Looking for ideal school district! (Minneapolis, St. Paul: daycare, house, to buy)

[seoulkarma]

Hello all,
I am looking to buy a house in the next 1 year or so and want to make sure I am making the best decision possible for my children. I have an infant and a 3 year old for reference. I will be working in St. Paul and partner will be working in Minneapolis. I don't mind a longer commute so much and neither does my partner. Some things we are looking for and our budget:

Budget: 500-600K or so, flexible somewhat, prefer 0.5 or greater acre lot
Excellent school district is a necessity
Diversity is a plus but not necessary. Many of the highly diverse schools in Minnesota also have not so good objective data and teaching.

Areas we have looked at:
Eagan (ISD 196): more affordable than the other options it seems, but I am concerned that some of the schools are hit or miss when looking at the test scores and other objective data. Seems like of the elementary schools, Thomas Lake is excellent, and Eastview High seems excellent too. The middle schools seem to be not up to par. Location-wise, Eagan would probably work the best for us and also appears to be more racially diverse.

Plymouth, closer parts of Maple Grove (Wayzata schools district): love the area and especially love the school district. Many excellent elementary schools and not as much difference in quality compared to ISD 196. I really like Kimberly Lane elementary in particular. Class sizes are large which is slightly worrisome but I did learn that Wayzata is now closed to open-enrollment. Not sure if that will help with the congestion. Lot sizes and homes are more my style.

Minnetonka, nearby areas (Minnetonka school district): similar to Wayzata schools which is a plus. A bit further away which I actually kind of like. Larger lot sizes for the homes although they are more expensive. A bit concerned about some of the recent decisions the superintendent has made and also the larger class sizes.

Would welcome any feedback! Thank you much.

[Camden Northsider]

Does your career offer the option of working remotely now or in the future? I'm not in a position to advise you on any of the areas/districts you are looking at. What I will tell you, though, as the parent of two school-age children-- once you hit the period where you have 2 little ones to get ready before dropping one off at daycare and the other at school (or bus stop) *before* starting your own daily commute-- the idea of a 45-90 minute commute (one way) will be exhausting. And if you are juggling a demanding job with a daycare and/or after-school program that are really strict about pickup cutoff times, it just compounds the level of commuter stress you will experience on a daily basis. I did the Mpls to St Paul commute for a few years and HATED it- I can't imagine what having to add on a Mpls to Minnetonka/Wayzata segment would be like...

[wamer27]

Look in North Oaks, Shoreview area to get into Mounds View school district, also St Anthony to get into their district. All in that price range now are pending, so that price range are all selling fast, so good luck.

[TxTnVtMn]

I would look at the Mahtomedi School District, especially given your interest in larger lot size.

[UMN2BE]

Mounds View school district (the part that goes to MV High School) is probably your best bet. Saint Anthony Village is great in terms of location but housing is older, school district is very good but probably not 'top tier', and I'm not sure how many 0.5acre or larger lots you're going to find.

I would argue that school district is important, but after a certain point, it's not the schools themselves that are producing amazing students, or the fact that class sizes are only 24 instead of 27, or whatever. It's that the kids are motivated and pushed by their very-involved parents. They would be successful at just about any decent district in the state.

Be advised that at certain districts (like Wayzata and MV) there's a lot of competition and fill with kids (mostly of Asian immigrants) who have been studying 24/7/365 since kindergarten. I went to a so-so district and got a STEM PhD at a top-5 program. My best friend at the same school went to a top-10 medical school. I flourished in a less-cutthroat environment, but probably would've buckled had I been sent to a "top tier" high school.

Anyways, best of luck to you.

[seoulkarma]

Thank you all for the good feedback and responses. My schedule is working one week then off the next and I do have some family help so I think dropping kids off and stuff wouldn't be too bad.

I like what I am seeing for Mounds View but I wonder about the ranking and scores; seems to be dropping? I understand that it's not all about that and I agree that it's more parents than anything but I do think a strong environment in school is helpful. I see what you are saying @UMN2BE about the competition...I went to a slightly above average public school myself and wound up highly educated. I see some value in being in a competitive environment but obviously not a pressure cooker. As a child of immigrants myself I am somewhat feeling the pressure to make sure my kids get the best education possible and best access to resources.

I am leaning towards Minnetonka but will check out Mounds View closer for sure!

[UMN2BE]

Originally Posted by seoulkarma

Thank you all for the good feedback and responses. My schedule is working one week then off the next and I do have some family help so I think dropping kids off and stuff wouldn't be too bad.

I like what I am seeing for Mounds View but I wonder about the ranking and scores; seems to be dropping? I understand that it's not all about that and I agree that it's more parents than anything but I do think a strong environment in school is helpful. I see what you are saying @UMN2BE about the competition...I went to a slightly above average public school myself and wound up highly educated. I see some value in being in a competitive environment but obviously not a pressure cooker. As a child of immigrants myself I am somewhat feeling the pressure to make sure my kids get the best education possible and best access to resources.

I am leaning towards Minnetonka but will check out Mounds View closer for sure!

Mounds View school district covers two different areas - Shoreview/Arden Hills (which go to Mounds View High school) and Mounds View/New Brighton (which go to Irondale). Irondale isn't a bad school but Mounds View High School seems to be much more highly regarded. This may give districts which have only one high school (like Wayzata) an advantage.

Either way, it seems like at this point it splitting hairs - the districts are so close to one another that as long as your kids get the support and encouragement they need, they will do great.

[Teak]

There really aren't any "ideal" school districts, but the recommendations for either the Mounds View or Irondale districts are spot on. My brother's two daughter went all the way through the Mounds View school system and turned out alright. I also have a colleague whose two sons went through the Irondale SD and had great things to say about it.

Getting from those northern suburbs (Shoreview, Vadnais Heights, Roseville) to downtown St. Paul isn't too bad. It is a straight shot down I-35E. There would be a bit more traffic heading into downtown Minneapolis since you have to take a few different roads.

I would try to avoid having to take I-474 in my commuter path if I were you; thus, Minnetonka might be more problematic for the St. Paul worker.

[UMN2BE]

Originally Posted by Teak

There really aren't any "ideal" school districts, but the recommendations for either the Mounds View or Irondale districts are spot on. My brother's two daughter went all the way through the Mounds View school system and turned out alright. I also have a colleague whose two sons went through the Irondale SD and had great things to say about it.

Not that this is really a big deal, but Irondale High School and Mounds View High School are in the same district (Mounds View Public Schools district 621). It confused me at first since the city of Mounds View doesn't actually go to Mounds View High School... anyways, MVHS is much more highly regarded, and my guess is the overall district average is brought down by Irondale. You can see that test scores are much higher at MVHS (although they have fallen in the last few years): https://rc.education.mn.gov/

Not that Irondale is an awful school by any means, it's just that MVHS is in a league of its own with Wayzata, Edina etc. I also know two girls that went to Irondale High School and did great - one went to UMN undergrad and is now at a top law school, another finished her engineering degree, worked for a few years as an engineer, and is now getting a master's degree at Stanford.

But yes - the Shoreview/Arden Hills area IMO is about as good as close as you can get to hitting all of the checkboxes - $500-600k homes, great school district, and tolerable commute to both Minneapolis and St Paul.

[seoulkarma]

Ok thanks. Would you guys say that mounds view school district is better than ISD 196? I know they are probably close in terms of quality. It seems like Eagan would be the easiest in terms of commuting for both myself and my husband but I don’t know that I love the area..