Is Newburyport a good place to raise a young family... how are the schools? (Winchester: private school)

[NH Julie]

I currently live in Bedford NH and am considering a move to the coast. We are thinking about Newburyport as an option. My husband works in sales, covering NH so we need close proximity to the NH border. Can anyone out there give me more info about the schools in Newburyport or surrounding towns? I have two little ones (1 and 3). We want to be in a place with a strong sense of community, a town "center" with restaurants, shops, etc. Is Newburyport our best option?

[vogue1]

If you read previous posts on NBPT you will find that schools are fairly mediocre and had some budget cuts (like foreign languages) earlier than many other communities. I am in love with the town myself and go often there, but would be hesitant to move because of schools--seems that community doesn't have enough money, or willpower to make schools better.

Many escape to West Newbury which is deemed excellent in comparison, but is tiny, very rural town adjacent to NBPT.

Hope it helps a bit.

Maybe someone with more direct knowledge will chime in.

[gf2020]

I like Newburyport very much and I lived in neighboring Newbury for 6 years. The reports on the Newburyport schools are mixed, the Pentucket regional system (West Newbury, Groveland and Merrimac) and the Triton regional system (Newbury, Rowley and Salisbury) usually fare better in comparisons. The independent districts of Georgetown and Ipswich are probably the best in the north Essex county area.

However, if you already live in NH and since your husband works part of the time in NH, there are tax advantages to staying in NH. I would look at towns like North Hampton, Rye and Dover if you want better proximity to the water or Exeter for more of a town center feel.

[Thomas144]

We moved out of Newburyport when our child was still a toddler, only 18 months old, to be closer to his grandmothers, but I think the schools there are probably fine. I really don't believe in the idea that some school systems are better than others - people move to our town, Winchester, because they think the schools are good, but that wasn't our experience at all (and we sent our son to a private boarding school starting in the 6th grade because we didn't like the Winchester schools). I think Newburyport is a really interesting place to live, with lots of interesting people, and we regret not staying there to raise our kid, because I think he would have been happier in the Newburyport school system, but who knows? :-)

If your husband works in New Hampshire it probably does make sense to live there because there is no income tax, although property taxes in NH can be outrageous compared to what you would pay in Massachusetts, particularly compared to Newburyport. The risk of moving to Exeter would be that your children might not (probably wouldn't) get accepted at the Academy, and going to Exeter High School would really suck.

[NH Julie]

Thanks for the replies. We are looking in NH (North Hampton, Exeter, Rye, New Castle)... we don't know much about the schools there and are afraid that the private school options are limited. I think the no income tax in NH definitely outweighs the over the top property taxes. So maybe NH is where we should be.
Thanks again!