Is Quakertown Community School District that bad?

[Devon381]

Originally Posted by toobusytoday

I would not want to live in Quakertown but my experience is not based on the schools, it's mostly from shopping there. If you visit the Quakertown Farmers Market, you'll see many people that you probably don't want your kids to go to school with. However, the pay scale for teachers is higher then nearby Lehigh County and some of our more popular teachers have transferred there. In fact, the superintendant of schools used to be the Principal of the MS in Southern Lehigh when my daughter attended it. The town of Quakertown is also not that appealing to me, but I think this is all personal preference so if it looks good to you, then go for it.

okay, i understand what you are saying about the farmers market. it isn't the greatest place to go and the people there are weird. but you cannot be negative about the town just off of that. there is more to quakertown then just the farmers market. it is busy, but there are alot of quieter places to live in quakertown. and they offer alot of things to do for familys. but your opinion is your opinion. i just think that people shouldn't base it off of just one place that they have been to.

[bunny1234]

I will be living in PA as soon as my home sells here in Georgia. And trying to find an area that my husband can drive to downtown. I want a smalltown feel, safe, and good schools. Quakertown sounds great. As for the "foeign language." I guess I will fit in well because that how we talk in the south.

[FightinPhils]

Originally Posted by FLhereIcome

I live in Quakertown, and have 2 children that have gone to Quakertown schools since 1st grade; one has graduated, the other is in high school. I have no complaints about the school district at all. Any concerns I have had were always addressed and I have received the help needed to make sure my children succeed. We chose Quakertown because we owned a business in town and for that reason it was important to be a part of this community. We don't live in the Borough of Quakertown and chose not to. We live on the outskirts of town in the more rural area. I like that shopping is just minutes from my house, I'm close to the turnpike entrance, but I don't live near 309. As for the kids in town, remember growing up and you have kids from "either side of the tracks"? That's Quakertown, just like any other town. Are there people in town who chose not to better themselves, don't speak English, aren't friendly, yes. But show me a town that doesn't have that. In this town everybody knows everybody. If there's a troublemaker in town, everybody knows who it is. My kids have always chosen their friends based on common interest. As for the QMart.... It's a cheap farmers market. It's not an upscale shopping center, so you're more likely to see beat up pickup trucks than a new SUV sitting in the parking lot. What I like about living here is the schools are good, there is a new library and pool, the community has events throughout the year (parades, festivals, etc.) where friends and the community get together and have a good time, I love walking through downtown in the summer to get some water ice and it's safe.

Sounds like a nice place to live. Unfortunately there are too many people who see people that aren't of the upper level of the economic scale and somehow want to shelter their children from that, or feel that they're too good for certain people, so they move them to the more "uppity" suburban areas that are more homogenous. Personally, I think its good for kids in schools to be exposed to different types of people. That's the real world.

Its also better to live somewhere where people are more down to earth, and not be concerned with "keeping up with the Joneses."

[toobusytoday]

Nothing to do with economic or racial diversity, it's more like Quakertown has a city feel to it. I grew up in lower Delaware where my HS was one third black and our family was not one of the better off ones. I learned that skin color has nothing to do if you are a jerk or not, nor does how much money you have. Hopefully, my kids learned that too. We chose our area because the people were friendly, the schools were good and the houses were affordable.

[redlzard3]

quakertown school district is absolutely atrocious. i hope you have not decided to send your kids there.
the science and math programs are failing. any ambitious kid will be driven mad there...

[redlzard3]

*i graduated last year.

[jimmyrocks]

haha, qmart... you can judge the area on that alone.

[sandals421]

Originally Posted by RatherBGolfing

All these postings about Qtown schools, I just had to comment. They are GOOD. VERY GOOD. People in the area just get so obsessed with Doylestown or other reputations that they forget Qtown holds its own in the rankings, not to mention that parents seem quite pleased here. If you are thinking of moving to the area, you need to view Qtown as a whole (as we did, moving here a few years ago). It's a good place to get a little more for your money house-wise than other locations around Phila. It's got many main roads (309 access, turnpike, etc) for commuting. You have grocery, pharmacy, restaurants, and retail choices with "malls" less than a half hour north or south. And you have parks, trails, and other recreation.......AND good schools. Maybe not the highest ranked in all of PA. But you have to think of everything that matters to you and your family as a whole and find a balance.
The only specific advice I can offer is to keep in mind that part of Quakertown is Richland Township and part is Milford Township. Each has different elementary schools, for example, and you may want to keep this in mind and compare. I'm biased - we live on the Milford side (west of 309, closer to turnpike exit) and really love it. It feels a little quieter and less congested over here. It removes you from the Farmers Market & downtown chaos mentioned in these other posts. And all our neighbors with young kids have been very satisfied with Pfaff.
So don't anyone write off Qtown! And remember even within the 2 townships you have some options and priorities to consider. Good luck and best wishes to all!

I beg to differ...except Milford is better than Strayer Middle School.

I went to a very good school district, and QCSD is not one. The problem is not with the teachers, but with the Administration and to some extent, the parents. To prove my point, view several different school districts that are rated in greatschools.org, and you will see what I mean. I downloaded my home school districts SAT scores and compared them with those of QCSD's, and the results were amazing. 96% of my hometown SD took the SAT's and scored well above, in all categories, than those of the 50% from Quakertown...Statistically, that should not happen. As an FYI, my hometown is NOT even in the top 10 of the state.
Then there are the multiple school scandals of principals having sex with teachers during an assembly, etc..