Choosing an imperfect school system (Boston, Cambridge: renting, daycare, house)

[plaiddad]

I have a variation of the ubiquitous "where should I live?" question for you all.



We live in central Mass and I am starting a job in Cambridge shortly and we are trying to decide where to buy a house to be closer to the new job. My commute to the old job is currently 1:15 (1:45 if I drop the kid off at preschool) and it is a constant source of tension that the spouse is the one that has to mostly deal with the kid (daycare is on the way to her close-by work). She wants us to move to Natick which would maintain the commute status quo.



My wife has basically decided on Natick because of the school system.


I want to minimize my commute and really like the idea of my kid eventually having access to public transportation into Boston/Cambridge because it is something I wish I had as a kid. My opinion is that Massachusetts schools are excellent and as long as we are picking a district that is average for Massachusetts, it is an acceptable trade-off for less commute, better access to public transport, diverse experiences, etc.


On the basis of cost, we are limited to Natick (60' commute), Waltham(35'), Medford(30'), Malden(35'), and the low-end therein; budget is around 500k. I prefer Malden or Medford because of ease of access to public transport but at least Waltham is less of a commute than Natick.



Can someone point me to some data or expert opinions that either support or refute my opinion? (if I am wrong, that is fine too) I came across a mention of some academic work by Sean Reardon that suggest looking at student-by-student test score improvement over several years which seems to basically be what the SGP score on the new MCAS is trying to capture. (Also he mentions Malden as a good district). My kid is fairly average presently but does have some mild mobility issues she mostly overcomes now but that could be a true special need down the line. She is starting kindergarten.


So, I need hard data and/or academic research to support (or refute) my preference. I feel like there is never one correct answer and and happy to do my best with whatever I have but the spouse is completely the opposite, uncompromising (and I would not change that for anything) so I need hard data. Literally, charts are being produced.



At the bottom is a small slice of the new MCAS data.



Thanks all. I'm happy to hear opinions too!

town test meet+exceed PartMeet % Does not meet Ave scaled score Ave SGP
Medford MATH 40 46 14 494.2 53.7
Medford ELA 49 40 11 499.2 51.6
Cambridge MATH 52 37 12 501.4 52
Cambridge ELA 60 31 9 506.9 55.6
Malden MATH 42 43 15 494.8 53.3
Malden ELA 48 39 13 498.4 55.5
Natick MATH 64 30 7 506.7 57.5
Natick ELA 64 30 6 506.7 52.9
Somerville MATH 45 38 17 496.3 51.2
Somerville ELA 49 36 16 499.1 54.9
Brookline MATH 73 22 5 511.7 60.4
Brookline ELA 75 21 3 514.6 63.1
Westford MATH 77 21 2 513.4 50.5
Westford ELA 74 23 3 511.6 52.4
Acton-Boxborough MATH 72 24 5 512.7 58.8
Acton-Boxborough ELA 73 24 4 513.3 58.9
Waltham MATH 44 42 14 496.5 55
Waltham ELA 48 39 13 498.8 52.1

[panchilly]

Why bother work in cambridge? 500k budget will not go far in any of the towns mentioned. You are probably better off working on 128 or 495 and living on 495. 500k can get you a decent house (nothing fancy) in a good school town on 495. 500k will only get you a low end starter house in Natick or Waltham.


I live in Natick and i agree Natick -> Kendall at 8am is 1hr. I personally leave et 9:00-9:15 and my commute is 40-45min.

Watham->Kendall is 45minutes leaving at 8am. 35 leaving at 9:00.

Honestly traffic is becoming a nightmare in Cambridge now with all the new companies. The roads can't handle it. A coworker of mine (who lives in arlington) told me that it takes 50min to drive in to the office at 8am. I checked google maps and surprisingly he was RIGHT! The roads coming from that direction are a nightmare and way over capacity. It's all 2 lane roads with tons of traffic lights. Fresh pond parkway is a joke of a road: 4 lanes 2 each direction it is a parking lot already. Both the public transit and road networks in Boston/Cambridge are a joke.

personally, i'm planning on getting the hell out of Cambridge it will only get worse. I'll be starting a new job search soon and focusing on locations along 128 primarily. Cambridge isn't worth it when i can make MORE money and have 1/2 of the commute.

[plaiddad]

Originally Posted by panchilly

Why bother work in cambridge? 500k budget will not go far in any of the towns mentioned. You are probably better off working on 128 or 495 and living on 495. 500k can get you a decent house (nothing fancy) in a good school town on 495.


I live in Natick and i agree Natick -> Kendall at 8am is 1hr. I personally leave et 9:00-9:15 and my commute is 40-45min.

Watham->Kendall is 45minutes leaving at 8am. 35 leaving at 9:00.

Honestly traffic is becoming a nightmare in Cambridge now with all the new companies. The roads can't handle it. A coworker of mine (who lives in arlington) told me that it takes 50min to drive in to the office at 8am. I checked google maps and surprisingly he was RIGHT! The roads coming from that direction are a nightmare and way over capacity.

personally, i'm planning on getting the hell out of Cambridge it will only get worse.

Thanks.



Certainly a reasonable take on it but that part is decided for now. There are other considerations for location too that your point touches on- Waltham/ Natick would be more accessible to things around 95 for instance. Also, living in Medford could be a 40' bike ride which I would prefer to a 40' drive, most of the year.


And these are all things i'm thinking of that are not related to the school district.

[Dm84]

She wants to move somewhere that will maintain the same aggravation you have now. What's the point?

[plaiddad]

Originally Posted by Dm84

She wants to move somewhere that will maintain the same aggravation you have now. What's the point?

I take it for granted that her GOAL is not simply to maintain the aggravation; she wants what is best for the kid.

I am starting at a new job and Natick would be about the same commute to the new job as I have now to the old job (1hr). The old house is too far to commute to the new job.

[panchilly]

Originally Posted by plaiddad

I take it for granted that her GOAL is not simply to maintain the aggravation; she wants what is best for the kid.

I am starting at a new job and Natick would be about the same commute to the new job as I have now to the old job (1hr). The old house is too far to commute to the new job.

Where is the old house?

[panchilly]

By the way i went to one of the school systems on your list. One of the better (best?) ones on that list. Although i didn't appreciate it at the time, now that i'm in my mid 30s and established in my career i can look back and honestly say that i benefited greatly from that top-tier school system. Huge numbers of my classmates are now millionaires and even billionaires.

I wouldn't chance it with your kids education. I think your wife is right - school systems do matter. Get into a town with a good school district and if you don't like your commute change your job. You can't get a good commute into Boston/Cambridge with a good school without spending well in excess of $1m and even then the house will be a starter home.

[bohemka]

Originally Posted by panchilly

Where is the old house?

Too far.

[plaiddad]

Originally Posted by bohemka

Too far.

Correction. WAY too far.


Edit: and in an exceptionally bad school system. (we're renting)

[gf2020]

I don't have any statistical data but I can share anecdotal evidence.

We have good friends who live in Medford, she is a school principal in Malden, and could afford to live in a tonier suburb like Andover, etc., but they choose to live in Medford because of proximity to jobs, family and Boston. All 4 kids are in the Medford public schools and do just fine.

I think many folks here on C-D get caught up on top tier towns and school systems while ignoring the fact that every year tens of thousands of students graduate from all of the high schools in Massachusetts, go on to college, and then continue on to become productive members of society. Same thing happens in every state. Education starts at home. If that is not happening then it really doesn't matter where you live.