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With all the input you all gave on my first thread, I thought I would ask for your advice on the following high schools:
Hanover Park
Jonathan Dayton
Livingston
Montville
Morris Hills
Morris Knolls
Parsipanny Hills
Pequannock
Randolph
Roxbury
Sparta
Verona
Wayne Valley
West Essex
Whippany Park
What kind of experience, if any, have you had with any of these schools?
What is the school culture? Sports-minded? Academically rigorous? Inclusive?
Is there a bullying problem?
Is there a drug or violence problem?
What do you think of the performance of the school?
Would you outright avoid any of these? Why?
I've already pored over the great school ratings and the New Jersey Monthly Ranking List. What I'm looking for is a more personal experience any of you has had with the school(s).
Thanks in advance for your advice!
Last edited by hausfrau-now; 11-14-2013 at 07:41 AM..
We've had a good experience with Randolph schools for my two kids with the younger still in the high school. Generally strong academics -- it's not Mt. Lakes or any of the very top districts, but still strong, with a wide offering of AP courses. The music program has historically been a real strength if your son is interested. Pretty strong sports culture. I'd say it's also decent for being inclusive. I guess bullying and drugs happen everywhere, but I don't view it as prevalent or an issue there.
We've had a good experience with Randolph schools for my two kids with the younger still in the high school. Generally strong academics -- it's not Mt. Lakes or any of the very top districts, but still strong, with a wide offering of AP courses. The music program has historically been a real strength if your son is interested. Pretty strong sports culture. I'd say it's also decent for being inclusive. I guess bullying and drugs happen everywhere, but I don't view it as prevalent or an issue there.
Thanks, HalfFull. Randolph sounds like it would be a good fit all around. I appreciate your input.
With all the input you all gave on my first thread, I thought I would ask for your advice on the following high schools:
Hanover Park
Jonathan Dayton
Livingston
Montville
Morris Hills
Morris Knolls
Parsipanny Hills
Pequannock
Randolph
Roxbury
Sparta
Verona
Wayne Valley
West Essex
Whippany Park
What kind of experience, if any, have you had with any of these schools?
What is the school culture? Sports-minded? Academically rigorous? Inclusive?
Is there a bullying problem?
Is there a drug or violence problem?
What do you think of the performance of the school?
Would you outright avoid any of these? Why?
I've already pored over the great school ratings and the New Jersey Monthly Ranking List. What I'm looking for is a more personal experience any of you has had with the school(s).
Thanks in advance for your advice!
There are a couple of websites where you can get some wonderful info on all High Schools in NJ, I think it would be well worth you time to check them out. I the information is factual, and unbiased.
I know one of the towns you are considering from your earlier thread is Denville, and you should be aware that Denville has a severe and frequent flooding issue, (go to youtube and google, search for Denville Flooding to get an idea of just how bad it is) Rockaway (both the Twp & the Boro) and Pequannock also have flooding issues in areas of town, so be mindful when looking there.
I agree with HalfFull that Randolph would be an excellent choice (an my top recommendation) for your situation. To keep the commute time down, stick to the eastern side of the rather large, spread out Township.
Livingston, while a wonderful community, has quite high taxes, (even for NJ) a ~350k home will have property taxes of ~10k a yr. The schools have a well earned reputation for having an aggressively competitive atmosphere.
Wow KoalaNJ! Those are better school tools than I've been using--much easier to use and clear-cut info. Thanks!
The flooding issue sure is a tough one. I've been using the Floodsmart.gov website to check listings as we go. Sometimes I don't even need that if they say the entire lower floor is new--dead giveaway that it flooded! I used to live along a creek and I have a pretty good idea of the elevation change necessary to escape flooding; the houses two blocks down were twice as far from the creek but nearly level with it and they always flooded. I am surprised at how widespread the flooding problem seems to be in NJ...didn't really expect that. A house on a hill would be pretty ideal methinks.
Keeping my fingers crossed that we'll find something suitable in Randolph--that would make life easy.
Thanks again for all the friendly and helpful input. It's really helped me with prioritizing the properties for our house-hunting trip next week.
We've had a good experience with Randolph schools for my two kids with the younger still in the high. Generally strong -- it's not Mt. Lakes or any of the very top districts, but still strong, with a wide offering of AP courses. The music program has historically been a real strength if your son is interested. Pretty strong sports culture. I'd say it's also decent for being inclusive. I guess bullying and drugs happen everywhere, but I don't view it as prevalent or an issue there.
Hi,
What's your high school student's daily or average homework load like in terms of how much time they need to get all of their homework completed? Do you find that they do have enough time after homework to do sports or just enjoy their childhood? We are moving to NJ and our current high school AP classes overloads the kids to the point where my daughter falls asleep at her desk.
Im looking for a well rounded high school with good academics but most importantly a peer group that does well in school, stays out of trouble, college bound...
Any input on your child has had with the homework load and the school peer group would be greatly appreciated.
What's your high school student's daily or average homework load like in terms of how much time they need to get all of their homework completed? Do you find that they do have enough time after homework to do sports or just enjoy their childhood? We are moving to NJ and our current high school AP classes overloads the kids to the point where my daughter falls asleep at her desk.
Im looking for a well rounded high school with good academics but most importantly a peer group that does well in school, stays out of trouble, college bound...
Any input on your child has had with the homework load and the school peer group would be greatly appreciated.
My younger daughter has been stretched thin with many AP or honors classes and 2 varsity sports teams, as well as some clubs, girl scouts etc. But that's a very aggressive load and she may drop one sport to gain a bit more free time. Especially in-season for sports, the falling asleep at desk (or just about anywhere) is an issue, but as long as she is enjoying and excelling, it's hard to mandate a cut-back in activities.
I'd say Randolph offers an opportunity for well-rounded and challenged students, but much of that is the student's choice and dependent on their motivation and preparation to that point.
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Randolph High School Question
