Family of 3, looking for a new home! (Chicago, Park Ridge: neighborhoods, public school)

[tomjerryaura]

Hi, We currently live in Park Ridge. Our kid recently got admitted to Northside Prep.. We were not thinking that he would score perfect 900.. But he did.. and now we want to do his talent a justice and move to City in next two months for him stay admitted at this school.

While it's exciting, it's also nerve-wracking to pick a neighborhood. We are looking for urban, liberal neighborhood within 20 minutes from the school. Needless to say, as safe as possible. Since we have never lived in city or high-rise, waterfront access or terrific skyline views are important. Also want easy access to city through public transportation.

Our budget is pretty wide.. $750K-$1.5M.

Can you please help us out?

Thx

[tomjerryaura]

Does a student have to live in Chicago to attend a high school in Chicago?

Yes, students have to live in Chicago to enroll and attend a Chicago public, charter, or contract school. The student does NOT have to live in Chicago in order to apply, participate in the testing process, and even be selected, but the student must provide proof of city of Chicago residency by July 1st, for the upcoming school year, in order to enroll and attend a Chicago public school.

Source:
https://www.cps.edu/gocps/high-schoo...lectionProcess

[Hiruko]

Originally Posted by tomjerryaura

Hi, We currently live in Park Ridge. Our kid recently got admitted to Northside Prep.. We were not thinking that he would score perfect 900.. But he did.. and now we want to do his talent a justice and move to City in next two months for him stay admitted at this school.

While it's exciting, it's also nerve-wracking to pick a neighborhood. We are looking for urban, liberal neighborhood within 20 minutes from the school. Needless to say, as safe as possible. Since we have never lived in city or high-rise, waterfront access or terrific skyline views are important. Also want easy access to city through public transportation.

Our budget is pretty wide.. $750K-$1.5M.

Can you please help us out?

Thx

Usually, people with this amount of money, especially those already residing in the area, know where they want to live. I don't actually understand what you are asking. Northside is not convenient to the Gold Coast or any of the upmarket highrise enclaves in and around downtown.

What exactly are you expecting your son to achieve or enjoy at Northside that he cannot obtain at Maine South?

[tomjerryaura]

Sorry should have mentioned that we moved to Park Ridge only 2 years go from Texas. Hence asking for an opinion.

As far as, what we would have liked to achieve for son. Better academics and diverse student community- both socioeconomics and ethnicity. Maine South as I believe is more focused on sports than academics.

Appreciate your perspectives.

[Cool Arrow]

If you want waterfront and lakeviews I'd suggest Edgewater, Lakeview and Lincoln Park all on the eastern edge. Ravenswood and Old Irving doesn't have skycrapers but they do have some houses along the river.

[starlitwanderer]

The neighborhoods directly east of the river from Northside, Budlong and Peterson Woods, are nice and family friendly with a lot of unique architecture and a beautiful walking park with bike trail by the river. That's what I would choose. If you want lakefront high-rise then there's Edgewater but not nearly as convenient to transport to kid to school.

[tomjerryaura]

Originally Posted by starlitwanderer

The neighborhoods directly east of the river from Northside, Budlong and Peterson Woods, are nice and family friendly with a lot of unique architecture and a beautiful walking park with bike trail by the river. That's what I would choose. If you want lakefront high-rise then there's Edgewater but not nearly as convenient to transport to kid to school.

Thank you! Looking into it..

[Hiruko]

Originally Posted by tomjerryaura

Sorry should have mentioned that we moved to Park Ridge only 2 years go from Texas. Hence asking for an opinion.

As far as, what we would have liked to achieve for son. Better academics and diverse student community- both socioeconomics and ethnicity. Maine South as I believe is more focused on sports than academics.

Appreciate your perspectives.

I think your neighbors would disagree very strongly. I'm not sure its reputation for athletics is any greater than other public high schools in the vicinity. Maine South, for a relatively newer institution, has an impressive list of alumni. Obviously, Hillary Rodham Clinton is chief among them. My perception is that it is a well-rounded school. If your child gets on the honors track at Maine South, they're going to have the same basic curriculum as Northside. This is an extremely expensive move that greatly outstrips the cost of just enrolling him at Latin or something similar! In addition, heaven forbid you have any kind of problem with the administration. CPS will probably make it a nightmare.

[PJSaturn]

Note: This thread has been cleaned up, deleting some off-topic and political comments. Please do not turn this into a political discussion; save that for the Politics forum. Address OP's questions by suggesting neighborhoods which may fit his needs.

Thank you!

[tomjerryaura]

Originally Posted by Hiruko

I think your neighbors would disagree very strongly. I'm not sure its reputation for athletics is any greater than other public high schools in the vicinity. Maine South, for a relatively newer institution, has an impressive list of alumni. Obviously, Hillary Rodham Clinton is chief among them. My perception is that it is a well-rounded school. If your child gets on the honors track at Maine South, they're going to have the same basic curriculum as Northside. This is an extremely expensive move that greatly outstrips the cost of just enrolling him at Latin or something similar! In addition, heaven forbid you have any kind of problem with the administration. CPS will probably make it a nightmare.

This is a fair point! We are looking at nearly 100K in spend.. Wish they had provided us an option to pay a small fees instead. We are practically 25 mins away!