PVPV Rawlings vs OPE-which is better for a special needs child? (Plantation: power lines, house)

[SleeplessinChicago]

We are moving to the Ponte Vedra Beach area from Chicago and have a special needs child who requires many services provided by the public school system such as Speech, OT, PT and a Teacher for the Visually Impaired. Trying to decide which elementary school is best for our daughter in terms of staff, facilities, resources and exposure to these needs. I've toured both PVPV Rawlings and OPE and they are both wonderful. Was leaning towards PVPV based on the location of where we'd like to live, BUT we also have kids going to Palmer Catholic and feel like we might want to live closer to that school. Very torn. Does anyone have any experience to share with the ESE programs at either school?

Also, we'd love to understand where the families live. Are they spread all over in TPC Sawgrass, Marsh Landing, Woodlands, Plantation Oaks, etc. or are there certain pockets within these neighborhoods we should focus our search on?

Lastly, any insights on Plantation Oaks as a family community vs TPC Sawgrass (around Salt Creek area)?
Would love my kids to just be a bike ride away, if not closer, to their friends whether they be from the public or the private schools.

Thanks in advance for any help you're able to provide!
-SleeplessinChicago

[Ivan Putski]

Our neighbor has a child with cerebral palsy and I know they did tons of of research on all the schools in St Johns county that can best accommodate him before ultimately buying in Ocean Palm's school district (they researched PV/PV as well). They've had him there since they moved here several years ago (he's gone through 1st - 5th grade). They have no complaints whenever I ask and the child is now moving on to Landrum Middle School. We're zoned to OPE and will be sending our son to kindergarten this August. We've been to several orientations now and have been impressed with the principal who took over the school in 2018 (predecessor left for Palm Valley Academy K-8 in Nocatee). School will have 565 kids going into next year (18 per class in kindergarten).

Honestly, there are families everywhere within the developments you referenced. Plantation Oaks has many younger families as well and they're zoned to OPE. We looked in Woodlands (zoned to PVPV) years ago but we weren't comfortable with the nearby electric transfer station and the high voltage power lines running adjacent to the development. PGA is also building their new HQ nearby (who knows what the traffic will be like) and they recently, quietly, put up a 5G cell tower in that area which has riled up many people due to health concerns.

Make sure to walk around and talk to neighbors if you're worried about how many kids there are on certain streets you're interested in. I know people who were told such and such development is kid friendly but they chose a particular street that had none...

[kokonutty]

Originally Posted by SleeplessinChicago

We are moving to the Ponte Vedra Beach area from Chicago and have a special needs child who requires many services provided by the public school system such as Speech, OT, PT and a Teacher for the Visually Impaired. Trying to decide which elementary school is best for our daughter in terms of staff, facilities, resources and exposure to these needs. I've toured both PVPV Rawlings and OPE and they are both wonderful. Was leaning towards PVPV based on the location of where we'd like to live, BUT we also have kids going to Palmer Catholic and feel like we might want to live closer to that school. Very torn. Does anyone have any experience to share with the ESE programs at either school?

Also, we'd love to understand where the families live. Are they spread all over in TPC Sawgrass, Marsh Landing, Woodlands, Plantation Oaks, etc. or are there certain pockets within these neighborhoods we should focus our search on?

Lastly, any insights on Plantation Oaks as a family community vs TPC Sawgrass (around Salt Creek area)?
Would love my kids to just be a bike ride away, if not closer, to their friends whether they be from the public or the private schools.

Thanks in advance for any help you're able to provide!
-SleeplessinChicago

It seems that since you've apparently already established a relationship with Palmer someone there may be able to share some information about special needs programs in the area.

[JessicaJax]

Both OPE and PVPV should be well equipped to provide your daughter with the services she needs.

My kids are at OPE, and I can't say enough good things about the school. I know the teacher for the self-contained special needs classroom very well, and she is amazing.

Our principal is an amazing woman who cares deeply about each of the children there.

The school really does feel like a big family.

Plantation Oaks is a great neighborhood with tons of kids. A lot of the kids there ride their bikes to school.

I have good friends that rented in the Palm Valley area and sent their kids to Ocean Palms. They then bought a house in Salt Creek and sent their kids to PVPV. They weren't happy there, so they sold and moved back here.

Most people love PVPV, so I wouldn't assume my friend's experience is typical, but I do think it's true that PVPV is more focused on test performance and pushing the kids to excellence, while Ocean Palms (while also an excellent school with very high test scores) is more concerned with nurturing the whole child.