North DFW: Renting for high school sr year. Which high school??? (Plano: for rent, house)

[UnfairPark]

Originally Posted by ChristieP

Plano West is one of the top high schools in DFW, and it would be a very short commute.

They aren't concerned about commute, it's a temporary situation.

[Vichig562]

Thanks so much. Any additional input is welcomed! Thanks everyone

[Vichig562]

Yes true re commute issues. We don't care where as long as within :45.

And also re getting feel for rural area. We are prioritizing our daughter's year and personal comfort for one year. We'll work on understanding our next life stage and it's issues (rural vs city, etc) during that sr year. We have two other children living in two other states as sell, so once the youngest is gone it's all about us. Until then, it's all about her.

[TurtleCreek80]

Originally Posted by UnfairPark

I'm not sure about admission situation for good privates in senior year but Parish or John Paul ll are within 45 minutes and easier to get into. Top privates for girls or coed are Hockaday, Greenhill and Ursuline.

If you want to live in a rural area then you can consider a rural high school as well to save tuition money and get the feel of the town you want to buy in.

Unfortunately, private schools do not accept new students for senior year. Maybe if OP is the Toyota CEO, but not for anyone else!

But I think your train of thought here was good- a smaller environment will help the student build those key teacher & staff relationships to ensure college applications are successful. To that point, Lovejoy or possibly Prosper (not sure how large their graduating classes are these days) would be a good size and also academically respectable. I would absolutely avoid Plano ISD or Allen ISD due to graduating class sizes of over 1,000. Frisco would be a middle ground choice with generally smaller schools.

[stephwin]

It looks like Prosper had ~350 kids in their graduating class last year, but that's based on some numbers I found on USnews, so I'm not sure how accurate that is. That seems high to me, but maybe not. I mean, there were only 55ish kids in my graduating class in '03 . But obviously times change.

Knowing that you are okay with a 45 minute commute, I think Prosper would be a viable option. I can definitely understand not being interested in Plano due to the class sizes.

[UnfairPark]

Big high schools have some great advantages, one is having tons of kids and people are very welcoming to new comers. You can easily blend in and find like minded people. Classes shuffle and if you don't like anyone, it's unlikely you'll have them in more than one or two classes.

In small or one highschool town, there aren't that many social options for new kids, specially a new senior, these places have more cliques, bullying and those sort of things. Everyone knows that you are a new person. In bigger school, kids are socially relaxed.

Getting into extracurricular is easier as there are dozens of clubs, you name it and they have it. Same goes for course options, from regular to pre-AP to AP Lite to killer APs, they have every level for every subject so every student can find what they feel comfortable with.

[biafra4life]

I would go with Prosper. It probably offers the best commute to Toyota HQ out of the three offered, and the school fits perfectly with the criteria; smaller classes (especially compared to Plano) and non of the hyper academic competitiveness either. Seems a win win

[CMC_TX]

Originally Posted by UnfairPark

It's just one year, go with a private school. You'll get personal attention of guidance counselor for college admission process and figuring out credit transfers, getting into extracurricular and things like that would be much easier.

No reputable private schools let students in for only Senior year, unless you're a celebrity or major donor.

[CMC_TX]

Originally Posted by Vichig562

Hi. We are relocating to DFW area. Husband will work in Plano at Toyota.

Our youngest daughter will be a sr in 2017/18 school year. Has a generally good outlook re move. Has told inquirers 'I'm just looking at it like I'm going away to college a year early' for which we are thankful for her positive attitude.

We will rent for that year to insure we a) get her into a school we choose and b) allow ourselves some time to pick our empty nest/reasonable commute to Toyota home.

She is: good student 3.9 GPA, on track with TX 'distinguished academic' guidelines. By end of jr yr will have taken 5 AP's. Likes art. Will not play sports. Likes ASB/social connection/involvement.

ISD's we are considering: McKinney. Lovejoy. Prosper.

?- any input on those high schools? We see 3 for example in McKinney ISD. Are they really that different?

?- since college apps will be completed with CA transcript, and an adjustment period will be reasonable, we're thinking maybe a moderate academic challenge would be appropriate. Is there any opinions as to which are MOST competitive/rigorous to steer away from?

And finally. Is it difficult to find a year lease? We would want a 3 bedroom at least. Don't care what condition really, as long as it's in school district we want. Our rental budget is capped at $2,850/month. We will purchase a home in a rural area concurrently and remodel while renting.

Thanks for any input.

You might look at Flower Mound HS. I have coworkers who get to Legacy in under 45 minutes and they are zoned to FloMo. It's a great area - 75022 zip code is one of the best in DFW. On the opposite side of the metro, Lovejoy would be a good option with a small town feel - most students live in Fairview or Lucas.

You'll have to see which community 'feels' right for you and your family. Prosper is a little depressing and challenging to get to. The schools are very athletics-focused - look at all the complaints on the various school review website about the mandatory pep rallies etc

[TxNat_567]

My recommendation is Lovejoy or Prosper. I have consistently heard the most wonderful things about Lovejoy ISD and its smaller size, attention to students and academic achievements. Prosper has a good reputation, too, but it is growing really fast right now. I have friends with kids in both and who work in both. They are very happy with the individual attention the students receive which I think would be great for your daughter's unique situation. The districts are a little further out there (and I do not know anything about the rental markets in these two areas), but these would be my first places I would look.


Given your circumstances, I would be hesitant to jump into the huge pool of Plano and/or Frisco in my senior year without first exploring these other options. That being said, Plano and Frisco are considered good schools, the commute would be great and I'm sure there are plenty of rentals in your budget. (In other words - would not be my first choice, but would not be a bad choice either).


I hope that helps with a place to start your search. Good luck!