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I think you are splitting hairs on the "best schools." Most towns (not the bigger cities) will offer solid public schools. Many towns will offer great schools. You can't go wrong with schools in any of the above listed towns, as well as many others in the state. No one will say that your child will be miles ahead by attending school in Avon vs. Farmington (and if they do say that, they're full of it). Don't get yourself worked up about it, they are all great schools, the rest is up to the student.
Agreed. Pick the town you like and/or the house you like.
Here in Connecticut the school districts are generally small so the curriculum offered is pretty uniform within the district. You do not usually have to worry about picking the best school in a district. West Simsbury is a section of the Town of Simsbury so any school in town will give you a comparable education. This is one of the things I dislike about those websites. I never understand what makes them say schools in West Simsbury are better than those in other parts of town. Does not make sense really. Jay
I think you are splitting hairs on the "best schools." Most towns (not the bigger cities) will offer solid public schools. Many towns will offer great schools. You can't go wrong with schools in any of the above listed towns, as well as many others in the state. No one will say that your child will be miles ahead by attending school in Avon vs. Farmington (and if they do say that, they're full of it). Don't get yourself worked up about it, they are all great schools, the rest is up to the student.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Stylo
Agreed. Pick the town you like and/or the house you like.
Simsbury has the highest test scores, no diversity. BUT, it isn't near any highways. Not an easy commute to Plainville from there. Farmington, Avon, West Hartford all have excellent schools, but you do need to look at the individual elementary school's rating on greatschools to get an idea of what that elementary school's population is really like. West Hartford is the most liberal and diverse, has great town recreation services, is most "walkable", has a vibrant town center with shops, restaurants. It's also close to I84, with multiple exits, no severe traffic bottlenecks. Farmington and Avon are more bedroom communities, less diverse. Farmington has a very bad traffic bottleneck near the intersection of Route 4 and I 84, which could make commuting frustrating, and Avon has no highways near it, either, so you end up having to go through Farmington, or over a dangerous road, Avon mountain/Rt 44, to West Hartford and I 84, which would be particularly bad in winter. Either route would take a long time. Southington would be convenient, and it has pretty good schools. All things considered, I'd rule out Avon and Simsbury because of commuting issues. I'd consider West Hartford (again, look carefully at the particular elementary school), the southern part of Farmington, and Southington. Avoid Bristol and New Britain.
As for schools for the kids, if you want all day kindergarten, according to the state dep't of ed, http://www.sde.ct.gov/sde/lib/sde/PD...artenProgs.pdf, the only town of the ones you are considering, that has universal full day kgtn, is West Hartford. They also have public nursery 4, but at sliding scale rates. Full day kgtn is a really nice thing to have.
It is absolutely not necessary to use private schools here. If you want a special religious day school, they exist. If your child is way, way ahead of the curve (two to three years ahead of grade level in early elementary), then Talcott Mountain is for you. It's expensive. Renbrook is expensive, but no better than public elementary.
I agree with lots of posters that Farmington, Simsbury and Avon all have outstanding public schools. Unless you want a true prep school education and the possible connections that may come with it, I don't know if the high cost of private school is worth it to you. I lived in Southington but did not send my daughter to public school because the town focuses more on sports than academics. She attended a Catholic school that started out well and went downhill in the higher grades. Many religious-based private schools are Catholic, and religion class is mandatory. One great thing about Catholic schools is the sense of community and nurturing, plus full day kindergarten.
Farmington is the closest to Plainville, then Avon. Simsubry is a bit further, but my brother loves his boys' elementary school and loves the family oriented nature of the town. Check out the town webites to get an idea of the types of activities they offer for parks and rec and summer camps. Farmington seems to have many family activities too, is a little more diverse, and has lower property taxes.
It is hard to say which of the 3 towns mentioned has the "best" schools, because there are so many categories to rate them. For example, Avon has slightly higher SAT scores than Simsbury, but Simsbury and Farmington have slightly higher CAPT scores in high school. Avon has slightly higher middle school CAPT scores. Schooldigger has lots of info, plus the CT dept of ed website that someone mentioned. Good luck!
The one thing everyone seem to not mention is that those are the three most expensive burbs in Hartford on the West side. The OP's budget isn't out of the question, but I think she needs to see what you get in the 300's in those towns before getting excited.
That's one of the reasons I mentioned Southington. It's a nice town with good schools, next door to Plainville (I'm assuming she's probably going to work for GE) and you get much more for your money.
Thanks everyone for your input. This is great info - yes, commute and affordability are also key things along with great schools. So, this is great information. Will take all of your input and research further. Will let you know if I have more questions.
Simsbury has the highest test scores, no diversity. BUT, it isn't near any highways. Not an easy commute to Plainville from there. Farmington, Avon, West Hartford all have excellent schools, but you do need to look at the individual elementary school's rating on greatschools to get an idea of what that elementary school's population is really like. West Hartford is the most liberal and diverse, has great town recreation services, is most "walkable", has a vibrant town center with shops, restaurants. It's also close to I84, with multiple exits, no severe traffic bottlenecks. Farmington and Avon are more bedroom communities, less diverse. Farmington has a very bad traffic bottleneck near the intersection of Route 4 and I 84, which could make commuting frustrating, and Avon has no highways near it, either, so you end up having to go through Farmington, or over a dangerous road, Avon mountain/Rt 44, to West Hartford and I 84, which would be particularly bad in winter. Either route would take a long time. Southington would be convenient, and it has pretty good schools. All things considered, I'd rule out Avon and Simsbury because of commuting issues. I'd consider West Hartford (again, look carefully at the particular elementary school), the southern part of Farmington, and Southington. Avoid Bristol and New Britain.
As for schools for the kids, if you want all day kindergarten, according to the state dep't of ed, http://www.sde.ct.gov/sde/lib/sde/PD...artenProgs.pdf, the only town of the ones you are considering, that has universal full day kgtn, is West Hartford. They also have public nursery 4, but at sliding scale rates. Full day kgtn is a really nice thing to have.
It is absolutely not necessary to use private schools here. If you want a special religious day school, they exist. If your child is way, way ahead of the curve (two to three years ahead of grade level in early elementary), then Talcott Mountain is for you. It's expensive. Renbrook is expensive, but no better than public elementary.
Good luck in your search!
You are correct about traffic issues but the OP would be commuting in a less congested way most likely down Route 10 or 179 to get to Plainville. Not that bad depending where they live.
Quick question - all of you had mentioned the same school districts - West Hartford, Farmington, Southington, Avon etc considering the work place is going to be in Plainville.
I see that a lot of houses are much more afforbale in Burlington - I get much more for the same amount. From schooldigger rating - schools seem to be pretty ok - not great. Are they largely different from highly performing schools ?
Anyone has any insight on schools/area/commute to Plainville?
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