Moving to Maryland-Help with areas (Baltimore, Towson: real estate, 2013, low crime)

[abattaglia03]

We are relocating from the midwest to Maryland, will work in Timonium. I am looking for a great smaller school district in a nice part of the state. All help would be appreciated. I have a middle school and High school age kids. I am looking for a place that has alot of amenities, stores act
Thank you

[goldenage1]

Originally Posted by abattaglia03

We are relocating from the midwest to Maryland, will work in Timonium. I am looking for a great smaller school district in a nice part of the state.

Just stay around Lutherville, Timonium, Cockeysville or Sparks which all are nice suburbs and have good schools. None of the schools are part of a "small" school district as Baltimore County is very large. You won't get a smaller school district unless you commute from a rural part of Pennsylvania, which I don't recommend.

[abattaglia03]

What is the best school district to be in? I want to live in an area that is SAFE, low crime rate and stores and things.

[goldenage1]

Originally Posted by abattaglia03

What is the best school district to be in? I want to live in an area that is SAFE, low crime rate and stores and things.

You might look at Monkton and Parkton. Both the Hereford Middle and Hereford High School rate a 5 out of 5 at Schooldigger.com . They both rate a 10 out of 10 at Greatschools.org .

However, they have among the most expensive real estate in the area, so you might check whether there are houses within your budget. Redfin is a good tool to search on a school district. Here's an example for Hereford High School: http://www.redfin.com/real-estate#!v...pe=7&market=dc

Monkton and Parkton are fairly rural, so they are low crime. However, they are about 15 miles from the Wegman's and other stores in Hunt Valley.

[MidValleyDad]

There are no 'small school districts' in Maryland. Schools are managed at the county level in Maryland. I believe all the schools mentioned so far are all in Baltimore County which is one of the larger systems in the state. Some folks who work in the Timonium area live in Carroll County (next county to the west) The most likely area in Carroll would be Hampstead which is the North Carroll High School feeder area

[goldenage1]

Originally Posted by MidValleyDad

The most likely area in Carroll would be Hampstead which is the North Carroll High School feeder area

That is a good suggestion. Both the North Carroll Middle and High Schools are rated 8 out of 10 at Greatschools. The enrollment at North Carroll High is small at about 800, but it still has AP classes.

The OP has some conflicting requirements which they need to narrow down. For example, if they want to be close to stores, there will be higher crime reports because of the break-in opportunities. They can be safer if they are waay out in the country. On the whole, I think Baltimore County is a good fit because of access to I-83 for the commuter's job.

[bufflove]

Originally Posted by goldenage1

Monkton and Parkton are fairly rural, so they are low crime. However, they are about 15 miles from the Wegman's and other stores in Hunt Valley.

Lower crime, but higher likelihood of dying tragically. I've always found it odd that people who fear things like shoplifting move to a place where the threat of the ultimate quality of life problem - death - is substantially higher (not saying that's applicable to you).
Study Shows That Cities Are Safer Than Rural Areas, Despite Crime | TIME.com

[TheCaliforniaMarylandPers]

I'm not too familiar with Baltimore County, but according to my new colleagues (I will be teaching at a high school in Anne Arundel) some of the "best" schools there are Dulaney, Parkton, Hereford, and Perry Hall. Not sure about which area has amenities though...sorry. Maybe I can do some research for you and find out.

[mapmd]

Originally Posted by abattaglia03

We are relocating from the midwest to Maryland, will work in Timonium. I am looking for a great smaller school district in a nice part of the state. All help would be appreciated. I have a middle school and High school age kids. I am looking for a place that has alot of amenities, stores act
Thank you

Depends what you can afford but Towson High and Dulaney Valley high are the two best in the Northern Baltimore County area. Dulaney Valley is known to be a very, very good school district, but just like Severna Park in AA county you will pay a premium to live in a neighborhood assigned to the district.

Anything north of there is perfectly fine too, it's mostly Whites once you get north of Timonium so the schools aren't violent and kids are generally well behaved.

GreatSchools.org is a good resource for look up data on specific schools. Couldn't tell you about middle and elementary schools, there are just too many of them.

[kharing]

Maryland is a huge state with many wealthy communities. You need to break it down further to get an accurate recommendation. Work issues and housing requirements need to be answered before we can truly help you. Traffic is ridiculous....so please give more information.