Best school system near Boston (Newton, Brookline: low income, home, neighborhood)

[meltinjohn]

Chelmsford they always said had one of the best school systems but I think it had overrated written all over it. Its really hard to say if a school system that is believed to be bad really is tho. Some people still graduate HS a smart kid even going to a not so good school system.

[Calla]

Where are you going to be working? Commuting times can vary significantly depending on where you are heading. A 10 mile commute from some places can take an hour to get downtown. Knowing where you will work could help us narrow the list for you a bit.

Other towns for you to look are Winchester or Lexington. The schools have a great reputation (although not quite as good as Weston which really stands above all others) and have more of a small town feel than Newton or Wellesley. Although if you are looking for a large lot, Lincoln or Concord will get you more for your money.

[smarty]

Originally Posted by CarolineS

Brookline would also be good for you, as it is not a "snooty" community at all. People there are extremely down to earth. If I had to (once again subjectively) rate the towns by that characteristic, my ratings would be adjusted as follows:

1. Needham
2. Brookline
3. Wellesley
4. Newton (although the north side is generally better than the south)

I would still recommend checking out private schools. Many have more flexible tuitions than it would appear. I went to one, and it gave out a LOT of "need based" scholarships, just like a college.
To put this all in perspective, I grew up in Newton and graduated from high school in 2004.

Very interesting... If you ask parents about Newton North or Newton South high school... I think you will hear the opposite regarding which side is better. Btw... Newton North wants to build a palace.. it is shot down... and may not have a new high school ($186million or $100K/student) until the budget is resolved.
Discontent builds over $186m school - The Boston Globe

I guess Brookline... is not snotty at all... They even allow affordable housing at Fisher Hill...

[MontanaTripper]

Well, we just returned from MA. Wow, I love that state. We spent a week at the Cape and the people were NICE.

Anyway, thanks for your answers. Some responses:

We would work in the Waltham area.

We drove around and I loved Lincoln; the feel and the homes are wonderful. I liked Concord, too, but did feel like I had to have the right bag and to leave my "Montana Moose Drool Brewing Co" baseball hat at home.

It was interesting to see how special and rural places can be so close to Boston. Most of the little towns we drove throgh seemed like good choices for kids, no matter what. [Let's just say that while Weston was not my cup of tea, I wouldn't feel sorry for a kid living there....]

I will look into private schools, although with three kids even a reduced tuition sends us to the poor house. I would rather spend a little more on a house and send them all to solid public school.

MT

[Xenos]

For a quick review of the educational reputation of different communities, check out the education data at Massstats.org . The data is nearly a decade old, but it would be a good place to start.

You can get updates on the towns that look promising by looking at the mcas scores at the Department of Education: Directory Profiles - Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

There may be good rental housing in West Newton (zip code 02465) now that the bloom is off the speculative rose that drove even marginal Newton homes into the stratosphere. 3 bed houses there start at around $400k

[anjalivellody]

We are looking to move to the Boston area in the next couple of months and found this thread to be useful and interesting. A few more questions

1. Which neighbourhood would offer my kids ( 6 and 1) enough space to play and interact, be safe and is relatively modestly priced?

2. I heard Acton has good elementary school but I am not sure how it would be commutig to Boston downtown every day?
We would like to be not to far away from the city if we can afford it.

3. Which of the public elementary schools in the suburbs is diverse and inclusive?

Any comments, suggestions are welcome..
AV

[FinkieMcGee]

Originally Posted by anjalivellody

We are looking to move to the Boston area in the next couple of months and found this thread to be useful and interesting. A few more questions

1. Which neighbourhood would offer my kids ( 6 and 1) enough space to play and interact, be safe and is relatively modestly priced?

2. I heard Acton has good elementary school but I am not sure how it would be commutig to Boston downtown every day?
We would like to be not to far away from the city if we can afford it.

3. Which of the public elementary schools in the suburbs is diverse and inclusive?

Any comments, suggestions are welcome..
AV

Acton is a hike to get to Boston. 45 minute commute without traffic to get into Boston. And you're going on Route 2, and this is NOT against traffic, so I can't even predict how bad it would be during Rush hour. I drove regularly against traffic from Arlington and that was a 30-40 minute commute. On top of that it's 25 miles outside, so I don't even know how much you would pay in gas/parking a year since that's like a gallon of gas each way.

For your sanity find a place that's closer. Look inside the 128 belt. Winchester, Lexington, Quincy, whatever.

What do you mean by diverse and inclusive?

[ceridwen xavier]

I realize this is an old post but for anyone seeking advice on the Internet and considering old threads... I moved to Sherborn in my Sophomore year and was sent to the regional high school in Dover. Between the two towns in terms of friendliness I'd recommend Dover, but that isn't saying much. The Dover kids were slightly more friendly and the Sherborn kids looked down on the Dover kids.

Sherborn was the hardest school to break into I had ever experienced (and I had experienced a lot! I knew ALL about being the "new kid" and getting resettled...). There was another girl there who had moved the same time as me who was a cheerleader, very outgoing, used to being very popular -- and she cried daily in the homeroom teacher's office because she couldn't make any friends. I ended up taking all my lunches in the library because when I'd try to sit with anyone they would tell me to leave or get up and walk away. After 3 months I gave up... I moved back briefly with three of my own children who had the same problems in Sherborn elementary schools. The black children bussed in from the city were supposedly poor "because they came from the city" and were bussed but if they got mud on their Adidas they had new ones the next day -- something I certainly could not do with my own children and not a lesson I wanted to teach them anyway. At that time my youngest brother was still in high school and like most kids there was a wannabe gangsta and there was ample money leading to ample access to drugs and alcohol...

Maybe it's better now -- years have passed since my kids were that young and my family mostly moved away from Sherborn/Dover. I was told by the school guidance counselor that I would view it differently after a year and again as an adult... I still consider it the worst time of my life. Behind the facade of perfect expensive houses were as many problems as I found elsewhere... It was beautiful, but I am glad I didn't stay to raise my kids there.

[rochcali]

Montana Tripper, you could also look at the Masconomet towns - Boxford, Topsfield and Middleton.

[MikePRU]

Originally Posted by ceridwen xavier

I realize this is an old post but for anyone seeking advice on the Internet and considering old threads...

It's never a bad idea to start a new thread to offer your opinion. Chances are if someone digs up a 4 year old thread it's because they used the search function. This being the case they would likely see your new thread as well. Starting new threads prevents this . . .

Originally Posted by rochcali

Montana Tripper, you could also look at the Masconomet towns - Boxford, Topsfield and Middleton.

I would hope in four years that the OP has found a place to settle.