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This is actually something I was wondering since I'm considering homes in the Warren area. My one friend that lives in Berkely Heights is telling me to look in the area because of the hugeness of the regional highschool. She said that during the high school graduations, people aren't allowed to attend and must watch through closed circuit television sets? Of course she is trying to convince me to buy in Berkeley Heights.
Well, Berkeley Heights is not in the WHRHS district at all, just in case you weren't clear on that. Warren, Watchung, Green Brook, Long Hill Twp - all districts (Gillette, Millington, Stirling, etc), are.
As for the HS graduations....no. That's the backup plan for if it rains (heavily, think lightning + pouring), as obviously everyone who attends graduation normally will not fit in a theater. So they give each student 2 (or 4? I can't remember.) tickets for that eventuality, and the other people they may have brought along would have to watch on a TV/projector elsewhere in the school if the graduation is moved indoors for weather.
The HS is a little over 2000 students, or a bit over 500 per year. Bridgewater - Raritan is about 3000 students.
She told me that Berkeley Heights has it's own town highschool. Warren is a regional highschoo - which is pretty spread out. Taxes seem to be higher in BH vs Warren as well.
She told me that Berkeley Heights has it's own town highschool. Warren is a regional highschoo - which is pretty spread out. Taxes seem to be higher in BH vs Warren as well.
Thank you for the clarification!
To put it simply, I'd say both have good schools, and assuming there are no special considerations with regards to your kid(s), I don't think school quality is a major factor in your decision between the two.
I'd say they're fundamentally different towns. BH is a much denser and generally more "walkable" town, and it's of course a good 10 min closer to NYC. However, it's also usually smaller lots, older housing stock, etc.
Warren is mostly larger lots and has more newer housing, as well as having much more in terms of forest/open space, farms, and feels in general, less dense. On the other hand, it's not walkable either, and not everyone likes the less dense atmosphere. Some people like having woods around their home, some people like having a tight-knit neighborhood/seeing their neighbors more.
I'm coming from Hoboken and I like the ability to get to places quickly and have the ability to walk to things if possible.
The other thing my friend said (which I thought was funny) was that if I lived in warren, I would have to drive all over the place to bring my child to his friends house since the school pulls from many different towns. In BH, there would be less driving.
I like the fact that it is 10-15 minutes closer to my work as well as DH's work. He's in JC and I'm in East Orange.
I'm coming from Hoboken and I like the ability to get to places quickly and have the ability to walk to things if possible.
Mixed bag in that regard in that case. You'll have to drive more and further in Warren for sure, but on the other hand the speed limits are a bit higher and there is less traffic to contend with for getting around.
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The other thing my friend said (which I thought was funny) was that if I lived in warren, I would have to drive all over the place to bring my child to his friends house since the school pulls from many different towns. In BH, there would be less driving.
Well, that'd only be 9th-sometime in 11th grade (assuming your kid gets a license at 17). Warren has multiple small elementary schools that pull from a small area around the school, and a town-wide middle school. It's only high school when your kid would potentially have friends in other towns.
My son will be attending Watchung Regional HS in Sept. Based on what we had been informed, we were pretty impressed with the programs that school is offering. Very unfortunate that we are moving in Nov to NC, so he will have to adjust. I am hoping that his transcript will show all of the honor classes that he will attend.
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