Alternative to Plymouth Canton Schools (Ann Arbor, Livonia: school district, live in, shop)

alyssacharters · 12-20-2010, 07:51 AM

My twins will be ready for kindergarten next year. We live Canton, but are in the Van Buren Public School district. I'm interested in finding a school in the Canton area. Are there any alternatives to the PCCS district? We're already on the list for Canton Charter and Achieve Charter, but I'm afraid our chances are slim given past lotteries.

Are there any other schools in the area to consider?
Are there any websites (other than greatschools) that can help in my search?

Thanks in advance for your replies!!

alyssacharters · 01-03-2011, 06:23 AM

Coldjensens · 01-03-2011, 09:21 AM

Just curious, why do you want out of the Plymouth Canton school system? They are considered excellent schools. Are you looking for a crummier school system? I think that parts of Canton are in the Wayne/Western (or something like that) district. That is a mediochre district at best if that is what you are looking for. You could look for school of choice schools nearby, but not many are better. Ann Arbor has some better schools, and Northville as well, Novi maybe too (not sure if Novi is much better). I do not know whether any of those are school of choice schools, but I doubt that they are.

It is hard to do much better than Plymouth Canton.

the_muse · 01-03-2011, 01:36 PM

Plymouth Canton schools are very good. They are considered to be better than any of the schools within a close distance to you. That is not to put down any of the other districts nearby... but I have taught and worked with many teachers & students in most of the districts in that area, and P/C is one of the very best in the area.

canudigit · 01-03-2011, 02:42 PM

The OP stated that she lives in Canton but is in the Van Buren school district, if you read her post carefully. Plymouth-Canton schools are apparently not an option for her.

the_muse · 01-03-2011, 05:25 PM

The title of the post, plus the fact that many local districts allow out-of-city residents to attend their schools, makes it appear that the OP is considering PCCS but wonders if there are better schools nearby, such as Novi, Ann Arbor, etc. Personally, I can't see any reason to go to those or other area districts - which are farther from Canton - than to go to PCCS schools. The only complaints I've heard from PCCS families and staff was from overcrowding at the high school level about 15 years ago. Since they opened the third high school, and as populations have shifted, I don't think overcrowding is an issue. Certainly not at the kindergarten level.

I wouldn't recommend Wayne/Westland, Belleville, Ypsi, Livonia, Northville or Novi schools over PCCS. Both Northville and Novi are very good districts, but also have more overcrowding issues at the high school level than PCCS does. A2 Public Schools are good, but I can't see why it would be worth the drive when PCCS is right around the corner.

alyssacharters · 01-25-2011, 07:49 AM

I apologize for the confusing way I worded the question.

I would LOVE for my children to attend plymouth canton schools, unfortunately, we are not in the district, although we live in Canton.

Are there any schools in the Canton area that would be recommended for someone who doesn't reside within the plymouth canton school district?

the_muse · 01-25-2011, 02:16 PM

Does Plymouth/Canton not allow people to attend from outside the district lines? I wasn't aware of that.

If so, check into Livonia and Ann Arbor. Livonia is a better option and relatively close by than Van Buren, Ypsi or Lincoln, IMO.

You're probably aware of some of the charter and private schools in the area.

If those don't work out, you'll need to decide how far you want to drive the kids for a school-of-choice option. Farmington Public Schools still take out-of-district kids, I believe. I know West Bloomfield does. Those are a 20-30 min. drive, however.

Ohio248 · 01-25-2011, 10:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by the_muse

Farmington Public Schools still take out-of-district kids, I believe. I know West Bloomfield does. Those are a 20-30 min. drive, however.

Both districts are much better than Van Buren, but probably not much better than Plymouth-Canton.

I think the only districts that are significantly better than Plymouth-Canton would be Birmingham and Bloomfield.

A bunch of others (Grosse Pointe, Rochester, Novi, West Bloomfield, Troy) would be roughly comparable to Plymouth-Canton.

mamatoe&e · 02-08-2011, 10:05 AM

We are in the same boat as you! My daughter is starting K in the fall and although we live, shop, etc in Canton, we are in the Van Buren district and I feel stuck. I, too, have applied to the charter schools, but like you said, our chances of getting in are very slim. I've been racking my brain and keeping myself awake at night trying to figure out how to get the best education for my daughter. Personally, I think Wayne RESA needs to consider redistricting so all of us in Canton can attend PCCS or allow those of us in the township to pay a small out of district fee and provide our own transportation for our kids. That's what I do for pre-school. My daughter has been attending the PCCS Kiddie Kampus pre-school for the last 3 years and we pay an additional $50 out of district enrollment fee. Anyway, if you get anywhere in your quest for a better school, let me know and I will do the same. I'm thinking of contacting Wayne RESA over the matter and will let you know what I find out!