Schools in Vernon Hills - Are They Good? (Chicago, Buffalo Grove: apartments, townhomes)

[Lotto]

Hi,

We're relocating to Lake County, IL and we're considering a house in Vernon Hills. The schools district is #73, Hawthorne Elementary South. Are District 73 schools good? Is there a reputable program for gifted students?

Thanks!

[ahava]

District 73 schools are very good, as is Vernon Hills High School. The district is unique in that each school operates based on a different educational philosophy. This brochure explains it: http://www.hawthorn73.org/downloads/...hyBrochure.pdf. I'm not sure what kind of gifted program they have, but the two "schools of choice" have the best test scores, so I would send my kids to one of those schools instead of Elementary South.

[Lotto]

Hi, thanks for the advice. I called the district and they said there is a waiting list for the two "choice" schools. Are you very familiar with the area? Do you know anyone who has sent their children to Hawthorne South, and if so, were they happy with the quality of the academics? Thanks!

[ahava]

Originally Posted by Lotto

Hi, thanks for the advice. I called the district and they said there is a waiting list for the two "choice" schools. Are you very familiar with the area? Do you know anyone who has sent their children to Hawthorne South, and if so, were they happy with the quality of the academics? Thanks!

I am very familiar with the area, and I have a friend whose kids go to Hawthorn schools, but they've always gone to the option schools. My friend is very happy with the district overall and the way they've handled the rapid growth in enrollment over the past decade. He and his wife were thinking about moving a few years ago because they've outgrown their house, but they couldn't find anywhere in their price range with schools as good. They're both teachers, so education is the most important thing to them.

[Lotto]

That's good to know - thank you! I'm a teacher too, although at the college level. I just got a job in Milwaukee and my husband works in Chicago, so we'll both be commuting. Do you happen to know what the traffic is like around there? We both need to get to I-94. Also, we're looking for a house in the Deerpath neighborhood...does your friend live around there? Are neighbors friendly and is the park district good? Thanks!

[ahava]

Originally Posted by Lotto

That's good to know - thank you! I'm a teacher too, although at the college level. I just got a job in Milwaukee and my husband works in Chicago, so we'll both be commuting. Do you happen to know what the traffic is like around there? We both need to get to I-94. Also, we're looking for a house in the Deerpath neighborhood...does your friend live around there? Are neighbors friendly and is the park district good? Thanks!

Traffic is bad during rush hours, and on Milwaukee Ave specifically it's bad pretty much any hour of the day. You can take Rt 60 to I-94 and that shouldn't be too painful. My friend lives in Cambridge West, which is technically in Mundelein. It's a great neighborhood and so is Deerpath. Really the only neighborhoods in Vernon Hills I'd stay away from are anything off of Westmoreland Dr, and the apartments and townhomes on the corner of Rt 45 & Butterfield Rd. I don't know from experience but I'd imagine neighbors are friendly in Deerpath. A lot of families live there. I've driven through it many times because people (myself included) used to use Deerpath Dr to cut through from Rt 45 to Rt 60, but now that Fairway Dr is open as a main thoroughfare from Buffalo Grove Rd to Rt 60 I don't think many people cut through Deerpath anymore. Also, there is a very small section of Deerpath (Midway Ln, Lindon Ln, Debill Ct, and some of S Deerpath Dr) that has completely different schools: District 103 and Stevenson High School. Those are some of the best schools in the state. I don't know if the houses on those streets are a lot more expensive than the rest of the subdivision, but the houses themselves are the same, so if they're not more expensive that's something to think about. The only thing I know about the park district is that they throw an awesome 4th of July celebration. Before we moved to the west suburbs we went there every year for fireworks and such instead of to our own town's festivities, which were overcrowded and not as good.
One last thing on the subject of commuting - if your husband works downtown, I highly suggest riding Metra instead of driving. The Metra station in Vernon Hills is on Rt 45 across from Deerpath Dr. That particular line doesn't have trains as often as the other lines but if he finds one with times that work for him, it's a million times better than driving on the Kennedy.

[Lotto]

Thank you for your good advice!