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My wife and I are another one of the late-20's city dwellers who are beginning to search for the "forever home" out in suburbs. We both work downtown, so the typical wish list items apply to our search : good schools and express Metra commutes of ~35 minutes. Our budget is around 425K and we've flagged North Downers Grove, Glen Ellyn, and Elmhurst.
We've driven and walked around all three suburbs, and could see ourselves in all of them. Our money appears to go the furthest in North Downers Grove, but my wife worried is the grade school district. I know that websites like BetterSchools and SchoolDigger aren't always the best barometers, but even looking at the Illinois Report Card appears to show that Downers GSD 58 is materially lower than Glen Ellyn 41 and Elmhurst 205. SchoolDigger also seems to shows a fairly sizable drop in test scores over the last few years.
We know test scores aren't everything, and that parents really drive a lot of an elementary districts culture. I grew up in Arlington Heights, and my wife West Chicago, so we don't have a lot of experience with the near west suburbs, save my wife with a little more knowledge of Glen Ellyn.
We'd love to hear experiences from parents in the districts we're looking at, or even just what people familiar with the areas have heard about performance, etc. I tried searching around the forums but hadn't seen anything specifically discussing the elementary districts posted recently.
I don't have any experience with the school districts you mention because I live in Wheaton and that is where my son went. Most of the schools in the well to do suburbs are good schools. Sure, they report slightly different test scores. The schools in the three you mention are good, as well as those in Naperville, and Wheaton. I think you take a step down when you go into some of the other school districts. Its not that they are bad schools but they are not the cream of the crop. There is a reason why Wheaton, Glen Ellyn, Elmhurst, Downers Grove, and Naperville are the top suburbs that people want to move to. They have good schools, beautiful homes and parks and so they remain very desirable. Other suburbs in DuPage county, in my opinion are a step down because the schools are not as good. So much depends on your child.
Honestly the chaos that has reigned for the elementary schools in Illinois standardized testing is so extreme that I would not focus at all on the info -- Illinois was formerly using their own "Prairie State Assessments" that were extremely limited. The results from the Prairie State Assessment seemed to have been designed primarily so that nearly every school district, no matter how little they actually put into the classrooms, could say "look at all the success we're having". Fortunately the situation is much better at the high schools in Illinois where the decision to rely on data from ACT or SAT has much more meaning to students; the data from DGN bears out the quality of students.
Illinois made a very abrupt turn toward "Common Core" and PARCC. The utter disaster of PARCC, with states that seemed to genuinely want a true standards based assessment that could be relied on across a wide range of schools, quickly alienated parents, teachers, and administrators. Now Illinois is going back to their own one-off tests. https://truthinamericaneducation.com...rm-assessment/
It is important to know that MANY good parents literally keep their kids home on "testing days" because they know that the joke of standardized testing at the elementary & middle school level is actually HURTING the time that schools should be spending on far more valuable classroom experiences. There are 100% reliable reports of even VERY capable students deliberately tanking the test as a form of protest...
I have quite a bit of direct experience with D58, friends are teachers in the district, quite a few clients and friends send their kids to the schools, etc. It is a very well run district that mostly has excellent staff, leaders with a very good understanding of what sorts of ideas are needed to prepare kids for the next level of education, and is absolutely on par in terms of resources with any similar sized district in the region. I can say without reservation that kids are not missing out on anything compared to those in Elmhurst or Glen Ellyn.
Bluntly the handful of schools in DuPage Co that do have real issues are almost always traceable to a higher percentage of families that are struggling -- in such areas the kids almost certainly are facing situations like lack of English spoken at home, parents who have to hold down multiple low paying jobs to cover rent and cannot provide supervision regarding things like homework, and just the overall negative effects of the schools literally not being able to afford the sorts of materials and staff that make other schools more successful... Those towns easily identified because of the larger percentage of bargain priced housing.
You can drive / walk any part of Downers Grove and quickly determine that no such issues are really in play. The various apartments and larger multifamily housing are well maintained and not packed with folks living on tiny budgets. There are certainly variations between the schools in Downers Grove with the most affluent families and those that in the more affordable areas and when comparing similar variations in towns like GE or Elmhurst the same patterns emerge.
I live in DG, district 58. The recent changes on greatschools.com, etc., is largely due to the fact that the variables for the school ratings have changed. Additionally, as Chet mentions, the students are often kept home on testing days.
I would also advise that there is a significant influx of very well-to-do individuals in Northern Downers Grove. I suspect that in the next 5-10 years as their children continue to go to these schools, that the schools will only have more and more funding and increased test scores.
That said, for $425K, you might have a hard time finding something in Elmhurst or Glen Ellyn. Especially within walking distance of the train. I suggest that you also consider looking near the Belmont Train station, especially in the Pierce Downer school area. DM me if you have specific questions about the area.
That said, for $425K, you might have a hard time finding something in Elmhurst or Glen Ellyn. Especially within walking distance of the train.
Nah. I have close family friends right near the GE Metra. There are plenty of cute small homes (modestly priced) for sale within walking distance to the train station in GE. Not two blocks walking, but not far either.
It mostly depends on what precise type of home parameters would work for the OP.
focus at all on the info -- Illinois was formerly using their own "Prairie State Assessments" that were extremely limited. The results from the Prairie State Assessment seemed to have been designed primarily so that nearly every school district, no matter how little they actually put into the classrooms, could say "look at all the success we're having". Fortunately the situation is much better at the high schools in Illinois where the decision to rely on data from ACT or SAT has much more meaning to students; the data from DGN bears out the quality of students.
I have quite a bit of direct experience with D58, friends are teachers in the district, quite a few clients and friends send their kids to the schools, etc. It is a very well run district that mostly has excellent staff, leaders with a very good understanding of what sorts of ideas are needed to prepare kids for the next level of education, and is absolutely on par in terms of resources with any similar sized district in the region. I can say without reservation that kids are not missing out on anything compared to those in Elmhurst or Glen Ellyn.
Thanks for the reminder, Chet. I now remember many of our friends who were teachers voicing some very loud opinions on the switch. There was definitely some seismic shifts in testing scores across districts in Illinois, but my wife didn't think that the change was necessarily proportional across districts (worried that the drop off of scores in D58 seemed disproportionately larger than GE 41 or Elmhurst 205.) My argument was that it wasn't possible for DGN to be such a great high school if the grade school districts weren't also great. As we don't have any children now, and wouldn't have kids in any district for probably 8+ years from now, it's inevitably difficult to predict how districts will trend. That said, I felt it is safe for us to assume that D58 will continue to be a good one based on history and as schools adjust to the new testing. Plus, who knows what the curricula will look like in 2026!
Glad to hear about your experiences with D58 across the board as well.
Quote:
Originally Posted by RJA29
I live in DG, district 58. The recent changes on greatschools.com, etc., is largely due to the fact that the variables for the school ratings have changed. Additionally, as Chet mentions, the students are often kept home on testing days.
I would also advise that there is a significant influx of very well-to-do individuals in Northern Downers Grove. I suspect that in the next 5-10 years as their children continue to go to these schools, that the schools will only have more and more funding and increased test scores.
That said, for $425K, you might have a hard time finding something in Elmhurst or Glen Ellyn. Especially within walking distance of the train. I suggest that you also consider looking near the Belmont Train station, especially in the Pierce Downer school area. DM me if you have specific questions about the area.
We've actually been looking in that pocket near Belmont in the Pierce Downer area very closely. Seems that we're probably priced out of much of the PD area at the $425K, with a few places in this specific pocket currently close to that price.
We're looking to stay in the DGN boundary, so I'd be curious as to what the general "feel" in the community of those central north elementary schools are (PD, Puffer, Lester, Whittier.) Based on stuff I've been able to surmise around the boards, PD is widely regarded as the best, but we're curious as what locals feel the disparity between PD and the other 3 are.
Also curious as to how parking is at Belmont and the downtown Metra stations if we were to buy outside of walking distance.
Quote:
Originally Posted by damba
Nah. I have close family friends right near the GE Metra. There are plenty of cute small homes (modestly priced) for sale within walking distance to the train station in GE. Not two blocks walking, but not far either.
It mostly depends on what precise type of home parameters would work for the OP.
Sorry, should have specified our general requirements! We're looking for 3 bed 2 bath (obviously more than that is fine) not on a busy street. My wife is an architect, so we wouldn't rule out projects, but we'd still be looking at the same $425K cap including renos if we were to do a gut job.
I really loved GE, but my wife, being from West Chicago, is a little worried that it may be too "uppity" especially since we'd be in the smallest of offerings out there.
Thank you all for your input so far! I've seen most all of your names around in various old posts I've been reading and everything has been extremely enlightening!
Pretty much all the DG elementary schools are filled with staff and students that are doing quite well. There are two facilities in the district that were obviously constructed in an era when "new approaches" and "going cheap" intersected but the performance of even those schools is quite good. If you put priority on a somewhat larger home you absolutely should extend your search to include any part of town. If proximity to train is important there are certainly reason to focus on such areas but I assure you there are no shortage of excellent places to live that would require driving to the parking / taking a bus. In additon to Pace there is a municpal shuttle service that has helped make the train a great option for every part of Downers Grove since 1974 -- http://www.downers.us/public/docs/Pa...e_Schedule.pdf
Without sounding too preachy I gotta say that when one looks across the whole region being able to spend $425K gives you LOTS MORE OPTIONS than the vast majority of people, that said I totally grok the fear that in some areas you absolutely would be looking at some very modest homes. Having sold many home to folks in similar situations I have to emphasize that what will ultimately matter to everything from the success of you kids in school, to how you relate socially to neighbors, to the long term value of your investment and all sorts of other things is influenced FAR MORE by the positive actions you take AND the attitudes you put forth over anything that people have in their heads or even say to you. Bluntly that means if you act in ways that make it clear you value education and a well maintained, attractive home you will have no problems feeling completely at home in Downers Grove, Glen Ellyn, Elmhurst or any other desirable town in the region. AND by extension folks who feel that whatever price they paid is "too high" have also been proven to not feel comfortable regardless of how much more others have paid to be in the same area. While these may seem like converse arguments I know from experience that such ATTITUDES are what makes people feel like an area is right for them or whether they always chafe at being where they are...
We've actually been looking in that pocket near Belmont in the Pierce Downer area very closely. Seems that we're probably priced out of much of the PD area at the $425K, with a few places in this specific pocket currently close to that price.
We're looking to stay in the DGN boundary, so I'd be curious as to what the general "feel" in the community of those central north elementary schools are (PD, Puffer, Lester, Whittier.) Based on stuff I've been able to surmise around the boards, PD is widely regarded as the best, but we're curious as what locals feel the disparity between PD and the other 3 are.
Also curious as to how parking is at Belmont and the downtown Metra stations if we were to buy outside of walking distance.
Belmont parking is easy - if you want to pay daily. However, if you want a monthly pass, the waiting list is about 5-6 years. There is a very, very small pocket of predominantly $1MM+ homes north of Chicago Ave, south of Ogden Ave, and between Main and Stonewall Ave. However, this is a further walk from the train. Try looking at the border of Pierce Downer, south of Prairie. There is not a lot to choose from, but I often see 3BR 1.5 BA homes in the 425-450 range.
FWIW, property taxes will likely be slightly lower in DG.
Good luck!
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