Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
My point isn't that Trumbull schools are bad, they're just not vastly superior to other area schools in towns that are considerably cheaper. Which is also a moot point because the OP is open to private schools.
I think Trumbull is a bad suggestion at their budget, period.
I think if you can get in to a better town at a lower price, it's a good deal. It's not all about the size of your house-- There are other things that might sway the OP's decision.
Ultimately I suggested they consider Trumbull -- It's a great town with a lot of amenities and a place where a Jewish family won't be out of the ordinary. (Seymour-- not so much).
BTW-- Another note-- The Bridgeport JCC is closed pending moving to a new location-- if that ever happens.
Look at Milford. Great downtown area, train station is right there, and the drive into Fairfield is cake. You have LI Sound, any store you can possibly need on the post road, highways are close by. Jewish community center 15 mins away in Woodbridge and most of all you don't have the keeping up with the Jones's mentality that you will find in Fairfield, Trumbull or most other ffld county towns.
"I would never call Trumbull schools far superior to Shelton/Milford/Seymour either."
Trumbull schools are superior to all of those towns. I have a friend who lives in Shelton and she was estatic when her son won the lottery to get into Trumbull HS. Our HS takes in students (via a lottery system) from surrounding area schools that are not as good as ours. I have friends who live in Milford, Shelton and Stratford that will rent out thier house and then rent a house in Trumbull so thier kids can go to a good HS for 4 years to get into a good college. I should know. We pay very high taxes here in relation to the value of the homes because Trumbull puts such a great importance on the school system. I don't know where you are getting the information that says the schools above are as good (or even close) as Trumbull.
"Secondly, as someone that made that commute for years, traffic doesn't even start until Fairfield 99% of the time - so it's a non issue. Just hop off and take backroads for a quick trip if it starts to back up further."
When was the last time you did that commute? I have a friend who does Music Therapy who gave me her clients in the Bridgeport/Trumbull area because she said even though she got a very good pay for them it was not worth the aggravation of the commute. To pass through the Bridgeport area in the morning and evening commute (or even off peak hours) is not a piece of cake anymore. There are no quick trips anymore on the back roads during the peak rush hours. BTW, Bridgeport off the thruway IS NOT a place you want to get off and take back roads if you don't know the area. I won't even do that and I have been living here over 15 years and know all the roads.
"Bottom line: they'd have to seriously sacrifice house at their budget for Trumbull, let alone Fairfield. There's no need for it."
That is what many people in Fairfield and Trumbull do. They sacrifice and buy a smaller house in a very good school system so the kids can get into good colleges. My sister-in-law lives in a modest home (lovely area) in the Stratfield section of Fairfield but her kids got into Sacred Heart University and Fairfield University.
Last edited by CTartist&musician; 07-22-2013 at 11:07 AM..
"I would never call Trumbull schools far superior to Shelton/Milford/Seymour either."
Trumbull schools are superior to all of those towns. I have a friend who lives in Shelton and she was estatic when her son won the lottery to get into Trumbull HS. Our HS takes in students (via a lottery system) from surrounding area schools that are not as good as ours. I have friends who live in Milford, Shelton and Stratford that will rent out thier house and then rent a house in Trumbull so thier kids can go to a good HS for 4 years to get into a good college. I should know. We pay very high taxes here in relation to the value of the homes because Trumbull puts such a great importance on the school system. I don't know where you are getting the information that says the schools above are as good (or even close) as Trumbull. There are no quick trips anymore on the back roads during the peak rush hours.
Renting a house in Trumbull for the HS's? Your friends are clearly an extreme minority as that seems like A LOT of effort for what payoff? My colleague's younger sister just got accepted to an Ivy League school from Foran. Another colleague went to NYU from Foran. And I know a few people that went on to very prestigious universities from Shelton and Stratford as well (and even, gasp!, Bridgeport). Yes, Trumbull schools do perform better, but it's not as drastic as you're making it out to be.
Quote:
When was the last time you did that commute?
2 months ago. When did you do it regularly?
Quote:
That is what many people in Fairfield and Trumbull do. They buy a smaller house in a very good school system so the kids can get into good colleges. My sister-in-law lives in a modest home (lovely area) in the Stratfield section of Fairfield but her kids got into Sacred Heart University and Fairfield University.
Do you REALLY think they wouldn't have gotten into them from other high schools? I'm sure they would've had just as good grades. High performance starts at home. Unless the school environment is such that it's inner city and the environment is a huge detriment to performance, I think that conjecture is silly. You're talking about Sacred Heart and Fairfield, not Harvard. They're not super difficult to get into. BTW - many of my friends that graduated from SHU and Fairfield came from very average school districts.
At $400k-$500k, I can see stretching to make Fairfield work. Not $325k. At that point you're in a house that needs a ton of work and doesn't have enough room for a family to be comfortable. THAT is not worth it unless you're a complete education snob and can't accept anything else.
Trumbull, yeah - you can make $325k work. That's up to the OP if they're willing to make the sacrifice in home for school performance. A friend of mine just moved into a 3BR house for the high 300's in Trumbull. I've been in it, it's an OK house and has good bones but is 100% dated inside.
Please note they stated 45 minutes or less commute. None of the aforementioned suggestions, except maybe Bethel, are anywhere near 45 minutes.
Unless it's Staples, Darien or New Cannan, you're really not going to see a significant difference in college admissions among Fairfield County schools. Kids get in to excellent schools from Foran, Trumbull High and just about everywhere else. And the difference between what the "elite" schools do for college admissions and THS, Foran or Masuk is minor.
Most common four year University for Staples Grads: University of Connecticut
Most common four year University for THS Grads: University of Connecticut
Is SHU selective now? When I was growing up it was practically open admissions.
Speaking of which, perhaps the OP should look at Monroe as well?
"I would never call Trumbull schools far superior to Shelton/Milford/Seymour either."
Trumbull schools are superior to all of those towns. I have a friend who lives in Shelton and she was estatic when her son won the lottery to get into Trumbull HS.
I guess your friend needs to take a new look at the scores/ratings on Shelton schools. They are really coming up, quickly. They aren't equal to Trumbull/Monroe yet, but they've definitely distanced themselves from the districts that they used to be compared with(Milford/Stratford/Seymour).
Renting a house in Trumbull for the HS's? Your friends are clearly an extreme minority as that seems like A LOT of effort for what payoff? My colleague's younger sister just got accepted to an Ivy League school from Foran. Another colleague went to NYU from Foran. And I know a few people that went on to very prestigious universities from Shelton and Stratford as well (and even, gasp!, Bridgeport). Yes, Trumbull schools do perform better, but it's not as drastic as you're making it out to be.
2 months ago. When did you do it regularly?
Do you REALLY think they wouldn't have gotten into them from other high schools? I'm sure they would've had just as good grades. High performance starts at home. Unless the school environment is such that it's inner city and the environment is a huge detriment to performance, I think that conjecture is silly. You're talking about Sacred Heart and Fairfield, not Harvard. They're not super difficult to get into. BTW - many of my friends that graduated from SHU and Fairfield came from very average school districts.
At $400k-$500k, I can see stretching to make Fairfield work. Not $325k. At that point you're in a house that needs a ton of work and doesn't have enough room for a family to be comfortable. THAT is not worth it unless you're a complete education snob and can't accept anything else.
Trumbull, yeah - you can make $325k work. That's up to the OP if they're willing to make the sacrifice in home for school performance. A friend of mine just moved into a 3BR house for the high 300's in Trumbull. I've been in it, it's an OK house and has good bones but is 100% dated inside.
Please note they stated 45 minutes or less commute. None of the aforementioned suggestions, except maybe Bethel, are anywhere near 45 minutes.
Sorry Stylo, but the last time I looked, Trumbull High School performed well above the high schools in Shelton and Milford on the Connecticut Academic Performance Tests and many people do consider it a superior town. Otherwise people would not be willing to pay more to live there. Also the OP can find a very nice house in Trumbull and Fairfield in their price range. Why commute longer than they have to? The house may not be new or completely updated but not everyone requires a home that is completely done. Just because a home does not have the latest cosmetics is no reason to dismiss it. In real estate, location is everything. It is the OP's decision how far they would want to be from Fairfield and whether the price of a home there or Trumbull is worth it. Jay
Anyone familiar with the commute from Guilford to Fairfield with start time at work being 8:30am and end time being 5:30pm? Is it a nightmare? Thanks in advance!
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Commute from Fairfield to Guilford?
Thanks in advance!
