Moving to Hyde park with Kids (Chicago, Harvard: real estate, leasing, daycare)

[sbhaskar]

I have job offered in University of Chicago and planning to move to Hyde Park. Is the Hyde park is safe to live with Kid. I researched about the elementary school - Ray and Murray. Its seems not good neither bad for kindergarten, If anyone know about this school, please let me know is it ok to attend the school.

Based on looking into the Hyde park apt- I narrowed down to the S Woodlawn behind the Nicholas Park and S Blackstone behind the Ray school, Is this place safe to live with the kid.

[chet everett]

There has been a decided shift toward families with connections to the UofC that have kids lately preferring the private but costly UofC Lab Schools over the CPS option.

The challenge is not just the short term, which involves rather marked differences in things like class size / preparation but also the longer term challenges of having to scramble for a placement come high school as the overall desirability of schools south of the greater Loop have suffered in comparison to investments at Jones, Payton & Northside...

There was a post relatively recently from a family in a similar situation and they choose LaGrange although there kids may have been a bit older and the need for schools a bit more pressing...

[Manigault]

Originally Posted by sbhaskar

I have job offered in University of Chicago and planning to move to Hyde Park. Is the Hyde park is safe to live with Kid. I researched about the elementary school - Ray and Murray. Its seems not good neither bad for kindergarten, If anyone know about this school, please let me know is it ok to attend the school.

Based on looking into the Hyde park apt- I narrowed down to the S Woodlawn behind the Nicholas Park and S Blackstone behind the Ray school, Is this place safe to live with the kid.

Many of the children at UofC Lab start out at Ray school before the 6th or 7th grades. As you can see from the real estate ads, being in the Ray school district is considered a plus. Both Ray and Murray are fine schools (and great among CPS schools) but Ray has more to offer. I know of kids from both Ray and Murray who have ended up in Harvard.

Both feature monitored walks to the neighborhood club after school for activities and daycare. For kindergarten in Hyde Park, I would also consider Ancona Montessori and St. Thomas the Apostle, depending on the developmental needs of the child. Geographically, St. Thomas is about halfway between Ray and Murray.

Behind Nichols Park and behind Ray School are both areas in the campus 'golden rectangle' south of 55th street and safe places to live in Hyde Park with a kid; as is all of the neighborhood. You should understand that south of 55th street the university now has security people walking a beat, not just patrolling in infrequent cars.

Check the local paper for available housing:

https://hpherald.com/

[sbhaskar]

Thank you for your response with the Schools and Housing in the Hyde park. Will try to find the apt in Hyde Park. Just Checked Montessori and St. Thomas Apostle, both seems to be good.

[chet everett]

The relative desirability of homes in the attendance area for Ray has a lot to do with the relative convenience of that area to the amenities of Hyde Park; when it comes to the desirability of any public school it is a bit of a chicken & egg problem just as it is in desirable suburbs -- more affleunce and parental success makes the attendance area more desirable...

Back when there was more community support in Hyde Park for CPS there probably were more kids whose parents had an Ivy league education themselves. Sadly that has faded...

While looking at the tuition for an additional half a dozen or so years at Lab might seem like a pretty substantial "savings" in the context of the generally handsome salaries for full professors and staff medical professionals at the Unversity or Medical Center it is not a burdensome percentage especially considering the importance of education.

[sbhaskar]

Thanks for your suggestion. The University Lab school has no open admission now, they request to put my information on the interest pool. I am trying all the possibilities to make sure to put my kid in better school if not now else next year.

[chet everett]

Originally Posted by sbhaskar

Thanks for your suggestion. The University Lab school has no open admission now, they request to put my information on the interest pool. I am trying all the possibilities to make sure to put my kid in better school if not now else next year.

From what I understand, the Lab Schools do have policy designed to give priority for "late enrollment" to folks that have an association with the university as neither faculty nor med center hiring is fully aligned with the regular Lab School enrollment...

I have heard of situations were a waiting list developed after regular enrollment necessitates adding sections. It would be wise to find out how likely that is for the coming school year.

Unfortunately CPS is much less proactive and typically once the main window for enrolling in a selective admissions / options school closes in the early winter of the year preceding the fall school term you have to rely on just neighborhood boundaries. Even then many of the most desirable such CPS are "over utilized" which is CPS-speak for "crowded with more kids than they should have enrolled"...

[sbhaskar]

Talked to CPS that if I leave in the area boundary, then there is likely chance to get admitted, to any other Magnet school the enrollment opens in May to admit the students based on lottery. So the CPS said to finalize the place and meet the school with leasing and other necessary documents.
Apart from that the Univ Lab will wait for enough attrition to raise which they will wait till month of June and then they will decide whether my kid will get admitted or not.
Based on your replies and interaction I am optimistic that I will find a decent apt and school for my kid.

Once again thanks for taking your time to respond to my concerns.

[Manigault]

Originally Posted by chet everett

Back when there was more community support in Hyde Park for CPS there probably were more kids whose parents had an Ivy league education themselves. Sadly that has faded...

Well, I happen to know you are wrong. There are many University parents who have their children in Ray even though they could be admitted to Lab. That's what I have seen. In fact, a parent member of the Ray School local school council went on to become a noted teacher at Lab. Further, Lab has a significant minority of students whose connection to the university is tenuous, at best.

At base there is still and always has been a great amount of community support for Ray and Murray. the 57th Street Children's book fair is sponsored by some of those parents and has been a fixture for more than 20 years.

Check it out:

The Children's Book Fair

[sbhaskar]

Good to know about the Ray school. I will reach out to some of the University staff/faculty kids who attend in the Ray School.