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Thank you all very much for these helpful responses! All of this info. is helpful and hugely appreciated! A bit more about us: We're an easygoing, down-to-earth family who value education, cultural offerings (music, art), playing at the local park, as well as volunteerism e.g.@local 'soup' kitchen. We're well-educated, but we're not uppity or social-climbing. We'd like a nice family-house in a safe, family-friendly area where our kids have playmates in the neighborhood.
The feedback, so far, has been really helpful. I'd love to hear more!
Schools are priority #1 in my book, so I'd pay most attention to that. Check out the local schools, take tours of the schools, hang out at neighborhood parks and see what parents say. FYI, I know lots of people who thought they could compensate for a 'weak' school, but ultimately had to move their kid.
Park Hill is the classic Denver family neighborhood. It's always been a strong family area. I know people who grew up there and live there, but all send their kids to private or choice out to other DPS schools. Unfortunately, having your kid sit at a table by themselves most of the day with a few other "high performers" while the teacher tries to keep the rest of the class in line does not a good education make.
Congress Park has some solid family root, but is a mix. There's some old money there, which is evident by the nicer houses, but it has some high density areas as well. The school boundaries will determine the house cost - Steck and Bromwell are two of the few highly functional DPS elementary schools. I know people with kids in both, and they all rave about them. The other DPS schools in that area are similar to Park Hill - not great.
Wash Park is in general higher end than the others. This used to be a blue collar enclave for the Gates Factory but gentrified quite a bit. The elementary school on the east side, Steele is pretty good. On the west side, Lincoln, is struggling. Anyone moving in here has money, so expect Audis, BWMs, lawyers, doctors, etc.
Belcaro is generally high end old Denver money, most kids go to private school. Bonnie Brae has a range, Cory is a very good school. The middle school Merrill doesn't have a great rep and has a low enrollment.
Platte Park is another Gates Factory area that is not as upscale as Wash Park, but has gentrified very nicely. Part of the area is covered by McKinley-Thatcher, which most people avoid (take a tour and see for yourself). Asbury covers the south end has a good rep. Platte Park also has Grant Middle school, which does not have a good rep. I've lived here for 10+ years, have kids myself, know lots of people with kids, and don't know a single family with children in that school. I also know DPS teachers who say it's rough - which is odd given its location.
In terms of high schools, you're looking at East or South. East is the marquee DPS high school with a two track system. South is the non-Spanish ESL (English as a Second Language) magnet school for the district, which means there are a lot of recent immigrants from all over the world. This then means that the test scores aren't great, but I know several people with kids there and love it.
This is great - Thanks very much! I agree wholeheartedly: Public schools are very important to us and I've done lots of research re the numerous DPS schools. Unfortunately, we currently live out-of-state which necessitates that we handle most of our relocation remotely. This forum surely helps! On our last visit, we did take a tour of East High and we were favourably impressed overall. Re Congress Park, we're very interested in Bromwell or Steck. Any opinions on Teller? I know it's lesser rated, but wonder about the rep. If in Congress Park, we'd anticipate continuing the kids the public school route to Morey Middle & East High. Any further thoughts on these schools? Are families in Congress Park more/less apt to send their kids the public school route post-elementary?
I've read that Merrill Middle has low CSAP scores since it's a magnet school for immigrants/ESL students. I've read that the non-ESL students actually perform quite well on the CSAPs etc. From your remarks, I gather that it really doesn't have a good rep, tho'? I appreciate candor!
Since you live in Platte Park and have kids, I'm wondering if you'd mind sharing where you'll plan to send them for Middle and High School?... Seems like a great area.
What is the 2 track system at East High (didn't discuss this on our tour). Also, it's nice to hear about South High and that friends of yours have had good experiences...Any other insights about South H.?
We love the idea of living in Denver, but the public school situation is proving very tricky. Any suggestions on which 'burbs and corresponding schools might be good, if residing in Denver doesn't pan out for us?
It's great to be getting a better sense of these areas!
THANKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Quote:
Originally Posted by denver_hacker
Schools are priority #1 in my book, so I'd pay most attention to that. Check out the local schools, take tours of the schools, hang out at neighborhood parks and see what parents say. FYI, I know lots of people who thought they could compensate for a 'weak' school, but ultimately had to move their kid.
Park Hill is the classic Denver family neighborhood. It's always been a strong family area. I know people who grew up there and live there, but all send their kids to private or choice out to other DPS schools. Unfortunately, having your kid sit at a table by themselves most of the day with a few other "high performers" while the teacher tries to keep the rest of the class in line does not a good education make.
Congress Park has some solid family root, but is a mix. There's some old money there, which is evident by the nicer houses, but it has some high density areas as well. The school boundaries will determine the house cost - Steck and Bromwell are two of the few highly functional DPS elementary schools. I know people with kids in both, and they all rave about them. The other DPS schools in that area are similar to Park Hill - not great.
Wash Park is in general higher end than the others. This used to be a blue collar enclave for the Gates Factory but gentrified quite a bit. The elementary school on the east side, Steele is pretty good. On the west side, Lincoln, is struggling. Anyone moving in here has money, so expect Audis, BWMs, lawyers, doctors, etc.
Belcaro is generally high end old Denver money, most kids go to private school. Bonnie Brae has a range, Cory is a very good school. The middle school Merrill doesn't have a great rep and has a low enrollment.
Platte Park is another Gates Factory area that is not as upscale as Wash Park, but has gentrified very nicely. Part of the area is covered by McKinley-Thatcher, which most people avoid (take a tour and see for yourself). Asbury covers the south end has a good rep. Platte Park also has Grant Middle school, which does not have a good rep. I've lived here for 10+ years, have kids myself, know lots of people with kids, and don't know a single family with children in that school. I also know DPS teachers who say it's rough - which is odd given its location.
In terms of high schools, you're looking at East or South. East is the marquee DPS high school with a two track system. South is the non-Spanish ESL (English as a Second Language) magnet school for the district, which means there are a lot of recent immigrants from all over the world. This then means that the test scores aren't great, but I know several people with kids there and love it.
This is great - Thanks very much! I agree wholeheartedly: Public schools are very important to us and I've done lots of research re the numerous DPS schools. Unfortunately, we currently live out-of-state which necessitates that we handle most of our relocation remotely. This forum surely helps! On our last visit, we did take a tour of East High and we were favourably impressed overall. Re Congress Park, we're very interested in Bromwell or Steck. Any opinions on Teller? I know it's lesser rated, but wonder about the rep. If in Congress Park, we'd anticipate continuing the kids the public school route to Morey Middle & East High. Any further thoughts on these schools? Are families in Congress Park more/less apt to send their kids the public school route post-elementary?
I've heard Teller isn't so hot, but that's second hand and I'm just some guy on teh interwebs - please go see and judge for yourself.
Morey is a DPS middle school that a lot people choice into because the others are so bad, but I do know families who pulled their kids pretty quickly after giving it a shot.
So the history of DPS gets in play here. DPS was segregated up until the supreme court forced busing and basically ran the district from the early 70s until the mid-90s. During that time 'white flight' to the suburbs was predominant, and generally anyone of a middle to high soci-economic background who stayed in DPS boundaries sent their kids to private schools. Hence, there are a lot of strong private schools around. Since the courts got out of the school district business in the 90s, certain neighborhoods have taken control of the schools and they've done well. The PTAs of Steck, Bromwell, Slavens, and Southmoor pretty much run those schools. And the better a school does for tests, the more leeway it gets in terms of how it can deviate from district policy. In the section of Denver where I live, the elementary schools are doing quite well and most are over capacity (U Park, Slavens, Corey, Steele, Asbury). Choicing into Southmoor or Slavens from outside the neighborhood is almost impossible if you're not a teacher at the school (neighborhood kids are guaranteed a spot, teacher's kids get high priority in their parents school). Generally in DPS, most people who get into one of the excellent elementary schools will stick with it until middle school and then they leave DPS. Historically, the middle schools are bad and the high schools aren't great. This is because these are larger schools than the elementary ones and cross neighborhood boundaries. With this, the mix of kids changes and, for a wide variety of reasons, not all families are able put education first which makes the environment difficult.
Some of this is changing with charter schools. There are a lot in DPS at the moment. They're nice because they are outside the district and union rules, they're largely self managed. I know many families (most seem to be from Stapleton because of the classroom crunch due to the high birth rate in that area - for a while half the births in Denver proper were in that development).
Quote:
I've read that Merrill Middle has low CSAP scores since it's a magnet school for immigrants/ESL students. I've read that the non-ESL students actually perform quite well on the CSAPs etc. From your remarks, I gather that it really doesn't have a good rep, tho'? I appreciate candor!
It doesn't have a good rep, most people choice out to Morey or leave DPS. It's really odd too, because it shares the same tony Bonnie Brae city block as Corey, which is very good.
Quote:
Since you live in Platte Park and have kids, I'm wondering if you'd mind sharing where you'll plan to send them for Middle and High School?... Seems like a great area.
I did live in Platte Park, but we moved a while back to the Slavens area to get into a more family friendly house (bigger lot, slightly bigger house, less traffic that makes playing out front possible, fewer random people peeing on our front yard, better school, etc.). A lot of folks in our area moved here for the school from Wash Park, Bonnie Brae, Platte Park, etc. It's also close to multiple light rail lines and stops, close to DU (concerts, kid's hockey/swimming/gymnastics, college hoops and hockey, etc), close to Wash Park (which is then close to the Cherry Creek Trail), close to Cherry Creek State Park, close to the Highline Canal, close to the Platte River trail, close to Cherry Creek Mall, close to 25...there isn't a lot of open space or raw nature around, but one can't have everything
We really wanted to stay in Platte Park, but the $/sqft was tough and Slavens is beyond awesome. Slavens is a K-8 school, so it looks like we're set until High School. And that is so far off that I don't know what we'll do. With the surge of kids in southwest Denver sticking with DPS elementary schools, the high school landscape will likely change quite a bit in the near future. Neighborhood high school age kids now seem to avoid TJ (Thomas Jefferson), the local DPS high school. I've seen kids go to Mullen, Maechbuf, Washington's IB program, School of the Arts, School of Science and Technology, Littleton High, East, South, etc. It really depends on what the kids is interested in.
Quote:
What is the 2 track system at East High (didn't discuss this on our tour). Also, it's nice to hear about South High and that friends of yours have had good experiences...Any other insights about South H.?
There's a college track and there's a non-college track.
Not much else about South...
Quote:
We love the idea of living in Denver, but the public school situation is proving very tricky. Any suggestions on which 'burbs and corresponding schools might be good, if residing in Denver doesn't pan out for us?
It is tricky, but there are a lot of families who want public schools in Denver to work and it's getting better every year. Certainly check out Stapleton, it's basically a new subdivision within Denver proper. There area ton of kids there, most are families that moved from older Denver sections. Also keep in mind the charter school route. The trick there is that the charter schools are generally new and so they don't have an established record. And they're really built up by a strong principal, so if that person leaves it can change the school.
Others can help you more outside of Denver, as I've only ever lived in Denver. The classic pattern is to leave the cool old house in Denver for a shiny new place in the 'burbs.
One interesting area is in the city of Englewood, but in the Cherry Creek school district. So for the price of an Englewood ranch, just south of DU, nice and close in to the city stuff, your kids can get into Cherry Hills Elementary and Cherry Creek High. Here's an example:
You also start to get into other considerations...do you want to be near the foothills? Do you want to be near Boulder? Do you want to be near light rail? What kind of commute are you looking at?
This is great info! Glad to hear very positive things about Congress Park for families. Wonder if you, and others in Congress Park, plan to continue sending your kids to Public Middle & High schools?... We plan on going the public school route K-12...I wonder if few, some, or most families in Congress park plan to do the same?
Also, what parks do you frequent, if any? I'm also wondering about Cheesman Park for families. I realize it has a 'reputation'. Do you take your kids to Cheesman?
I would say it is a mix, many do continue on to East High but also Waldorf private.
I frequent City Park, and Congress. I don't get over to Cheesman much nor do I see many families over there.
This is excellent info. and Thanks very much! I'm a tad familiar with some of what you discuss, but this far greater detail gives me a much much better sense of things. Great to hear straight from the locals!
Very interesting to get the lowdown on DPS's history...
I've read the awesome reviews of Slavens K-8. Sounds like you have great access to everything! Yes, maybe TJ will improve.... I read the 5280 article purporting that there's a real movement of families heading back to the city. If this is true, it might bode well for DPS. Let's hope!
I'm wondering, was Morey too rough for the families you know? What were their complaints?
We've extensively looked into Stapleton and have ruled it out. It's not quite for us and we need to be closer to ageing parents in Lakewood...They're near Yale & Wadsworth - not far from West & Central Denver, but too far from Stapleton considering all the back & forth we'll need to do.
Thanks for the tip about the Englewood area within the CCSD - Worth considering. We can afford a home in Greenwood Village, altho' on the lower end of their housing prices, and I'm just not sure about the vibe in that area for us..... If we wind up in the 'burbs, we'd love to be near lightrail and not too far from my parents. So, we've mainly considered Greenwood Village, North Centennial, and Littleton. Have also considered Golden & Applewood (lightrail will run West near 6th soon).
We're trying HARD for Denver first and we'll see if we can get enough house within the better school boundaries -Tricky, indeed!
Thanks so much for your helpful rundown of things!!!!
Quote:
Originally Posted by denver_hacker
I've heard Teller isn't so hot, but that's second hand and I'm just some guy on teh interwebs - please go see and judge for yourself.
Morey is a DPS middle school that a lot people choice into because the others are so bad, but I do know families who pulled their kids pretty quickly after giving it a shot.
So the history of DPS gets in play here. DPS was segregated up until the supreme court forced busing and basically ran the district from the early 70s until the mid-90s. During that time 'white flight' to the suburbs was predominant, and generally anyone of a middle to high soci-economic background who stayed in DPS boundaries sent their kids to private schools. Hence, there are a lot of strong private schools around. Since the courts got out of the school district business in the 90s, certain neighborhoods have taken control of the schools and they've done well. The PTAs of Steck, Bromwell, Slavens, and Southmoor pretty much run those schools. And the better a school does for tests, the more leeway it gets in terms of how it can deviate from district policy. In the section of Denver where I live, the elementary schools are doing quite well and most are over capacity (U Park, Slavens, Corey, Steele, Asbury). Choicing into Southmoor or Slavens from outside the neighborhood is almost impossible if you're not a teacher at the school (neighborhood kids are guaranteed a spot, teacher's kids get high priority in their parents school). Generally in DPS, most people who get into one of the excellent elementary schools will stick with it until middle school and then they leave DPS. Historically, the middle schools are bad and the high schools aren't great. This is because these are larger schools than the elementary ones and cross neighborhood boundaries. With this, the mix of kids changes and, for a wide variety of reasons, not all families are able put education first which makes the environment difficult.
Some of this is changing with charter schools. There are a lot in DPS at the moment. They're nice because they are outside the district and union rules, they're largely self managed. I know many families (most seem to be from Stapleton because of the classroom crunch due to the high birth rate in that area - for a while half the births in Denver proper were in that development).
It doesn't have a good rep, most people choice out to Morey or leave DPS. It's really odd too, because it shares the same tony Bonnie Brae city block as Corey, which is very good.
I did live in Platte Park, but we moved a while back to the Slavens area to get into a more family friendly house (bigger lot, slightly bigger house, less traffic that makes playing out front possible, fewer random people peeing on our front yard, better school, etc.). A lot of folks in our area moved here for the school from Wash Park, Bonnie Brae, Platte Park, etc. It's also close to multiple light rail lines and stops, close to DU (concerts, kid's hockey/swimming/gymnastics, college hoops and hockey, etc), close to Wash Park (which is then close to the Cherry Creek Trail), close to Cherry Creek State Park, close to the Highline Canal, close to the Platte River trail, close to Cherry Creek Mall, close to 25...there isn't a lot of open space or raw nature around, but one can't have everything
We really wanted to stay in Platte Park, but the $/sqft was tough and Slavens is beyond awesome. Slavens is a K-8 school, so it looks like we're set until High School. And that is so far off that I don't know what we'll do. With the surge of kids in southwest Denver sticking with DPS elementary schools, the high school landscape will likely change quite a bit in the near future. Neighborhood high school age kids now seem to avoid TJ (Thomas Jefferson), the local DPS high school. I've seen kids go to Mullen, Maechbuf, Washington's IB program, School of the Arts, School of Science and Technology, Littleton High, East, South, etc. It really depends on what the kids is interested in.
There's a college track and there's a non-college track.
Not much else about South...
It is tricky, but there are a lot of families who want public schools in Denver to work and it's getting better every year. Certainly check out Stapleton, it's basically a new subdivision within Denver proper. There area ton of kids there, most are families that moved from older Denver sections. Also keep in mind the charter school route. The trick there is that the charter schools are generally new and so they don't have an established record. And they're really built up by a strong principal, so if that person leaves it can change the school.
Others can help you more outside of Denver, as I've only ever lived in Denver. The classic pattern is to leave the cool old house in Denver for a shiny new place in the 'burbs.
One interesting area is in the city of Englewood, but in the Cherry Creek school district. So for the price of an Englewood ranch, just south of DU, nice and close in to the city stuff, your kids can get into Cherry Hills Elementary and Cherry Creek High. Here's an example:
You also start to get into other considerations...do you want to be near the foothills? Do you want to be near Boulder? Do you want to be near light rail? What kind of commute are you looking at?
The last time we visited Denver, we checked out Cheesman and thought it was so beautiful and pristine. We were sorry not to see more families there - Too bad.
What grade levels does the Waldorf school serve? Is it called 'Denver Waldorf'?
I'm fairly familiar with City Park and am sure we'd frequent it often if we live in the area. I've never been to Congress Park. What's it like? Does it have any playgrounds?
Thanks!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mach50
I would say it is a mix, many do continue on to East High but also Waldorf private.
I frequent City Park, and Congress. I don't get over to Cheesman much nor do I see many families over there.
The last time we visited Denver, we checked out Cheesman and thought it was so beautiful and pristine. We were sorry not to see more families there - Too bad.
What grade levels does the Waldorf school serve? Is it called 'Denver Waldorf'?
I'm fairly familiar with City Park and am sure we'd frequent it often if we live in the area. I've never been to Congress Park. What's it like? Does it have any playgrounds?
Thanks!
Denver Waldorf servers Pre-K to 12th, the philosophy at a Waldorf school is non-traditional though. For example kids stay with the same teacher from 1st-8th to build a partnership.
Congress is a nice park, couple of soccer fields, tennis courts, good size playground and during the summer it hosts a very active community pool.
Thanks! The park (Congress) sounds great! We're really considering this area. Another thing I'm wondering, do your kids have any casual back & forth playing with other kids in your area? Do you feel comfortable allowing them be out & about in the neighborhood unaccompanied? My kids are accustomed to this freedom, but we currently live in an area that's more like the 'burbs. We're keen on moving to something more urban and just wonder how much freedom our kids would sacrifice? Is there a tradeoff in this regard?
Thanks Again!!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mach50
Denver Waldorf servers Pre-K to 12th, the philosophy at a Waldorf school is non-traditional though. For example kids stay with the same teacher from 1st-8th to build a partnership.
Congress is a nice park, couple of soccer fields, tennis courts, good size playground and during the summer it hosts a very active community pool.
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