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So my wife and I are moving to SNJ from Philly. We have a 3.5 year old daughter and plan on having one more. We found 2 houses that lead our list of contenders. One in Erlton south of 70 and one in the Tavistock section of Barrington.
Neither of us grew up in Jersey and are trying to learn more about the Barrington schools. Obviously, from the rankings, CH East is considered a better school district than Barrington / Haddon Heights. Can anybody share the feelings about the Barrington schools? Is it an up and coming district? Or is it in decline? Are they cutting programs due to budget cuts? Do CH East schools offer a significantly richer experience than Barrington?
Another consideration is that we're Jewish. Although we're not really that observant, we would like our kid(s) to have some Jewish friends at school. Would we find that in the Barrington school district?
One last question: for Middle School, the Tavistock section of Barrington seems closer to Haddon Heights JR SR than Woodland. How do those middle schools compare and is there a potential to register with HH JR SR while being assigned to Woodland?
I went to Haddon Heights HS and had plenty of friends from Barrington. I don't think there is much difference between the 2 towns for elementary and middle schools. I'm pretty sure Woodland is a true middle school (5th - 8th grade) whereas Haddon Heights Jr High is only 7th and 8th grade and it is in the same building as the High School. I don't know how they compare to CH East schools. I know Haddon Heights HS is much smaller than CH East (my graduating class was only 150 or so) so there probably aren't as many amenities/options at HH. Also, there are very few Jewish people in Haddon Heights/Barrington so the schools don't get off for the typical Jewish holidays whereas I'm pretty sure Cherry Hill schools do. Just something to consider. The Tavistock section of Barrington is very nice though...
In terms of living, both areas are nice. Personally, I would give the nod to the Tavistock section of Barrington in terms of overall neighborhood.
When it comes to schools, Barrington it it's own school district from PK-8th grade. If you live in Barrington your child WILL go to Barrington schools PK-8 unless you choose to go private. At the high school level, kids in Barrington go to Haddon Heights High School as do kids from Haddon Heights and Lawnside. So, in answer to your middle school question, no you don't have a choice, your children would go to Woodland.
In terms of comparing the districts, Cherry Hill is the better overall school district and CH East is among the best high schools in South Jersey. In terms of opportunity, programs, etc. you will find much more variety and opportunity in Cherry Hill. What you will also find is a school with graduating classes of 500+ kids. That can be an advantage and a disadvantage depending on your kid.
Haddon Heights is a solid school with good programs and will certainly not hinder your childs development and they will have plenty of opportunity. Being a smaller school may again be an advantage or disadvantage depending on your kid.
I personally don't think you can go wrong with either one. The choice basically comes down to whether or not you want a smaller school environment. After that, the question of being Jewish would lead me to recommending Cherry Hill. There aren't that many Jewish families in Haddon Heights and Barrington. It is likely your kids would be the only Jewish child in their class, whereas in Cherry Hill they would find many other Jewish kids. In addition, all of the major temples and JCC's are in Cherry Hill.
Thank you both for your insightful replies. You confirmed our hunches on the two areas. We really liked the Tavistock area and wouldn't mind the smaller school feel of Barrington/Haddon Heights. It does give us pause to think our kid(s) would be the only ones in their class not celebrating Xmas, Easter, etc. The house we like in Erlton is our top choice, but it is a short sale and we don't know yet where the bank stands. We love the house and neighborhood in Barrington, but we might hold off on making an offer. Thank you again...this really helps our decision process.
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Erlton used to have it's own elementary school. Unfortunately, it was torn down. I'm not positive, but I think that Erlton is now assigned to Kingston. Check the listing. Kingston is a good school.
If you choose Erlton, check out both high schools to see which is the better fit for your child, when the time comes.
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