Red Oak Texas (Dallas, Plano, Garland: middle-class, day cares, buying a house)

[DPDSWIFE11605]

I have been in the process of moving to the Dallas area for almost a year now. I am from New York City. I am finally certified in Texas -in bilingual education (EC-12), special education (ec-12) and general education (ec-6 & 4-8) and moving to the Dallas area this July! I recently heard something from Red Oak ISD about a possible job for me. Needless to say, I am VERY happy because this certification and application process has been long and difficult (since I am still here in NYC). Does anyone know anything about Red Oak? We want a diverse middle-class environment where our baby will prosper and be around diverse children. We are considering buying a house there. Which elementary school has the best reputation? What about good day cares in the area? My son is 1 and we can afford up to $800 a month for a GOOD childcare facility that is education oriented. Any information from people who know or live in the area would be appreciated! Thanks!

[FarNorthDallas]

Red Oak is on the affordable side of Dallas. You should be able to find daycare for a lot less than $800/month. The southern half of Dallas is more rural than the hyper-developed northern half of Dallas. Your husband commuting to downtown Dallas won't be a problem. There is less traffic volume coming from the south.

[DPDSWIFE11605]

Thanks for the reply. What have your heard about Red Oak in general? Is the ISD a good one?

[jtrichel]

My mother has been a bilingual special education diagnostician in the Irving ISD for over 30 years. My guess is that she probably knows a fair amount about the other area ISDs in terms of needs, etc. for this skillset. If you are interested and it would be helpful, I am willing to connect you over email with her. Send me a message with your email address if so.

[mayhem154]

I haven't heard anything bad about Red Oak ISD. I know it is growing fast, though. They're building a huge new high school there. You shouldn't have any problems getting a teaching job in the area. The town itself is primarily is a middle class, bedroom community that has a more suburban to rural feel to it. It has your basic shopping needs, but you'll need to go to Cedar Hill, Waxahachie or DeSoto for most things. Best of luck...

[DPDSWIFE11605]

What about areas around Red Oak? Which areas are within 40 minutes or less from red Oak and have good school districts?

[DPDSWIFE11605]

Originally Posted by mayhem154

I haven't heard anything bad about Red Oak ISD. I know it is growing fast, though. They're building a huge new high school there. You shouldn't have any problems getting a teaching job in the area. The town itself is primarily is a middle class, bedroom community that has a more suburban to rural feel to it. It has your basic shopping needs, but you'll need to go to Cedar Hill, Waxahachie or DeSoto for most things. Best of luck...

Are any of the areas you mentioned Cedar Hill, Waxahachie or Desoto within reasonable distance from Red Oak? If so which area has a better school district? I am wondering because I don't really want to live where I work. I already do that and hate it here in NYC. Perhaps a town that is 40 minutes or less from central Red Oak?

[FarNorthDallas]

Check out Sunnyvale ISD maybe or if you have some money, Highland Park ISD.

Generally the best school districts in and around Dallas are:
Highland Park ISD
Carroll ISD
Coppell ISD
Plano ISD (minus a couple of schools)
Grapevine-Colleyville ISD
Allen ISD
Frisco ISD
Lovejoy ISD
Rockwall ISD
Sunnyvale ISD (although the high school is new, so not much of a track record for grades 9-12)

in other districts you have to look at specific schools, like Poteet High in Mesquite ISD is good, JJ Pearce High in Richardson is good, the Flower Mound schools of Lewisville ISD are really good, Dallas ISD has all the great magnet schools, etc.

The school districts in the southern half of the Dallas area are more like rural districts, than suburban districts and I believe studies indicate that suburban school districts are usually a bit better than rural and urban districts. Course, individual schools can vary.

[mayhem154]

There all neighboring towns. Traffic is not bad south of I-20, so 40 minutes can put you in a lot of places. You might look at Garland or Mesquite to the east, Mansfield or Grand Prairie to the west, Waxahachie or Ennis to the south.

[DPDSWIFE11605]

Originally Posted by FarNorthDallas

Check out Sunnyvale ISD maybe or if you have some money, Highland Park ISD.

Generally the best school districts in and around Dallas are:
Highland Park ISD
Carroll ISD
Coppell ISD
Plano ISD (minus a couple of schools)
Grapevine-Colleyville ISD
Allen ISD
Frisco ISD
Lovejoy ISD
Rockwall ISD
Sunnyvale ISD (although the high school is new, so not much of a track record for grades 9-12)

in other districts you have to look at specific schools, like Poteet High in Mesquite ISD is good, JJ Pearce High in Richardson is good, the Flower Mound schools of Lewisville ISD are really good, Dallas ISD has all the great magnet schools, etc.

The school districts in the southern half of the Dallas area are more like rural districts, than suburban districts and I believe studies indicate that suburban school districts are usually a bit better than rural and urban districts. Course, individual schools can vary.

Which schools in Plano are not that great? I am looking at Plano since I got a call back from a Plano school recently. Which area codes to I avoid when house hunting so that my son can attend a good Plano school?