Which do you prefer: Belmont or Lexington? (Boston, Cambridge: credit, buy)

[semiurbanite]

Originally Posted by chicagoliz

Lexington has the whole cult mentality with their schools, but my impression is that Belmont schools are just as well thought of and just as good.

In other words, a pressure-cooker school district. I have a friend living there and evidently having a personal tutor is very common. Does a school district really deserve so much credit when it's full of wealthy kids with private tutors?

[chicagoliz]

Originally Posted by semiurbanite

In other words, a pressure-cooker school district. I have a friend living there and evidently having a personal tutor is very common. Does a school district really deserve so much credit when it's full of wealthy kids with private tutors?

Yes, I understand that Lex is almost the poster child for 'pressure cooker school district,' although what I really meant about the 'cult mentality' was the idea that a lot of people connected to Lexington seem to have about their schools. I mean, they're rightfully proud of them. They seem to be very good. But I sensed from many folks (especially from Lex realtors) that this was extreme -- like, they were so far the absolute best, and of course anyone with a lick of sense would do anything to get into them, because any other town's school system would be far inferior. And you would only choose a different town if you simply could not afford to get into Lex, or you really just didn't care that much about your child's education.

We were looking in Arlington, too, and multiple times when we mentioned that to real estate agents, they'd grimace, and say, "oh, yes, well you could go to Arlington, but the schools..."

From everyone else we heard that Arlington schools were very good, and every ranking we saw indicated they were quite good.

I agree that sure, Lexington schools are very good, but I just don't buy that they are any better than those in any other school district with similar demographics. (And, the full-of-themselves attitude carries over into their policies. From what I understand, Lexington will not allow your kid to start in their schools until you have actually settled on and moved into your house, if you're moving into the district. No exceptions for any reason. Contrast this with Needham, which would allow you to start your kid in the schools as long as you had an executed P&S. Heaven forbid someone should get a single day of instruction without actually living yet in the district. I know there is fraud, but come on. There are ways to deal with it, and their balancing of considerations is out of whack.)

[Parsec]

Originally Posted by chicagoliz

Yes, I understand that Lex is almost the poster child for 'pressure cooker school district,' although what I really meant about the 'cult mentality' was the idea that a lot of people connected to Lexington seem to have about their schools. I mean, they're rightfully proud of them. They seem to be very good. But I sensed from many folks (especially from Lex realtors) that this was extreme -- like, they were so far the absolute best, and of course anyone with a lick of sense would do anything to get into them, because any other town's school system would be far inferior. And you would only choose a different town if you simply could not afford to get into Lex, or you really just didn't care that much about your child's education.

Haha, this reminds me of a conversation I had with a lady whose kid was taking weekend extra-curriculars with my kid. She was from Lexington and when she found out I lived in Sudbury she said "But why don't you live in Lexington? It's not that much more expensive... don't you care about your kid's education?" She was genuinely confused that I chose Sudbury instead of Lexington, nevermind the fact that those 2 towns aren't even in the same geographic vicinity (and yes, Lexington IS a lot more expensive!). I'm sure she's not the only one in Lexington who has this mentality. It's like you said - many residents have been brainwashed to think that way and they come off as cult members when they talk about their school system.

[timberline742]

Originally Posted by Parsec

Haha, this reminds me of a conversation I had with a lady whose kid was taking weekend extra-curriculars with my kid. She was from Lexington and when she found out I lived in Sudbury she said "But why don't you live in Lexington? It's not that much more expensive... don't you care about your kid's education?" She was genuinely confused that I chose Sudbury instead of Lexington, nevermind the fact that those 2 towns aren't even in the same geographic vicinity. I'm sure she's not the only one in Lexington who has this mentality.

Bizarre. Just bizarre. And a little scary!

[chicagoliz]

Originally Posted by Parsec

Haha, this reminds me of a conversation I had with a lady whose kid was taking weekend extra-curriculars with my kid. She was from Lexington and when she found out I lived in Sudbury she said "But why don't you live in Lexington? It's not that much more expensive... don't you care about your kid's education?" She was genuinely confused that I chose Sudbury instead of Lexington, nevermind the fact that those 2 towns aren't even in the same geographic vicinity (and yes, Lexington IS a lot more expensive!). I'm sure she's not the only one in Lexington who has this mentality. It's like you said - many residents have been brainwashed to think that way and they come off as cult members when they talk about their school system.

So funny to read this anecdote and have my impression so precisely confirmed.

[semiurbanite]

Originally Posted by Parsec

Haha, this reminds me of a conversation I had with a lady whose kid was taking weekend extra-curriculars with my kid. She was from Lexington and when she found out I lived in Sudbury she said "But why don't you live in Lexington? It's not that much more expensive... don't you care about your kid's education?" She was genuinely confused that I chose Sudbury instead of Lexington, nevermind the fact that those 2 towns aren't even in the same geographic vicinity (and yes, Lexington IS a lot more expensive!). I'm sure she's not the only one in Lexington who has this mentality. It's like you said - many residents have been brainwashed to think that way and they come off as cult members when they talk about their school system.

Crazy. And then there is the reality:

1. A privately tutored child in Lexington might actually have a BETTER chance of getting into a Ivy if the go to Arlington High due to the caps Ivys place on certain high-achieving schools.
2. The top 2 colleges for Lexington grads are UMass Amherst and Northeastern
3. Several Somerville and Cambridge elementary schools have non-low income MCAS scores on par and sometimes higher than the average in Lexington.

[tysmith95]

Originally Posted by semiurbanite

Crazy. And then there is the reality:

1. A privately tutored child in Lexington might actually have a BETTER chance of getting into a Ivy if the go to Arlington High due to the caps Ivys place on certain high-achieving schools.
2. The top 2 colleges for Lexington grads are UMass Amherst and Northeastern
3. Several Somerville and Cambridge elementary schools have non-low income MCAS scores on par and sometimes higher than the average in Lexington.

Parents put way too much emphasis on what schools are the "best". Any average or above school district in Massachusetts will provide a good education, I would have no hesitation sending my future kids to Watertown schools for example. I believe that MCAS scores and other measures of the "best" schools are more indicative of the economic status of the parents than they are indicative of the quality of the school district. I personally know a person from Lawrence Massachusetts who attended MIT. That's a rare example and I would never want to put my future kids into Lawrence schools but with the right parents kids can do well anywhere.

[sal1181]

Originally Posted by chicagoliz

Yes, I understand that Lex is almost the poster child for 'pressure cooker school district,' although what I really meant about the 'cult mentality' was the idea that a lot of people connected to Lexington seem to have about their schools. I mean, they're rightfully proud of them. They seem to be very good. But I sensed from many folks (especially from Lex realtors) that this was extreme -- like, they were so far the absolute best, and of course anyone with a lick of sense would do anything to get into them, because any other town's school system would be far inferior. And you would only choose a different town if you simply could not afford to get into Lex, or you really just didn't care that much about your child's education.

We were looking in Arlington, too, and multiple times when we mentioned that to real estate agents, they'd grimace, and say, "oh, yes, well you could go to Arlington, but the schools..."

From everyone else we heard that Arlington schools were very good, and every ranking we saw indicated they were quite good.

I agree that sure, Lexington schools are very good, but I just don't buy that they are any better than those in any other school district with similar demographics. (And, the full-of-themselves attitude carries over into their policies. From what I understand, Lexington will not allow your kid to start in their schools until you have actually settled on and moved into your house, if you're moving into the district. No exceptions for any reason. Contrast this with Needham, which would allow you to start your kid in the schools as long as you had an executed P&S. Heaven forbid someone should get a single day of instruction without actually living yet in the district. I know there is fraud, but come on. There are ways to deal with it, and their balancing of considerations is out of whack.)

I don't understand why agents can't seem to follow the rules. We are not suppose to be steering people away from a town because of the schools. We can get sued by just saying such things. I've sold homes in Lawrence, Lowell and I don't steer anyone away. If that's where they want to live then it's up to them

[aries4118]

Originally Posted by chicagoliz

I didn't mean to imply that you did. But I did think that perhaps you had heard otherwise or had a different opinion.




We have a 6th grader, and we picked Newton. A big part of it was access to the T, and walkability to some businesses. I really wanted him to be able to utilize those -- he has a half day soon and has been very excited about hanging out with his friends and going to lunch and then taking the T back home.

You have me curious, though, as to why you started the thread? Are you just wondering about the impressions of the towns? Do you live in one of the towns? Are you thinking of moving to one of the towns?

I am wondering about the impressions of the towns.
Reason: As many have similarly expressed above, I have a former colleague/semi-friend that is all about "the Lexington above all else" mentality. I've always thought they were relatively similar in appeal/prestige. I want to see what people really think instead of just listening to a possibly misguided individual.

[aries4118]

Originally Posted by sawyer2

We live in Belmont so are biased .... after we narrowed down our list we ending up cross shopping against Newton Center and Arlington based on what was important to us. We spent the last 15+ years in Boston (with 2 young kids the last few) so were looking for more of a semi-urban rather than the full suburban experience.

We did not include Lexington in our short list primarily due to longer commutes to Cambridge where I work, less walkability, less proximity/access to Boston, more suburban than we wanted.

Also, we had heard some negative stories from friends about the intense pressure in Lexington school system whereas people we knew with kids in Belmont were very happy - may just be anecdotal/sample size but heard consistent message from a good few people.

I think our search criteria were very similar to Chicagoliz .... and we also like the idea of our teenagers having some semblance of mobility in the future (that isn't just being chauffered around).

Lexington is great but didn't seem to be a great fit for us .... and we are very happy so far with our Belmont decision.

Originally Posted by semiurbanite

In other words, a pressure-cooker school district. I have a friend living there and evidently having a personal tutor is very common. Does a school district really deserve so much credit when it's full of wealthy kids with private tutors?

Originally Posted by chicagoliz

Yes, I understand that Lex is almost the poster child for 'pressure cooker school district,' although what I really meant about the 'cult mentality' was the idea that a lot of people connected to Lexington seem to have about their schools. I mean, they're rightfully proud of them. They seem to be very good. But I sensed from many folks (especially from Lex realtors) that this was extreme -- like, they were so far the absolute best, and of course anyone with a lick of sense would do anything to get into them, because any other town's school system would be far inferior. And you would only choose a different town if you simply could not afford to get into Lex, or you really just didn't care that much about your child's education.

We were looking in Arlington, too, and multiple times when we mentioned that to real estate agents, they'd grimace, and say, "oh, yes, well you could go to Arlington, but the schools..."

From everyone else we heard that Arlington schools were very good, and every ranking we saw indicated they were quite good.

I agree that sure, Lexington schools are very good, but I just don't buy that they are any better than those in any other school district with similar demographics. (And, the full-of-themselves attitude carries over into their policies. From what I understand, Lexington will not allow your kid to start in their schools until you have actually settled on and moved into your house, if you're moving into the district. No exceptions for any reason. Contrast this with Needham, which would allow you to start your kid in the schools as long as you had an executed P&S. Heaven forbid someone should get a single day of instruction without actually living yet in the district. I know there is fraud, but come on. There are ways to deal with it, and their balancing of considerations is out of whack.)

Originally Posted by Parsec

Haha, this reminds me of a conversation I had with a lady whose kid was taking weekend extra-curriculars with my kid. She was from Lexington and when she found out I lived in Sudbury she said "But why don't you live in Lexington? It's not that much more expensive... don't you care about your kid's education?" She was genuinely confused that I chose Sudbury instead of Lexington, nevermind the fact that those 2 towns aren't even in the same geographic vicinity (and yes, Lexington IS a lot more expensive!). I'm sure she's not the only one in Lexington who has this mentality. It's like you said - many residents have been brainwashed to think that way and they come off as cult members when they talk about their school system.

Originally Posted by timberline742

Bizarre. Just bizarre. And a little scary!

Originally Posted by chicagoliz

So funny to read this anecdote and have my impression so precisely confirmed.

Originally Posted by semiurbanite

Crazy. And then there is the reality:

1. A privately tutored child in Lexington might actually have a BETTER chance of getting into a Ivy if the go to Arlington High due to the caps Ivys place on certain high-achieving schools.
2. The top 2 colleges for Lexington grads are UMass Amherst and Northeastern
3. Several Somerville and Cambridge elementary schools have non-low income MCAS scores on par and sometimes higher than the average in Lexington.

Originally Posted by tysmith95

Parents put way too much emphasis on what schools are the "best". Any average or above school district in Massachusetts will provide a good education, I would have no hesitation sending my future kids to Watertown schools for example. I believe that MCAS scores and other measures of the "best" schools are more indicative of the economic status of the parents than they are indicative of the quality of the school district. I personally know a person from Lawrence Massachusetts who attended MIT. That's a rare example and I would never want to put my future kids into Lawrence schools but with the right parents kids can do well anywhere.

Great commentary, everyone. And interesting.