Moving to Minneapolis Fm Dallas Suburb looking for secular private school for 7th grade girl GT (St. Paul: 2013, home)

[golfgal]

Originally Posted by jzeig104

I dont believe you said how old your child was, but here are some of the arts schools K-12 in MN


Perpich Center for Arts Education

Saint Paul Public Schools

Folwell School, Performing Arts Magnet

http://www.emid6067.net/crosswinds/index.html

DaVinci Academy of Arts and Science

Westonka Public Schools - Home Page

Home

Saint Paul Public Schools

Saint Paul Public Schools

Visual Arts

Youth and Family Programs | Minneapolis Institute of Arts

7th grade--it's in the title

Academically those schools are not very good though---the arts seem to be more of an EC vs focus.

[jtbuddy]

My daughter is in 7th grade. Rosemont is too far of a drive.

[Campeador]

Originally Posted by new blue

We won't be able to move until August b/c of vacations & employer .
We are looking at homes in the 450,00-500,000 range.Really concerned about daughters schooling since in a great private school in current area.

Looking for newer 2500 + sq ft & swimming pool.

Any neighborhoods or school recommendation would be appreciated.

Also I am a Bilingual (Spanish) Speech Language Pathologist Assistant.
I have not found any school positions. Do I need to look in St Paul or another close city for work?

Thank you

I suspect you live in Plano. If so, Edina or Minnetonka would be a similar suburb. MN and TX are opposites in some ways, especially regarding private/public issues. In general, MN invests in public infrastructure in a way that TX does not. MN public schools are very solid. Also, you'll find a lot of public pools and other facilities that are often privately owned in DFW. ¡Buena suerte con la mudanza!

[jzeig104]

Originally Posted by golfgal

7th grade--it's in the title

Academically those schools are not very good though---the arts seem to be more of an EC vs focus.

Oh, my bad. I didnt notice she had the grade there in the title, LOL! Westonka and Crosswinds are VERY good schools academically. If you dont believe me, look it up yourself. There is plenty of information out there, LOL. I dont know about the other schools listed though as far as academics. The schools I listed were specifically targeted to Visual Arts.

Good luck OP! Let us know where you end up!

[StilltheSame]

Originally Posted by jtbuddy

My daughter is in 7th grade. Rosemont is too far of a drive.

It appears your place of employment is in St. Paul. We were advised the choice of schools were better in the Minneapolis area than in St. Paul. There are from what I understand some good private school options on that end though. If you can open up to the Stillwater/Woodbury (East) or the Western Minneapolis suburbs - your choices will increase - both public and private.

[Mason3000]

Originally Posted by new blue

We won't be able to move until August b/c of vacations & employer .
We are looking at homes in the 450,00-500,000 range.Really concerned about daughters schooling since in a great private school in current area.

Looking for newer 2500 + sq ft & swimming pool.

Any neighborhoods or school recommendation would be appreciated.

Also I am a Bilingual (Spanish) Speech Language Pathologist Assistant.
I have not found any school positions. Do I need to look in St Paul or another close city for work?

Thank you

Swimming pools exists here, but aren't common due to the fact they're unusable for 9 months of the year. You'd probably be better off getting a membership at a community pool or country club.

As for 2500sf & newer, you're going to be in the suburbs most likely, so look for one with a lot of new construction like Eagan, Maple Grove or Woodbury.

Many transplants like you are looking for private schools because they're accustomed to lousy public schools. We have very, very good public schools here in the Twin Cities & many transplant family's decide to go public once they understand this.

That said, there are many excellent private schools in the area. Holy Angels, Minnehaha Academy, Cretin Derham-Hall, Hill-Murray, Benilde-St. Margaret's, Blake, Breck, De La Salle & St Paul Academy off the top of my head are all highly prestigious private schools.

[uptown_urbanist]

I agree with the others -- no need to go private unless you want to, but if you do, there are lots of options. I also wanted to add that while you say you want a secular private, many of the schools have at least some passing religious connection; for many of them, the student body is diverse and isn't there for the religion. I wouldn't automatically cut out one of the ones with a religious affiliation right away, that's all.

You may also decide that if you really want a pool that it's worth it to buy the house you like and then add the pool. I'm sure that's a major hassle, but you'll find houses with pools are going to limit you. I'm not sure if this is true or not, but I've also heard that around here houses with pools hurt their resale value. I do know that there are houses around here where the new owners have filled in pools. That said, some people do have them, and maybe the fact that you DO want one will work to your favor when looking. Just keep an open mind, I think.

[jzeig104]

Remember, if you have a pool here, you are going to be able to use it less than 100 days per year. Thats why most people just use the pool at their school, health club, or YMCA.

[StilltheSame]

Originally Posted by jzeig104

Remember, if you have a pool here, you are going to be able to use it less than 100 days per year. Thats why most people just use the pool at their school, health club, or YMCA.

So true. In SFL - my kids swam 9-10 months of the year - pretty much daily. They were huge swimmers. Now perhaps July and August a few times - unless we are on a warm weather vacation. A pool (even heated) would be more hassle than benefit.

[jtbuddy]

Goodness so much to consider. I live in Southlake not Plano. I would love to find a Southlake/Colleyville suburb near Minneapolis. My school district also is high achieving, high SAT/ACT because of demographics.
If anyone is familiar with this area and can identify more or less equivalent near Minneapolis that would be great.
Private school also provide community when you know absolutely no one.
I will keep in open mind but I was told the same thing about Southlake schools being so great.

The Pool is negotiable. I grew up in Portland, OR & we only used our pool in summertime.

I really want to focus on a school and neighborhood to start looking.