Moving to Cincy Burbs, Need some Town Help (Cincinnati, Hamilton: credit, homes)

[cincynewcomer]

Hello, moving from a suburb of chicago to cincy for work, asian family of four.
We would like to be in a good school district with smaller size classrooms(~13 kids or so) so we've seen sycamore school district, madeira and indian hill fitting that criteria. My work is in west chester so I've considered mason school district even though the class sizes are much larger (~24 kids)...

I've recently seen articles in mason about racism and while i've never thought much about it, is there a real reason for concern?

Any info would be great

Thanks!

[SalamanderSmile]

Student teacher ratio and actual daily class size are vastly different. I do not think that there is a public school with a 13/1 experience in real life around here. Sycamore is a large district while IH is small. If you want a small school experience then go fo IH. Class sizes will likely be 22ish.

[wrightflyer]

How long of a commute are you willing to tolerate? While you would primarily be going opposite the downtown traffic, don't discount traffic heading north on I-75 either, especially with the decades long and still some to go construction project. Currently they are stationed near Evendale and the GE Aviation plant.

Also, I-275 going west in the AM and east in the PM between 75 and 71 can become rather clogged, especially with drivers using it as the primary northern Hamilton County jumping point between the two major interstates.

Depending on your commute time you are looking for, there are some smaller districts inside the beltway in Hamilton County. You mentioned Madiera, which would actually be my first choice, unless you want to pay $800,000-1,000,000+ for a home in Indian Hill. Maderia isn't cheap either, with most new construction being tear downs (think Park Ridge style types of tear downs) priced in the $500,000-750,000+ range. So the other factor to consider here is, "What's your budget?"

If either of these aren't a huge concern, then Maderia would be my first choice then Indian Hill. Maderia has a more homey feel with an actual downtown, where as Indian Hill is large manor estates spread among some executive style developments (homes on acreage that can be new or older).

But, if those prices shock you, or you would rather be closer to West Chester for work, I would say stick to Warren or Butler Counties. Warren County, specifically Mason, would be your best bet. Outside of its large school atmosphere, which I have heard both pros and cons regarding from higher education professionals, it has a somewhat diverse student body and decent class options. In Butler County, also check in on Lakota Schools. They have a large district as well, and rank slightly lower than Mason, but their schools are more neighborhood based and there are two high schools versus one large high school such as in Mason. Lakota also has a more diverse student body than other Warren or Butler County districts that perform well. The rest of Warren and Butler counties are mostly white, republican and Trump voters for the most part. Exceptions would be parts of Middletown, but the schools there are not the best in performance.

Homes in Mason and Lakota Schools can vary in price usually with new builds starting at $300,000 and going up from there. Both have somewhat older cookie-cutter developments with nice sized homes from the 90's and 00's, which will likely be cheaper than building a new, similar sized home. There's more older development in West Chester versus Mason or Liberty Township (the latter is primarily Lakota Schools), so even better price deals can be found here if you don't mind a home likely built in the 80's or early-to-mid 90's.

If school size is the primary factor and you can tolerate the commute, cross the Lakota and Mason schools off the list. Same would go for Sycamore. Instead, focus on Maderia, Wyoming and Indian Hill depending on budget. Mariemont Schools (Mariemont/Fairfax/Terrace Park) may be another option if school size is your biggest concern, but it would represent the longest commute.

Ultimately, look at school sizes, especially at the high school and middle school levels. Keep in mind some districts, such as Lakota and Mason, have schools just for 9th graders. If that doesn't appeal to your desires, keep those factors in mind. I would check the Ohio Department of Education website and look at things like student-to-teacher ratio, graduating class sizes, percentage of students who graduate, high school size, and AP/IB classes offered, with emphasis on AP. Some may even allow college credit allowances by taking classes at local colleges or universities, which may also appeal to your children as well. The big three universities in the Cincinnati, Ohio area are Miami University (Semi-Public Liberal Arts and Research University), University of Cincinnati (Public State Research University), and Xavier University (Private Catholic University).

[on3]

Originally Posted by cincynewcomer

Hello, moving from a suburb of chicago to cincy for work, asian family of four.
We would like to be in a good school district with smaller size classrooms(~13 kids or so) so we've seen sycamore school district, madeira and indian hill fitting that criteria. My work is in west chester so I've considered mason school district even though the class sizes are much larger (~24 kids)...

I've recently seen articles in mason about racism and while i've never thought much about it, is there a real reason for concern?

Any info would be great

Thanks!

Racism in Mason? Um.. no. Sounds like a bunch of jealous Lakota school district parents stirring the pot. Send your kids to Mason. It's a great place to live. I live in West Chester and if I had kids I'd live in Mason.

[jlawrence01]

Originally Posted by cincynewcomer

Hello, moving from a suburb of chicago to cincy for work, asian family of four.
We would like to be in a good school district with smaller size classrooms(~13 kids or so) so we've seen sycamore school district, madeira and indian hill fitting that criteria. My work is in west chester so I've considered mason school district even though the class sizes are much larger (~24 kids)...

Thanks!

And before you make the decision to accept the position, make sure that you understand the tax impacts of your move. More than likely, you will pay local income taxes in the municipality that you live in and the municipality that work in. That needs to be considered when you are negotiating a salary package.

[Misfit Toy]

I can't imagine there is a public school, or even many private schools around here where class sizes tend to be 13. If you can afford Mason, you'll be fine there if you can live with what are probably larger classroom sizes.

[mamibeebah]

Originally Posted by Misfit Toy

I can't imagine there is a public school, or even many private schools around here where class sizes tend to be 13. If you can afford Mason, you'll be fine there if you can live with what are probably larger classroom sizes.

I teach in a private Catholic school in Northern KY. Our class ratio is about 1:15.