Heritage Estates & Heritage Hills in Lone Tree

[shukertj]

Hi Babovka,

I'll have to second Cupcake's opinion. Cherry Creek School District is widely regarded as among the few best in the state. Douglas County and Littleon school districts are also great, but I would definitely recommend exploring the neighborhoods in the Cherry Creek School District, which encompasses Centennial, SE Aurora, Greenwood Village, Cherry Hills, and Englewood. Cherry Creek also has a magnet school for high achieving/gifted kids--The Challenge School at Mississippi and Dayton--which only accepts kids living within the district boundaries. Here's the link: Challenge School

One neighborhood in the CC District that you may like is Siena. It has homes in the $400s to 600s and larger lots in general. The schools, Rolling Hills Elementary, Falcon Creek Middle, and Grandview HS, are all outstanding. All the neighborhoods in this area are very family friendly, and there is an incredible rec center, the Trails, just down the street.

If you'd really like to get a sense of the friendliness of a neighborhood, it's a good idea to drive around when families are likely to be home--on weekends and after school. Of course, not too many people will be outside when it's 15 degrees. ; ) Knocking on a few doors and talking to the neighbors might be helpful too, and will give you a sense of what the residents are like. Lots of luck with your explorations! : )

[babovka]

Originally Posted by Cupcake77

Cherry Creek school district is the best you can get. Why are you so sold on douglas county or littleton schools?

We had considered the Cherry Creek school district, but ruled it out because we were thinking that we would prefer to live on the west side of I25 and we did not want the kids going to Cherry Creek HS as we feel it is too big and there are too many (proportion-wise) rich kids there. We would prefer the kids be in a more middle-class environment school wise. I don't mean to offend anyone, I am just expressing our preference for schools for our kids.

[Timmyy]

Originally Posted by babovka

Was wondering what the Heritage Hills subdivision of Lone Tree is like? The houses look very nice, and the location is great, but what is the general feeling of the neighborhood? Are people generally friendly? Is it full of people with more money than sense? Do kids play outside together? I was told that the neighborhood kids tend to go to many different schools which would lead one to believe that maybe they don't know each other or that there is not a sense of community there. There are two public schools nearby: Acres Green which is generally regarded as not such a good school although it has one of the few Gifted/Talented programs in the Douglas County SD which pulls its' test scores up much higher than where they would be without it, and Lone Tree Elementary which is a newer magnet school which has an alternative teaching method and does not have as good a scores as one tends to see in other Douglas County schools which is surprising given its location.

Just for a little more info, we are looking at buying something in the $500K+ range, have two kids, ages 5 & 11, and are down to earth people who don't have any family in the Denver area, so are looking for a family friendly neighborhood where we will feel welcome and part of the neighborhood community. We would prefer to stay in the Douglas County or Littleton school districts. We would welcome any feedback, positive or negative. TIA!

You would be better served in Highlands Ranch which is in Douglas County, IMHO.

[babovka]

Originally Posted by shukertj

Hi Babovka,

I'll have to second Cupcake's opinion. Cherry Creek School District is widely regarded as among the few best in the state. Douglas County and Littleon school districts are also great, but I would definitely recommend exploring the neighborhoods in the Cherry Creek School District, which encompasses Centennial, SE Aurora, Greenwood Village, Cherry Hills, and Englewood. Cherry Creek also has a magnet school for high achieving/gifted kids--The Challenge School at Mississippi and Dayton--which only accepts kids living within the district boundaries. Here's the link: Challenge School

One neighborhood in the CC District that you may like is Siena. It has homes in the $400s to 600s and larger lots in general. The schools, Rolling Hills Elementary, Falcon Creek Middle, and Grandview HS, are all outstanding. All the neighborhoods in this area are very family friendly, and there is an incredible rec center, the Trails, just down the street.

If you'd really like to get a sense of the friendliness of a neighborhood, it's a good idea to drive around when families are likely to be home--on weekends and after school. Of course, not too many people will be outside when it's 15 degrees. ; ) Knocking on a few doors and talking to the neighbors might be helpful too, and will give you a sense of what the residents are like. Lots of luck with your explorations! : )

Thank you for your suggestion. We did consider the Smoky Hill area, but decided that it felt a little out of the way, and we also didn't like having to pay for the tollway when we to the Park Meadows area. It does have a good proximity to the airport, but that is not a big issue for us.

[shukertj]

Hi There,

I was driving to the rec center today and remembered another area--Piney Creek Village right off Orchard and Buckley. It's next to the rec center, has beautiful homes, and is served by great (but diverse) schools. It's right near Parker Rd., so is not that far out. Also, there is a short cut to Park Meadows (down Parker Rd., right on Arapahoe, and left on Lima) that will take you on a leisurely, scenic drive past a nice office park and all the way to Park Meadows off of County Line Rd. So, no E-470 tolls! : )

[notready]

I haven't been on this board so don't know how much this has been discussed.

Before you choose the Douglas County School District, I implore you to do some research on their financial situation and budget cuts. All of the districts have faced them and there will be more to come. DC voters have not passed the last Education Bonds/Budget increases and my impression is that they were not well positioned for the cuts. Look for details on program cuts (GT), assistant principal and staffing, student/teacher ratios, etc. I would do the same for any district you are considering.

My guess is that Littleton is in better shape, and Cherry Creek in the best. There is reason to be concerned about all of them, but I'd run from Douglas County.

[2bindenver]

I don't believe that for a moment.

[notready]

you are right, I'm no runner so I'd drive

Historic budget cuts hammer districts | EdNewsColorado

Budget Reduction Information

When you visit schools, ask about what the 2 year trend has been in the specific school for gifted and talented programs, computer/tech labs and instruction, reading support, special education services, class size, bus charges, music programs, art, teacher aides, etc. Ask about the district reserve funds and what is happening with those.

I do have kids in CCSD and attend many of the budget/planning meetings. So far CCSD has kept the cuts from affecting class size, but that might not last. We also have not seen significant cuts to any of the above programs, also might not last. In many schools the PTCOs raise funds to supplement some of the above, ask about that budget and what they help pay for.

[formercalifornian]

Regarding Lone Tree, a number of families are open enrolling at Willow Creek elementary in CCSD, just across County Line Rd. The kids generally return to DCSD schools for middle school as there are few options for open enrolling at that age. CCHS is closed to non-district enrollees.

Have you considered Fox Ridge west of Quebec, north of County Line or Homestead in the same general area? I believe those neighborhoods attend Littleton Schools.

Also, please know that Cherry Creek serves a large middle-class demographic. It's a misnomer that CCSD is all rich kids. That's just not true. I live in a decidedly family-friendly, middle-class, professional neighborhood on the west side of I-25 in CCSD in a house that cost much less than half-a-million dollars. Don't be naive: at your price point, you're going to be buying into a generally wealthy neighborhood regardless of school district, so your kids won't necessarily be spared from dealing with rich kids just because you choose to live south of County Line and west of I-25. And, make no mistake, if Heritage Hills is anywhere on your radar, your kids are likely to be considered the rich kids by their school peers. If you want your kids to have a middle-class experience then stay away from neighborhoods like Heritage Hills, reduce your housing budget, and put the extra money in your kids' college savings accounts.