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what are the best public schools for transferring in 10th grade in the city if we have no choice and need to start school this fall - who can i contact - can't get through to anyone at nycedu- what area is best to live in for public school in case he doesn't get into stuyvesant- also can we live in 2 bedroom in nyc on 160,000
He's going to be starting HS this fall? Too late. He is way out of the running for the Specialized High Schools (tests were given in October).
In the burbs (at least Queens), High Schools are zoned as well as applied for...and there are differences between schools. Again...while everyone wants their kid to get into Stuy...there are lots of great programs in schools in which kids fare very well (honestly...the hard working ones will do well no matter where they are...but it's easier in certain places). I'd look into that during your search of where to live.
160K is enough to live in many places. Not like a King...but well enough.
Travel in NYC is horrible if you go by car. That's why the vast majority of people take the train. Do take a train commute into consideration if you will work in NYC. It will open up more neighborhoods to you (but is a time investment on your part). Think outside the box...boroughs, Catholic/private schools, ect.
Both the trains & buses are pretty safe (I took them starting from 6th grade to commute...your kid will be OK).
It's a tough move to be doing right now (school is out of nl session). Call lots of High Schools of interest & leave lots of messages.
Honestly, in your situation, I might be inclined to recommend looking just outside the city in a suburban school district where you do not have the same issues with securing a slot. In NYC, the focused schools are much better, even when looking in a district such as District 26 in Queens which has a great reputation, the neighborhood schools tend to be more average in nature. It might be too much culture shock to throw in a crowded, rush hour commute for a teen as well.
Commuting from a close-in suburb, you could be to the city as fast, or even faster than many parts of the city from Lower Westchester and Suburban Long Island, and you'd avoid the city income tax as well since there's currently no commuter tax. Long Island is very built up, but the North Shore, which is where the Port Washington Line heads, is not as overbuilt, though there is a lot of traffic. Lower Westchester, while not immune to development, has more train lines and parkways to serve it, so the traffic is generally not as bad, and there are more gaps between villages than on Long Island.
Towns/Villages on LI, that I would recommend would include those along the Port Washington branch line, since it's the fastest to the city, having only a couple of stops on LI before getting to Queens and then not terribly long before getting to Penn Station (about 35-50 minutes depending upon express train) from the terminus at Port Washington. Manhasset, Great Neck, etc. are just over the line from Queens (District 26, Queens to be exact) and are suburban, though built-up suburban and the character of the towns ranges from affluent to super wealthy, similar to the neighborhoods of Queens that it borders.
In Westchester, there are three train lines that service the county, all of which go to Grand Central Terminal in Midtown: Harlem, Hudson, and New Haven, with close-in towns along them that are similar to the towns on LI. I'd recommend looking on the New Haven Line at: Larchmont, Pelham, parts of Mamaroneck, Rye, and parts of Harrison. On the Harlem Line, check into: Bronxville (must be in the village for the school), Scarsdale, Edgemont (aka Greenville, neigbors Scarsdale - no train in the area, use neighboring Scarsdale). Edgemont has a great reputation without the pressure cooker status that's generally associated with Scarsdale schools. On the Hudson Line, look into: Ardsley, Dobbs Ferry, Hasings-on-Hudson, and Irvington. The furthest of these is going to be about 45 minutes to Midtown, and the closer (Pelham, Bronxville) are going to be on the order of 30 minutes. The schools are excellent and are small districts in these areas, so it would not be too much culture shock coming from Virginia.
Alternatively, you could live in a nice part of the city, such as Riverdale, which is The Bronx, and see if you can get into a local private school that may/may not have a slot, thought these schools can be as competitive as Manhattan. In Riverdale, The Fieldston School, Riverdale Country Day and Hoace Mann have excellent reputations, but they may not be able to admit a student, and the tuition is in platinum territory. Riverdale is not a dense urban neighborhood and ranges from affluent to wealthy residents who live in apartments to houses on more than an acre of land in the estate area. Using MetroNorth's Hudson Line from Riverdale, you'd be to Grand Central in under 30 minutes, and there are also express buses that take about 40-60 minutes for east or west side commutes that are not as convenient to MetroNorth.
I'm not saying that it's impossible to live in a good part of Manhattan and get into a good school, but it's going to be very difficult and unsettled, whereas living in a close-in suburb, you don't have the same hassles with the school, parking your car, etc., and it's more akin to a bridge to living in a huge city from an environment such as Charlottesville.
I just want to comment that the NYC high schools tend to change a lot every 4 or 5 years or so. So just be careful because a school that might have been great a few years back might have quickly gone bad and vice versa.
thanks so much!-- honestly i'm afraid he's going to get beat up or something - people here have me scared to death- are there really dangerous gangs in all public high schools in the city?- can he also take the bus - would this be safer?--does anyone have specific recommendations for school / neighborhood and or contact in public school by phone that i not a machine?!
You really should not be coming here if you are scared like that. It won't be a pleasant experience.
To answer your other question, 160K is enough for a small family to live very comfortably in NYC.
what are the best public schools for transferring in 10th grade in the city if we have no choice and need to start school this fall - who can i contact - can't get through to anyone at nycedu- what area is best to live in for public school in case he doesn't get into stuyvesant- also can we live in 2 bedroom in nyc on 160,000
Check with the DOE(Dept. Of Education) to have your child registered in public school. The most excellent schools are, in this order:
Eleanor Roosevelt/Upper East Side
Beacon School/ Upper West Side
Millenium High School/ Financial District
Lab High School/Midtown
Although public schools, these schools are excellent and receive huge monies from the city's coffers. Eleanor Just received 20 million last year. The student body consists mainly of kids from the private and boarding schools Mod cut: not appropriate.
But I urge you to give the DOE a try and do let us know how things work out.
Last edited by Viralmd; 06-23-2009 at 10:55 AM..
Reason: TOS violations
You really should not be coming here if you are scared like that. It won't be a pleasant experience.
To answer your other question, 160K is enough for a small family to live very comfortably in NYC.
There are dozens upon dozens upon dozens of public schools in the city, there is no need to be paranoid about all of them really. Do your research and look up the schools, also look up the majors to see what he may be interested in. Almost all kids commute via public transportation and are fine. As already mentioned he can apply to any school in Manhattan. Also you've got some good school recommendations on here.
I just want to comment that the NYC high schools tend to change a lot every 4 or 5 years or so. So just be careful because a school that might have been great a few years back might have quickly gone bad and vice versa.
As someone who graduated in '04 I can def attest to this.
You say you are moving to NYC, but does that just mean you/spouse have to be in NYC for work, or are you moving to NYC?
It is difficult to advise on so broad terms, but as some others said you might try a nearby suburb with good public scools, so you are not struggling with this issue on such short notice.
If you are looking to live in the city, I am sure some of those websites others suggested will provide help with public schools. If you looking for private schools and are catholic, or don't mind catholic education, there are many catholic high schools in each of the boroughs that might be suitable. They are not as academic as the private Manhattan prep schools, but they are also far more "affordable," in the $7500 range, and may be more flexible with admissions.
I don't know if you'll be in NYC anytime soon, but the DoE is offering some seminars on choosing a high school. Although it's geared towards middle school students, I'm sure much of the information would be valuable to a transfer student as well.
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Do your research and look up the schools, also look up the majors to see what he may be interested in. Almost all kids commute via public transportation and are fine. As already mentioned he can apply to any school in Manhattan. Also you've got some good school recommendations on here.
