Relocating to Phoenix. Need advice. (Glendale, Tempe: home, neighborhoods, school districts)

[tanz1904]

We are relocating to Phoenix area as my husband has accepted a new job in Downtown Phoenix (85012). My company also has many offices in phx and I can choose any one.
Please see my off loc zip below

(85050,
85043(buckeye),
85021,
85283(tempe),
85016,
85305(glendale),
85216(mesa),
85283(tempe),
86303(prescott)

We have a preschooler(4 year old), so we need an area which has very good schools. We have decided to go with private school for now. He currently goes to Montessori preschool, and so we are looking for a similar as well, atleast for another 2 years before he starts elementary.

I really need advice on which would be a good family friendly place for us to stay considering the places we work. I have so many options for my workplace, that I am even more confused now. We are hoping that one of the above places(my workplace) have good schools and a good neighborhood) and close to downtown(husbands workplace). Please help us identify that. A neighborhood with good school is the highest priority, even though that means that both me and husband has some drive.

[S. Chris Webb]

Some of the school districts here don't define their boundaries by zip code, but you can search in different ways with this tool from the AZDE. It does give out school report cards. My understanding is that the Deer Valley Unified School District in North Glendale, and the Peoria School district are amongst the best in the state. (It will vary from school to school as these are large districts, though). I am not too familiar with the districts in the East Valley or Prescott (which is not in the Phoenix area).

[observer53]

I'll vote for south Tempe, 85283. Schools there are good, whether you land in Tempe Elementary or Kyrene District. You could expand your search to the other south Tempe ZIP, 85284 as well. Tempe has the best public transit options in the Valley, an excellent parks and rec and library dept with a wide variety of classes and activities, and just a very good quality of life. Even if your husband didn't use the public transit daily, it's a nice option. Commute in a car would be around 30 minutes in normal rush hour, the trip home is often a bit longer, not sure why.

[BuckeyeBoyDJ]

Out of those zip codes I would choose either 85283(Tempe), 85305(Glendale), 85021(North Central Phoenix), and 85050(Far North Phoenix). You can't go wrong with Tempe at all. Great schools throughout most of the city specifically the Kyrene School District. North Glendale is also a desirable area and Deer Valley and the Peoria School District are well regarded. However the 85021 area is a mixed bag. The rich and poor literally live side by side in that area. The Washington School District provides public education for the majority of the area and those schools are not that great and some are terrible. Madison School District in the southern part of that zip code is a better district and well regarded. 85050 is in the Paradise Valley school district which is decent and I believe the cave creek school district kind of blends in that area too. Anyway that area of phx is nice, new, and suburban but it is kind of far out and a drive to everything being so far north. Good luck!

[Valley Native]

Rancho Solano is a private school which has several campuses across the metro area. They are highly reputable & have been around for decades. In fact, I went there during my elementary years. At the time, the campus was at 15th Avenue & Northern, but they have relocated since. I remember they have preschool & Kindergarten classes, and I'm pretty sure some of the locations offer middle school & high school classes. Definitely worth looking into!

The Phoenix area is not highly regarded for its public schools. In fact, many people dislike the public system in general, and for very good reasons. Most private schools are located in decent neighborhoods, so if the OP can find a good location to live, there should be a fairly good choice of private institutions within a reasonable distance.