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Kind Southwest Minneapolis residents, Mrs. PhuD is back seeking advise, information or just plain gossip concerning the public school offerings in the SW city. How do the parents and students like (or dislike) the elementary and middle schools. Input on SW and Washburn is also welcome.
If I read the policies of MPS correctly (please correct any mistakes I have made) If I buy a home in say zone 3G the day after school has begun my children are guaranteed a spot at Kenny (not a space avalible slot) 3E-Lilly, 3A-Kenwood ect.. If I already resided in MLPS I could (quickly since the deadline is neigh) apply to send my children to a magnet school on a space avalible or lottery basis where they have an equal chance with all other applying children (except dependants of MPS employees or siblings of childeren at the SAME magnet school).
Is this a real or theoretical possibility. Do zone residents have any advantage over non zone residents (say a 3B over a 1Q or 2Z applying to Barton)? Do MPS district residents have an advantage over other district residents in lottery picks?
Is there any reason to try for a different placement at the elementary school level?
Is 'open' similar to Montessori? Does anyone have opinions on Armatage or Barton?
I read the MPS website, maybe I just missed it, but do middle schoolers have guaranteed spots, or is it strictly space avalible. Do all zone 3 middle schoolers attend Ramsey or Anthony unless a different affirmative choice is made? Do Ramsey, Anthony, Washburn and SW have defined geographic 'catchment' zones?
Sorry for all the questions, your system is very different than anything I am used to ( You mean I get to choose?) and while the internet is GREAT when you are 400+ miles away. Its just really nice to get the observations, opinions, and even gossip of real people, with real children, who aren't employed by the school.
Many thanks, Mrs. PhuD
In that corner of the city, Burroughs is the best elementary school, but Ramsey Middle and Washburn H.S. still have room to improve. Typically in Minnesota school districts, middle schools draw directly from specific elementary schools, and then high schools draw directly from specific middle schools, however open enrollment is usually possible, and a lot of families take advantage of that. However, you may have missed the open enrollment deadline for some schools already (that was on Jan. 15). Others have no deadline.
The Minneapolis school district has a wide range of school quality — from very bad to very good. Your best bet is to check out something like SchoolDigger. Regardless, talk to the school district before you commit to any specific neighborhood or home to make sure that that neighborhood is served by the schools you assume it is. For example, kids on our side of the street go to one elementary school and kids on the other side of the street go to another, and that boundary has changed within the last five years.
One other thought: since you're looking in that corner of the city already, have you considered going a few blocks west to be in the Edina school district? Concord Elementary and South View Middle (less than 2 miles from where you were looking) are both top-notch. You could also explore open enrollment to get into those, but I'm guessing their open enrollment slots are full every year.
You might also consider St Paul as the commute to DT Mpls is no longer than it is from SW Mpls. St Paul has many fantastic neighborhoods/schools on par with SW Mpls. St Anthony Park, Merriam Park, Mac-Groveland, Highland Park, Summit Hill, Cathedral Hill, Como Park are all great neighborhoods. St Anthony Park Elementary, Horace Mann Elementary, Randolph Heights Elementary, Groveland Park Elementary, et al. are all on par with the SW Mpls schools. St Paul Central which serves most of these neighborhoods is on par with Mpls SW and Washburn.
Minneapolis' school choice can be confusing, although I think it's just harder to describe it than it is to navigate it. Basically, there are neighborhood schools (like Lake Harriet & Borroughs) and then there are special/magnet schools (Armatage, Barton, etc.). Every area has an assigned neighborhood school and anyone can opt-in to the special schools (although busing availability is based on "attendance zones").
If you are entering in the lowest grade a school offers (i.e. Kindergarten, or 1st year of middle or high school) you are pretty much guaranteed a space in your neighborhood school if you list it first on your school choice card (due in February). Beyond that, it's based on space availability; people from outside the neighborhood can have first dibs if they are a current student or sibling of a current student. For the magnet schools, your neighborhood doesn't matter, but current/sibling rule still applies. Because of the geographic zones, elementary schools do feed to specific middle and high schools, but being enrolled in a school outside your zone (or a magnet) doesn't mean that you will automatically move through the same school progression.
Moving here is especially tricky--multiple kids makes it even trickier. If there is space available in your neighborhood school, you can just enroll. Available space will vary greatly by school and by grade, with popular schools tending to be full. The best bet is to call the school directly to find out what availability looks like for your grade(s). On the good side, SW has only good schools (in my opinion), so you can't really go wrong. They definitely have different cultures--for example, I do not care for Borroughs, but another poster thinks it's the best school in the area. Different options for different people--but kids can thrive at all of them. I know one family that moved here mid-year and bought a house directly across the street from their first choice school, assuming they could just enroll. They were really disappointed when the school didn't have space for them, but ended up in a great school--just not as convenient as they had hoped.
Barton Open is not a Montessori School, but does have a similar child-directed and active hands-on approach. Armatage is Montessori (or as close as you get in a regular-size public school). Of those two, I only looked into Armatage, but have friends with kids at both and they are both well-regarded schools. If we had gone public, we would have chosen Armatage (we are in Lake Harriet Community School zone). We opted for a Lutheran school because the religious aspect is important to us--otherwise we would have been quite happy with our public school options.
Yes, the middle and high schools you listed are neighborhood schools for specific geographic areas but many people opt-in to them as well from outside the geographic area. You can also open-enroll into any school district in the state--but those spots fill up quickly so I wouldn't count on it. Best to live in the district that you want your kids to attend.
Hope that makes sense! Your best bet is to pick the neighborhood that you like the most within the district that you want--then figure out the school specifics from there.
We love Armatage (although feel the Montessori is a little more watered down than I'd like), but hear equally fabulous things about Barton (our second choice). Unfortunately both are very popular and spots are hard to come by. I would not count on getting into a magnet, although I wouldn't totally discount it, either (and there are always a few people moving out, so spots do sometimes open up even if you don't get in during the lottery).
For neighborhood schools, I hear good things about Kenwood, Burroughs, and Kenny; don't know anyone well currently with kids at Lyndale, but despite the official scores, I've heard good things from the past. I would avoid Jefferson. Whittier is another magnet that pulls from this area; we didn't consider it because I preferred Montessori or open, but the parents I know with kids there are very pleased.
I wouldn't count on an open-enroll spot at Southwest. Not sure about Anthony. But Washburn is increasingly improving, as is Ramsey. We have some years to go, but we did purchase in a location zoned for Ramsey and Washburn and feel confident with that decision.
In any case, I'd pick a location where you're at least comfortable with the zoned neighborhood schools, even if they are not your first choice (as a spot in a magnet is not a sure thing). I'd personally be comfortable with almost all of the schools in this part of the city, although I like the educational philosophies of some schools more so than others.
Mea culpa. Apologies to 3E. Lake Harriet Elementary. (For Textual Criticism majors I apparently forgot Brevitor Lector Potior. Progression being L.H. (intent) l.,lt, (scribed) l ilty (read) Lilly (edited).)
Thanks to all respondents.
Brian: Our search zone at present is Golden Valley (Hopkins part), Hopkins, Saint Louis Park, Edina, Bush Lake area (maybe) as well as SW city. We explored for a week over winter break and loved Uptown, Cedar Lake -Lake of Isles circles, Wirth, neighborhoods around Calhoun and Harriet and along Misbehave. Along France. SE Edina the Southdale Y, skating at Centennial. The kids wanted to try downhill at Bush Lake. Those Olympic jumps made me anxious but some little ones were really going at it! Every other place we have lived you choose the school district or maybe individual school first. You seem to be much more flexible.
Mason: Drove through Mac-Graceland (saw a lovely Victorian for sale there) Summit Hill, Crocus Hill, Como and StA Park. Really nice areas and a short commute to the east side of downtown Minneapolis. These neighborhoods are on our short list. From my read of the MPS and SPPS websites I thought the school situation was clearer in St Paul. While there was a disclaimer that things could change it SEEMED clearer, until...
MnMomma: Your kind comment clarified what I thought was just clunky language on the MPS website. Thank you.
I went to burroughs from about 1995-2001. It was the best school ever! The staff there is so attentive to students, and are really there for support, not just in school work but also emotionally. I have so many great memories! I was there before the new building was built, I've never been in the new one, but I heard it is really nice, and it is great to hear that it continues to be a good school!
I went to Susan B. Anthony for middle school, and honestly, I wish I hadn't. I had teachers give up on me on certain subjects, and most didn't seem to care. I got more support from administration than I did from my teachers. Was glad when I graduated in 2005.
I went to Washburn for high school, and I can honestly say it is my only regret in life. I liked the teachers there, and they were very supportive academically, but when more than half of your classmate couldn't care less about school, then it kind of gets you out of a groove, especially when at times, the majority of class time was spend on disciplining students who didn't care about school, and didn't care whether you wanted to learn or not. I regret not having researched other schools; I chose that one because it was closest to my home. It was a true nightmare. Graduated there in 2009.
Things may have changed at Anthony and Washburn, I don't know. If it were me, though, I wouldn't do it again, not unless it has changed dramatically. Which I doubt it has.
Washburn has had DRASTIC changes since 2009. Not as fast as parents would like, but still significant.
Agreed! I wouldn't have considered Washburn even a few years ago. Both Anthony and Washburn have changed dramatically since 2009--Burroughs too. I don't think that any of the Southwest schools are going downhill at this point.
Washburn has had DRASTIC changes since 2009. Not as fast as parents would like, but still significant.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MnMomma
Agreed! I wouldn't have considered Washburn even a few years ago. Both Anthony and Washburn have changed dramatically since 2009--Burroughs too. I don't think that any of the Southwest schools are going downhill at this point.
That's good to hear! Because back then, if hell on earth existed, then it's location would be Washburn High School.
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