Can you tell me about schools in Murphy Texas? (Dallas: houses, school district)

[cam's mom]

Hi, Our family is moving to the Dallas area. Our number one concern is to find good schools where are children can make friends and feel happy. Where we are currently living there is a lot bullying going on in the schools. The administration and teachers have not created a caring community where children can flourish. I have heard that Murphy schools are good academically, what I need to know is how parents feel about the atmosphere of the schools. We will have a 1st, 4th and 6th grader in the fall. My son wrote in a school assignment recently that he hopes there will be some nice teachers in Texas. Any insight and or advice is really appreciated. Thanks!

[rgmills25]

Murphy does not have it's own school district. It is split between Plano ISD and Wylie ISD. The majority do attend Plano ISD, which is a good district, from what I hear on this board. I live in Wylie and am personally happy that our district decided not to structure itself after Plano's. But those decisions were for high school aged kids. If you already know where in Murphy you will be living and know which district you'll be in, then I'm sure someone can chime in about specific schools.

[cam's mom]

Thanks for the insights about Murphy and Wylie. It is really helpful. Could you tell me more about Wylie? I had looked at it but it didn't rate as well as Murphy/Plano on Greatschools.net so I took it off the list. I know test scores are not everything, but since I don't know the area at all, it was just a quick way to start narrowing down all the options. I saw some great houses on the internet so I was bummed. If you are happy in Wylie, if the teachers care and you feel your kids are getting a good education, that is what I am really looking for. Thank you!

[KantLockeMeIn]

My daughter goes to Wylie schools and they're pretty good. I don't put much faith in test scores... I feel that there's a lot that impacts a child's test scores and just because some kid's parents are doctors and have high expectations of their kid doesn't mean that my kid is going to be smarter by osmosis. The schools in Wylie are diverse, which brings more culture into the picture than wonderbread areas like Frisco, but you can also expect test scores to be different because of that as well.

As far as bullying, they're ultra paranoid about bullying in Wylie... they're quick to yank kids into the office on a single complaint. I think it's a bit overboard, but that's how it is.

And as a side note, 5th grade and above have school uniforms in Wylie. Personally I like it, school's not a fashion show, it's a learning institution... so it helps kids not focus on who has the latest Nikes, etc.

[Wyliejim]

I live in Wylie and have for almost six years. I find that Wylie is very friendly and neighborly. It is a growing community of about 40,000. In deciding where to live, I have found that Wylie has much more of a "hometown" feel more so than Murphy (Although Murphy is a great community) There are many churches here and there seems to be more of a community spirit especially when it comes to the schools. About 1/3 of Murphy is in the Wylie school district which makes up most of the east side of town. There are some really good teachers in Wylie and they do care about their students.