Lexington,MA (home, neighborhood, middle school)

[airedaly]

It is also not true that the high school kids are rich - most have jobs at local shops. My kids worked at the garden centers in town and did babysitting. We are NOT rich. And, my kids never went to a psychiatrist or had drug/drinking problems. Again, it comes down to good parenting. The parents who are wrapped up in their own lives and let the kids run wild usually have problems. But the involved parents I know have great kids. Most of the kids i know at LHS are wonderful, smart, caring kids. There is an award-winning music department and a really amazing theatre department. One of my best friends is a single mom with two kids at LHS. They certainly don't have lots of money and still love the school and have lots of friends.

[house searching]

My husband and I are thinking of moving to Lexington and would need a good commute to the Longwood medical area. What would be the best part of Lexington for that type of commute, and what would be the shortest route at rush hour. Was wondering if living near 95, and taking that to Rt 9 would save some time since there might be less traffic that way than going through Fresh Pond.

[puffle]

Originally Posted by airedaly

It is also not true that the high school kids are rich - most have jobs at local shops. My kids worked at the garden centers in town and did babysitting. We are NOT rich. And, my kids never went to a psychiatrist or had drug/drinking problems. Again, it comes down to good parenting. The parents who are wrapped up in their own lives and let the kids run wild usually have problems. But the involved parents I know have great kids. Most of the kids i know at LHS are wonderful, smart, caring kids. There is an award-winning music department and a really amazing theatre department. One of my best friends is a single mom with two kids at LHS. They certainly don't have lots of money and still love the school and have lots of friends.

Thanks Airedaly. It is helpful to others out there to know that Lexington is not a one size fits all town. There are rentals there as well. We rented at Katahdin Woods and liked it very much. My son is really set on moving back and we will if we can find an affordable rental that will take our dogs, and my husband, we will.

[RAND915]

Originally Posted by puffle

Rand, Any other high schools you could recommend for my son? A more accepting school as you probably would have liked and one that is involved in the community would be good. Would love a school that is welcoming to new kids whether they have bucks or not, especially since at the moment we do not.????????

Hi Puffle,

I would shop around at the various schools. I was writing about my own high school experience (what I saw) ten years ago. My cousins were at LHS 10 years before that. We all turned out fine. LHS is a large school, with many different types of people. I liked LHS; for me, it worked. The population was large enough that it wasn't really "clique-y". My HS boyfriend lived in Weston and their graduating class was just around 100 students; we had over 400. I think he'll be fine there. They have a lot to offer. Like any other school, there are going to be nice people, and not so nice people. He's bound to find a group at LHS - there are so many! My brothers went to Minuteman Tech (now Minuteman School for Applied Arts and Sciences) and did excellent. One is an engineer (electrical and computer, on his way to an MBA) and the other is a Graphic Designer. They had a strong resume going into college and got better jobs when they finished college. High school is what you make of it, wherever you go.

airedaly: I did not say that all the kids were rich. I was not (and am not yet) rich. I did not say that all the kids did drugs. I was telling what I saw in my school, when I was a student, ten years ago. I know that my cousins, who were there ten years prior to me, saw the same things. I am just trying to give a more rounded view from a former student (not just the good stuff) to Puffle. P.S. Great job on pointing out the music department - it IS awesome!

[findingmesomeday]

Originally Posted by JxA

Yes Puffle, I moved a long time ago, although I still own property there.
By the way, your earlier comment about "...this is news to me..."
probably reveals more that you don't know the town that well or don't
keep informed. Which is OK (frankly, it's probably better to live an insulated life).
Surely you've heard about the recent lawsuit against the Lexington School system where an individual wants to be notified when "questionable" material is presented to his children ? I really sympathize with this guy. Another example of not only an arrogant school system but of the tension in that town. There have been lawsuits in the past too, one I recall resulted in the School Administrator being let go (or urged to leave) which she did. But despite all of this, there are alot of good people in town, trying, but I'm afraid fighting a losing battle.

Ugh! I remember that controversy. Put Lexington schools on the map and I don't mean in a good way. When we moved here 10 years ago, we really were hoping to live in Lexington but quickly found out we couldn't afford it so we went elsewhere where we thought the schools were just as strong. I'm very happy we made that decision. I have a friend who spent 3 years out here (military family) from CA and they lived in Lexington and she had some horror stories to tell about the schools. Not that the education was bad. But sometimes, you can take liberalism too far---even in MA.

[findingmesomeday]

[quote=Valley;605957]Sounds like someone who has never lived in Lexington. Actually, most
Lexington High grad's go to U. Mass (last time I checked) , but that's
probably as good as Harvard for the same student anyway.
[quote]


Wow, that is surprising since Lexington fancies itself such a great school system. Our little town graduates about 150-175 students a year. Ten percent get into Ivy League Many, many others get into "tier 1" schools (UVA, UNC, William and Mary and the competitive private schools just under Ivy League, such as Bates, Bowdoin, etc.). The others all go to very decent colleges with about 10-15 going to UMass. The town paper publishes the list every year. And in the 10 years I've lived here, 100% of the graduating seniors have gone on to 4year colleges.

I wanted to add for Puffle: If you haven't yet made your mind up about towns and you are looking for something not too far off the beaten path (i.e., good access to 128, trains, etc.), I'd recommend Needham. It's a bit cheaper than Lexington and the school system is excellent.

[puffle]

[quote=webfootma;1062616][quote=Valley;605957]Sounds like someone who has never lived in Lexington. Actually, most
Lexington High grad's go to U. Mass (last time I checked) , but that's
probably as good as Harvard for the same student anyway.

Wow, that is surprising since Lexington fancies itself such a great school system. Our little town graduates about 150-175 students a year. Ten percent get into Ivy League Many, many others get into "tier 1" schools (UVA, UNC, William and Mary and the competitive private schools just under Ivy League, such as Bates, Bowdoin, etc.). The others all go to very decent colleges with about 10-15 going to UMass. The town paper publishes the list every year. And in the 10 years I've lived here, 100% of the graduating seniors have gone on to 4year colleges.

I wanted to add for Puffle: If you haven't yet made your mind up about towns and you are looking for something not too far off the beaten path (i.e., good access to 128, trains, etc.), I'd recommend Needham. It's a bit cheaper than Lexington and the school system is excellent.

I appreciate that Webfootma. Would you say that where you live is comparable price wise (rental) to Needham?

[findingmesomeday]

It's probably a bit cheaper where I live Puffle because we're not as conviently located to the train and Rte 128--we're bit farther out. But being a small town, rentals are not that easy to find here, though they do pop up. PM me and I can put you in touch with a great agent who can help you find a rental. It's probably easier to find a rental in Needham because the town is so much larger.

We know quite a few Needham families through various kids' activities and the kids there seem very down-to-earth. The kids here are down-to-earth to for the most part. It's the parents that can get hoity-toity. LOL!

I think you'd love the school system here though.

[wheelz]

I've lived in MA for 43 years and have owned a business near Lexington for years. If you like Snobby, Yuppie types who like to mind everyone's business more than their own and drive a huge SUV or a way over priced car and love to spend a huge amount of money on property taxes and not get to see the return from your investment, I would say Lexington, Concord, Lincoln or Weston would be paradise!

[cocoaday]

I live in Lexington and I love it! I am certainly not rich and I don't drive a huge SUV! I have a small compact 13 year old car! I think it's a great town and we have wonderful neighbors and great schools.