High Schools in Virginia Beach (Hampton, Charlottesville: apartments, condo, how much)

[lovesMountains]

Can someone please explain to me how good/bad the high schools are in Virginia Beach? (I am concerned about being in a good area for resale - do not have high school children of my own).

Great Schools lists Princess Anne as number 1 - would you agree?

They also list Bayside as the bottom school, but I am confused - their scores don't look so bad at all and they are only 37% free and reduced lunch.

Where I live in Charlotte right now, schools dictate the housing market (we have neighborhood schools and do not bus). IF you are in a good school assignment area your housing values are golden right now. Is it the same in Virginia Beach?

Please, can someone give me the gist on what's up with schools in Virginia Beach? Thanks!

[Randomdude]

Originally Posted by lovesMountains

Can someone please explain to me how good/bad the high schools are in Virginia Beach? (I am concerned about being in a good area for resale - do not have high school children of my own).

Great Schools lists Princess Anne as number 1 - would you agree?

They also list Bayside as the bottom school, but I am confused - their scores don't look so bad at all and they are only 37% free and reduced lunch.

Where I live in Charlotte right now, schools dictate the housing market (we have neighborhood schools and do not bus). IF you are in a good school assignment area your housing values are golden right now. Is it the same in Virginia Beach?

Please, can someone give me the gist on what's up with schools in Virginia Beach? Thanks!

Princess Anne is a good school

Cox is a good school

Kellam is a good school

F/C is an ok school

Ocean Lakes is an ok school

Kempsville is an ok school

Salem is tolerable

Tallwood is tolerable

Landstown is a bad school.

Green Run is a bad school.

Bayside is a bad school.

Landstown, Green Run and Bayside contain almost every "problem area" in Virginia Beach within their jurisdictions.

[lovesMountains]

Originally Posted by Randomdude

Princess Anne is a good school

Cox is a good school

Kellam is a good school

F/C is an ok school

Ocean Lakes is an ok school

Kempsville is an ok school

Salem is tolerable

Tallwood is tolerable

Landstown is a bad school.

Green Run is a bad school.

Bayside is a bad school.

Landstown, Green Run and Bayside contain almost every "problem area" in Virginia Beach within their jurisdictions.

This is extremely helpful - THANK YOU.

Would you say living along Wesleyan, Haygood or Independence is undesirable? Is it unsafe?

[Belle77]

Keep in mind that the "bad school" changes every couple of years. Landstown was a fine school when we moved here 3 1/2 years ago... now it has a bad reputation. We still had no problem selling our house. Many marrried couples with younger children don't weigh their decisions too heavily on high schools as things change over time.

[Hokie]

Cox is best. Much like what you mentioned about Charlottesville, Cox is located in a nice area that is expensive.

FC is nearby, but it takes in many run down apartments, transient students who live in motels at the beach, and a very large public housing project. It used to be considered a good school, but that was a good decade ago or more. It's rough now. It takes in one really nice affluent neighborhood, Little Neck/King's Grant, but many kids from there go to private school, not First Colonial. I would definitely recommend Cox over it.

[xGrendelx]

Originally Posted by lovesMountains

This is extremely helpful - THANK YOU.

Would you say living along Wesleyan, Haygood or Independence is undesirable? Is it unsafe?

The neighborhoods that are in the Virginia Wesleyan University/Newtown area are arguably the worst neighborhoods in Va Beach (i.e. Lake Edwards, Campus East, Weblen, etc.). Some of this area does run into the Haygood area, but Haygood is mostly dominated by Aragona Village which isn't exactly the "hood" but more of a working class neighborhood (can get sketchy at times). These neighborhoods are in the Bayside school district and aren't of the highest quality in the city.

Independence is a big road, so not all of it is undesirable. Neighborhoods like Thoroughgood, Lake Smith Terrace, and Lake Shores are nice, quiet neighborhoods but Lake Shores and Lake Smith Terrace go to the Bayside school district and Thoroughgood goes to PA, I think.

I think the undesirable areas in the Bayside area are the ones off of Va Beach Blvd between the intersections of Independence and Newtown. Those would be Aragona, Bayside Arms, Northridge, Pembroke Square, among others. The rest of the undesirable neighborhoods are those that branch off of Newtown/Haygood between the intersections of Va Beach Blvd and Independence. These are the Northern half of Aragona (better than the Southern half, the divider is Witchduck Rd), which is East of Newtown/Haygood, and the neighborhoods surrounding VA Wesleyan University (West of the Newtown/Haygood divider). All of these places go to the Bayside school district.

[lovesMountains]

Originally Posted by xGrendelx

The neighborhoods that are in the Virginia Wesleyan University/Newtown area are arguably the worst neighborhoods in Va Beach (i.e. Lake Edwards, Campus East, Weblen, etc.). Some of this area does run into the Haygood area, but Haygood is mostly dominated by Aragona Village which isn't exactly the "hood" but more of a working class neighborhood (can get sketchy at times). These neighborhoods are in the Bayside school district and aren't of the highest quality in the city.

Independence is a big road, so not all of it is undesirable. Neighborhoods like Thoroughgood, Lake Smith Terrace, and Lake Shores are nice, quiet neighborhoods but Lake Shores and Lake Smith Terrace go to the Bayside school district and Thoroughgood goes to PA, I think.

I think the undesirable areas in the Bayside area are the ones off of Va Beach Blvd between the intersections of Independence and Newtown. Those would be Aragona, Bayside Arms, Northridge, Pembroke Square, among others. The rest of the undesirable neighborhoods are those that branch off of Newtown/Haygood between the intersections of Va Beach Blvd and Independence. These are the Northern half of Aragona (better than the Southern half, the divider is Witchduck Rd), which is East of Newtown/Haygood, and the neighborhoods surrounding VA Wesleyan University (West of the Newtown/Haygood divider). All of these places go to the Bayside school district.

I can't begin to tell you how much I appreciate this info - THANK YOU.

Lake Smith Terrace was actually one neighborhood I did like and see a house in, so it's nice to know that one is okay. What about Lawson Forest which is off Wesleyan but close to North Hampton?

Going to study the map now with all the road names you gave me, this is a big help!

[lovesMountains]

Originally Posted by xGrendelx

The neighborhoods that are in the Virginia Wesleyan University/Newtown area are arguably the worst neighborhoods in Va Beach (i.e. Lake Edwards, Campus East, Weblen, etc.). Some of this area does run into the Haygood area, but Haygood is mostly dominated by Aragona Village which isn't exactly the "hood" but more of a working class neighborhood (can get sketchy at times). These neighborhoods are in the Bayside school district and aren't of the highest quality in the city.

Independence is a big road, so not all of it is undesirable. Neighborhoods like Thoroughgood, Lake Smith Terrace, and Lake Shores are nice, quiet neighborhoods but Lake Shores and Lake Smith Terrace go to the Bayside school district and Thoroughgood goes to PA, I think.

I think the undesirable areas in the Bayside area are the ones off of Va Beach Blvd between the intersections of Independence and Newtown. Those would be Aragona, Bayside Arms, Northridge, Pembroke Square, among others. The rest of the undesirable neighborhoods are those that branch off of Newtown/Haygood between the intersections of Va Beach Blvd and Independence. These are the Northern half of Aragona (better than the Southern half, the divider is Witchduck Rd), which is East of Newtown/Haygood, and the neighborhoods surrounding VA Wesleyan University (West of the Newtown/Haygood divider). All of these places go to the Bayside school district.

Also, we saw a new condo complex by Dragas, Southmoor, on Wesleyan directly opposite Ridgely Manor - do you have an opinion about this complex or general area of Wesleyan? Is it just too close to Newtown to be safe/desirable? Again, thank you so much!

[Tidewater Entrepreneur]

You must also take in to consideration that school districts can be re-drawn at any time. Princess Ann is a good school and Bayside one of the worst. Not long ago some of the neighborhoods that were in the PA school system ended up in Bayside. The difference in price that the school system makes can start $50,000 and up. I have sold houses in the Green Run area and had no problem selling them. The Wesleyan area is pretty central, so many people consider it a desirable location.
I hope this helps.

[Randomdude]

Originally Posted by Tidewater Entrepreneur

You must also take in to consideration that school districts can be re-drawn at any time. Princess Ann is a good school and Bayside one of the worst. Not long ago some of the neighborhoods that were in the PA school system ended up in Bayside. The difference in price that the school system makes can start $50,000 and up. I have sold houses in the Green Run area and had no problem selling them. The Wesleyan area is pretty central, so many people consider it a desirable location.
I hope this helps.

The reason you are selling houses in Green Run no problem is because its one of the few remaining areas in Virginia Beach that are even remotely affordable (that is, if you consider the high 100,000's affordable).

Houses in bad areas still sell here because houses in safe areas are completely unaffordable to 70% of the people that live here.

As for the Wesleyan area, save the realtor line. Nobody would live there if they didnt have to. I live in Hollywood, which is unfortunatley attached to Lake Edward, and I fall asleep to sirens and/or gun shots from that cess pool several times a week. I used to have a friend who lived over there who once said "its not so bad, Ive only had my car broken in to 3 times the whole time Ive lived here (which was 4 years)."