Moved to Coppell and need recommendations/assurance! (Dallas, Fort Worth: fit in, motel)

[Tinyred15]

As the title says, my family and I recently moved to Coppell from Frisco. We have a toddler and outgrew our old place, but decided on Coppell due to location (Coppell is more central for work and future opportunities). We have been here and I am struggling to figure out where to shop, where to dine, etc. We love our new neighborhood (close to school and library for the toddler), but other than a grocery store we miss the “conveniences” that Frisco offered. However every time I speak to someone about Coppell I am told we are in a great location. What am I missing?! I will admit I am still not familiar with the area, but the few times I have ventured out have not been successful. (Vista ridge mall was…a bust.) Any advice or recommendations?

Also, prior to moving to Coppell we did extensive research on the school district and Coppell was ranked very highly. However in my neighborhood groups I have started seeing negative feedback about the ISD. (Of course I am aware not everyone will be happy.) We have a few years before it becomes a huge concern, but does anyone have experience in this school district? I don’t have a desire to move AGAIN, but we did like Frisco and for my child’s education would be willing to move back. For the tax prices, we obviously are hoping for best of the best!

[Radraiderz2004]

Coppell is a good school district education wise. They have an award winning marching band program and theatre department in case your kids ever get into that. The schools tend to run large so that may be a concern to you.

[NTXPerson]

What a coincidence! I was just talking to two people who went to Coppell schools. One graduated from high school three years ago and the other one’s parents moved them to another suburb because they no longer wanted their children going to Coppell schools. Both people didn’t have great things to say.

These two people said there has been issues with fights, drugs and weapons at the high school. A few years ago there was a big scandal when it was learned that some Coppell kids were going to the Han Gil Motel in Dallas to buy drugs. One of them ended up dying.

However, these are two personal stories I’ve heard and may not be the whole truth to what the high school looks like today.

I would say that Coppell is in this transition from being a new, popular, good schools, suburb to older, established, good schools, suburb. It’s kind of lost its luster. However, that’s not to say it’s bad. It’s just been replaced by newer suburbs when it comes to growth. It’s also likely the drug scandal tarnished a bit of its “squeaky clean” reputation.

I agree that Coppell isn’t going to have the same amenities offered like in Frisco. Frisco is trying to become more “city-like” compared to Coppell which has the feeling of small, peaceful community. It’s pro is definitely being more central in the metroplex. It’s also is closer to cities that offer different things like Grapevine, Fort Worth, Dallas, Irving, etc.

I don’t think you should feel regretful of moving there. Nor should you feel like you need to move back to Frisco. However, it isn’t like Frisco at all in my opinion. With that said, Frisco doesn’t hold the monopoly on “great” schools. You can definitely get a good education in Coppell along with most school districts.

Just stay engaged and aware of any happenings at the schools. A handful of personal stories isn’t going to provide a true picture of the schools.

[dinooreo]

Our kid graduated from Coppell and if we were to do it again would have moved to another ISD. Most of the parents we know have complaints but are stuck in the district having bought houses in the area.

[TeamLynn]

What do you like to eat? My guess is there are more restaurants closer to you in Coppell than at almost any place in Frisco. Not knocking Frisco in any way, but Coppell is probably central, although not necessarily a lot of restaurants right in Coppell.

Daddy Jacks on Denton tap is pretty good fine dining....better than any place in Frisco I can think of. Victor the Chef/Owner is fantastic.
Christina's for Mexican food just up the road in Lewisville... not my favorites, but lots of Coppellians love Ana Mia's on Denton Tap and Ole's on Sandy Lake. Also there is Blue Goose at Grapevine Mills Mall, more or less off end of Sandy Lake.
If you like quick Mexican ..El Paisa at Sandy Lake and 35 is awesome..with great prices. There's also Baja Tacos on MacArthur in Valley Ranch with awesome breakfast burritos. My old staff worked twice as hard if I ever brought those in.
For Italian/Albanian I like Parma in Lewisville on 3040....in my opinion probably one of the best family friendly Italian in Dallas area at super reasonable prices. Not a high end place, but middle of the road. Not my favorite, but lots of people like Bruno's in Valley Ranch.
Vietnamese....there is one Pho shop on Denton Tap next to Daddy Jacks....but my favorite is on 3040 in Lewisville more or less across from Walmart, but maybe a block down the road.
Mediterranean... never tried CAVA on Denton Tap, used to be Zoes. Same chain owner. Zoes not my favorite, but ok I guess. However Demassi is in Grapevine off 121 and 26...very close to Coppell.
Thai....two Yummys are close...one at 635 and Beltline, another on Riverside in Las Colinas. Zense is good in Valley Ranch.
Our Place has great Indian buffet for lunch in Valley Ranch.
Chinese---American Style there is famous Empress of China in Valley Ranch....more homestyle original Chinese at Fortune House....most people will be either or....one they will love..one they will hate.
Sushi...Jiro on MacArthur...new owners I have not met, but old ones used to be from Japan.
Have not tried but there is also Edoko Omakase on MacArthur and 114....near Benihana.
Lots of Asian choices in Carrollton in/around HMart and Ranch99 at George Bush and Old Denton Road.
If you want more amateur recommendations let me know.

Schools....probably as good as any public schools around. Of course certain people in every school has their complaints. Everyone has their preferences. Probably any ISD today you may have to supplement some to match your requirements and desires. For the most part I would probably match Coppell with any great district around.....Frisco is a huge district so they may offer some things Coppell doesn't. Southlake/Carroll is entirely different demographic. Maybe match it up with Prosper in today's world. One thing I think works well for a smaller city and ISD is that it is a small town....potentially teachers and parents will know your kid or know of your kid....so if they're bad, that's not good, harder to blend in. If they're top notch, well they get recognized. One thing I like is that 90% of the parents here care....good or bad, and I would say almost everyone I know without kids in school still want to see your kids succeed and excel. I think you might be hard pressed to find that in many other places. Probably another good thing is that the district is pretty stable....so not a whole lot of kids moving in and out every year...that solves a lot of issues I think. In today's world no ISD is perfect and probably just struggling to keep the circus alive and moving forward...but I think Coppell is probably as good as any....unless you have some kind of specific requirement....not sure what is offered now...but I'm think for example if you want 4 or 8 years of Hindi, or Chinese, or Japanese language classes, or you want symphony vs marching band....or you want a hockey team vs football or maybe more of a focus on training for a trade vs college...there could be better systems.
As to the person who mentioned drugs and guns and fights....that is every school...every district....but I would guess at Coppell less of an issue than most places. Sure stuff happens, but that is not the norm here.
I think most people never think about it, but one issue might be economic diversity. In a town of 40,000 some people...there's probably not a lot of exposure to people of different classes which is the real world. Somewhat of a bubble here. I would guess kids at the bottom of the class probably struggle some, don't fit in as well, maybe don't fit in socially as well, may have more problems. The kids at the top 1/2 probably push each other to do very well and challenge each other. Overall I'm thinking they probably pull each other up and are very prepared for most college work if that's where they are going.
Unfortunately I'm not exposed much any more to our kids here, but the ones I have met and interacted with are absolutely amazing. When I look at their achievements and aspirations, I'm floored. The things they do, the opportunities they have, where they want to go, what they want to accomplish...to me are just out of this world.

[Tinyred15]

Thank you everyone for your replies!

And @teamlynn THANK YOU for the restaurant recommendations! I haven’t heard of most of those and will check them out!

As for schools, as of right now my toddler is still so young we aren’t looking for anything specific. TBD on what he will be interested in pursing in a few years! My concern is by the time he does get into school the ISD would continuously “deteriorate” like my neighbors have been saying. However, looking at the TEA performance rates they still look extremely high to me. So it might just be personal concerns vs. the actual ISD, which I understand not everyone will love their child’s school.

[ThomasCrown]

Originally Posted by TeamLynn

What do you like to eat? My guess is there are more restaurants closer to you in Coppell than at almost any place in Frisco.

This is false. Frisco has more dining options than ever. This might have been true 10+ years ago as more and more housing was built and before retail/commercial caught up, but certainly not now.

[Pinkett]

My neighbor recently moved from Coppell to Frisco. His grown up kids no longer wanted to be in Coppell and he followed them. What made you move to Coppell from Frisco order than being in Central location? Is it closer to work?

[Leonard123]

Originally Posted by Pinkett

My neighbor recently moved from Coppell to Frisco. His grown up kids no longer wanted to be in Coppell and he followed them. What made you move to Coppell from Frisco order than being in Central location? Is it closer to work?

OP says it's closer to work. I'd think that would be the most important thing for anyone living in the region. I can't imagine commuting from Frisco to anywhere near Coppell. I can't imagine commuting within Frisco for that matter as bad as the traffic is.

The problem with living somewhere for the restaurants is that they come and go. As soon as you find a restaurant you like, it will close down. Very rarely do the same ones seem to stick around for long. I suppose this isn't a problem though for people who aren't picky.

[ChristieP]

If you need more “amenities” you can go to Southlake and Grapevine. Coppell is literally just 10 minutes away. There’s all sorts of shopping, high-end and chain restaurants, etc.

As for the schools, WHERE did these people end up sending their kids? Coppell is one of the highest-rated academic school districts in DFW. Almost anywhere you go will not be as good as Coppell unless you go private.

I will also tell you that drugs and behavior issues are in ALL schools, and they are generally worse in the schools where the kids have a lot of money. If you don’t want your kids involved in those problems, then keep an eye on the friends they hang out with, where they go, and don’t give them a lot of spending money.