Stay in East Dallas and send kids to private school or move to an area with better public schools? (Plano: insurance, houses)

[jennifw]

Originally Posted by PinkLadyK

That's my point Turtle! I'm driving the family's "new" car, and it is a 2-year old SUV. I wouldn't hand that "nice" of a car to a 16-year old. My husband drives a 12-year old car. Two vacations a year PLUS summer camp is considered middle class? I think middle class would think that's luxury! Neiman's? I've never even been inside save for the annual Christmas tree lighting downtown. My purse is 3 years old, was a Christmas gift from my sister-in-law, and to be honest, I think it came from Francesca's. What you're describing as "middle class" is not the middle of middle class neighborhoods.

I would have to agree. The summer camps you mention are are $1000-$1500 per week and up. That is close to my entire summer camp budget. I am sitting with PinkLady with a car I inheritied. My 2-yr old purse from Sam Moon sits on the front seat. We take driving vacations - in my 5yr old Prius. I think I am living a 'good life' in Lakewood, but still don't think I can afford to live in HP.

[jennifw]

Originally Posted by TurtleCreek80

. That IS "normal" for most Lakewood proper families. .

I think that is a small percentage of Lakewood proper, not "normal" or most. (or maybe I am really poor compared to what I thought!)

[TurtleCreek80]

Originally Posted by jennifw

I think that is a small percentage of Lakewood proper, not "normal" or most. (or maybe I am really poor compared to what I thought!)

I think there are a lot more families who are in private schools and are maybe "off the radar" for most of the public school families....but pretty much everyone we know in Lakewood (about 20 families/couples and a lot of the neighbors for 2 of those families) fits the "bill" I described. I'd say over half with kids are in private schools though. It's a lot of double attorney, attorney + doctor, double doctor, attorney + corporate exec type professions with only 1 living off family money (the SAHM).

[PinkLadyK]

Originally Posted by TurtleCreek80

I did grow up in the Park Cities and from where I sit, there's a BIG difference in handing a kid a $45k new BMW and a 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee. I purposely said "Park Cities middle class" because there is a huge variance between the billionaires like Bob Rowling (Beverly Drive) and Jerry Jones (Preston Road), the "middle of the road" families, and the small % who are renting tiny apartments on the periphery of the school district. Most families are "in the middle" and what I was describing is what that lifestyle looks like in HPISD. Not that I believe that is what a typical American "middle class" lifestyle is.

However- if you think the teenage girls who live in Lakewood proper (the $600k-2M houses) and attend Woodrow Wilson or Bishop Lynch don't have Coach / Tory Burch/ LV handbags and don't buy their prom dresses at Neiman's or Nordstrom.....you're in for a big surprise. Yes, their classmates who can't afford those things won't have them (points for economic diversity), but my college roommate was a former WW cheerleader driving a 3-series BMW (not brand new, but recent) sporting a great wardrobe and doing the whole sorority thing with no financial troubles. That IS "normal" for most Lakewood proper families. Our good friends live in probably a $1M home on West Bay, child in public schools, 2 German luxury cars + an SUV, have a $500k-ish lake house at Cedar Creek, mom is SAH and does mostly school/ charity work, they spend a month in Colorado every year. Other good friends in Lakewood are double attorneys who just this month were in British Virgin Islands, Vegas, and Napa. Other friends have a home on the Gulf coast, a ranch, and two kids at ESD ($50-60k/year). They don't look THAT different than their similar income counterparts in the Park Cities- sorry. The only difference is the classmates they will encounter once they hit middle school.

Really? The average WW-attending girl in Lakewood drives a recent BMW, has a vacation home, and will pledge a sorority? I admit I have little experience with either (WW or LW).

My post isn't a slam against HP/UP (or you or the other residents). Like I said from the get-go, we're considering moving there. I want nothing more than for it to be as you describe.

[Considering Coming Back]

Originally Posted by jennifw

I think that is a small percentage of Lakewood proper, not "normal" or most. (or maybe I am really poor compared to what I thought!)

What do you consider Lakewood "proper"? I'm not seeing anything on the market under 400k that doesn't need a huge amount of work. Now, people in 400k 2 bedroom ranches are not richy-rich, but they are at or near a six figure household income.

For my money Lakewood proper is Abrams to the lake between Gaston and Mockingbird. And if I'm feeling snobby the ranch houses north of Williamson and Bob O Link don't count either.

[PinkLadyK]

Six figures doesn't get you into the Park Cities though. LW, sure.

Turtle -- with all do respect (I've already told you how nifty I think you are!), certainly you're not friends with "average" poeple in LW. We fraternize with those like us. You know people with higher incomes than average.

[Lakewooder]

Lakewood/East Dallas (and its schools) are pretty much 'everything' - very hard to classify or pigeonhole. That's really what's great about the area. It's also a reason some people avoid it, because they really can't understand from the outside...

[Considering Coming Back]

Originally Posted by PinkLadyK

Six figures doesn't get you into the Park Cities though. LW, sure.

We can quibble about the margins, but I hold that the average Lakewood/Woodrow girl is very well off. Many, if not most, of them would have the means to rush a sorority (plenty do). They would not be the poorest girls at HP.

The 2009 ACS has the median income in census tract 8 (Lakewood north of Lakewood Blvd) as 111k and 24% of the households make over 200k. That's actually a higher median income than UPs census tract 194 (Hillcrest to Turtle Creek). There are 1150 families in the Lakewood attendance zone with HHI over 200k. The town of HP has 1760. Huge disparities?

[PinkLadyK]

No, I gotcha. But do we know how many of those 1150 $200K+ families are going to WW? I bet most of them (80%) go private, don't you think? Whereas I think TC said 80% of folks in HP go to HP.

[Considering Coming Back]

Originally Posted by PinkLadyK

No, I gotcha. But do we know how many of those 1150 $200K+ families are going to WW? I bet most of them (80%) go private, don't you think? Whereas I think TC said 80% of folks in HP go to HP.

Oh, yes. I agree. ACS has a little over 50% of elementary aged children from Lakewood in private and a little under 20% in HP.

If Lakewood families choose Woodrow at the same rate as HP families the school would look very different. Even if Lakewood families choose Woodrow at the same rate they choose Lakewood it would be very different. 41 seniors at Woodrow last year were white, but 205 first graders in the feeder system were.