iowa city high school enrollment (Cedar Rapids, Coralville: apartments, condos, crime)

[keu]

I am soon moving to Iowa City with two high school aged children. Can anyone shed any light on the high school enrollment situation? What are the differences between City and West? What's the scoop on the recent increase in violence? I am particularly hoping to find out some positive things about City, since one of my children must attend there, according to the new rules. Thanks in advance for any input.

[Chicago60614]

Well West High had been growing by leaps and bounds the past few years, so they stopped all new transfers into the city from attending West, and everyone new to the district had to attend City. This was because City had actually been seeing a drop in enrollment. Most of this was just due to the demographics of different neighborhoods, etc, it had nothing to do with City itself - they're both great schools.

This year the enrollement at West only went up by a little, like they'd wanted, but City's enrollment shot up much more than expected. I think they were talking about dropping that "no one new to West rule" since both schools are pretty full.

They keep building new elementary schools every few years, they just opened one last year, and now I guess they're already having to build another. They also opened a new Junior High last year. I don't know why they aren't gearing up for a new high school though, it seems like it's going to have to happen one way or another in the near future.

I was reading about the violence as well in the high schools. Honestly a lot of the talk has been about this big wave of people moving from the inner city of Chicago to Iowa City. They tore down the projects in Chicago, and it kinda dispursed everyone. I was reading in the paper that just during the last school year, over 300 new black students joined the district. This is a lot of new students concidering the black population of the entire city was only 2,500 in 2000. I know what I'm saying is totally racist, but I honestly wasn't trying to come off that way. I'm not trying to say that all the problems are being cause by black people, but just from doing a lot of research and talking to a lot of people in Iowa City and the school district, that issue keeps popping up in one form or another... They seem to be coorelated, even though that's not PC to say out loud. You asked though, so there's a broad answer.

[gimme it]

Are there many projects in IC?

[WoodwardGirl]

Originally Posted by gimme it

Are there many projects in IC?

I don't think there are ANY, if that was a serious question. There sort of was one in Cedar Rapids, but they're turning it into high-end condos or something.

[Chicago60614]

Originally Posted by gimme it

Are there many projects in IC?

projects?!?! no no. I grew up there for 22 years and there wasn't even a "bad side of town". Roughly 100,000 people, and the whole time I lived there if anyone was murdered it was VERY unusual. Crime was what we watched on TV during the crack wars, it wasn't anything that was actually REAL.

2005: Iowa had 40 murders. Chicago, with the same population as the whole state of Iowa, had roughly 11X as many murders. It's a stipid comparison because they're so different, BUT...you can't stop to think that for ever person who's killed while living in Iowa City, 11 are killed in Chicago.

[gimme it]

Originally Posted by WoodwardGirl

I don't think there are ANY, if that was a serious question. There sort of was one in Cedar Rapids, but they're turning it into high-end condos or something.

Sorry if you thought this was a joke. It's a serious question. The other poster said that inner city Chicago families were moving out of the Chicago housing projects into Iowa City. I was wondering where these families are finding affordable housing, ie. does IC have projects for them. Does IC have a particularly generous welfare or social service system?

[Chicago60614]

It does have quite generous benifits and free things for anyone who needs help. In the past it's always been used for the most party by people who need to get back on their feet and then get off the welfare. I think they're starting to see the more inner city usage of benifits where you just use it to use it like a handout.

There is cheaper housing and apartments in Iowa City. There are specific areas of the city near Highway 6 and Sycamore and near Mormon Trek and Melrose Ave that are starting to see very very high concentrations of minorities. There is also areas of Coralville near 7th Ave and 6th Street, etc. etc. They're kinda starting to turn into Iowa City's versions of "ghettos", but they're certainly not that bad like in large cities. It's just strange to see these little areas starting to turn into enclaves that are much different than areas around them. I grew up in Coralville and my parents have friends who live in the areas that are getting kinda dicey now. There are two families I was talking to who have lived there for over 20 years, and are now moving to other areas of town cause they said they're starting to feel like it's getting a little dangerous, etc.