Riverdale High School VS Lincoln VS Lake Oswego (Portland: for sale, house)

[catcal]

We are considering moving to the Portland area and have concerns about finding the right high school for our 2 children. Right now they are in a middle school that is known for academic excellence but has 400 students per grade and I am afraid they are overwhelmed socially (they both are excellent students.) They are both fairly shy and aren't interested in football or cheerleading. They are both creative and one is a (female) athlete who enjoys team sports. The other is more the intellectual type.

We have had enough of schools where money and status are paramount, but we want them to have an excellent education. Diversity is good and we would like to live somewhere where there are active educated people who don't need to display wealth to validate their self worth. I don't want to be too far from the city but my husband wants a decent size lot. We can spend up to $650K for a home.

I understand there is a wait to try to transfer into Lincoln HS, so going there would mean living close by. We also plan to both be working too so we don't want to be taxi driver to our kids.

Would love to get some insight.

[oregonwoodsmoke]

Rule of thumb: your best education is going to be in districts where the families have money. Those schools don't get any more funding, but the parents step in and fill in the gaps. Also, that's where the parents make the biggest stink if they aren't happy, so the administration and teachers are more cautious about what they are doing.

There will be lots of clubs and activities for the kids that do not involve football or cheer leading.

[christiner81]

1. how big is a decent sized lot to your husband?
2. whereabouts would you be working?

If i had your budget, i'd go Riverdale over LO and Lincoln.
I think *generally* most Oregonians i've met are not flashy about their money/status, though there is likely more of that in those 3 HS areas than in less affluent areas...it goes with the territory. The Riverdale district is a small area, so you may not have a lot of choices when it comes to house particulars - there are only 5 homes for sale at 650K and below on the MLS.

[Nell Plotts]

You need to talk to Riverdale about school transportation. It is rare that high school students are bussed in Portland. Academically Riverdale would be my first choice.

I am a Lincoln graduate, as is my daughter. That would be my 2nd choice. There is the added advantage of transit options and a tradition of car-pooling, in fact students are known to thumb in front of the MAC Club for a lift up the hill. Take a look at the clubs/activities on the school website. One activity that has helped my daughter a lot was speech [she is a CFO in the Silicon Valley in her mid 30s]. Speech, debate, & Constitution clubs are strong at Lincoln.

My take on LO is that there are a lot of social climbers while Riverdale and Lincoln students don't feel the need to climb. I know that is catty but it is my opinion.

High school students form cliques everywhere but I wouldn't expect that this behavior pattern is strong at Riverdale.

[mc0624]

I was doing some research on Riverdale HS and found this thread. In looking at several different boundary maps, it looks like Riverdale is outside the actual school boundary. Am I seeing that correctly or am I missing something?

If it is outside the boundaries, does that mean that a student who lives directly across the street would have to pay tuition or receive financial aid?

Thanks

[Nell Plotts]

School District Boundaries are just that. Across the street doesn't count. VERIFY with the District that you are in their enrollment area if the school is driving your decision. It is my understanding that Riverdale is a neighborhood, not a city, that traditionally has been defined by their school boundaries.

[Yankeemama]

Call the school to find out if a particular address is in that school district. I believe Riverdale s $10,000. tuition if a student lives outside of district. Riverdale is a public school, however.

[Priscilla Martin]

As a disclaimer, I spent the last 15 years of my long career in education crunching Oregon school district numbers and stats. After reading this thread, and since I am now retired and out of the loop, I found this US News and World Reports rankings, which are fairly consistent with what my former colleagues say at those retiree luncheons. There are undoubtedly some surprises in the research and there are always the cynics.

Top Oregon High Schools | Best High Schools | US News

[Nell Plotts]

Interesting how effective Corbett schools are, that is not a student population with a lot of professional parents.

A lot of Riverdale 9th graders attend Lake Oswego High School.

One difference between Lincoln, Lake Oswego and Grant high schools is the size of the student body.

[tripmom]

My husband might get a job offer in Portland so I am reseaching schools. I have a couple of quick questions.

Nell Plotts, why would a lot of Riverdale 9th graders go to Lake Oswego?

While I have read great things about Riverdale on this forum, Riverdale's test scores are not impressive for the grade school or the high school. Given it is such a small school, I would have thought their test scores would have been higher.
Can anyone shed any light on Riverdale's test scores?

Thanks!