Allen/Plano/McKinney/Frisco area help (housing, towns, development)

[widespreadfan]

You can't go wrong living in Allen, McKinney or Plano. The only downside to Allen is one huge high school.

[DFWUser1]

Originally Posted by widespreadfan

You can't go wrong living in Allen, McKinney or Plano. The only downside to Allen is one huge high school.

Why is it downside? We consider it a plus. Residents do not want to have a gap between various high schools like say in case of Plano (there are some noticeable differences between the 3). There is one town feel and instead of building another high school, the residents chose to build a modern STEAM center (go and tour the facility, it's fantastic. See the video in the link below if you cannot go in person. I haven't seen that kind of a facility in nearby areas). https://www.allenisd.org/steamcenter

There are many classes that are run there like robotics etc.

Allen has 9th graders in Lowery Freshman center and 9-12 goes to Allen high. It has wonderful stadium, auditorium, huge campus, good infrastructure, tennis courts, nice restaurants ( I doubt any other area high schools have those restaurants inside campus, not sure). All AP classes, IB programs, other academic/courses available. Kids can chose what they like - though very competitive, not a pressure cooker environment "compared" some of the other high schools where you have say super high majority of Asian kids.


And we feel having kids in such a kind of an environment will prepare kids well for the college or university in a huge setting and they do not get intimidated.

Btw, Plano, McKinney schools are not tiny schools - they may have less enrollment than Allen, but they are huge as well. Frisco has many schools with small school concept. They are small. But enrollment increasing there also with all the Asian/Indian population moving in there and in some schools Indian students make up to 80%.

Of course some may prefer a small school setting and everyone can have their own preferences. One has to research thoroughly, visit the facilities, courses offered, teachers, demographics, test scores etc. and decide on what kind of environment suits to their kids personality/nature. Cannot just pass on a statement that a big school is downside just because it doesn't suit to you or your kids.

[cammyspot]

We moved to Allen one year ago and love it and like DFW mentioned there is a wealth of places and the schooling is great. My son has special needs and he has progressed so much. You may find a few homes in that price range on the newer side (West Allen) but a lot of homes are priced considerably higher than your budget. (I am in the same position Best of luck wherever you choose.

[warrenbuffoon]

Piggybacking off of OP's questions, can anyone shed some light on McKinney ISD and in particular, the difference between the high schools? The Great Schools ratings has McKinney North ranked higher than the other two high schools, but I recall reading on C-D that McKinney Boyd is stronger?

Also, any thoughts on Wilmeth Elementary in comparison to other schools in the district would be appreciated. I did see there may be an option to transfer schools but not sure what the parameters are. Thanks in advance

[DFWGuy422]

Originally Posted by warrenbuffoon

Piggybacking off of OP's questions, can anyone shed some light on McKinney ISD and in particular, the difference between the high schools? The Great Schools ratings has McKinney North ranked higher than the other two high schools, but I recall reading on C-D that McKinney Boyd is stronger?

Also, any thoughts on Wilmeth Elementary in comparison to other schools in the district would be appreciated. I did see there may be an option to transfer schools but not sure what the parameters are. Thanks in advance

Disclaimer: this data is from Niche, which is not the most accurate site in the world (though perhaps the best bet for comparing stats from public schools).

Average SAT: McKinney Boyd 1220, McKinney 1180, McKinney North 1170

Average ACT: McKinney Boyd 27, McKinney 25, McKinney North 25

Student-teacher ratio is 18:1 at McKinney Boyd and 17:1 at the other two

All have four stars on 500-600 reviews, though you can never be certain about the veracity of these reviews.

I'm not sure what Great Schools uses to determine rankings, though the numbers do suggest that McKinney Boyd is the strongest. Hope this helps

[warrenbuffoon]

Originally Posted by DFWGuy422

Disclaimer: this data is from Niche, which is not the most accurate site in the world (though perhaps the best bet for comparing stats from public schools).

Average SAT: McKinney Boyd 1220, McKinney 1180, McKinney North 1170

Average ACT: McKinney Boyd 27, McKinney 25, McKinney North 25

Student-teacher ratio is 18:1 at McKinney Boyd and 17:1 at the other two

All have four stars on 500-600 reviews, though you can never be certain about the veracity of these reviews.

I'm not sure what Great Schools uses to determine rankings, though the numbers do suggest that McKinney Boyd is the strongest. Hope this helps

Really helpful, thanks DFWGuy. My kids are on the younger side so I am curious how these schools will evolve in the next several years.

[DFWGuy422]

Originally Posted by warrenbuffoon

Really helpful, thanks DFWGuy. My kids are on the younger side so I am curious how these schools will evolve in the next several years.

Glad to help. I would wager that they would stay mostly the same but definitely something to keep an eye on. The schools can also vary tremendously at the elementary/middle school level, which I'm sure you're well aware of.

[warrenbuffoon]

Originally Posted by DFWGuy422

Glad to help. I would wager that they would stay mostly the same but definitely something to keep an eye on. The schools can also vary tremendously at the elementary/middle school level, which I'm sure you're well aware of.

Yes, have been looking into them as well (the community I'm interested in is zoned to Wilmeth elementary). Am also considering private schools, but depends on how easily transfers are accepted between schools within McKinney ISD.

[DFWGuy422]

Originally Posted by warrenbuffoon

Yes, have been looking into them as well (the community I'm interested in is zoned to Wilmeth elementary). Am also considering private schools, but depends on how easily transfers are accepted between schools within McKinney ISD.

Understood. I think a few parts of McKinney may be zoned to Lovejoy (or maybe it's a few parts of Fairview that are zoned to McKinney, I'm not really sure), so perhaps that could be an option before looking at privates. If you do make the choice to go to private, there's extensive literature on the topic here. Good luck

[GigiTer]

Lovejoy takes in about half of Fairview and one or two neighborhoods with a McKinney address.

Lovejoy also accepts transfers - must submit application and have a good attendance/behavior record and also be a good student. So if near the Lovejoy border that is a good option.