Union, NJ: Yay or Nay? (Elizabeth, Irvington: middle-class, house, neighborhoods)
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I am curious about Union, NJ and their school district. Union seems like its close to everything (Rte 22, Parkway, retail shopping, grocery, activities, etc.) but not located in the seedier parts of NJ. Seems like a nice little town......Any insight from anyone who have lived and raised children in Union, NJ? Thanks
I grew up next to Union. Parts of the town, close to Millburn and Springfield, are solidly middle-class. Other parts, near Elizabeth and especially Irvington, are what i would characterize as seedy. Also the school district rates quite poorly for the area, and in a downward trend as well. I would only really recommend it if you find a home in one of the better areas and feel up to paying for private school. All depends on your budget of course though, in a certain price range you could do worse.
I have some friends who grew up and live there, seems fairly middle-class, solid but nothing fancy. Has a decent downtown area, Van Gough's Ear is a really good coffee shop.
I live there and I think it's a steal. You're correct - easy access to most of the major highways in the state. Low taxes b/c of rt 22. Close to newark airport if you have to travel but far enough to not even notice it. One of the shortest NYC commutes (and if NJT can ever get their act together and get a 1-seat ride for the RARV line - it will probably be the shortest). The side of town closer to Elizabeth (where Kean U is) is filled with nice, unique homes in older neighborhoods with sidewalks - very much like a smaller version of maplewood/south orange.
My kids aren't old enough for school yet, but the general consensus is that the town's size is both a blessing and a curse (if you can call it that) - the district had a lot of programs that other towns can't afford, but with a school that size, you would expect that its performance will trend toward the middle - red meat for the rankings snobs. And the town is diverse, so if you can stomach the thought of your child possibly having to interact with people of other backgrounds than your own...
Glad you're happy jy and alot of what you say is true, but lets be honest the school system performance is quite bad, not in the middle. On schooldigger the high school ranks #301 in the state (of 389). On great schools it gets a 3/10, while nearby similar working class towns like Roselle Park and Kenilworth get 6/10 and 5/10. In the past 4 years math profiency has averaged 62%, while the state average is 79%. Those are facts that someone who is buying into the town should know. You're getting a great deal on the house because the school system will be perceived by many as undesirable (which will likely continue to hold down the value of the house). As far as whether this is due to poor curriculum/teachers, or just poor parents/students, you'd have to do more talking w/ people who have experience in the system. But again the fact that towns like Roselle Park (lower median income than Union) have much better performing schools is not a great sign.
Glad you're happy jy and alot of what you say is true, but lets be honest the school system performance is quite bad, not in the middle. On schooldigger the high school ranks #301 in the state (of 389). On great schools it gets a 3/10, while nearby similar working class towns like Roselle Park and Kenilworth get 6/10 and 5/10. In the past 4 years math profiency has averaged 62%, while the state average is 79%. Those are facts that someone who is buying into the town should know. You're getting a great deal on the house because the school system will be perceived by many as undesirable (which will likely continue to hold down the value of the house). As far as whether this is due to poor curriculum/teachers, or just poor parents/students, you'd have to do more talking w/ people who have experience in the system. But again the fact that towns like Roselle Park (lower median income than Union) have much better performing schools is not a great sign.
Like I said - if you're one of those 'ranking types', that's probably all you need to know...
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