District 36 (Winnetka) vs. District 39 (Wilmette) schools-K-8? (Naperville, Glenview: appointed, credit, transfer)

[sydney331]

Considering moving to Winnetka or Wilmette D39 with my children in K-8.

Any differences in Washburne vs. Wilmette Jr. High? Academically? How different are Wilmette and Winnetka socially for kids? Do kids tend to mix or stay with their own groups? Any neighborhoods more kid-friendly than others?

I have already live in a snobby area where parents dictate kids' friendship groups, so hoping for a slight change...

Primarily moving because we are disappointed with the schools academically where we are now, and we want more academic rigor at this point without going to a private school.

(We are open to moving to East Glenview that goes to District 39. It is more about the district academic rigor.)

***Not interested in Glencoe, Northfield, nor Kenilworth.

[Hiruko]

Originally Posted by sydney331

Considering moving to Winnetka or Wilmette D39 with my children in K-8.

Any differences in Washburne vs. Wilmette Jr. High? Academically? How different are Wilmette and Winnetka socially for kids? Do kids tend to mix or stay with their own groups? Any neighborhoods more kid-friendly than others?

I have already live in a snobby area where parents dictate kids' friendship groups, so hoping for a slight change...

Primarily moving because we are disappointed with the schools academically where we are now, and we want more academic rigor at this point without going to a private school.

(We are open to moving to East Glenview that goes to District 39. It is more about the district academic rigor.)

***Not interested in Glencoe, Northfield, nor Kenilworth.

As far as I know, there are no posters with children in these school systems and I am not sure that many parents are going to offer a very valuable opinion.

As a younger Millennial that attended New Trier High School (upstream from Winnetka and Wilmette K-8) for a time, I can tell you that I reflect mostly negatively on the atmosphere of the school and regret leaving private school to attend given the choice my parents gave me in the matter. I would not say never, but I would think long and hard about sending my children to the public schools Mod cut.

[guidoLaMoto]

Mod cut: quoted post deleted.

If they can afford to move there, they can afford private tutors.....That worked out well for Philip of Macedonia and his son, I understand.

More people who think govt policy determines if their kid becomes a good student or not, I guess.

[sydney331]

Thanks. I realize my post sounded totally snobbish! But we live in another North Shore suburb where test scores are under 40% math and reading achievement on standardized tests. It's a low-performing school. It's Title 1.

I am an educator and have a public school teacher's salary. We are definitely not rich by any means. I'm just hyper-focused on making sure my kids are being challenged. They are currently not. We don't use tutors. My kids don't get STEM nor hands-on science. I pay a lot in property taxes, and the school district is always in flux. There is ton of teacher turnover. I would prefer to live in the NT township and at least know I will get a solid education.

Not everyone wanting to live in these school districts wants to live there because they are snobs. lol

[Greencheese]

Originally Posted by sydney331

Thanks. I realize my post sounded totally snobbish! But we live in another North Shore suburb where test scores are under 40% math and reading achievement on standardized tests. It's a low-performing school. It's Title 1.

I am an educator and have a public school teacher's salary. We are definitely not rich by any means. I'm just hyper-focused on making sure my kids are being challenged. They are currently not. We don't use tutors. My kids don't get STEM nor hands-on science. I pay a lot in property taxes, and the school district is always in flux. There is ton of teacher turnover. I would prefer to live in the NT township and at least know I will get a solid education.

Not everyone wanting to live in these school districts wants to live there because they are snobs. lol

I'd be willing to pay the money for the guaranteed good education vs the roll of the dice many districts provide, and pricing shows I'm not alone. Now can I afford NT... that's another question.

[847mom]

My kids are in college now but they attended the Avoca School district which serves part of East Glenview, I am not sure you are aware of that. I was surprised to not see it mentioned because it sounds more like what you are looking for. More diverse, solid academics and very advanced Science curriculum.
However out of Wilmette or Winnetka I would pick Winnetka every time. I personally found the kids to be really nice. Parents, well that's a mixed bag lol.
There will be obnoxious pretentious people in any suburb. I prefer smaller schools. NT obviously has great academics but it's definitely not for everyone. One of my kids went there for two years and transferred to a private high school.

The elementary schools have different vibes and slightly different curriculums. Winnetka has a whole child feel to it. In the end though they all end up very comparably. Just slight differences. Avoca was the top feeder district with standardized tests if that is still the case. However in the end it just doesn't matter, it's up to the student to achieve.

[PJSaturn]

People, this thread has been cleaned up and several inappropriate posts have been deleted. If you don't have something helpful to post, then move on.

The OP could use some serious help here. Please make her feel welcome to our forum.

[Ccpfinn]

I grew up in Winnetka and raised my children in Wilmette before relocating to Naperville. I do not believe there is any difference in the schools between Winnetka and Wilmette. You couldn’t go wrong in either suburb. If I were to move back I would pick Wilmette because the park district is exceptional (they took over an elementary school on the west side).

[Ccpfinn]

If you’re looking for lower snob levels you might want to focus on the western parts of either town. IMHO Snobbery increases as you get closer to the lake. Academic rigor is (for the families I know) achieved outside of the public schools. Our children and many of their friends have been involved in Northwestern’s Center for Talent Development since they were 4 years old. It’s expensive but they offer HS credits for higher level courses. However, I am not sure how many credits NT will allow to transfer in. CTD math classes are more often used to accelerate math placement.

[Ccpfinn]

I know many Wilmette neighborhoods have regular weekend happy hour events in their back alleyways. You should have your agent ask the sellers if they are in an area with regular get togethers. We found the weekly happy hour events a great way to connect with our neighbors. It’s what we miss most since we moved away.