Tavares and Howie in the Hills (Altamonte Springs, Eustis: lower-class, crime, school districts)

[Mlw71]

How are these towns? Crime and schools in particular.

Looking for a nice area to live with my family. Relocating from PA.

Thanks!

[kyle19125]

I can't speak to Howey-In-The-Hills but can say Tavares has some nice areas to choose from, along with a thriving revitalized downtown area, however the school quality in either isn't good at all. You'll do slightly better in Mount Dora or Eustis which have nice areas to live in and would give the edge to Mount Dora which is a beautiful little town. Another step up from either is Clermont which has above average schools (probably the best in Lake County). If you're serious about good schools and family-friendly, look to the east in Seminole County. Longwood/Wekiva Springs or Altamonte Springs/Lake Brantley are about 30 miles to the east and both school districts are very highly rated.

[Mlw71]

Originally Posted by kyle19125

I can't speak to Howey-In-The-Hills but can say Tavares has some nice areas to choose from, along with a thriving revitalized downtown area, however the school quality in either isn't good at all. You'll do slightly better in Mount Dora or Eustis which have nice areas to live in and would give the edge to Mount Dora which is a beautiful little town. Another step up from either is Clermont which has above average schools (probably the best in Lake County). If you're serious about good schools and family-friendly, look to the east in Seminole County. Longwood/Wekiva Springs or Altamonte Springs/Lake Brantley are about 30 miles to the east and both school districts are very highly rated.

Thanks for your response.

I have looked into all of those towns and on greatschools they rank as follows with a few adding in:
Eustis 5/10
Wekiva 4/10
Clermont 5/10
Minneola 8/10
Tavares and Mt Dora 6/10
Altamonte/lake Brantley 8/10
Winter park 9/10

My husband has been told by several people that we should look more to the West side of Florida.

Still need to do more research and visit the areas to get a real feel.

My kids are in a private catholic school right now since the public schools here are a joke and dangerous.
It's getting very expensive to send them there though.

[annerk]

Clermont is a mixed bag due to some areas going to South Lake HS. If you can stay in an area zoned for East Ridge HS that number would bump to 8/10. Minneola is nice, although be wary of property taxes and go in with open eyes. Howey is nice, but I'm not sure what HS they use or how good it is. Tavares, meh.

[Arcenal813]

Tavares is okay... Mount Dora has some more modern, nicer areas.
As for schools, the public schools in the area are pretty average-to-bad... There is a rather large lower-class population, and as a result, quite a few roughnecks.
When I lived in Mt Dora, my kids went to Liberty Academy which is located in Tavares. It's a decent private school. I refused to send them to Triangle Elementary and Mt Dora Middle...

Howey-in-the-Hills has some very nice areas. Mission Inn used to be an overpriced community, but is now much more affordable. Montverde Academy isn't too far down.

Personally, I would look more into Wekiva/Longwood and Altamonte/Lake Brantley, or even Windermere, as they offer the same type of charm as Tavares and Howey, but have some MUCH better public school options.

[EditorJul]

Originally Posted by annerk

Clermont is a mixed bag due to some areas going to South Lake HS. If you can stay in an area zoned for East Ridge HS that number would bump to 8/10. Minneola is nice, although be wary of property taxes and go in with open eyes. Howey is nice, but I'm not sure what HS they use or how good it is. Tavares, meh.

Howey is so itty bitty that it is in the same school zone for Tavares High.

[EditorJul]

Just wrote up my views on Howey-in-the-Hills and Tavares in the other thread:
//www.city-data.com/forum/38110046-post28.html

[Mlw71]

Originally Posted by EditorJul

Just wrote up my views on Howey-in-the-Hills and Tavares in the other thread:
//www.city-data.com/forum/38110046-post28.html

Thank you