Moving to McKinney!!! (Fort Worth, Plano, Carrollton: rental, buy, school district)

[2blessedRN]

Thanks for all the responses guys. Robert200, the job offer prompted the move. MckinneyOwnr and Aceraceae, are the schools about the same as far as academics i.e would you choose one over the other? Also, I've noticed lot of nice rental homes around Lake Forest Drive. Is that a pretty decent area? Thanks

[MckinneyOwnr]

The elementary/middle schools throughout McKinney are quite good, it's when you get to high school that some significant differences can be found with test scores, AP classes, etc. I'm not very knowledgeable on that, as I've got many years to go before my daughter will be going to high school so I really don't pay much attention to that stuff at this point.

The area around Lake Forest is very nice, with a wide range of budgets for homes. There are several parks and such along that road, and you're also very close to some of Stonebridge Ranch's golf courses, which of course have nice homes all around.

[Squirl]

Originally Posted by Aceraceae

Why? That is not close to Baylor McKinney.

But husband works in Carrollton and Plano has better schools

[Saintmarks]

Back to the OP.....

Check the school boundary lines. The Baylor hospital is actually in the extreme corner of the Prosper ISD. Everything west of Lake Forest and north of 380 (with the exception of the older, acreage neighborhood in the NE corner of Custer and 380) is in the Prosper ISD. Some of the newer builds in the areas closer to 121 are in either Allen ISD or Frisco ISD.... Craig Ranch for example.

Even within the McKinney ISD, the lines can get confusing. The newer subdivision just north of McKinney Boyd is zoned for McKinney North even tho it is within walking distance of Boyd.

If I were you, would look for something in Stonebridge Ranch that would feed into Dowell or Evans middle schools and McKinney Boyd for HS. All of the elementaries in Stonebridge are well regarded. SB Ranch is excellently laid out, has a wide range of housing price points, it is almost built out but for the most part is 20 years old or newer.

Hope that helps.

[Saintmarks]

Originally Posted by Squirl

But husband works in Carrollton and Plano has better schools

Here we go again.....

Better is a subjective thing. All the schools in Collin are good.

[VillageData]

Originally Posted by Saintmarks

Here we go again.....

Better is a subjective thing. All the schools in Collin are good.

Distance between Carrollton and Mckinney is subjective too?

[move4ward]

If you live north of Dallas, you will have to add toll charges to your monthly expenses. All the major highways have tolls except for highway 75. They are set to automatically increase every 2 years.

[TX75007]

Originally Posted by Aceraceae

Look in the areas between Hardin, Custer, 121 and 380. It's a big area but there are many nice neighborhoods with a wide range of build years.

Good recommendation. Area Just N of Eldorado and between 75 and Custer.

Valley Creek Elementary and Roy Lee Walker Elementaries.

Originally Posted by Saintmarks

Here we go again.....

Better is a subjective thing. All the schools in Collin are good.

So, Little Elm HS is just as good as PWSH? LOL.

School ranking is quite objective. The number one effect on kids are their peers and their influences followed by curriculum and teaching skill. An ISD can focus its main priorities on teaching or on building a giant football stadium. Peers can focus on learning or on TV shows. Where do you want your kids to grow up?

AS for the OP, one of the parents must be close to the schools to make life easier. The commute into Carrollton will only get worse .. so Mckinney it is.

[mom2gurls]

McKinney is beautiful esp--Stonebridge ranch and I have rooting for craig ranch as well. Love driving to work everyday.... FYI..check your school boundaries, you can live in McKinney and end up at Frisco Schools (which is NOT a bad thing)..but just check the boundaries!

[PlanoGirl]

Personally, I prefer Mckinney Boyd and Mckinney High over Mckinney North. Academics (as far as college prep metrics go) are typically a little better at those two, and they have some really terrific programs and opportunities for their students. Boyd is the newest/largest (at least it was until the recent rezoning), and tends to have the wealthier economic demographics feeding into it. Though this factor sometimes means that parental expectations for academics are higher, I have also heard that there are more issues with bullying than the other two. Heresay, but I thought I'd mention it. It's our feeder high school, and I do know MANY people who love it. Mckinney North is the smallest (population-wise) of the three at this time and therefore has open enrollment no matter where you live in the district. It seems to fall a little behind the other two in academics and offering, though I am not entirely sure why. High is the oldest/original school, so has a strong history and a lot of loyal long-time residents supporting it. It has recently been renovated and I hear it's very nice. But all three high schools are pretty good. Each high school has programs that are unique to it, such as the Aviation program at High, so you can explore their websites or visit the campuses and see if one of those particularly appeals to you/your kids. As Mckinney still has lots of room to grow, I expect that the comparison between the three high school comparison will ebb and flow over the next 10-15 years.