Pine Richland, North Allegheny or Hampton schools? (Mars: buying a house, neighborhood)

[NaturasPond]

We are considering a move to the North Hills and want to find the best schools before settling on a neighborhood. It looks like these three are all rated 10 on great schools, but pine richland seems to come in third on state rankings. I found threads from 2012 during budget issues - are things resolved? Facilities look impressive, any reason we shouldn't consider pine richland? Which one is best and why? Thanks!

[I_Like_Spam]

Originally Posted by NaturasPond

We are considering a move to the North Hills and want to find the best schools before settling on a neighborhood. It looks like these three are all rated 10 on great schools, but pine richland seems to come in third on state rankings. I found threads from 2012 during budget issues - are things resolved? Facilities look impressive, any reason we shouldn't consider pine richland? Which one is best and why? Thanks!

All of those school districts are excellent, and there is no reason why a kid that can do great in one of them couldn't do great in the other 2.


The main difference is in their size. Hampton is just a fraction of the size of NA. Positivities on both sides, a smaller school might give the kid more attention and put you all closer and less of a "number". However, a larger school would be able to offer more programs,


Visit the schools, make your own determination on this. The few points in ratings isn't a big deal, and besides is an assessment of previous school years. I think Hampton is #1 during the last rating period, but someone else could be on top next year when your offspring are attending.

[punctus_contra_punctum]

All three of these are excellent school districts -- you really cannot go wrong with any one of them. As mentioned by I_Like_Spam, North Allegheny is the largest of the group -- indeed, it is the largest (by number of students) district in Allegheny County outside the city itself. The driver here would be your preference for large or small -- any of these districts will provide a fine education for your family.

[NaturasPond]

Great - thanks! Where we currently live, there is only one school district that is highly rated. I'm not used to having multiple school districts with high ratings. I was hoping there was a general consensus of "the best" but it sounds like we can't go wrong. I guess our visit next week will be the determining factor.

[Copanut]

Hampton or North Hills.

[punctus_contra_punctum]

I will add North Hills is an excellent school district as well.

As an aside, does anyone know why Great Schools is still using 2011-12 data?

[okaydorothy]

North Hills is good. When we were moving here, we did visit Hampton with our boys and they hated it. The feeling I got from there was that because it was high in ratings, the tour guide felt that we should just accept it and not question anything.

We choose South Fayette and have not regretted it.

[SuburbanPioneer]

All three are excellent. North Hills SD (not to be confused with North Allegheny SD) is somewhat good but not excellent.
In addition to the difference in the size of the district, I'd also consider the tax rate in each district if you plan on buying a house. Since the school tax is the single highest portion of your property taxes.
Also, of all three, the North Allegheny SD is well known/regarded for its programs for handicapped kids.

[robrobrob]

This is one of those times where it will depend on commute, budget and what you want in a house.

I would pick Hampton due to location and size. Some others may pick North Allegheny because they would like to be on 279.

[chris1219]

Hampton seems to be leading the pack in the rankings for the past few years and is more trendy than the others at the moment.

However, personally, I am not a big fan of the Route 8 corridor (which goes through Hampton and Richland townships). It's kind of run down and ugly. I reccommend looking more toward the Wexford area of Route 19 (which would put you in Pine, Mccandless, or Marshall). I feel that it's much nicer aesthetically and in terms of convenience to a wide variety of shopping/amenities, and with easy access both 79 and McKnight, you can get almost anywhere quickly.

Only downside I've heard with NA schools is if your kids aspire to play sports. With the huge population, it's extremely difficult to crack the varsity squad there.