School Districts

[Acntx]

Originally Posted by theloneranger

You forgot HP...

but Cedar Hill schools just aren't the same academically as a lot of the northern suburbs. They have to deal with a different student body composition, and there are quite a few student safety issues as well.

Quite a few safety issues? Can anyone tell me the last time that Cedar Hill High School, DeSoto High School, Lancaster High School, or some other school in the southern suburbs has made the news because of some significant act of violence on campus? I can't.

[BigDGeek]

Originally Posted by Acntx

Quite a few safety issues? Can anyone tell me the last time that Cedar Hill High School, DeSoto High School, Lancaster High School, or some other school in the southern suburbs has made the news because of some significant act of violence on campus? I can't.

I can't recall! I know a couple of people who send their kids to public schools in Cedar Hill and they're happy with them. South of the river, it's not nearly as "white" so some people dismiss any area south of the Trinity as being "ghetto". Cedar Hill is actually a very nice area in many ways. One thing to look out for there is that new tollroad that they may be putting in. Otherwise I don't think living there would be an issue. I wouldn't consider it, but that is because I don't want to commute an hour to work each way...not because non-whites are "scary". (My office is just south of 190 so I'd like to stay north of 635 to keep my commute reasonable.)

DeSoto also has nice areas. The parts of Lancaster I've seen have not been all that nice, but everyone I've ever met from Lancaster has been awesome.

[Acntx]

Originally Posted by BigDGeek

I can't recall! I know a couple of people who send their kids to public schools in Cedar Hill and they're happy with them. South of the river, it's not nearly as "white" so some people dismiss any area south of the Trinity as being "ghetto". Cedar Hill is actually a very nice area in many ways. One thing to look out for there is that new tollroad that they may be putting in. Otherwise I don't think living there would be an issue. I wouldn't consider it, but that is because I don't want to commute an hour to work each way...not because non-whites are "scary". (My office is just south of 190 so I'd like to stay north of 635 to keep my commute reasonable.)

Yep, that "ghetto" label always gets my blood boiling when someone tries to label all of the southern suburbs as such. Of the cities in Dallas County, three of the five fastest growing communities between 2000 and 2009 (percentage wise) are southern suburbs - Cedar Hill, Lancaster, and Glenn Heights. The last time I checked, that many people wouldn't flock to a real "ghetto" at that rate.

Originally Posted by BigDGeek

DeSoto also has nice areas. The parts of Lancaster I've seen have not been all that nice, but everyone I've ever met from Lancaster has been awesome.

You are right about the people of Lancaster. Lots of very friendly and outgoing people here who wouldn't choose to live anywhere else. We do have some areas that aren't that great, but there are many nice neighborhoods here as well. I'm definitely not jumping on you for your comment, its just that darn Lancaster pride coming out of me!

[BigDGeek]

Originally Posted by Acntx

Yep, that "ghetto" label always gets my blood boiling when someone tries to label all of the southern suburbs as such. Of the cities in Dallas County, three of the five fastest growing communities between 2000 and 2009 (percentage wise) are southern suburbs - Cedar Hill, Lancaster, and Glenn Heights. The last time I checked, that many people wouldn't flock to a real "ghetto" at that rate.


You are right about the people of Lancaster. Lots of very friendly and outgoing people here who wouldn't choose to live anywhere else. We do have some areas that aren't that great, but there are many nice neighborhoods here as well. I'm definitely not jumping on you for your comment, its just that darn Lancaster pride coming out of me!

Hehe, I understand; that's why I said "the parts I've seen" instead of "Lancaster is GHETTO", because how would I know? I haven't seen all of it. I do remember seeing "downtown" Lancaster and thinking it was cute, especially those gorgeous old houses nearby.

[Acntx]

Originally Posted by burrisbride

I was just wondering what is considered a "good" or "not so good" school district. I have been a lurker on the board for about a year while going through the process of looking for a neighborhood in which we would buy our first home. We fell in love with Cedar Hill, because of its obvious beauty, the quaint feeling, beautiful homes with large lots and the friendly feel of the people. However for a long time I was apprehensive because everytime someone brings up Cedar Hill on the board it is mentioned that their school district is not so good. I am just curious as to how that is defined. Cedar Hill has a smaller number of schools in its districts but in reference to percentages, 42% of the schools are recognized in 2008 accountablity ratings and while only 7% are exemplary there are none that are not acceptable. Now I am not saying the school district is amazing but other school districts that are considered to be be good, percentages wise do not measure up. So can someone clarify for me what is considered a good school district.

In some cases, no matter how well a school is rated, they will never be viewed as positively as others due to socio-economic makeup of the student body. For instance, if an elementary school in Dallas that is 95% economically disadvantaged, 95% minority receives an 'Exemplary' rating with TAKS scores the same or slightly higher than an elementary school in a property-wealthy suburban district with high-end homes and a low number of disadvantaged students, the latter will almost always be perceived as better. The same logic can be applied to districts as well.

Another thing to keep in mind when searching through the forum for comments on Cedar Hill and the southern suburbs is that there are fewer people from this area who post on a regular basis. There are a few from Cedar Hill who joined recently. Many of the posts on older threads about Cedar Hill were more than likely being made by someone who haven't actually lived there or moved away before the city began to grow rapidly.

My personal advice would be not to let a few negative perceptions prevent you from finding what could be your dream home. Cedar Hill is not the worst school district in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and due to its size, may be able to offer programs that are well-suited to your child's/children's needs.

[Acntx]

Originally Posted by BigDGeek

Hehe, I understand; that's why I said "the parts I've seen" instead of "Lancaster is GHETTO", because how would I know? I haven't seen all of it. I do remember seeing "downtown" Lancaster and thinking it was cute, especially those gorgeous old houses nearby.