African American family from DC relocating to Dublin (Columbus, Westerville: 2015, to rent)

[jprince17]

Hello all,

We are a family of 5 (3 kids; 6, 4 and 1) looking to relocate to the Columbus area from the DC area. We are middle/upperclass family and are looking for recommendation on neighborhoods that would meet the needs of our family. We are looking to rent first before purchasing a home in order to become familiar with the areas. We want family friendly neighborhoods with great schools (backyard for the girls to play). So far, Worthington, Westerville, Hilliard, Dublin and Powell appear to meet our requirements for space (4 bed/3 full bath) and education; however not sure if these areas are really diverse (African America, Asian, etc) or not. I've looked at a few areas in Gahanna, Pickerington, etc.. but the schools aren't the greatest.

My concern is how much diversity in these areas? Is Worthington or Westerville any better?

Can some provide any information on diverse areas to consider with great schools? We are not too concerned with traffic as I work from home and husband is OK with commuting (traffic can't be as bad as it is here in DC, lol).

Thank you for all your help!!

[jbcmh81]

Here are the 2015 numbers by race.


Dublin
Non-Hispanic White: 74.4%
Non-Hispanic Black: 1.8%
Non-Hispanic Asian: 17.2%
Hispanic: 4.6%


Powell
Non-Hispanic White: 85.3%
Non-Hispanic Black: 3.2%
Non-Hispanic Asian: 9.9%
Hispanic: 0.4%


Westerville
Non-Hispanic White: 85.0%
Non-Hispanic Black: 7.5%
Non-Hispanic Asian: 1.8%
Hispanic: 2.0%


Worthington
Non-Hispanic White: 92.0%
Non-Hispanic Black: 1.2%
Non-Hispanic Asian: 1.6%
Hispanic: 2.6%


So Dublin would probably be the most diverse, Worthington the least, but Westerville would have the highest AA population.


Here is a map of Franklin County showing how areas were changing racially in recent decades. Powell is not on the map as it is actually in Delaware County. Again, Dublin has the most areas that are diversifying.

[jprince17]

How are the schools? Does OH bus students from lower performance areas? I'm more concerned about the diversity of the schools.

[jbcmh81]

Originally Posted by jprince17

How are the schools? Does OH bus students from lower performance areas? I'm more concerned about the diversity of the schools.

Dublin and Powell are ranked highest, then Worthington, then Westerville, but none of them are bad at all. I'm not sure about the diversity within the schools themselves, and that probably changes from one school to the next. I'm also not sure about busing, but I do know that there are some areas where there are district overlaps. For example, on the northwest side of Columbus, there are areas within the city that are under the Dublin school district.
Someone with more first-hand experience with the schools would be more knowledgeable, though.

[buckeyechick]

I like Westerville. I moved to area as an adult. Very fine area. My sister graduated from Westerville South. I'm Black too if that helps you. I've live in Dublin area too. It was very nice too. Convenient and a great yarn shop there.

[ckhthankgod]

Are Pickerington and Gahanna schools viewed as being "bad"? I believe that Pickerington and Gahanna both have pretty high Black median household incomes, while having substantial Black populations as well.

Pickerington Local School District - USA.comâ„¢
Pickerington Local School District Population and Races - USA.comâ„¢
Pickerington Local School District Income and Careers - USA.comâ„¢

Gahanna-Jefferson City School District - USA.comâ„¢
Gahanna-Jefferson City School District Population and Races - USA.comâ„¢
Gahanna-Jefferson City School District Income and Careers - USA.comâ„¢

That same source shows Canal Winchester as having a higher percentage and median household income: Canal Winchester Local School District - USA.comâ„¢
Canal Winchester Local School District Population and Races - USA.comâ„¢
Canal Winchester Local School District Income and Careers - USA.comâ„¢

What is great about this source is that you can look at the district maps and view information by census tract or even down to the census block group level. More info: Ohio Median Black Household Income School District Rank Based on ACS 2010-2014 data

[Ellad]

In Ohio, you are typically assigned to a school district based on your city and the school district typically assigns you a school based on address. Occasionally school district boundaries will overlap, chiild with a Dublin address lives within Hilliard schools etc. But for the most part school districts are by city. They are not by county the way they are in some states. In some districts, you can enter a lottery for a particular school. This is true in Westerville. In other districts, you would have to get special permission to attend a school other than the one to which you are assigned. I substitute taught in each of the school districts you mentioned and all of them are good. You would not need to worry about being in a "bad" school in any of those districts. Westerville is the most diverse of the districts and has the most African American students. Hilliard is diverse in that they have many Muslim students. They also have quite a few Spanish speaking students but not a significant number of African American students. I would say JW Reason Elementary and Horizion Elementary had the most AA children that I saw. If you were to choose Dublin, Olde Sawmill Elementary and Chapman Elementary seem to have the most African American students.I substituted in Gahanna as well and it has great schools and teachers. Chapelfield and Goshen Lane Elementary seemed to have the most AA students. I would say Gahanna is more diverse than Dublin or Hilliard. It may be ranked lower but I observed outstanding schools. I did not see many AA students in Worthington. There were a few Asian students. Powell is very very white. Don't get too hung up on school ratings. They are based on how very young children did on one test 1 or 2 days out of the entire year. Visit schools in the areas you would like to live and see if they are a good fit. Hope this helps.

[jprince17]

Originally Posted by Ellad

In Ohio, you are typically assigned to a school district based on your city and the school district typically assigns you a school based on address. Occasionally school district boundaries will overlap, chiild with a Dublin address lives within Hilliard schools etc. But for the most part school districts are by city. They are not by county the way they are in some states. In some districts, you can enter a lottery for a particular school. This is true in Westerville. In other districts, you would have to get special permission to attend a school other than the one to which you are assigned. I substitute taught in each of the school districts you mentioned and all of them are good. You would not need to worry about being in a "bad" school in any of those districts. Westerville is the most diverse of the districts and has the most African American students. Hilliard is diverse in that they have many Muslim students. They also have quite a few Spanish speaking students but not a significant number of African American students. I would say JW Reason Elementary and Horizion Elementary had the most AA children that I saw. If you were to choose Dublin, Olde Sawmill Elementary and Chapman Elementary seem to have the most African American students.I substituted in Gahanna as well and it has great schools and teachers. Chapelfield and Goshen Lane Elementary seemed to have the most AA students. I would say Gahanna is more diverse than Dublin or Hilliard. It may be ranked lower but I observed outstanding schools. I did not see many AA students in Worthington. There were a few Asian students. Powell is very very white. Don't get too hung up on school ratings. They are based on how very young children did on one test 1 or 2 days out of the entire year. Visit schools in the areas you would like to live and see if they are a good fit. Hope this helps.

Thank you for providing your experiences with the different schools!! This definitely helps. We are planning on visiting the schools first, but would like to narrow down the areas first. We will be visiting in June, July and August.

[ohioflorida]

I would recommend Dublin as your first choice. Hilliard or Powell as your second choice. Good luck with the move.

[Cbus76]

I would look at New Albany too. The New Albany schools are among the best in the city, and New Albany is generally upper-middle class and higher. Home prices are steep and generally start around $400,000. New Albany High School is 28% minority.


https://www.usnews.com/education/bes...h-school-15513