Keller/Trophy Club, or others?

[KLM529]

loves2read:
The CYO I'm speaking of is the Catholic Youth Organization

[KLM529]

ToTX...

have you made a decision - TC or Keller. We're coming to TX in April to look again at both

[5stones]

you do not have to be a resident of Keller to use the Keller pointe. (or thier sports programs)
Fees are just slightly higher for non residents.

Roanoak also has a rec center and is closer to TC. City of Roanoke Texas>
can be non resident to use same as Keller pointe
They too have youth basketball leagues.

If you are avid golfers... the other place to check out besides TC is the Hidden Lakes neighborhood of Keller. Sky Creek Ranch golf course runs through the middle of it. off of bear creek pky.
Sky Creek Ranch Golf Club - Keller, TX

The new HS in TC is beautiful.

KLM...no we did not have any family in PA (just the longest we've lived anywhere)
Most of my family is in CO (finally close) and husbands is in....NY! (up by Poughkeepsie!)

Good luck!!

[ToTX]

Originally Posted by KLM529

ToTX...

have you made a decision - TC or Keller. We're coming to TX in April to look again at both

KLM529 - yes, I have pretty much decided to Keller, Keller High School area. But I plan to rent for some time so that might change after I live there for a couple months. I will rent in Keller High School area and it is difficult to find a rental house in that area.

[5stones]

There is one that just went up in my neighborhood... it's been empty so I don't know the condition. PM me if you want the address.

[RoniK]

Anyone interested in Keller High, here's some info. My daughter is a junior there this year and overall I'd say she's had a great experience. I really like KHS. The facility is not as nice as some of the newer schools, but it is definitely considered the best school in our district. The kids are good, the teachers are good, and most importantly I feel like she is very safe there.

One thing to consider is that it is BIG (as are most schools in the DFW area). You're children need to find something to join at school, be it a sports team, band, drama, etc. Otherwise, they will feel like they don't belong anywhere. I would say this is absolutely imperative. With almost 3000 kids in the school, if they don't have a group, they will probably be lost. With that said, my daughter has had experience with band and swim team, and both have been very welcoming. She has made LOTS of friends with really good kids. I never worry about her with the kids she has met. They are good, wholesome kids. Additionally, I'll suggest pre-AP and AP classes. They generally have the kids in them that your child will want to associate with. Not that there are a lot of 'bad' kids at KHS, but the more motivated and responsible students are in pre-AP/AP. This applies to Middle School as well.

We came here from the east coast, and the school experience here is different. It is more laid-back. There is less homework, but I think the level of difficulty in my daughter's classes is still very high. Her AP classes this year are light years ahead of what I did in high school, and her teachers are supportive but demanding. I feel like she is getting a very good education, but I appreciate that the kids aren't completely inundated with homework/busywork like they were in VA. Not that she doesn't have homework - but it's not 5-6 hours every night. There are A LOT of good students at KHS. It's hard to get into the top 10%. Just to help you judge, my daughter has an unweighted GPA of 3.8 and she's only in the top 11% of her class.

Overall, the students here are less "worldly" socially than they were on the East Coast, too. In my experience, everything here (at least in Keller) is just less intense. Less pressure about dating/having a boyfriend, less pregnancy, less drug use, just less everything. My daughter tells me she knows some kids that drink, but not much and not many. She knows there are some kids that use marajuana, but she doesn't actually know any of them. I've never seen a pregnant teenager anywhere in Keller in the 3 years we've lived here, although I'm sure there must have been one.

I can't speak to Trophy Club and their schools. I only pass by there on my way to Southlake to go shopping! I can say that I am glad we did not buy in Southlake. We almost did. It is a lovely city, and they do have great shopping, but from what I've learned from families who have children in Carroll ISD it's VERY competitive. Not just as far as grades go, but also what you wear, what car you drive, etc. When on our househunting trip I went to Southlake Town Square and saw two 9-year-olds carrying Coach purses, I knew it wasn't the place for us! I personally just didn't want that for my kids. They have enough to worry about without keeping up with the Jones'. I think Keller is a great choice for families who want to be near Southlake for what it has to offer but aren't as into the whole "conspicuous consumption" thing.

Most kids here go to college in TX. I think that's normal for most states. There are a lot of really good schools in TX! There are kids - especially in Carroll - that go East Coast Ivy League, but I can say that after moving here and living a more relaxed like, my daughter has ZERO interest in going back to that! We lived the "work hard, play hard" life in No.VA. It seemed normal at the time - hours and hours and hours of homework, 2 or 3 sports/activities going at one time, pressure, pressure. Her friends there are still doing that and after 12 years of school they're burned out and miserable. She's completely happy to go to Baylor, get a great scholarship, get a great education and enjoy her life.

Hope any of this helps those of you looking at Keller! It's a great place to live and raise your kids.

[pot_roast]

You might want to take a look at Haslet, Justin, Roanoke, Argyle, and far far far far north Fort Worth (along Hwy 114) too. They're close to the Northwest ISD schools and the Alliance corridor. We live out that way, and the wife works in Grapevine. She shops in Southlake, much to my chagrin. ;-) Even Ponder is pretty nice.

Roanoke has some really yummy restaurants too.

[ToTX]

Anybody knows if Keller ISD "officially" speak Spanish and English, i.e., it has a bilingual classroom setting?

Does it offer ESL (English as Second Language) class for non native English speaking students?

[loves2read]

why don't you check the KISD web site
Home

[5stones]

I sent ToTx a DM about her bi-lingual question since I couldn't post. But I will now anwser the question here in case anyone else needs the info.

The short anwser is YES. to both bi-lingual classes at some elementary schools and ESL classes at many schools.

Caprock Elementary is a bi-lingual Spanish campus
North Riverside, Whitley Rd, and Trinity meadows Elemtaries offer bi-lingual Spanish programs
Parkview Elemetary is Bi-lingual Vietnamese campus (and has A spanish program as well I believe)

It's a pretty amazing program and these schools are really trying to bridge the Gap between home and school for these kids. As we all know more parent envolment equals to more sucessful students.

Here is the link from hte KISD website if you are interested in reading more...
Campus Spotlight: Caprock Elementary