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We are planning on permanently staying in the area. As of now we are flip-flopping between Delmar/Bethlehem and Wynantskill/Greenbushes/Averill Park area.
Our main concern is safety, schooling and distance to West MA. If we can afford it, we would like to send our kid to a private school but would also like to have the option of having a good school district - the assumption being a good school district would usually have decent libraries etc. and just in case the funds become scarce.
So, please let us know of any recent experience with the schools in the area (Sacred Heart, Holy Spirit, St. Jude's, St. Thomas, Holy Names etc.). I read some concerns with bullying in the Bethlehem schools and was wondering if that is still an issue and how does that compare to schools across the river.
Any opinion on the matter is greatly appreciated! Thank you!
Obviously, across the river is going to be much closer to MA. If someone in your family is commuting to MA daily, you probably want to stay on the Rensselaer Co side of the river. Otherwise, you will have to deal with traffic going towards Albany - not horrible, but living in Bethlehem will probably add 30 minutes to the commute during regular commuting times.
Bethlehem schools tend to be cliquish, but they have a very good academic reputation. It is also a fairly big school district, so your child can probably find a niche. Bethlehem schools have one of the best reputations in the area, but that also means that the parents can be very overbearing about their children's schooling. The other towns you mentioned are not as highly rated, but are still good. Most public schools around here are good, and there is likely no need to spend the money on private schools unless your child really does better with individual attention, you want to get away from the testing (most of the Catholic schools and some private still take part in state testing, so be sure to ask), or you want a religious environment.
You specifically mentioned libraries. My job requires me to interact with most libraries in the area, so this is something I know a lot about. Albany, Bethlehem and Colonie (William K. Sanford Town Library) all have excellent libraries. East Greenbush has a new-ish library with a good variety of unusual formats, such as manga, video games, computer software, plus a friendly staff. Many other libraries are good, just smaller or in need of expansion. In general, NYS public libraries are strong. Be aware that there are still several towns in NYS that are "unserved" by libraries. Residents of those towns can usually get a library card somehow through an agreement with a neighboring library, but sometimes the agreements go awry, sometimes there is a cost, and sometimes what you can take out is limited. Schodack in Rensselaer County is one of those unserved communities. So if access to a public library is important to you, I would call the library and ask what the library card status is for the address you are considering. You cannot always tell by the town listing on the mailing address whether or not a particular address is served by a library.
If you're looking for a military school, it is excellent. However, if you have a daughter, she would have to look elsewhere.
Correct.... I believe that Troy's Catholic Central, while it is co-ed, has more female students than male students. Brunswick(aka Tamarac) Schools may work as well as Hoosick Falls Schools. Hoosic Valley Schools may be another district to look into.
Correct.... I believe that Troy's Catholic Central, while it is co-ed, has more female students than male students. Brunswick(aka Tamarac) Schools may work as well as Hoosick Falls Schools. Hoosic Valley Schools may be another district to look into.
Catholic Central High School has middle school and high school students of both sexes. So that might be a possible school for more than a few years which may be handy. Wouldn't surprise me if there were more female students there. There's also busing available depending on where you live.
Thanks a lot for all the input! We are now seriously considering houses in East Greenbush - since it seems to have what we are looking for.
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