Massachusetts folks!! (Phoenix, Prescott, Surprise: homes, neighborhoods, good schools)

[HUNOOSH]

Doing lots and lots of research on schools etc in the Surprise/Phoenix area and I would love to here from other MA people born raised in MA who made the big move across country. I have two 4 th graders and they are my number one concern. The reason I am taking time to really know what I am doing before moving so far away from family. I will have my adult daughter with me as well so she will be a huge help and confidence I will need. Is the weather what you ever expected? Not worried about drivers. MA had the worse in my opinion. Biggest concern is school and sports for youth. I have one that is on an IEP. I worry about him being the same great education he gets here in central MA. Any input on all subjects sound be great.

[sandy6879]

I'm born and raised in CT and been in AZ for 5 years. Pretty close to what you are asking although we moved to the east valley. Schools are the #1 item that are vastly different here than in New England. You can do some internet searches about the funding to schools here but the bottom line, AZ does not put a great deal of emphasis on school funding. Individual schools might have some different results but I've seen it often enough across the valley, the same underlying things happen all over Phoenix. Do a LOT of research into the school you plan to send your child to. Resources for students with an IEP are not the same here either. I don't say it to scare you but to be really honest with you about it.

Weather is completely what I expected

[HUNOOSH]

Originally Posted by sandy6879

I'm born and raised in CT and been in AZ for 5 years. Pretty close to what you are asking although we moved to the east valley. Schools are the #1 item that are vastly different here than in New England. You can do some internet searches about the funding to schools here but the bottom line, AZ does not put a great deal of emphasis on school funding. Individual schools might have some different results but I've seen it often enough across the valley, the same underlying things happen all over Phoenix. Do a LOT of research into the school you plan to send your child to. Resources for students with an IEP are not the same here either. I don't say it to scare you but to be really honest with you about it.

Weather is completely what I expected

Thank you for your reply. That seems to be the one thing I've been obsessing on. Researching schools. Don't know anyone in AZ so I'm going in blind and can only pray that I make the best choices for my boys. I just want a safe well educated environment for them.

[sandy6879]

Research average class sizes, test scores, what services each school offers. GreatSchools is a website that has some good/bad about it but can give you a lot of good statistics. There will be things that are important to you that might not be important to others - look into them. Research as much as you possibly can. Go on Facebook, most towns/neighborhoods have group pages. Request to join and ask the people in the groups their opinions. You'll likely get a lot more people there specific to the area you are looking at that can give you very solid opinions.

[HUNOOSH]

Thank you

[autism360]

There are more school choices here with many charter schools that have small class sizes.
All my Mass relatives and friends that visit would move here in a heartbeat if they could,but many have a problem leaving family and friends behind.
You will love it here 7 months out of the year and you will adjust to the summers, just remember Phoenix is only about 2 hours from Prescott or Payson where it is like New Hampshire or Maine with mild 4 season weather and lots of trees. So if you get homesick you do not have to go far.

[goolsbyjazz]

Sandy6879 gave you good information. I was born and raised in Massachusetts. Honestly, there is no comparison between education back east and here, in terms of funding. However, that does not mean you can't find a suitable school for your children. We were able to get our daughters into good schools, but we did our research and beat the pavement to make it happen. Doing it from afar is challenging. One of our daughters had an IEP and the school did a fantastic job with her education. Of course, we were super involved parents which helped.

As for moving across the country, it takes some adjusting to the desert lifestyle. Summers are going to be what they are...HOT! From late September to early May the weather is pretty nice.
There are web sites that rate schools which can sometimes be helpful. Feel free to DM me if you have spe ific questions.

[HUNOOSH]

Originally Posted by goolsbyjazz

Sandy6879 gave you good information. I was born and raised in Massachusetts. Honestly, there is no comparison between education back east and here, in terms of funding. However, that does not mean you can't find a suitable school for your children. We were able to get our daughters into good schools, but we did our research and beat the pavement to make it happen. Doing it from afar is challenging. One of our daughters had an IEP and the school did a fantastic job with her education. Of course, we were super involved parents which helped.

As for moving across the country, it takes some adjusting to the desert lifestyle. Summers are going to be what they are...HOT! From late September to early May the weather is pretty nice.
There are web sites that rate schools which can sometimes be helpful. Feel free to DM me if you have spe ific questions.

Thank you. Seems we may have some in common. I'm very involved in my boys education.