[sjs100]

Dec38- I sent you a pm but not sure if you got it. How have you liked living in Stamford? How has it been with a young child? Have people been welcoming?

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by dec38

I may be mistaken but my understanding is that although a magnet school, there are parts of Stamford that are in fact districted for Westover elementary. I am districted for the Hart school, for example, even though Hart is also a magnet school.

I agree that the area of town the school is located in does not necessarily predict the quality of the school. Stamford does not follow a strict "neighborhood" school pattern. Kids living in poorer areas of Stamford may be districted to schools in North Stamford, for example.

This to me is one of the problems with living in a larger city. You never know where your child will be sent to go to school. The cities are always moving kids around to meet certain criteria for performance and racial balance. Sorry but I can not see putting a 6 year old on a bus and shipping him/her across town when there is a school one block from their home. Guess thats why I do not live in a large city. Jay

[Uconn97]

I don't live there, but two coworkers of mine do and they actually both send their kids to private school...probably not what you wanted to hear, but those are the only two I know who live in stamford...

[sjs100]

I wanted to see if there were any new folks who had any insights into Stamford schools. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thoughts on how they compare to White Plains, which is similar in terms of population?

[kakel]

I work in the Stamford schools. What would you like to know? It's diverse. It's not your typical suburban district. PM me with questions!

[7 Wishes]

Originally Posted by sjs100

I wanted to see if there were any new folks who had any insights into Stamford schools. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thoughts on how they compare to White Plains, which is similar in terms of population?

Having experience with both districts I can tell you that they are quite similar, I would generally say decent but a "mixed bag" compared to neighboring towns and places in-between. They are not similar in population though; White Plains has about 50K residents, Stamford about 125K, though Stamford is a bit more "spread out" but is still a bigger school district.

Property taxes will be lower in Stamford however (though you will also pay a smaller but noteworthy property tax on your car, which you won't in White Plains (or more accurately, in NY it is hidden into your 2-year registration renewal but is still much lower than the "car tax" in CT you pay annually).

[sjs100]

7 Wishes- Thanks for the info. Although there are similarities, I have heard a lot of people being happy with White Plains schools, and I have not heard the same about Stamford. I understand there are so many more people in Stamford, and many send their kids to private school, but it is not clear to me how the quality of the education is in Stamford. Any thoughts?

[7 Wishes]

Originally Posted by sjs100

7 Wishes- Thanks for the info. Although there are similarities, I have heard a lot of people being happy with White Plains schools, and I have not heard the same about Stamford. I understand there are so many more people in Stamford, and many send their kids to private school, but it is not clear to me how the quality of the education is in Stamford. Any thoughts?

I think that's because White Plains goes more on the "neighborhood" model and does much less busing than Stamford. In WP, at least for elementary (since there's only 1 HS and I'm not sure about the MS) if you live in the "nice" neighborhoods near Harrison, you go to the "nice" schools.

BTW, as I know a lot about it too, if you're thinking about Norwalk as well, it's very similar to Stamford in that regard, just a little smaller (and a tiny bit bigger than White Plains). Also my impression is that Norwalk is a "poorer" district (not so much in demographics as in resources) than Stamford.

[AMSS]

I work at West Hill quite a bit over the winter, while I'm not there during school hours (sports referee), I can tell you that is a school that never sleeps. The amount of extracurriculars - academic and athletic - is astounding and the kids that I deal with are great kids, many of whom get into impressive schools (last year alone I could think of Dartmouth and USC). I never feel threatened there and have found all the kids very respectful of the school.

Stamford is definitely a mixed bag which I think is a cool thing. I'd rather my kid experience kids from all walks of life rather than the same background. That's just my opinion, though.