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If the owner is a broker they should know to post some interior photos of the home and hold an Open House. I do have an agent btw, but really just prefer to look at Open Houses, then bring him in when I see something I like. No use dragging him acros the city for months when I understand the market and know exactly what I want...
Hello sna77 - we are moving to Boston and racking our brains about Newton vs Weston schools. Can't decide....your chatboard was very informative. Would you be open to speaking with me via phone so I can ask you where you ended, and how your experience has played out?
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sna77
We are looking at Newton as one of the towns in our home search for our family of 3 young kids (7, 3, 18 mths). We currently live in Brookline and are looking for a bit more space. We don’t want to go too far from the city, need to be on T or Commuter Rail line (into South Station, not North), and top schools are vital to us... So naturally we considered our neighboring town of Newton. There’s so many things we love on paper about Newton, but I’ve spent the last few weeks talking to people that live there now—all of whom have kids in grade 5 or below. This is a sample of the comments I’ve gotten from other parents:
“We’re looking to move out ASAP. My daughter’s school is so overcrowded that the kindergarten class was held in the cafeteria all last year.”
“The wait list for extended day is a joke. I’ve been trying to get my son in it for 3 years now and never get selected.”
“I heard the people in Waban were trying to preserve their property values by trying to squash newspaper stories about the state of the building of Angier school—it’s so bad the state said it was detrimental to learning.”
“The schools below high school level are generally overcrowded and in serious need of renovation/rebuilding. They have a plan to rebuild all 14 elementary schools in Newton, but currently the timeline is 30 years so most likely neither your kids or my kids will benefit from it. There is no technology curriculum and no foreign language curriculum until middle school. Art program is mediocre. Musical instruments start at 4th grade. It's a nice, convenient place to live. Great neighbors, lots of activities, parks, etc. Good walking town. However, we are planning to move because of dissatisfaction with the schools. I don't think you get your tax's worth in Newton.”
Now I know this is all word of mouth, but it seems like everyone I talk to that lives in Newton with young kids is dissatisfied… It’s stark contrast to the parents in Brookline and Needham that I speak to—who all seem to love their schools.
Anyhow, found a number of sources online, but this one from 2009 sums things up nicely—Newton sold off all of its neighborhood schools a while back, and now the kids are bussed all around town to schools that are filled over capacity:
[URL="http://www.boston.com/yourtown/news/newton/2009/05/newton_sold_off_city_schools_b.html"]Newton sold off city schools back in the 1980's - Newton - Your Town - Boston.com[/URL]
I’d be interested in hearing other’s opinions on this. The small sample size of people I’ve spoken to has me seriously reconsidering the town.
Hello sna77 - we are moving to Boston and racking our brains about Newton vs Weston schools. Can't decide....your chatboard was very informative. Would you be open to speaking with me via phone so I can ask you where you ended, and how your experience has played out?
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This user hasn't posted anything on the site since 2012 so I'm not sure you'll get a response. You could try sending them a direct message (just click on their screen name and select "send direct message" from the menu that pops up).
Regardless, there are other ways to find the information you seek. You can actually talk to the representatives of the school system yourself. Most school systems will also allow you to tour schools as well. There might be other people on here who have personal experience with the school system as well.
Also, I have to ask . . . why Weston and Newton? These are two very, very different places to live. In my experience, most people don't cross shop these two towns. They don't tend to appeal to the same people.
Hello sna77 - we are moving to Boston and racking our brains about Newton vs Weston schools. Can't decide....your chatboard was very informative. Would you be open to speaking with me via phone so I can ask you where you ended, and how your experience has played out?
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MikePRU
This user hasn't posted anything on the site since 2012 so I'm not sure you'll get a response. You could try sending them a direct message (just click on their screen name and select "send direct message" from the menu that pops up).
Regardless, there are other ways to find the information you seek. You can actually talk to the representatives of the school system yourself. Most school systems will also allow you to tour schools as well. There might be other people on here who have personal experience with the school system as well.
Also, I have to ask . . . why Weston and Newton? These are two very, very different places to live. In my experience, most people don't cross shop these two towns. They don't tend to appeal to the same people.
Hi—I received an email notification of your update to the thread so figured I’d respond and help where I can.
We ended up in Wellesley and have been here since last June. It took almost 2 years of searching for the right home, but we found a wonderful home in a great neighborhood with tons of young children (of the 20 homes on the street, there are 48 kids under 12). For the most part, the kids run about the neighborhood from house to house and play freely. It was really everything we could have hoped for, and we were extremely fortunate to find this house. That being said, life is very different than it was in Brookline. Definitely much more of a suburban feel. Not better or worse--just very different. Besides the obvious city/suburb differences, the biggest thing I’ve noticed—especially as a father—is that there appear to be fewer families where both parents work. In Wellesley, if you’re a dad at morning school drop-off, you’re outnumbered 5-1 by the mothers. Brookline was split 50/50. I imagine Weston is very similar to Wellesley in this regard. I agree with Mike—Newton and Weston are very, very different types of towns as well. I see Newton as similar to Wellesley and Brookline in that you have higher population density, smaller lots, more neighborhoods. Weston tends to have larger houses, much larger lots and fewer neighborhoods. There are no neighborhood schools like the other 3 towns---the schools are centrally located and are K-3, 4-5, 6-8.
Regarding my experience with the schools, 2 of my children are halfway through the school year in Wellesley and we are extremely pleased with the schools so far. We have one child in the town's pre-K system, PAWS (Pre School at Wellesley Schools), and think the world of it. It's similar to the Brookline pre-K system, BEEP (Brookline Early Education Program), but has some subtle differences that are worth mentioning. Brookline had pre-K in each of its’ 9 elementary schools. The elementary schools were Pre-K/K thru 8th grade (which I loved). Wellesley has only one pre-K school, which is located adjacent to the elementary school on the easternmost side of town. I wish that it was more centrally located as it’s hard to get to if you live on the western side of town. The hours are also tough--Brookline pre-K started at the same time as the regular elementary school, so if you had kids in both pre-K and the regular elementary school, you could drop them off together. At Wellesley’s PAWS, drop off time is 9:15, which makes it almost impossible for anyone working in the city to ever drop their kids off. When I do make it to PAWS, I have been extremely impressed with both the teaching staff and additional services the school offers.
As for the K-5 schools, my eldest daughter is in 3rd grade at one of the Wellesley elementary schools and loves it so far. Again, there are subtle differences vs Brookline that are simply different—no better or worse—but are worth mentioning. Academically, my eldest was well prepared having done K-2 in Brookline for the Wellesley curriculum. They use a different style of teaching math which took a while for her to adjust to, but she caught on relatively quick. Lunches are different—most people bought school lunch in Brookline, most bring it in Wellesley. Ironically recess in Brookline allowed access to both a playground and field to run around in—Wellesley restricts access to the school’s adjacent field during recess and keeps the kid’s contained to the blacktop and playground. The drop-off / pick-up experience in the Wellesley elementary school is similar to the pre-K one—mostly mom’s in yoga pants who outnumber the fathers threefold.
Also of note—the sports and activities in Wellesley seem superior to that of Brookline. The town has an amazing field complex in the center of town, and our experience with the girls’ soccer program in town has been exceptional—it’s very well run, the coaching staff was fantastic, and just seems extremely well organized.
When I was growing up in Newton each elementary school class had over 30 students. Times have changed! I got a great education, went on to the college and grad school of my choice. Hmmm.
Hi—I received an email notification of your update to the thread so figured I’d respond and help where I can.
We ended up in Wellesley and have been here since last June. It took almost 2 years of searching for the right home, but we found a wonderful home in a great neighborhood with tons of young children (of the 20 homes on the street, there are 48 kids under 12). For the most part, the kids run about the neighborhood from house to house and play freely. It was really everything we could have hoped for, and we were extremely fortunate to find this house. That being said, life is very different than it was in Brookline. Definitely much more of a suburban feel. Not better or worse--just very different. Besides the obvious city/suburb differences, the biggest thing I’ve noticed—especially as a father—is that there appear to be fewer families where both parents work. In Wellesley, if you’re a dad at morning school drop-off, you’re outnumbered 5-1 by the mothers. Brookline was split 50/50. I imagine Weston is very similar to Wellesley in this regard. I agree with Mike—Newton and Weston are very, very different types of towns as well. I see Newton as similar to Wellesley and Brookline in that you have higher population density, smaller lots, more neighborhoods. Weston tends to have larger houses, much larger lots and fewer neighborhoods. There are no neighborhood schools like the other 3 towns---the schools are centrally located and are K-3, 4-5, 6-8.
Regarding my experience with the schools, 2 of my children are halfway through the school year in Wellesley and we are extremely pleased with the schools so far. We have one child in the town's pre-K system, PAWS (Pre School at Wellesley Schools), and think the world of it. It's similar to the Brookline pre-K system, BEEP (Brookline Early Education Program), but has some subtle differences that are worth mentioning. Brookline had pre-K in each of its’ 9 elementary schools. The elementary schools were Pre-K/K thru 8th grade (which I loved). Wellesley has only one pre-K school, which is located adjacent to the elementary school on the easternmost side of town. I wish that it was more centrally located as it’s hard to get to if you live on the western side of town. The hours are also tough--Brookline pre-K started at the same time as the regular elementary school, so if you had kids in both pre-K and the regular elementary school, you could drop them off together. At Wellesley’s PAWS, drop off time is 9:15, which makes it almost impossible for anyone working in the city to ever drop their kids off. When I do make it to PAWS, I have been extremely impressed with both the teaching staff and additional services the school offers.
As for the K-5 schools, my eldest daughter is in 3rd grade at one of the Wellesley elementary schools and loves it so far. Again, there are subtle differences vs Brookline that are simply different—no better or worse—but are worth mentioning. Academically, my eldest was well prepared having done K-2 in Brookline for the Wellesley curriculum. They use a different style of teaching math which took a while for her to adjust to, but she caught on relatively quick. Lunches are different—most people bought school lunch in Brookline, most bring it in Wellesley. Ironically recess in Brookline allowed access to both a playground and field to run around in—Wellesley restricts access to the school’s adjacent field during recess and keeps the kid’s contained to the blacktop and playground. The drop-off / pick-up experience in the Wellesley elementary school is similar to the pre-K one—mostly mom’s in yoga pants who outnumber the fathers threefold.
Also of note—the sports and activities in Wellesley seem superior to that of Brookline. The town has an amazing field complex in the center of town, and our experience with the girls’ soccer program in town has been exceptional—it’s very well run, the coaching staff was fantastic, and just seems extremely well organized.
Hope this helps.
Welcome back! I'm glad you had the email alert setup for updates to the discussion. So many people just disappear and are never heard from again.
I also hear great things about the PAWS program from people I know who live in Wellesley. It's hard go wrong with a lot of the towns that have been mentioned.
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I do have an agent btw, but really just prefer to look at Open Houses, then bring him in when I see something I like. No use dragging him acros the city for months when I understand the market and know exactly what I want... 
question about your post about newton schools
