Need diverse location with good schools and commute downtown (Dallas: for rent, daycares)

[trmaoy]

I would be working downtown and would like to take DART. I have elementary age children and want good public schools. They don't have to be the best in the area, but definitely solid. Diversity is also important.

I would need to be able to commute in a reasonable time to pick up my kids from school, and I also want to know if the schools have before/after care programs.

I want to start off renting a home and eventually buy a home. My rent budget is $1400, and my home budget is $250,000. I would consider areas in the city of Dallas as well as the suburbs. Thanks for all suggestions!

[Lakewooder]

75206 (M-Streets/Lower Greenville/Wilshire Heights/Caruth Terrace/Stonewall Terrace/Lakewood Heights) - schools: Stonewall Jackson (Blue Ribbon) and Robert E. Lee (recognized but coming up) - Stonewall is closest to Mockingbird Station. If you drive or take a bus you could locate in 75214 (Junius Heights/Lakewood/ - Lipscomb (exemplary 4 years) and Lakewood Elementary (Blue Ribbon). Lipscomb and Lee are the most diverse.

Many homes available for rent except in Lakewood proper. It may be out of your price range, but you might find a deal. You could look at the smaller ranch homes north of Mockingbird.

There is a DART rail station opening at Baylor Hospital, which is near Junius Heights and Munger Place but by the time you get to it you might as well drive since it's so close to downtown. There is a bike/jogging trail opening which would be accessible from Junius Heights and neighboring Hollywood Heights (75223) which will connect to the DART station but it is not quite finished. If you take it in the other direction, it goes to White Rock Lake.

[pepper131]

Lipscomb Elem is great with good diversity. You could live on/off Gaston and take the Dart bus into downtown very easily.

Lipscomb has an afterschool program Mon-Thurs. But there are 2 daycares directly across the street who walk kids over in the morning and pick kids up in the afternoon.

[trmaoy]

Thank you. What area of Dallas are these areas in? I looked up Stonewall Jackson and it seems like a great school. Do they have afterschool care? How far of a commute from this area to downtown?

Also, what suburb areas would anyone recommend for comparison purposes?

[FarNorthDallas]

You might try the Lake Highlands area of Dallas. City of Dallas, Richardson school district, Lake Highland High School attendance zone. Focus on the following elementary schools - Moss Haven, Merriman Park, Lake Highlands and a couple of other better ones I am drawing a blank on. I would avoid Stults Road, Skyview and a couple others. They all ultimately feed into Lake Highlands High School.

[pepper131]

Lipscomb Elem is in Junius Heights - zip code 75214 - it's a part of East Dallas.
Gaston is a street that feeds directly into downtown.