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Old 02-08-2012, 05:25 PM
 
22 posts, read 46,682 times
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Does anyone have any advice on schools in Owings Mills. We are looking at houses there and according to Great Schools the schools in the Owings Mills areas (Fort Garrison Elementary, Pikesville Middle School & Pikesville High School, Owings Mills Elementary, and Owings Mills High School) have much lower scores than the public schools in Lutherville-Timonium and Cockeysville.

Very good public schools are a must for our move.

TIA!

Chris
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Old 02-08-2012, 07:13 PM
 
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Owings Mills is a clear step down from the areas you have been looking schools wise. I believe Pikesville High School is nationally ranked, but it is a small school, the athletics are weak, and it the school is split between first generation Russians, Jews and African Americans. So Diverse, but only in those three groups. Also since the area is to the West Side of the City, which is a tough part of the city, it has changed, not unlike PG County by DC, but probably much nicer as a whole. Woodlawn is pretty as well as parts of Randallstown.

The area is very heavily Jewish. So if you live a religious life, it may be easier in the other areas where there is a Jewish population, but a very strong Christian population. If you are Jewish, outside of NY, Boca, there probably isn't an area in the country where your children can grow up around more Jewish people than there.
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Old 02-08-2012, 07:44 PM
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by KLynch10 View Post
The area is very heavily Jewish. So if you live a religious life, it may be easier in the other areas where there is a Jewish population, but a very strong Christian population. If you are Jewish, outside of NY, Boca, there probably isn't an area in the country where your children can grow up around more Jewish people than there.
But most are orthodox, especially in Pikesville. If you are a more reform Jew, then it might as well be a different religion.

As far as the Pikesville/Owings Mills vs. Cockeysville/Lutherville-Timonium comparison, the step down in schools is probably why the house prices should be lower.
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Old 02-08-2012, 10:16 PM
 
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Many location names in Baltimore can mean everything or mean nothing. Owings Mills is a case point.

Most of Owings Mills is a standard middle class suburb strung along Reistertown Road and westward to the other side of Northwest Expressway/I-795. This region was once largely Jewish but the past decade has seen many middle income African Americans move into this particular part of the Baltimore region, especially to Owings Mills New Town, which is predominately lower middle class.

Then you have the other Owings Mills east of Reistertown Road, which constitutes the western part of the Green Spring Valley. Very expensive, very upscale and very horsy. Two different worlds. Part of the Green Spring Valley/Owings Mills belt flows into Pikesville, the center of Baltimore's Jewish community and there's a large and affluent Jewish presence throughout this area of Owings Mills, living side by side with the remnants of old WASP Baltimore.

The majority of high income households in Owings Mills will be sending their children to private schools, but Pikesville High School was known as a "Jewish" public school and did have an excellent academic reputation, sending many students to the premier colleges and universities. But the school's demographics have changed in the past decade and while it still has a big Jewish presence, it's probably less dominant than at one time.

All in all, as an out of towner you will probably be happier either in Howard County or along the I-83 corridor north of Baltimore. You won't go wrong with Cockeysville/Phoenix/Monkton in Baltimore County or Ellicott City in Howard County.
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Old 02-09-2012, 06:26 AM
 
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Thanks! This information is extremely helpful. We are not Jewish but if the schools were up to par I wouldn't mind Owings Mills. It's all about the schools for our move and our kids.
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Old 02-13-2012, 07:39 AM
 
Location: On the Beach
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I lived in Owings Mills New Town 10 years ago and still have friends there today. It is by no means "lower middle class". Most of my friends were two earner income families with well over $150,000.00 incomes. A lot of higly paid federal government workers live there due to close proximity to numerous fed. agencies close by. Owings Mills has always gotten a bad rap, in my opinion, because it is racially diverse. As far as the jewish community goes, most opt for Pikesville, Stevenson areas where there is a more close knit jewish community. As far as the schools in OM go, they are rated lower than Howard County. Comparisons to Hunt Valley, Cockeysville always escape me. Other than a more vibrant shopping distrist, no see no value to Hunt Valley. Owings Mills retail is undergoing postive change with a redevelopment of the Mall area and a Wegmans coming in on Reisterstown Road.
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