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I know, I know. There are a zillion school and home threads out there. But none pertain EXACTLY to me, and so now I create my own.
We have been living in Durham for several years, but are looking to move due to growing family. The current debate is WHERE to move! I think I'd like to stay in Durham, while hubby thinks Cary is the place to be. This is my first home purchase (although hubby has had a few, pre marriage to me) and I have a lot of questions, mainly regarding schools, and many of my questions aren't clearly answered on the pubic school websites.
*If we stay in Durham vs Wake county, how will the school districts affect resale value?
*How are Durham schools? We still have a few years, but we plan on staying in our next home for at least 5 years. I've seen someone link to a Durham schools website - other than the official Durham County Public School sites - and I was hoping I could find that site again. I couldn't locate it with a forum search.
*If we move to Cary, would our kiddos go to school in Cary, or could they potentially get bussed to other areas of Wake County?
*Can kiddos go to school in other districts, and how hard is it to do that? Can they go to school in other counties, and how hard is the process for that? I grew up in the western part of the state and my high school had a few kids from neighboring counties, mainly because things were so spread out - is that a possibility here?
*How often are schools redistricted? I would hate to buy a home in a specific district, only to have it redistricted again before my little guy gets to kindergarten.
And if you have any other sweet school advice, or advice about where to look to live... feel free to share whatever tidbits of knowledge you have!
Call Wake County Schools and ask them some of your questions, especially about schools in Cary: http://www.wcpss.net/
Some schools in Durham are very good (Durham School of the Arts) and some aren't.
As far as how schools affect value, of course they do, but Durham homes have traditionally been lower in price than in Raleigh or Cary.
You'd be better off comparing specific homes to each other.
I don't think you can go to schools in other districts. But ask the school districts. If you could, you probably would have to pay extra, which makes no sense.
Last edited by lovebrentwood; 02-07-2013 at 09:38 PM..
Location: Chapel Hill, NC, formerly NoVA and Phila
9,784 posts, read 15,862,831 times
Reputation: 10912
I think they like to keep this site family-friendly, so I'm not sure we can "bare" with you.
Seriously, I'm not an expert on either Raleigh or Durham, but I do know some answers to your questions. Generally, with all other things being equal, the better school district your house is assigned to, the greater the value will be. But that means you will pay a premium to buy into the house and then get a premium when you sell, assuming the schools' repuations remain pretty constant or you are not redistricted.
Unless you are a teacher in a different school district, I don't believe your kids can cross county lines to attend a different schools. There are charter schools that anyone in the state can attend, but I believe you need to apply.
I'll let others answer about how often Durham schools are redistricted and whether or not you would likely to be bused if you live in Cary.
I think they like to keep this site family-friendly, so I'm not sure we can "bare" with you.
...
Oh, please. It's completely normal and natural for folks to want to bare with one another. Where do you think families come from, anyway? Add in the anonymity of an internet message board, and we about have ourselves a party!
Actually most of your questions about redistricting HAVE been answered, ad nauseum on this board. Bottom line? You can be re-districted from any school at any time. Does it happen all the time? No. Are there places that are never redistricted? Yes. Could THAT change? Yes. Can (and have) kids get grandfathered at their current school when re-districted? (yes, usually rising 5th graders). Can a student and Cary get bussed elsewhere in the county? Technically, yes. Realistically? Never gonna happen. They bus the city kids to the 'burbs though.
Going to school out of county? I have actually seen this addressed somewhere and the answer is NO, unless there are special circumstances like you have a 12 grader who moved in the middle of senior year. And even then, they must pay tuition to the county they are going to school in. Worth it? Doubtful.
Housing prices are always tied to schools. That's why people were flipping out last year with the choice plan, because one's address was no longer tied to a specific school.
Y'all have just blown my mind - I had always thought it was "bare with me"... and I'm an English major! Yikes.
Thanks for all the help. I guess I probably don't need to get TOO concerned about the schools until we find a house that we love, and then look into the specific schools. We aren't opposed to private schools if necessary, either.
Also - thank you michgc! That was exactly the site I was looking for.
Keep in mind, too, that since school assignment has now changed back to a base-school model, if you find a home you're interested in, you can enter the address into the Wake County School Assignment website and find out what the school assignment is, and then ask specifics about the school.
FWIW, every ONE of those questions I've seen answered, whether directly and specifically or not, in the ~ 1 year I've been on the forums.
As to researching specific schools, I would also point you towards www.ncreportcards.org You can look up by county or by school name.
And no one in any county in the Triangle can promise you that you won't be reassigned several years down the road. Redistricted? No, that won't happen unless you move the Chapel Hill and they finally combine districts with orange County.
Keep in mind, too, that since school assignment has now changed back to a base-school model, if you find a home you're interested in, you can enter the address into the Wake County School Assignment website and find out what the school assignment is, and then ask specifics about the school.
there will be a significant Wake reassignment for the 2015-2016 school year, if not the year before.
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