kpl1228 - I realize your post was in response to the OP. I am hoping to capitalize on an active education thread!
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Originally Posted by kpl1228
Do your homework... greatschools.com isn't perfect but gives you some good insight on just how massive some ABQ schools are. And the ratings of said schools. Every school everywhere, actually.
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I use Greatschools as a starting point but Niche and Schooldigger are worth the read, too, as is the local paper and a tour of the APS district website.
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Originally Posted by kpl1228
1) ABSOLUTELY stay away from massive populations in the buildings: your kid doesn't have a prayer if he/she is student
number 2,146. And good luck with that in ABQ.
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So, what do you suggest as an alternative in terms of size? I appreciate a smaller school, too. However, if the smaller schools are in areas that have other conflicts (housing affordability, crime and safety, commute), or there *are no smaller schools* then, as you said, good luck. It seems massive high schools are pretty common in the APS district so what do you suggest as an alternative?
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Originally Posted by kpl1228
2) La Cueva is OVERRATED as a school. Not awful, and certainly decent, just overrated. It's just the kids are higher income (all relative, it isn't Beverly Hills anywhere in ABQ)....but that doesn't mean the teachers or admin or staff are top-notch.
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I tend to agree with this, in general. We have had feedback from a couple of people who basically say it's LCHS and nothing else. I wonder how many of the people who throw out that as the end-all-be-all have ever bothered to look anywhere else. However, their average SAT scores are significantly higher than the other comparable APS high schools - 130-170 points higher. Why is that? LCHS has higher graduate proficiency rates, too. LCHS is not my top choice for other socio-economic reasons, but it's hard to deny the numbers. I also wonder how many people think LCHS is the end-all-be-all based on their own desire for status or image rather than the actual education and total experience their student(s) are receiving.
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Originally Posted by kpl1228
3) nothing wrong with private or parochial if you can do the tuition.
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Not sure who would disagree with that but it's not in the budget for many people. You vehemently eschew a commute for the sake of schools. I know many who commute specifically to attend private or parochial schools. Which do you see as the bigger trade off in terms of what APS and the ABQ metro area has to offer?
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Originally Posted by kpl1228
4) No one needs to chew up a day's hours in preparation for a long-distance school road trip, daily. And the return trip as well. No 7-year-old needs to be getting home at 5:30. Daily. Till age 18. In short....what can everyone live with and smile with?
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Eh. People in larger cities deal with more time away commute-wise and survive. My 7 year old get home between 4:45 - 5:30 pm daily because we both work and she attends after school care (and we live 6 minutes from work). I would venture to guess that is the case for many families with 2 working parents and for single-parent families. I would also venture to guess that housing choice is rarely made on school zoning alone. I would gladly put in 45 minutes each way for a house that meets all our needs, a neighborhood that fits our lifestyle, is within budget, *and* affords schools we love.
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Originally Posted by kpl1228
5) I'm a strong union teacher and I hate charters out of principle (mostly because charter staff make Wal-Mart money and are looking for a better paying gig asap, and you get what you pay for). But East Mountain has a lot going for it, I must admit. But not enough for long commutes. (And be careful of the "unbiased" charter school "lottery"). There's similar options across the metro.
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I am not a fan of leaving major life factors up to luck or chance. We currenty live in a state with "open enrollment." What a joke. We decided to buy in-zone for our school of choice and so glad we did. Two years later, the district said that despite the state law, open enrollment was basically maxed out and everyone had to go to their zoned school. I was really surprised when I read about the lotteries there in ABQ. I checked out the waiting list for Cottonwood Classical Prep and was astonished. The waiting list was as long (or longer?) than the number of students accepted. I would rather establish ourselves in a school zone/cluster that we love both the schools and the home and the neighborhood and then do what we can to volunteer with the school. We currently attend a school with outstanding parent involvement and it shows.
I would be curious on what your view of the west side vs east side is (excluding the commute issue). We are considering Eldorado vs Volcano Vista. They seem comparable in testing. We like both for different reasons but are looking at college prep options, tennis, and drama. Moreover, we want somewhere that feels like a cooperative, positive environment with a healthy dose of competition but not so much so that competing is the only measure of success. We would prefer a decently rated middle school (let's face it, there are a couple but middle school, in general, is a hard time for most kids, and ratings are skewed). My 7 year old is both academically and socially advanced but not in need of a gifted program. I have experience as a public school teacher, as well, so I feel I am equipped to help her if we ended up in a weaker elementary school. We specifically need an elementary school with an onsite after-school care program. It seems the east side and west side schools are serviced by a different provider for after-school care but I can't find much in the way of reviews and feedback for these organizations.
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