[Stylo]

Yes but it still doesn't matter. Having a B doesn't mean it's not as good as the A schools. Let's stop that assumption now.

[CTartist&musician]

"While its an economic measurement, there is a pretty high correlation between the A and B DRG towns and the top performing school systems in the state."


You got it Mike. I knew people were not going to be happy about that list. But you must bear this in mind. When people are more affluent they have more money to get the better teachers, new computers & technology etc. and that makes the school systems better.

Here is another ranking system that I hear the parents talking about. It is Schooldigger.com. I went and looked up the best school districts in CT and here are the top 20 with the DRG ranking next to it. You can see they are basically all "A" & "B" on the DRG system.

I did not put the DRG list on here to say it is the end all be all about the schools but I wanted Mommy to have another point of reference if she so choosed. New Canaan is the #1 school district or the best in CT.

Mind you I never looked on the Schooldigger website before, I have only heard about it from the moms I know. I had no idea how it would turn out this way but it did.

1) New Canaan--A
2) Redding--A
3) Ridgefield--A
4) Regional 9--A
5) Regional 5--B
6) Weston--A
7) Wilton--A
8) Westport--A
9) Madison--B
10) Newtown--B
11) Easton--B
12) Avon--B
13) Woodbridge--B
14) Darien--A
15) Farmington--A
16) Simsbury--B
17) Salisbury --E (this is an anomaly, only 310 kids in the district, maybe they have a shared HS?)
18) Monroe--B
19) Chester--E (this is an anomaly, only 275 kids in the district, maybe they have a shared HS?)
20) Granby--B

Except for the 2 very small towns (without their own HS perhaps?) they are all "A" & "B".

http://www.schooldigger.com/go/CT/districtrank.aspx

**I am actually shocked and pleasantly surprised that Trumbull (23) is ranked higher than Fairfield (30). I thought Fairfield had the superior school system to my town.

[RogerAnthony]

That Schooldigger site does not contain every district in the state. My town (Thomaston) is missing, so I'd bet others are too.

[Mommy of O and L]

You are all so wonderful! Thanks!
I am just so stressed over all of this! I want to find a good home with amazing schools, and I am realizing how hard this can be. Here are my thoughts...
Madison is lovely, but it is so rural. It seems like it would be hard to see your neighbors without really going out of your way.
Wilton's house prices are insane! My realtor told me it may be a possibility there, but I do not see how.
We drove around parts of Fairfield today. I had no idea how expensive the houses are there. Some of them would really need serious work, and they are already expensive.
Woodbridge is just that - so wooded! I had no idea. Again, I feel like we would never see our neighbors.
Where we are now in Seymour, we are lucky. We built a 3,400 square foot house, and all you need to do is step outside to see your neighbors...whether you like them or not! Just kidding! The only thing I am not crazy about are the schools.
I really want a home in a friendly, warm neighborhood where my kids can play with their friends. I am just so confused as to where to find this. HELP FRIENDS!!!! Thanks!

[Stylo]

Orange.

If that's not dense/tight-knit enough for you, I'm not sure what to suggest. Dense/tight-knit + excellent schools + relatively affordable is hard to come by around here. West Hartford is one good example of that. Maybe Trumbull, but I still think that's really far for a Hartford commute and it's a little on the pricey side.

You could go with something like Branford, Shelton, or Milford around where you're looking, since they have those closer knit friendly neighborhoods - but the schools don't rank as well as other towns you've mentioned. That said, they do all outperform Seymour.

As one closer to Hartford, how about Wallingford? It seems like it would fulfill a lot of your needs and provide a better commute. Again, not quite to the rankings of Woodbridge and Redding, but very solid schools and better performing than Seymour.

[Mommy of O and L]

Hi,
I have not really looked too much into Orange yet. I did call a friend who lives there to chat more about the town and the schools. I am hoping to find out a lot more from her.
Orange seems expensive as well. Is it? Depending what we get for our house, we will probably be looking at purchasing a $600,000 or so house. It does not seem like there is a lot out there in Orange in our price range.
I need to know more about the town and schools. Is there a specific area of Orange I should focus on? How many elementary schools are there? Are they all good? Is one better? The best? Also, there is no middle school or high school in Orange, right? Where do the kids go? Is it in Orange?
Sorry for all the questions, but I need answers!

[Stylo]

Orange is less expensive than any of the Fairfield County towns you were looking at, with the exception of maybe Monroe (which has been established as a poor location for you anyway). As far as areas, anywhere north of Route 1 and south of 34 will probably fit the bill for you. Orange is in the Amity district, which is considered one of the best in the state. All the elementary schools are excellent. The middle school is in Orange. The high school is in Woodbridge.

[Mike 75]

What exactly are your expectations for a house? 600k in Orange should give you many choices. You mentioned you have a 3,400 sq ft home currently. It's unlikely you'll find many 3,400 sq ft homes like your current home in that price range though - its more likely you'll be in the 2,000 to 3,000 sq ft range. But as Stylo mentioned, Orange is cheaper than all the FFC towns you mentioned and it is more expensive than Seymour. So if you can't find what you want in Orange, you're not going to find it in FFC.

[andthentherewere3]

Orange is just a little less expensive than Monroe, according to city-data's 2009 median price. Monroe was $440k and Orange was $423k. Prices should have dropped in both towns since then. I really like Orange, a lot of it is pretty rural once you get away from the main roads but there are some great family neighborhoods. Orange does have very good schools, but the middle and upper grades are shared with nearby towns, I believe Jay mentioned that earlier. I am surprised you can't find a home in the $600 range, though. You have to realize that good schools come at a price generally through taxes, so the better the schools the higher the homes are, especially in SW Ct. If you start looking further away from FFC your $$ will go further. (although Orange is actually in New Haven county) you will have to make some sacrifices somewhere, the town with all of your requirements unfortunately doesn't exist.

Has Southbury been mentioned? Cheshire?

[andthentherewere3]

Originally Posted by Stylo

Monroe schools rank above average, though not quite as high ranking as the other towns you've mentioned: Fairfield, Redding, Orange, or Woodbridge. Still, there's nothing wrong with them... they're very good.

Monroe ranks higher than Fairfield.