[Butterfly Wings]

I'm thinking about relocating to Norwich mainly for the school, because of what I've heard about it; A private school education for a public school price (I have two teenage boys and I do not have the funds for a private school) I recently drove through the town and now I'm a little confused, some parts look run down, although I did like the west side of town much better. Is this a safe town; meaning mainly no gang activity on the streets or in the schools. I know I can't escape drug use, that is everywhere, even in Fairfield where I currently live. I know you may wonder why I want to leave Fairfield and the reason is that it is quite expensive here in Fairfield, it is expensive in all of Fairfield County and there is no diversity in the Fairfield school system, diversity is very important to me. I am all about family and community and I want to consider that with this move. I have reseached the rents in Norwich (I am renting here in CT because I do not want to buy property here. I am relocating to the South once my children graduate from HS, I can't make the move now due to extenuating circumstances) and a 3 bedroom apartment on the nicer side of town (which would cost about $2,800 montly in Fairfield) would run around $1,700, which is more in my price range. Will I find what I am looking for in Norwich?

[Grace Collins]

Hi! I am a student at NFA, and I would highly recommend you sending your children there! I understand your concern about the location and the safety of Norwich. Norwich is a relatively safe town. Although there are run down parts, there are some really beautiful historic houses. Norwichtown and Scotland Road are home to some really great places to live. Furthermore, you may not know that NFA actually accepts students from about seven different towns. This means you could reside in Preston, Bozrah, Sprague, Voluntown, and a number of other surrounding towns and still attend NFA for free! A lot of these towns are quieter and safer than Norwich, and offer public transportation to the school.

[JayCT]

Butterfly Wings - It is hard for anyone other than you to say if Norwich Free Academy will be better for your children or not. I can tell you that NFA is a large school with over 2400 students in comparison to Fairfield Warde which has around 1450 students. Average class sizes at NFA range from 21 to 24 students which is high. Fairfield Warde class sizes range from 18 to 21 which is much more reasonable IMHO. NFA 10th grade students perform just over the state average on the Connecticut Academic Performance Test while Fairfield Warde performs significiantly above that average. You are correct that there is a more diverse student population at NFA where many students are from minority or non-English speaking homes. NFA is a very good school but Fairfield schools are excellent and considered to be among the best in the state.

I also note that you do not mention anything about employment but the opportunities for work in the Fairfield area are greater than in the Norwich area which is somewhat limited. Good luck, Jay

[uconn99]

Well you are a short drive to Hartford for work, plus the casinos and Pfizer are down the road.

NFA is a big school but has a very large endowment which gives the school great resources. Like a previous poster said, you don't have to live in Norwich to go to NFA. If you have a younger child, the surround towns would be better for elementary and middle school but NFA would be great once they get into high school.

[vickiii]

JayCt said that most students are from minorities or don't speak English. I'm a sophomore at NFA and I have yet to encounter someone who doesn't speak English. Although their are many different races and ethnicities at NFA, i would say about 2/3 to 3/4 is Caucasian.
It is a great school, and they offer a variety of classes. This gives a student the opportunity to take classes in the planned field they want to enter, as well as electives that are just fun. There are many classes for core subjects, and the teachers are really understanding about everything, thought they don't exactly cut slack. NFA is an amazing school, and they definitely put the kids first.

[JayCT]

vickiii - The OP was trying to compare Norwich Free Academy to Fairfield schools. I noted that in comparison to Fairfield NFA is a more diverse school. I also noted the school size differences and the class size differences as well as the differences in standardized test scores. These are all facts. I was not trying to say the NFA is bad, in fact I noted it is a very good school. But in comparison to Fairfield, there are differences they should realize. Jay

[vickiii]

Originally Posted by JayCT

vickiii - The OP was trying to compare Norwich Free Academy to Fairfield schools. I noted that in comparison to Fairfield NFA is a more diverse school. I also noted the school size differences and the class size differences as well as the differences in standardized test scores. These are all facts. I was not trying to say the NFA is bad, in fact I noted it is a very good school. But in comparison to Fairfield, there are differences they should realize. Jay

There would be differences between any school, whether it is located in Fairfield or not. Also, when I got back test results for both the PSAT and the ACT standardized tests, they have ranking according to both the State level, as well as the school level. They school level, overall, was far better for every subject.

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by vickiii

There would be differences between any school, whether it is located in Fairfield or not. Also, when I got back test results for both the PSAT and the ACT standardized tests, they have ranking according to both the State level, as well as the school level. They school level, overall, was far better for every subject.

The problem with looking at the results of optional standardized tests is that more students in a town like Fairfield (where most everyone is pushed to go onto college) are more likely to take them for college than a community like Norwich (where only those that are seriously interested in college will take them). Jay

[educated professional]

Norwich is failing in many ways over the past 10years...NFA is a public school with all the public school problems, Gangs, Sex in the court yard, no one CARES....If you are smart and disaplined you can suceed. Sports help for scholarships. Due to the Casinos the asian gangs are the worst...The drunks and killers swarm to this area.

[GrotonMan]

Wow, this thread is, um, three years old...