Please Help Me Rank These Public School Systems (Philadelphia, Chester: school districts, live in)

[KPC2010]

We currently live in Baltimore, MD and could be moving to the Philly area soon. I have two small children (6 yrs old and 2 yrs old) and the public school system is our top priority when deciding on a new location. Can you help me rank the school systems below. For us, the most important things are:

1. Safety
2. Quality of education
3. Quality of facilities

Feel free to add any other items that may help us make a decision on location (i.e. reputation of school district, test scores, etc). As a way of background, my oldest daughter (currently in Kindergarten) attends an all girls, private school. Education is great, very safe, and a good reputation. My wife and I grew up through the public school system and would prefer to send our kids there as well.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. In addition to ranking the school systems, if any 1 school system stands out from the pack for good or bad reasons, please let me know.

If you don't feel comfortable posting comments, feel free to send me a private message. School districts are below:

T/E School system
Radnor Township
Lower Merion School system
Unionville- Chadds Ford
Kennet Consolidated
West Chester

[frankgn87]

Originally Posted by KPC2010

We currently live in Baltimore, MD and could be moving to the Philly area soon. I have two small children (6 yrs old and 2 yrs old) and the public school system is our top priority when deciding on a new location. Can you help me rank the school systems below. For us, the most important things are:

1. Safety
2. Quality of education
3. Quality of facilities

Feel free to add any other items that may help us make a decision on location (i.e. reputation of school district, test scores, etc). As a way of background, my oldest daughter (currently in Kindergarten) attends an all girls, private school. Education is great, very safe, and a good reputation. My wife and I grew up through the public school system and would prefer to send our kids there as well.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. In addition to ranking the school systems, if any 1 school system stands out from the pack for good or bad reasons, please let me know.

If you don't feel comfortable posting comments, feel free to send me a private message. School districts are below:

T/E School system
Radnor Township
Lower Merion School system
Unionville- Chadds Ford
Kennet Consolidated
West Chester

I don't know what T/E is..
Lower Merion
Radner
Chadds ford
Kennett square
west chester

is how I would rank them. with the first 4 being very close..

[KPC2010]

[SIZE=3]Tredyffrin/Easttown School District[/SIZE]

[thekish]

Reality.



Almost all of the suburban schools are good.
Almost all of the city schools are bad.

[KPC2010]

thekish.... would you consider any of the listed school districts as city schools? Sorry for the "dumb" question but I do not know the area well and I know that these school districts run along the cities of Philadelphia/Wilmington.

[thekish]

No. The schools you listed are all suburban schools. I am not too familiar with TE but the other are all A1. TE is probably good too.

The main difference between individual suburban schools and we can add inner city schools in the mix, is really the quality of the students.

[rainrock]

Here is a nice interactive report on all of the area schools published by the Phila Inquirer.

Inquirer Report Card on the Schools - Philadelphia Inquirer

2007 top 10 Area combined SAT scores Public High Schools.

1.Masterman(Phila)- 1823 combined SAT scores
2.Lower Merion High School(Lower Merion School District )1756
3.Harriton High School(Lower Merion School district)- 1739
4.Radnor-(Radnor School District) 1738
5.Conestoga-(Tredyffrin-Easttown School District)-Berwyn Pa 1724
6.Haddonfield(NJ) 1684
7.Council Rock North (Council Rock School District-Bucks County Pa)- 1674
8.Unionville-Chadds Ford- 1673
9.Upper Dublin(PA)- 1673
10.Moorestown NJ- 1657

[thekish]

Originally Posted by rainrock

Here is a nice interactive report on all of the area schools published by the Phila Inquirer.

Inquirer Report Card on the Schools - Philadelphia Inquirer

2007 top 10 Area combined SAT scores Public High Schools.

1.Masterman(Phila)- 1823 combined SAT scores
2.Lower Merion High School(Lower Merion School District )1756
3.Harriton High School(Lower Merion School district)- 1739
4.Radnor-(Radnor School District) 1738
5.Conestoga-(Tredyffrin-Easttown School District)-Berwyn Pa 1724
6.Haddonfield(NJ) 1684
7.Council Rock North (Council Rock School District-Bucks County Pa)- 1674
8.Unionville-Chadds Ford- 1673
9.Upper Dublin(PA)- 1673
10.Moorestown NJ- 1657

Philly tries to distort the numbers. The public schools in Philly are a joke. Masterman??? Is that even a high school. The last I heard it was a MIDDLE school.

I just checked and I guess they added a few grades. It is funny how they list Kevin Bacon as an alumni even though he went to Bonner. He probably went there for 6th grade. There enrollment is only 350 and it is a charter school.

Schools 2-10 are all good. Number 1 is good for the 300 kids out of 200,000 in the district.

[BPP1999]

1 - All are some of the best districts in the region.
2 - All are safe.
3 - Not sure about facilities but see #1 above.

T/E, BTW, supposedly recently ranked #4 public district in PA.

Every survey says something different, but you can't go wrong with any of those schools.

All are suburban, with Kennett Square and Chadds-Ford being exurban.

[BPP1999]

Originally Posted by thekish

Philly tries to distort the numbers. The public schools in Philly are a joke. Masterman??? Is that even a high school. The last I heard it was a MIDDLE school.

I just checked and I guess they added a few grades. It is funny how they list Kevin Bacon as an alumni even though he went to Bonner. He probably went there for 6th grade. There enrollment is only 350 and it is a charter school.

Schools 2-10 are all good. Number 1 is good for the 300 kids out of 200,000 in the district.

Geez, why are you so anti-Philadelphia?

Masterman is a magnet school that attracts the best of the city's best students. As a suburbanite, I don't have a problem with a Philadelphia school making the top of the list.