Are There Any Family Friendly Suburbs or Areas of Phoenix Where the High Schools Aren't Huge? (Scottsdale: fit in)

[canudigit]

We are planning on moving to the Phoenix area in late June for my husband's job and our daughter's allergies. We are focusing on Gilbert at this point, but I am amazed at how huge the high schools there are, even though I have heard that they are very good schools. Our daughter will be a sophomore and she has always attended small private schools here. The idea of going to a school with 800+ students in each grade is overwhelming to her, to say the least. The private schools in the East Valley are all at least $6,000-$8,000/yr., and I am getting mixed reports about the charter schools. Are there any other suburbs or areas in Phoenix proper that don't have such big high schools? Gilbert and Chandler seem to be the same in this regard, we can't get what we want in a house for our price in Tempe, Ahwatukee, or Scottsdale, and we really don't want to move to the west side, since my husband will be working in Tempe. Any suggestions would be much appreciated.

[Ponderosa]

Big high school can be a good thing. Kids can find others who share their interests, quirks, etc in a big school. There's a group for everyone and every taste. Fitting in somewhere is important. Small schools can be very cliquish and kids can be easily ignored or cast to the side if they don't fit in with the prevailing groups.

[SOON2BNSURPRISE]

I remember living in Iowa during the 1986 Rosebowl, "UCLA vs. Iowa Hawkeys". During a game you also learn what high school a player attended. A guy I went to school with was playing for UCLA during the game. At the home where I watched the game this girl who was in High School wanted to know if I had been in any of that guys classes. I told her I didn't even know him. She didn't understand that untill I told her our graduating class had more people than the town she lived in.

For me I would agree with Ponderosa on this. Larger schools do have a lot to offer. Not that their is anything wrong with a small school. People with similar interests will still hang out together. She could end up with many more friends that share similar goals.

[pbenjamin]

You are getting mixed reports on charter schools because there is a wide variety of them. Some are excellent, some are awful. It isn't that difficult to sort that out, though. At look at test scores will tell you a lot. If you find a good one you end up with a small school with small class sizes, individual attention, etc. Our son graduated from Arizona School for the Arts, a 6-12 school which has about 400 students. Based on the education he received there, he ended up getting accepted to several prestigious colleges, eventually choosing UC-Berkeley. A school like this is not for everybody, may lack some traditional amenities like football, proms, etc., but the education that they offer is hard to match. ASA is near downtown Phoenix, so it may not be right for you, but I've heard good things about Chandler Preparatory Academy as well.