County or City School in Grants Pass? (Three Rivers: real estate, to rent)

[cbromkel1996]

We will be moving to Grants Pass from Texas this coming spring and I need some opinions about the Three Rivers county school district vs the city school - I'm not looking to bash either one, I know each has it's pros and cons, I just want opinions (local people) who know the area and have first hand experience.

On Greatschools.com it looks like the county schools spend more per student but their end of year tests (OAKS) are lower.

I'm not as worried about grade school as I am middle and high school (I have grade schoolers right now) but I'm looking to the future and want to make sure they have the advantages the city high school has (or doesnt have.... that's what I want to hear from people).

We really want to buy some land (at least a couple of acres), want to stay north or west of town and both of those options mean county school district, so I guess I'm looking for someone to tell me the schools there are OK. We are coming from a very large city with one of the highest ranking elementary schools in the state so I'm nervous about putting my kids into a smaller school.

Also... on another note- does anyone know what the general forecast is for real estate? Right now seems like the best time for me (as a buyer) but we really wanted to rent for at least 6 months to get a feel for where we would buy, but.... I don't want to miss the boat and jump into a sellers market in 6-12 months.
Thank you!

[freedom]

North or west of G.P. for the most part will mean North Valley high school and Lorna Byrne middle school. The main difference would be the kids. They are less into the trends and cliques, there are less single parent homes compared to city schools. The education will be dependant upon the student and parental support, and the teachers, they are all rated pretty even. G.P. high has its advantages, sports and theater programs, new buildings, and gym, so if the kids don't have extra curricular activities they tend to get into more trouble, there are alot more unsupervised students there, and they have a police officer on duty all the time.

If we were to put our kids in public school, we would prefer Hidden valley and Lincoln Savage middle school. They have better sports programs, Soccer, football, wrestling etc...and very attentive parents groups, the basics are pretty much the same, well funded, modestly applied.

Real estate is going to be a buyers market until after the 09 election. Even at that it will mostlikely be a very slow upstart, so your timing is excellent. It also is a good idea IMO, to rent for awhile in order to find the best area for your family.

best wishes
freedom

[ladysrodgers]

Originally Posted by cbromkel1996

We will be moving to Grants Pass from Texas this coming spring and I need some opinions about the Three Rivers county school district vs the city school - I'm not looking to bash either one, I know each has it's pros and cons, I just want opinions (local people) who know the area and have first hand experience.

On Greatschools.com it looks like the county schools spend more per student but their end of year tests (OAKS) are lower.

I'm not as worried about grade school as I am middle and high school (I have grade schoolers right now) but I'm looking to the future and want to make sure they have the advantages the city high school has (or doesnt have.... that's what I want to hear from people).

We really want to buy some land (at least a couple of acres), want to stay north or west of town and both of those options mean county school district, so I guess I'm looking for someone to tell me the schools there are OK. We are coming from a very large city with one of the highest ranking elementary schools in the state so I'm nervous about putting my kids into a smaller school.

Also... on another note- does anyone know what the general forecast is for real estate? Right now seems like the best time for me (as a buyer) but we really wanted to rent for at least 6 months to get a feel for where we would buy, but.... I don't want to miss the boat and jump into a sellers market in 6-12 months.
Thank you!

I'm not sure where you're at, but I live in the DFW metroplex. I moved here last March after having lived in the Grants Pass area for 3.5 years.

I'd be happy to answer any questions you might have. Let's do it in a direct message though.