtoli]

It looks like they didn't teach you about run-on sentences at NRHS.

[mosaicmom]

Hi Kevin,
We recently moved from UES of Manhattan to Pelham and have a daughter in 1st grade. My daughter was in private school and it was not working for me. I am not from Manhattan, and only lived there for 1 year. I have noticed that Westchester County is so different, there are many differences here. I am not happy in Pelham either and are looking at moving again. I am looking for a more laid back area that has great schools. I don't want my daughter asking for a Louis Vitton purse in 5th grade!!
I would not recommend New Rochelle for sure. It is definitely rough!
I am looking over by the Hudson currently. If anyone knows of a great school that the parents and the children are not pretentious, please let me know.
Thanks

[jyyanks]

If you're looking near the Hudson, I like the Rivertowns alot but I am biased. I would look into Hastings-On-Hudson, Dobbs Ferry and Ardsley. Good schools, great community, and not pretentious. Sure, there will always be a couple of pretentious people but its not the norm.

[sallyg]

Irvington has highest SAT scores in Westchester County and seems to be an incredible school system. The kids seem well-grounded and not overly materialistic, as is the case in Bronxville and Scarsdale. I have lived in each of these places. But the taxes are outrageous!

[Special Eddy]

New Rochelle HS is a microcosim of the world and it prepared my children for Ivy League Schools and successful professional careers in the real world. If you are afraid of diversity you should not look at a smal urban suburban city school district - go more rural, but it you celebrate individuality from AP classes to Special Education Programs there is nothing better in Westchester County than NRHS! Go New Ro!

[joeynyc25]

New Rochelle has one of the finest and most extensive educational systems in the country, including a renown public high school, two junior high schools and ten elementary schools. The district has is composed of a racially and economically diverse student body and has been that way for decades. This diversity is only a problem with families/individuals who take personal issue with regards to other races/ethnicities. Such individuals would certainly be happier living in smaller, homogenous communities such as Bronxville or Scarsdale.

On three separate occasions, the City's school system has claimed the Blue Ribbon Award from the U.S. Department of Education. The Wall Street Journal also sited the New Rochelle school system as one of the top 20 in the country. In 2006, New Rochelle High School ranked on Newsweeks list of top high schools in the country. New Rochelle High School offers students over 180 courses in three program areas: College Preparatory, Business Education, and Vocational Education. The College Preparatory Program includes in its range of offerings 26 honors courses and 14 advanced placement (college level) courses in English, Art, Music, Math, Sciences, History, Computer Science and Foreign Languages. Approximately three quarters of the students select the college preparatory program. Its effectiveness is reflected in the attainment of students in the Regents and National Merit and Achievement Scholarship competitions and standardized tests including the SATs. New Rochelle High School graduates have a strong record of placement in schools of their choice, including the nations most selective colleges and universities.

My wife and I relocated from the UES to New Rochelle because of its aesthetic appeal and diverse population. We have four children who graduated from NRHS. Each has gone on to attend an ivy league school (Columbia(2), Princeton and Yale). Ironically, it is in the less-diverse settings of these Universities that our children feel 'different'. We are able to pay the full tuition for each child, while most of their peers are on some degree of financial aid. The social groups that exist within their schools are more 'segregated' according to racial, ethnic, religious groups, and are intentionally created by the students themselves. My children appreciate being raised in a diverse community and view that exposure as an asset to positive growth. My wife and I definitely agree with them.

[no1manhattanite]

The diversity of the city was a key factor influencing my family move from Scarsdale to New Rochelle.

My wife is a graduate of Scarsdale High School and believed it would be a great place to send our children. After living there for several years we realized the schools did not provide the right environment for our kids to develop the strong moral character that we believe is important.

The current levels of money and materialism definitely create a segregated class/social structure in this country, with small towns/communities using income, home price and school performance averages as a tool to keep the resident base upscale (white) and block out less desirable, less successful ('minority) groups. It is a sad realization, but it is a true one. Scarsdale, Bronxville, Chappaqua, Larchmont etc. all have alluring town stats and figures (the smaller size of these municipalities makes it easier to yield higher overall averages). Using such figures, the towns can attract and maintain a more upscale crowd. The smaller size of these towns vs. larger cities enables them to avoid many of the state and federal govt. reguirements for providing affordable housing. It is often hard to argue against the inherent values of a community when it displays such a 'squeaky clean' image.

For my wife & I, the appeal of Scarsdale started to fade once we had children in the schools. They were recieving a good education but were not being exposed to many social / 'real-world' influences that are integral parts of todays society, the effects of which we began to see in our children. They were not lacking in intelligence yet their personalities reflected a disturbing 'ignorance' of the existence/importance of 'others' in society.

We decided to make a move, just not sure of where. It isnt easy to find an environment (other than Manhattan) that maintains the level of affluence similar to ours, while also maintaing a diversity in its population; New Rochelle is an exception. My wife and I both knew people professionally who live in Neighboring communities, and have often heard conflicting positive / negative things about New Rochelle. It is at least 4 or 5 times the size of any neighboring community and diverse (economically and racially etc), both seen as questionable attributes in a suburban community. The more we researched it, however, the easier it was to see its qualities. There is a true consistancy in the communitys diversity in terms of the continued presence of various races, religions + income-levels over many decades. Typically demographic shifts transform communities, with one group moving out as soon as new ones move in. New Rochelle has continued to attract homebuyers from all groups and income levels. The presence of one 'type' does not result in the loss of another.

My wife and I were comfortable with many of the trappings of Scarsdale and certainly werent looking to 'step down'. Thus, moving to New Rochelle was the perfect decision. Our home is magnificent, in a neighborhood sought after for its beauty. The overall community has the same look and feel as scarsdale. The diversity of the residents is a noticable and welcome change. Our kids have clearly benefited from this change, with friends of different backgrounds and a much improved knowledge and understanding of the society around them. The schools and facilities are great, the curriculum is challenging and the teachers are higly qualified. The negative attributes/qualities of the district are most often over-blown or untrue.

Hope this was helpful

[Kevin Johnson]

Thanks to everyone for your advice. It is greatly appreciated and very helpful.

After reading your comments, I learned / confirmed the following:

- I don't know if the Newsweek ranking is flawed or not, but it turns out that NRHS was ranked 599 in 2007. While that may not be as impressive as the rankings of Scarsdale, Bronxville and Chappaqua, it's still pretty damn good considering there are something like 25,000 high schools in the US!

- I would rather send my kids to a diverse school with a mixed academic reputation then send them to a school where every kid gets a new $40K car for their 16th birthday. I would think those kids are so incredibly out of touch with reality, the "superior" classroom education they may have received won't make up for it.

-I'm convinced NRHS can provide a stellar education. I'm just not entirely convinced if the school is a place where most kids take their work seriously and strive to succeed...then again, I do realize it's the parent's job to instill those values. I'm also still unsure about the school's safety.

Johncv and the parents of NRHS students/grads: Thanks for taking the time to tell me about your personal experiences. While all feedback is appreciated, first hand experiences/comments are most helpful.

Newtoli: the run-on sentences crack?...totally uncalled for.

I'd love to hear more if anyone has 1st hand experience to share.

Thanks!