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We just found out that we are moving back to the cities after 10 years away mostly living internationally in Tokyo. We were supposed to move back last year but were postponed. I have 3 kids who will go into 5th, 7th and 11th grades and are used to a small private school. I think the 5th and 7th grader will do fine in a public school but my almost Junior is used to a very open-minded, non-religious school with only 100 kids in his graduating class. Any thoughts on a school that would me similiar to this for his Jr. and Sr. years? My husband will be working in Mounds View but does not mind a commute, and we are looking at Edina as a good fit for our family. We also love Mac/Groveland area but not sure if the public MS and HS are good there.
Thanks
Mounds View has very good schools so I would start there. The commute from Edina would get old FAST. How much are you willing to spend putting him in a private school? There aren't a lot of high schools in the metro area, public, that will be that small but there are plenty that are enormous too. Another great opton for schools near Mounds View is Mahtomedi. That is a smaller district with excellent schools.
I believe that the public high school for Mac/Groveland is Central High School in St. Paul. Among other claims to fame, I think I read recently that more alumni from Central have gone on to be Rhodes Scholars than any other school in the country. It's all about the right fit for your kid, of course, but the public schools in the Twin Cities - including those in teh cities themselves - are excellent. Central also offers the IB program, as well as the more common AP tests. I don't think you could go wrong with the public schools in the Mac/Groveland area. Central has a very good reputation. Mac/Groveland is also college central, and in the Twin Cities many people - including college faculty - go the public route.
Admittedly I am biased in favor of public schools (and prefer the diversity and opportunities found in the city) but I think after living internationally it could be a little stifling to go to school in Edina or Mounds View. If you love Mac/Groveland then don't discount it because of fears about school quality.
Edina is really too far of a commute to Moudsview, in my opinion, and you really don't need to live that far away from your husband's job to find good schools for your kids or an upper-middle class community. In my opinion, life is too short, and at the ages of your children, moves too quickly, to spend your life commuting!
Shoreview is a beautiful, upper middle class community, or if you prefer a gated community - you can look at properties in the beautiful, secluded, North Oaks.
Look closely at Shoreview's Turtle lake for Elementary School [10/10 @ greatschools dot net] Chippewa Middle School in Shoreview [10/10 @ greatschools dot net] which feeds into Moundsview High School in Arden Hills [10/10 @ greatschools dot net]
Turtle Lake's attendance zone is located north of Hwy 96 in Shoreview, which is good to know when you are looking for homes.
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Also, look at St. Paul Academy and Summit School and Mounds Park Academy I think you will find what you are seeking in a school for your oldest child's junior and senior years at either school. I've heard application at private schools are down significantly for the upcoming year, due to the economy, so you may be able to secure a spot for you son for next year at one of the two schools.
You may also want to consider broadening his experiences and giving him a totally different educational experience for his junior and senior years, we've switched our kids around from small to large, from charter, to private, to public schools due to changing circumstances, and although it's not what I would have wished for my kids, nor what I would have planned if I had been given a crystal ball... as it turns out, the variety of environments they have encountered and conquered has made them much stronger individuals. Of course your kids made the move to Japan, and now are moving back again... so I guess they have already faced and conquered such challenges.
If your husband talks to others at his new job, I think he will find many send their kids to Moundsview H.S. - the parents of many Moundsview School District students work in the high tech industry located in that neck of the woods - Medtronics, Bosten Scientific, etc.
I believe that the public high school for Mac/Groveland is Central High School in St. Paul. Among other claims to fame, I think I read recently that more alumni from Central have gone on to be Rhodes Scholars than any other school in the country. It's all about the right fit for your kid, of course, but the public schools in the Twin Cities - including those in teh cities themselves - are excellent. Central also offers the IB program, as well as the more common AP tests. I don't think you could go wrong with the public schools in the Mac/Groveland area. Central has a very good reputation. Mac/Groveland is also college central, and in the Twin Cities many people - including college faculty - go the public route.
Admittedly I am biased in favor of public schools (and prefer the diversity and opportunities found in the city) but I think after living internationally it could be a little stifling to go to school in Edina or Mounds View. If you love Mac/Groveland then don't discount it because of fears about school quality.
Despite my endorsement of Mounds View Schools.... I totally agree with Uptown_Urbanist.
Our family, in fact, moved from the Mounds View School District to St. Paul nearly three years ago - and we couldn't be happier.
Look at St. Anthony Park Elementary School, Murray or Ramsey Middle School and Central High School. The magnet schools are great for elementary school, but the most sought after magnet schools may be difficult to get into... but maybe not. If you were to buy a home in the St. Anthony Park Elementary School attendance zone, you could simply send your youngest child to St. Anthony Park with no hassles whatsoever. My cousin actually lives near, but not in, the St. Anthony Park Elementary School attendance zone, and she was able to get her daughter in at St. Anthony Park - the catch is the district doesn't provide transportation, so they drive their daughter to and from school each day. After Capitol Hill, St. Anthony Park is the second highest-rated elementary school in St. Paul - 9/10 @ greatschools dot net.
But there are a plethora of elementary school options in St. Paul, so if you find a home in the another neighborhood, you should still be able to figure out a good school option for your youngest child. A good fit for your child may not be a school which has the highest ratings, for example my son is at Franklin Music Magnet... he struggles with reading and every student at the school is assigned an adult "reading buddy" because they have an abundance of adult volunteers in their school due to the fact they are located next to the State Capitol building; he also gets two music lessons a week at Franklin Music Magnet- string bass and keyboards - and this is in addition to classroom music instruction. He has mad music skills and his success in this area builds his self confidence in areas where he struggles.
I think J.J. Hill Montessori School is WAY underrated on GreatSchools dot net; a friend of mind sends her child there and is very happy with the school. Groveland Park Elementary is another elementary school which is underrated in my opinion.
I also have a child, my 3rd grade daughter, at Capitol Hill Gifted and Talented School. I know some parents wait a few years for their child's name to come up in the lottery, but we got in the first year we applied to the school.
A little-known fact is that you don't have to go through the gifted & talented testing to enroll in the middle school at Capitol Hill. My now 7th grader would be at Capitol Hill if I hadn't tried out a charter school for her last year, thought I was going to keep her there the next year, so missed the window for applying to Capitol Hill. In the end, the charter school proved to be a huge disappointment... I do NOT recommend Nova Classical Academy, but we won't get into that now.
Great River School, a Charter Jr & Sr High Montessori School, is worth a good look - I have friends who have had their kids there since the beginning, their oldest daughter graduated from Great River - the only thing which stop us from sending our middle school child there was the lack of transportation, they don't use the St. Paul Public Schools buses so we would have to arrange our own transportation.
So my 7th grader is at Ramsey Junior High, located next to Macalaster College. She is in the gifted and talented track and all her classes are IB/pre-AP classes, however you don't need to test to get in that pathway - we were just asked when we registered her whether her classes should be chosen from the mainstream track or the gifted and talented track.
I am very happy with Ramsey overall - I am not happy they will not be offering second year Chinese next year, the current Chinese teacher is retiring and they have not found a replacement for him - but I just went to conferences at Ramsey last night, and overall, I am very happy with the school.
My daughter has been quite vocal about the fact she prefers the diversity of St. Paul Public schools, both racial and economic diversity, as compared to the 4 years she spent in the Mounds View Public Schools.
So I guess I contradicted the post I made just prior to this one... but really, as I see it, you can choose either the suburban life in Shoreview/Mounds View Schools or you can choose to be an urban dweller and live in the city of St. Paul... both options provide an easy commute for your husband to his new job in Moundsview.
In St. Paul you have SO MANY school choices, the challenge is to find the right fit for your child - the good schools and educational opportunities are there, it's just, especially at the elementary school level, you have to search a tad to find what will work best for your child.
Last edited by StPaulEastSider; 05-01-2009 at 10:14 PM..
Thanks everyone for the great advice. After so many years living in the heart of Tokyo we all want more city life, sidewalks, corner restaraunts that Mac/Groveland or Upton area could offer. I am completely open to public schools, just worried about repatriating to an overwhelming large HS. But I do not want to spend the big bucks if I can avoid it. I'll check into Ramsey, too bad about the Chinese, I am really wanting Japanese to continue for my kids at school, but they are probably already past the first 3 levels and may need to go with private classes anyway. We are all about diversity coming from an International private school.
Thanks everyone for the great advice. After so many years living in the heart of Tokyo we all want more city life, sidewalks, corner restaraunts that Mac/Groveland or Upton area could offer. I am completely open to public schools, just worried about repatriating to an overwhelming large HS. But I do not want to spend the big bucks if I can avoid it. I'll check into Ramsey, too bad about the Chinese, I am really wanting Japanese to continue for my kids at school, but they are probably already past the first 3 levels and may need to go with private classes anyway. We are all about diversity coming from an International private school.
Assuming your children will be in the gifted and talented track at their middle/junior and senior high schools, they will be end up in what is, in essence, a "school within the school"... this means they will not be in as big of a school environment as you might initially think just by looking at the total grade level and school enrollment numbers.
BTW, I'm glad you are leaning towards the urban Mac/Groveland option... obviously, urban living is my preference as well.
When looking at city vs. suburban schools, especially st. paul vs. moundsview schools, please keep in mind the fact we are serving a more economically diverse community here in St. Paul as compared to Moundsview. Therefore, the ratings at greatschools dot net may not be as high, but once your kids are routed into the gifted/talented track and taking AP and IB classes, they will be getting the same academic material as students in Moundsview, with the added bonus of a more diverse social environment which is more reflective of the real world .... unless, of course, they are going to live and work in a Minnesota suburb for the rest of their life.
I'm not sure which of the colleges in that area offer Japanese, but between St. Thomas, Macalaster, Hamline and St. Kates [St. Catherine's] you should be able to find Japanese classes... I would think your best option for continuing Japanese instruction would be at the college level, if none of the private colleges in St. Paul have what you are looking for, the U of M is a sure bet. I actually don't know of any MN high schools even teaching Japanese, I suppose some do somewhere. i know you can sometimes find Chinese because Minnesota's governors have made a commitment to bring Chinese language instruction to Minnesota public schools for the past 20 years... my sister got a scholarship from the MN Governor 20 years ago to be amongst the first group of American students to re-enter Beijing after Tiananmen Square - she was enrolled at the U of M at the time.
Last edited by StPaulEastSider; 05-02-2009 at 12:00 AM..
Both Patrick Henry and Southwest High Schools in Minneapolis offer Japanese, although having lived in Japan your kids are realistically going to be far more advanced than what those schools have to offer. (I don't know if the program is still offered, but when I was in school at Southwest back in the '90s many of my Japanese-taking classmates received free trips to Japan through some sort of Japanese government-funded program. If I'd known that you can bet I'd be speaking at least a little Japanese today!)
I'll echo StPaulEastsider's comments about the school-within-a-school thing (and the ratings/test score comment as well); I attended a fairly large (I thin our graduating class was 400 or so) but the number of students taking IB courses was much smaller. That's both good and bad; good in the sense that I knew all of my IB classmates, bad in the sense that the IB contingent wasn't as diverse as the school overall. Still, there was a definite attempt to carve a large school into a smaller, more nurturing atmosphere, and I think it worked well. Granted it's been 10+ years since I graduated, but I think the same basic premise holds today.
I'm late to this party Tokyogal but let me recommend a little known school in St. Paul called St. Paul Preparatory School (this is NOT the same as St Paul Academy). St. Paul Prep used to be called Nacel and it is part of an international school system. It is a small private high school, about 180 kids, in downtown St Paul (Galtier Plaza) so easily accessible from almost anywhere by city bus, and the kids get buscards.
What's cool about this school and might appeal to you in particular is that there are only about 25 Americans at the school, ALL the other kids are foreign exchange students who live with host families. They are from all over the world! Seems to me about 1/3 Europe (eastern/western), 1/3 Asia and 1/3 South America. Like a mini-UN. The American students stay all 4 years but the foreign kids usually only 1, sometimes 2. And most of them are junior/senior age since it's a little more unusual for the foreign exchange students to be in 9th or 10th. So, basically it's a small, international high school and I think your son would feel very comfortable there--lots of kids would be entering as juniors. They have an agreement with St Thomas University and he could probably continue his Japanese there (plus he could talk with the Japanese exchange students). As you might imagine the school is very big on languages. It also has a really good math team. AP classes too. Tuition is about $9000 but they are really want to increase the # of Americans so they are offering full and partial scholarships. Although the school is short on sports (basically, the have soccer and basketball) we're really happy there. There is still plenty of time to apply and their are openings in grades (9-12).
My boys have been at several other schools in the St Paul area and there are some good ones. I don't think anyone has mentioned Murray Junior High in St Anthony Park for your younger kids but it's a great school. You can get an idea for the demographics of each school on the Minn Dept of Ed website looking at school report cards.
Assuming your children will be in the gifted and talented track at their middle/junior and senior high schools, they will be end up in what is, in essence, a "school within the school"... this means they will not be in as big of a school environment as you might initially think just by looking at the total grade level and school enrollment numbers.
BTW, I'm glad you are leaning towards the urban Mac/Groveland option... obviously, urban living is my preference as well.
When looking at city vs. suburban schools, especially st. paul vs. moundsview schools, please keep in mind the fact we are serving a more economically diverse community here in St. Paul as compared to Moundsview. Therefore, the ratings at greatschools dot net may not be as high, but once your kids are routed into the gifted/talented track and taking AP and IB classes, they will be getting the same academic material as students in Moundsview, with the added bonus of a more diverse social environment which is more reflective of the real world .... unless, of course, they are going to live and work in a Minnesota suburb for the rest of their life.
I'm not sure which of the colleges in that area offer Japanese, but between St. Thomas, Macalaster, Hamline and St. Kates [St. Catherine's] you should be able to find Japanese classes... I would think your best option for continuing Japanese instruction would be at the college level, if none of the private colleges in St. Paul have what you are looking for, the U of M is a sure bet. I actually don't know of any MN high schools even teaching Japanese, I suppose some do somewhere. i know you can sometimes find Chinese because Minnesota's governors have made a commitment to bring Chinese language instruction to Minnesota public schools for the past 20 years... my sister got a scholarship from the MN Governor 20 years ago to be amongst the first group of American students to re-enter Beijing after Tiananmen Square - she was enrolled at the U of M at the time.
My son is taking Japanese at Eastview High School.
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In the end, the charter school proved to be a huge disappointment... I do NOT recommend Nova Classical Academy, but we won't get into that now. 
