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My family and I are looking for a different suburb to live in. We thought that our house was in the Highland Park school district, but it's not. We reside in the Deerfield school district and are not happy with the schools because of the social atmosphere and it's not the right school in our case academically and have had problems with some of the teachers at the school especially last year, however this year we've been lucky. We are in search for a better high school. In the school we are trying to get out of, it's a tough area socially and it's so overwhelmingly competitive and rigorous where it's not doing any good and we've had to deal with some not so great teachers. We are looking for an area with a high school that is great academically and where it's easier for students to make friends (at least average). We have the choice where Highland Park HS can be an option for schooling. We have a few friends in Highland Park with some kids who go to HPHS and they're good people. We are worried that it may not turn out good socially since it's still the either since it's still the north shore although we have had good experiences we don't know everyone in HP. We've also looked online and it seems better than the school we are dealing with in academic and social aspects. Another concern is that HP is also known as a very rigorous and competitive school, but hopefully with good teachers it will be better academic environment. We don't mind a challenging academic environment, we just want it manageable enough where you can still learn.
Our plan is to try HPHS and if it's not a good choice either, then we plan to try a different school. However, we are still considering moving anyway despite looking for a better high school, however it won't hurt us to stay in our current house. Our house means a lot to us because my dad built it, but we could use a bigger house. We found some schools that we could buy or rent in their boundaries. Here are the top 10 in order of which we like the best:
1. Warren Township (Gurnee)- we have family in Gurnee but only 2 people yet it's still close enough to visit friends in HP
2. Lincoln Way West (New Lenox)- we have as much family in the south suburbs as we do in Gurnee, not a lot. It is closer to where the majority of our family is (west suburbs, some in Rockford, and the city)
3. Maine West (Des Plaines) - closer to west suburbs yet still close to friends in HP
4. Rolling Meadows- same benefits as Des Plaines
5. Crystal Lake Central - further out but we go to Rockford a lot so it's closer to Rockford. We also have friends in Crystal Lake and we really like the area
6. Lisle- close to family but haven't found any good rentals
7. Grayslake Central - not that far from HP
8. Marengo - very far out but convenient to Rockford
9. Mundelein- close to HP and we really like how there's a lot of lakes and we really like Countryside Lake
10. Stagg (Palos Hills)- close to family but far from HP
We have been trying to switch from Deerfield HS to Highland Park HS but it's very hard and long process and we need approval from the district to switch, so the switch might not happen. So, we have been looking for rentals, but haven't found any good ones since the north shore is very expensive. We did find one short term rental, but it's $2K above our price range, but it's a good deal for the house. The buying market has been somewhat decent though, we found 2 houses both in our price range. One is a house currently being remodeled and expanded and it's less than a mile away from HPHS. The taxes are even lower than our taxes now which is really nice, but we don't know when the house will be ready to move in and we would need to move in as soon as possible. The other house is a foreclosure right across from HPHS. It's a really nice house, but the taxes are expensive since the house is really big, but we can still afford it. We are also worried about the driveway. It's literally the end of the street so many people would turn around in it. Also it's right by a ravine so if someone drive too far... Then they fall into the ravine. We could solve these problems by putting up a gate maybe and it would benefit us a lot not having to drive to and from school because it's right down the street.
Here's our plans:
Plan A: rent in HP. If we want to remain in the area, we remain living in our house which is in the option area of Deerfield HS and Highland Park HS. If we don't like HP either, then we rent in the boundaries of one of the schools listed above.
Plan B: buy in HP. If we wanna stay in HP, then we stay in that house. If we don't, then rent in a different town.
Plan C: Buy in HP. Then buy in another town if needed.
Plan D: Give up on HP and buy somewhere else
Plan E: Same as Plan E, but rent somewhere else
Any information and experiences regarding HP and HPHS and/or any of the other towns and schools listed above is appreciated. I would also like to know which of the plans is better. Our price range is no more than 500k-650k and no more than the 3000s for rent. I'm looking to make a decision by New Year's.
While there are probably some folks that do move during their child's high school education the majority of experts would recommend against it. The message this sends to kinds is not good -- "shopping" for a better high school is one thing when you are relocating for work, but to get out a situation which your child felt was less than perfect is probably a bad idea.
Frankly MOST the high schools you have listed are NOT the kind of school any serious parent would find desirable -- schools like Maine West, Lisle, Rolling Meadows and some of the others are schools many folks specifically avoid due to their less than stellar reputation...
What do you want to achieve?
The fact is Deerfield high and Highland Park are part of the same district and Adminstration strives to provide a similar high quality experience at both schools. I can understand the district not making it super easy to transfer between them - parents that try to hard to shield their kid from realities of high school could create chaos after each poor performance on a test or quiz. There should be some sound logic behind switching schools, not merely some hard-to-pin-down "better experience"...
Focus on what impediments to success you can at the current school. If the social environment is not ideal perhaps there are clubs / activities that your child should explore, some even beyond school -- some kids do better with things like community theater or local charities than anything at school.
I cannot imagine you have exhausted all the options at current school. There are caring adminstrators, counseleors and teachers that want to help your child be as successful as possible. You say you don't have friends yet you talk about being close to Highland Park for friends and / or family. What about work? It is insane to switch commute from Lake Co. to someplace like Lincolnway or Palos -- that is hours away!
There are multiple tiers of classes at all the desirable schools -- have advisors looked at your child's test scores and placement info? Are they taking too many AP or honors classes? Where did they go to elementary schools / middle school? If they are a sophomore did they take any courses over the summer to give them a lighter schedule in the school year?
Not only do we want to move for schools, but also for a bigger house. Work is all over the suburbs and in the city (west side). Going to the city for work only happens 1-3 times a week. However, it is hard to travel from Highland Park (we live in the Deerfield school district though) to other places and we want to possibly move to a place where it's closer to a majority of jobs.
My daughter's school experience is just getting worse the longer we stay in Deerfield school district. Before DHS, she went to Shepard Middle School and Kipling Elementary School. She's actually not in any AP and honors classes. She's actually in survey classes (below regular, but still college prep). However, she's in regular spanish. She was in regular math last year, but moved down due to struggles last year. She was getting C's and in some of her survey classes, and almost failed one. She has never done this bad in school before. Usually she's an A and B student with 1 or 2 C's. Last year she had a lot of bad teachers and I had to make lots of calls to teachers, even for my other daughter who started screaming at me. My daughter's teachers are better this year and she's getting mostly B's, but she is really overwhelmed with the workload. She gets 3 hours minimum of homework for survey classes. She did take health and drivers ed over the summer though.
Socially, it's getting even worse. The students have had a bad vision of her since elementary school that they just can't let go of. They're not nice to her and she has had trouble finding friends and only has one friend whom she doesn't have any classes with. She's a nice and outgoing girl and is one of the most easy going people I've met. and it seems weird how she can't be respected by her peers at school. Deerfield does seem like a very tough area to fit in too. A lot of the parents and kids I've encountered aren't very nice and there's a lot of jerks on the road when I'm trying to drive her to school or driving through the town. My other daughter is in college now, so we are giving my daughter who's still in high school the option of going to a different school. She has a friend who switched over to HP after middle school in Deerfield. She is doing well in her classes and has made great friends. My daughter has met her friends and she likes them a lot. Summer school is for both HP and Deerfield students. She said she got along well with the HP kids in summer school. She doesn't hang out with her friend's friends or kids from summer school though. She only hangs out with her one friend from HP, 2 kids who have graduated from HP, and her only friend from Deerfield.
We have made a few friends in HP in our neighborhood, but we don't have any family there. However, we are really good friends with them and would like to visit them in case we do move. It would be nice to be closer to the majority of our family in the west suburbs and the city though.
She tried some extracurriculars in school, but didn't enjoy them because of issues with other students. Doing extracurriculars outside of school is a very good idea. She'll still be involved in extracurriculars, but will also have a better opportunity to make friends. We haven't found anything yet. She's likes basketball and theater and plays guitar (acoustic and electric), piano, and ukulele.
It seems weird how we live in Highland Park, but are considering schools in a different tier. Switching schools would be bad academically because she would have to catch up on work, but we are planning on moving the start of second semester, so she would be ok. Socially, it would be good for her because she gets a fresh start where nobody has any bad opinions of her yet. The top ranked schools like Deerfield and HP are very competitive which is good for some students, but not all including my daughter. We want her to go to school with a variety of classes to choose from, good resources, overall good teachers. It's ok for a school to be a challenging, but not too much where the student can't learn, especially if they aren't in honors or AP classes. Also, I want my daughter to be in a nice environment where she can make friends (at least an average social scene). There's this site that my daughter found called niche.com where it has reviews of schools in all different aspects including the students.
If you NEED to move because the commute to work is killing you / making time with family too hectic THAT is a legitimate reason to move BUT if your daughter has nearly failed any classes I would not take a midyear move lightly. Too much risk for further problems!
I would frankly be working with the school staff either at your existing school or ONE school that works for your commuting needs to be "centrally located"...
Something just does not add up.
Kids appropriately placed in the non-AP classes ought to be able to turn in assignments, pass quizzes / tests and have a firm grasp on the material. That should result in at least solid "C+ / B-" minus type grades. There are all kinds of cases of kids have undiagnosed issues with learning impediments -- many kids can sort of "cover up" dyslexia / dyscalculia.
While I well know the emotional strain that peer relationships can trigger in high schoolers I also know that merely changing the scenery is unlikely to really "reboot" your child's experience. Bluntly, you need to be a hard-nosed advocate for your kid getting some help from school. If that means a counselor "sitting in" with a some kids that may have been especially needle-some to your child or mediating some kind of "shared lunch hour" for a few weeks then by all means you should push for that. If your child would prefer to focus their energies on making social connections outside of school that too is something that NEEDS to be a family priority -- the music stuff might be a HUGE step in the right direction. Use Music to Develop Kids' Skills and Character | Edutopia
Before I would move midyear I would launch a multi-pronged response to this situation. Devote probably 30% of your efforts to diagnosing any underlying issues, another 30% to helping your child deal with any interpersonal issues with kids at school or in community groups and the remainder, or 40%, to building a kind of personal resiliency.
I am familiar with niche.com, it seems like it is currently more useful for college decisions and private schools. I do not know that allowing your daughter to "thumb through" reviews of other schools is really the best way to deal with your situation...
I have personally met Dr. Ginsburg. He is a deeply caring father of twin daughters and a pedatrician that has seen kids from across the gamut of affluence to abject poverty. He is sensitive to the enormous pressures that many kids feel as well as completely honest how much of a challenge it can be do truly weigh what is best for each child. If you have not read his books I urge you to do so ASAP.
I also believe Jim Taylor's book would be very helpful to most any parent. Despite its title, it is less about "pushing" and more about accountability -- kids really and truly need to have someone in their life ask what they find important and why. That is an ongoing question and the answers will shift over time. On days when kids think the be-all and end-all of life is to be "popular" the unconditional support of others is more important than ever. I whole-heartedly recommend having a respectful guided dialogue with your kids to help them grow -- Positive Pushing: How to Raise a Successful and Happy Child: James Taylor: 9780786888504: Amazon.com: Books
Thank you for the information. I will look into those books. My daughter is doing much better academically this year though. Now, she's getting A's and B's. My daughter does have ADHD though, we had her tested for it in her pre K years. She controls it very well though, you can't even tell she has it. My daughter tended to do worse in classes where the teachers were worse. Also, studies have shown that having problems socially in school is a factor of bad grades. We have had her meet with the school counselor once a week, but the social issue has been ongoing since elementary school and at this point there's not really much anyone can do to fix it. The counselor told her to try more clubs and she did, but it didn't work out. I really like the idea of trying extracurriculars outside of school though.
What my daughter is also concerned about is her choice of classes. Deerfield doesn't really have a wide selection of classes to take compared to other schools in the area, even HP. She's afraid that she's not going to get into college because they're aren't classes available to prepare her for what she wants to major in,. They have them at most other schools including HP.
So, if working with the school hasn't helped, what school should I look at for her? Should I look at which school has the best resources while keeping the commute reasonable? Work is literally everywhere in the Chicago metro and 1-3 days a week in the west side of Chicago. The problem I have with driving from Highland Park is that it's hard to commute to a lot of places from there. Should I start with looking at HP or should I look at a different town where it will be easier to commute to different places? If I should look at a different town, which school would you recommend? We really are looking to expand though. We want to buy in a place where you get more for your money, but it definitely would make things hectic driving from a place far out like Marengo, so commute time should definitely be more important than house size.
Thank you for the information. I will look into those books. My daughter is doing much better academically this year though. Now, she's getting A's and B's. My daughter does have ADHD though, we had her tested for it in her pre K years. She controls it very well though, you can't even tell she has it. My daughter tended to do worse in classes where the teachers were worse. Also, studies have shown that having problems socially in school is a factor of bad grades. We have had her meet with the school counselor once a week, but the social issue has been ongoing since elementary school and at this point there's not really much anyone can do to fix it. The counselor told her to try more clubs and she did, but it didn't work out. I really like the idea of trying extracurriculars outside of school though.
What my daughter is also concerned about is her choice of classes. Deerfield doesn't really have a wide selection of classes to take compared to other schools in the area, even HP. She's afraid that she's not going to get into college because they're aren't classes available to prepare her for what she wants to major in,. They have them at most other schools including HP.
So, if working with the school hasn't helped, what school should I look at for her? Should I look at which school has the best resources while keeping the commute reasonable? Work is literally everywhere in the Chicago metro and 1-3 days a week in the west side of Chicago. The problem I have with driving from Highland Park is that it's hard to commute to a lot of places from there. Should I start with looking at HP or should I look at a different town where it will be easier to commute to different places? If I should look at a different town, which school would you recommend? We really are looking to expand though. We want to buy in a place where you get more for your money, but it definitely would make things hectic driving from a place far out like Marengo, so commute time should definitely be more important than house size.
If you come southwest I would look at frankfort and Lincoln way east HS. It's a silver medalist school on us news and world report. They have over 30 ap classes now. Avg act scores are similare to LYONS TOWNSHIP, the feeder schools in d-157 are fabulous such as Chelsea intermediate school, a lot of special needs programs as well, very family oriented, highly ranked in football, cheer. Parts of frankfort are 10 min from metra station that has express train to city. Access within min to i80, i355, i294, i57
Very nice wooded village, with a very charming downtown w shops , rest, bars, and a very large fall fest.
Housing is fairly priced though prices have been increasing fairly rapidly of late, and new construction as really taken off in last 1.5 years. There are over 30 houses currently under construction just from my count driving around. http://www.illinoisreportcard.com/Sc...6099157C042002
Do you know where I could find a course catalog for the Lincoln Way schools? I couldn't find then online? Does the district offer shadow visits? Deerfield and Highland Park do, but for an intra-district transfer, I don't think they'll let you shadow a school until they approve the transfer. If a student is coming from outside the district, they can though. I really like Lincoln Way West, though. What do you know about Lincoln Way West? Are their special ed programs as good as East's?
I drove by the house that I liked in HP (The one that's being remodeled), but they haven't even started remodeling it yet. Then I went online and checked up on the other house I liked (foreclosure), but now it's being auctioned and the starting bid is at my budget, so I guess that's out of the question too. I've been checking online for new listings and there hasn't been anything. So, I guess we have to move.
Also, we just found out that work is going to mainly north (North and Northwest suburbs) now instead of all over Chicagoland, so I ruled out the south suburbs and I didn't find any good listings for me in the school districts and towns I liked there too. We narrowed it down to Gurnee and Crystal Lake. We couldn't find any good rentals, but we've been lucky with finding houses to buy. We are so torn between the houses and the schools (Warren Twp. Vs. Crystal Lake Central).
Crystal Lake:
-house is 5k and it's HUGE and very nice, taxes are high but it's WAY CHEAPER than the house would be in HP
-basement is unfinished, which we can finish but it will take time
-close to the lake (we have a boat and like use it on lakes. We wish we could find a house on the lake though.)
-only 2.7 miles from school (so much better than the inconvenient 3.5 mile drive we have now to Deerfield.)
-not within walking distance to any stores, but not that bad of drive to stores (better than having to drive 20 minutes to Vernon Hills to do most of our shopping like we do now.)
-we have friends there with a kid in high school, so my daughter will have at least one friend, but they're a senior while my daughter is a sophomore so they most likely won't see each other often in school and they would only have a semester together
Gurnee:
House #1
-under $490k a big and very nice house
-not close to school
-within walking distance to Mariano's and close to other stores
House #2
-also very nice house at $4.5k which is still big, but not as big as the other two, but it has a pool
-far from Warren's Almond campus where my daughter would go for junior and senior year)
-not too far too the O'Plaine campus where she would go for the second semester of her sophomore year (2.8)
-less than 2 miles from Six Flags (we go there a lot during the summer)
-We also have family in Gurnee, but they don't have any kids.
Please help me decide between Crystal Lake and Gurnee. If anyone is familiar with Warren or Crystal Lake Central some information about them would be very helpful. Thank you.
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Sort of nutty...
