Well, just came back from a 2 week stay in OC (Huntington Beach: rental, school district)

[DawnW]

Originally Posted by jet757f

As someone who lives in Irvine I would take Mission Viejo, Aliso Viejo, Laguna Niguel any time.
Plus if your soon needs to get to Laguna it would be a lot easier. Irvine is not all that!! It used to be!!

I will need to look into public transportation. He doesn't drive.

There is a chance my husband can work from home, we are hoping. In that case, he can help him get to either the bus stop or take him in to school. Otherwise, we will be relying on public transportation, which could be an issue.

I guess when we are closer to the move, I should get a realtor who knows the area well and ask some questions.

We don't mind buying, and we did drive around Mission Viejo a bit to get a feel for what we could afford, so we have a rough idea already.

We didn't have time to look at much else.

It would be nice if BOTH of us had jobs lined up before we move, but I am not sure I can.

[CA4Now]

Originally Posted by DawnW

I am looking at this:
https://www.niche.com/k12/search/bes...nge-county-ca/

Children of our friends attended University High and were very happy there, and both my cousins and their children attended Corona del Mar High School - one family moved just so his son could graduate from there.

[NewbieHere]

Originally Posted by Electrician4you

For the nose bleed brain aneurism money you're paying in Irvine it better be nicer don't you think? My mom was paying $2400 a month for a one bedroom apartment off 405 and Sand Canyon.

They do fleece renters. I talked to one guy on the plane and he said the same amount that he pays for 2br near Irvine Spectrum is similar to my house payment. Except I have to pay for property tax, Mello Roos, and HOA.

[Chava61]

My brother's oldest daughter attends Mission Viejo High School and his second daughter will be joining her older sister there in the upcoming school year. I know that my brother and his wife have been very pleased with the school's music/band/orchestra program there as well as the school academics in general.

[pacific2]

Originally Posted by DawnW

I will need to look into public transportation. He doesn't drive.

There is a chance my husband can work from home, we are hoping. In that case, he can help him get to either the bus stop or take him in to school. Otherwise, we will be relying on public transportation, which could be an issue.

I guess when we are closer to the move, I should get a realtor who knows the area well and ask some questions.

We don't mind buying, and we did drive around Mission Viejo a bit to get a feel for what we could afford, so we have a rough idea already.

We didn't have time to look at much else.

It would be nice if BOTH of us had jobs lined up before we move, but I am not sure I can.

Would OC Access be an option? Or, would that fact that your son could use public transit, if readily available, make him ineligible?

ACCESS Service Overview
OC ACCESS, formally known as OCTA ACCESS, is shared-ride service for people who are unable to use the regular, fixed-route OC Bus service because of functional limitations caused by a disability. These passengers must be certified by OCTA to use the OC ACCESS system by meeting the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) eligibility criteria.

Download and print the ACCESS Application Form.

ACCESS Riders Guide March 2016.

Types of Service

Curb-to-Curb Standard Service
All OC ACCESS fares must be paid upon boarding. The base fare for OC ACCESS service is $3.60 per passenger for each one-way trip. The standard OC ACCESS fare is for curb-to-curb service. If you require a reasonable modification for service beyond the curb, please notify the reservation operator when making the trip reservation.

Subscription Service
Subscription service allows riders to receive service without the need to call and request each trip. This is good for riders who are traveling to work, school, for regularly scheduled medical appointments, or to other destinations on a regular basis.

Same-Day Taxi Service
OCTA offers a non-ADA Same-Day Taxi Program to OC ACCESS-eligible customers. OCTA subsidizes up to five miles for a same-day taxi trip. You pay the OC ACCESS base fare of $3.60 for a five-mile ride; any additional costs above the five-mile trip are paid by the OC ACCESS customer in addition to the base fare of $3.60. Same-day taxi service is available from 7 a.m. - 8 p.m. seven days a week. Customers wishing to use the same-day taxi service can call the OC ACCESS reservation number at (877) 628-2232. For TDD, call (800) 564-4232.

Beginning mid-March OC ACCESS will be testing a new mobile app for booking your OC Same Day Taxi trip. Click here to learn more.

[pacific2]

The idea of contacting OC Access to see if your (Obviously very high functioning) son might be eligible for transportation may not be so far-fetched since Autism Speaks has them listed as a resource on their website.

https://www.autismspeaks.org/resourc...access-service

It probably won't hurt to contact OC Access, even if they might say they can't help since your son is able to use public transit; even if none is actually around.

[RosieSD]

Originally Posted by DawnW

And since someone asked and I don't know how to respond to ratings......DH is forum speak for "dear husband" or "darling husband", basically just used to refer to husband.....and is used one every forum I am on, I thought it was just a known thing.

Dawn,

For high school, rather than rely on ratings (which don't tell you much), I would use the individual School Profile reports.

These are reports that high schools send to colleges with transcripts and they will tell you MUCH more about the curriculum, special strengths, student population, and college admissions track record than U.S. News & World Reports "rankings" (or any other ranking) that uses limited data.

I would suggest you start by calling the high school that your 8th grader is on track to attend and asking for a copy of their School Profile. Many high schools now put this online (usually somewhere in the counseling dept. website). If you can't find it, call the counseling office. Getting a copy of the school your son would attend if you don't move will give you a baseline.

Then, get the School Profiles for the schools in the areas you're considering here in California,

I would encourage you to help your 8th grade son understand that artificial "rankings" don't really measure whether a school is going to be the best choice for HIM (or any child).

Rankings are just designed to sell magazines and/or websites.

Also, I'd encourage you and your son to come up with a list of questions about things he wants/needs from his high school experience. Is he a science/math kid? Then you want to ask questions about that at each school. Does he plan to play sports in high school? Again, then you want to ask about that.

In short, help your son create his OWN rankings. This will help him when it comes time to apply to college; too many kids (and parents) don't look beyond rankings/ratings.

The School Profiles, as well as talking to the counseling offices and asking thoughtful questions for follow up, will help you and your son make smart choices.

[RosieSD]

P.S., to get you started, here is a link to Irvine High School's School Profile:

Irvine High School School Profile

But again, get a copy of the School Profile for the high school your son would attend if you didn't move and use that as a baseline for comparison.

Things that I (and college admissions officers) look at on School Profiles include:

- How the academic year is organized (i.e., does the school work on a semester or block schedule)
- Demographics of the student body
- Median college entrance exam scores (SAT, ACT)
- Special academic opportunities and school educational philosophy
- Number of Advanced Placement and Honors Courses and PASS RATE of the AP exams (not every school includes this, often because their pass rate isn't stellar)
- Percentage of students going directly to 4 year colleges
- Percentage of students going to college (including 2 year)
- Where students go to college. Not every school includes this on the school profile. Some will have it on their counseling/college page of their website. When it isn't included, call the counseling office and ASK for it. Don't be surprised to find out that *most* high schools in California send the largest percentage to UCs and Cal States.

Good luck!

[payutenyodagimas]

Originally Posted by Electrician4you

Curious about your statement but what exactly is wrong with GG Westminster area?

nothing wrong, its just not nice as Irvine and you will be mixing with Asians (maybe that's wrong for some?)


I love the variety of food there though

[DawnW]

Originally Posted by RosieSD

Dawn,

For high school, rather than rely on ratings (which don't tell you much), I would use the individual School Profile reports.

These are reports that high schools send to colleges with transcripts and they will tell you MUCH more about the curriculum, special strengths, student population, and college admissions track record than U.S. News & World Reports "rankings" (or any other ranking) that uses limited data.

I would suggest you start by calling the high school that your 8th grader is on track to attend and asking for a copy of their School Profile. Many high schools now put this online (usually somewhere in the counseling dept. website). If you can't find it, call the counseling office. Getting a copy of the school your son would attend if you don't move will give you a baseline.

Then, get the School Profiles for the schools in the areas you're considering here in California,

I would encourage you to help your 8th grade son understand that artificial "rankings" don't really measure whether a school is going to be the best choice for HIM (or any child).

Rankings are just designed to sell magazines and/or websites.

Also, I'd encourage you and your son to come up with a list of questions about things he wants/needs from his high school experience. Is he a science/math kid? Then you want to ask questions about that at each school. Does he plan to play sports in high school? Again, then you want to ask about that.

In short, help your son create his OWN rankings. This will help him when it comes time to apply to college; too many kids (and parents) don't look beyond rankings/ratings.

The School Profiles, as well as talking to the counseling offices and asking thoughtful questions for follow up, will help you and your son make smart choices.

They don't tell the entire story, but they do have a purpose. School profiles and school improvement plans are on the websites, no need to call and bug each school for that.

But he is indeed in a fantastic school right now, so we do want a great school. And I don't make apologies for that. Of course there are kids who succeed in mediocre schools, and he would probably be one of them, but if we don't have to do that, why would we?

I am well aware of how all of this works, I am a school counselor and have worked in CA schools for 17 years prior to moving to NC.