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We are potentially relocating to the Raleigh area. My husband's company is giving us a choice between a few cities, and Raleigh is one of the higher ones on our list. I was looking into Cary, specifically a home zoned to Green Hope High, as I've heard very good things about it.
My questions are:
1. I have heard mixed things about Wake County schools, in general - are they good? Beyond test scores, thinking also along the lines of overcrowding, quality of teachers, etc? And is it true that you could be zoned to a different school, even if your home lies within the district of another?
2. Is Cary a good place to live? We have two kids, middle school age and an eighteen month old, so we are really just looking for a safe, family friendly town with restaurants, parks, and a Trader Joe's. Proximity to downtown Raleigh is also important since my husband would be working there 4 days a week. I'd be at home.
3. Do you have any other recommendations for other areas we should look at that would be a better fit?
Budget for a house would be up to 500k, if that makes a difference. But we'd of course like to stay lower, maybe around the 400/450k mark. We were also considering a 300/350k budget and doing private school, if many think that's a better option.
GHHS is a highly desired school.
When they got the top rating award in the state last year, their phones rang off the hook with people asking the staff, "Where do we have to live for our kids to attend GHHS."
Of course, there are other fine high schools, and those ratings are often subjective, but I haven't heard anyone in my neighborhood complaining about GHHS academics.
The lower end of your budget would certainly let you afford a home in the attendance assignment area, if you found housing you like.
Thank you so much for your response! So just to clarify - if the house we'd purchase is zoned to GHHS, my kids would be able to attend there? As in, we wouldn't be zoned to a different school? For some reason I heard somewhere that this might be a possibility.
You would want to check address by address in the WCPSS attendance assignment look-up to see which schools would be assigned to a particular house.
Also, just because it's "the best" high school, doesn't mean it's the one for your children. GHHS has a highly educated, motivated student pool in Western Wake - it's hard to go wrong pulling in a majority of that profile of student. It's also very competitive and high pressured. Average students may not thrive. Above-average may find themselves middle of the pack.
I know it's overwhelming to find a place to live when you only have what others say to go on, but know that in general, the schools across Wake County are very solid, and if you're providing a supportive family environment where educational and personal success are valued and expected, your children will, in all likelihood, thrive.
Quality of life ranks high in many areas. You may also want to look at North Raleigh and Wake Forest as your husband contemplates a commute into DT Raleigh.
Thank you so much for your response! So just to clarify - if the house we'd purchase is zoned to GHHS, my kids would be able to attend there? As in, we wouldn't be zoned to a different school? For some reason I heard somewhere that this might be a possibility.
I would suggest you speak directly with WCPSS about assignments.
I think you would be OK, but you should confirm with them.
OP your child is not in high school yet, correct? You can move to an address now that is zoned for GHHS but since the district is in the process of building a new high school there will be some reassignments. There are probably neighborhood zoned for GHHS that most likely would not be reassigned but I don't think anyone will give you any guarantees. The upshot is that the new schools are being built to alleviate overcrowding in schools.
GHHS is a highly desired school.
When they got the top rating award in the state last year, their phones rang off the hook with people asking the staff, "Where do we have to live for our kids to attend GHHS."
Of course, there are other fine high schools, and those ratings are often subjective, but I haven't heard anyone in my neighborhood complaining about GHHS academics.
The lower end of your budget would certainly let you afford a home in the attendance assignment area, if you found housing you like.
We are about 20-25 minutes to DT Raleigh.
All the Cary high schools are excellent (Green Hope, Panther Creek and Cary) - all top 10 in the state in some rankings.
Thank you for your input. No, she is not high school age quite yet. We are currently at the #2 district in PA, and she does really well. She's in the gifted program and receives excellent grades, which is partly why we'd look at higher performing schools. I didn't know about the new high school being built, but that is definitely something to consider when we are looking. Thank you! I will also check out those other areas you mentioned.
To answer your previous question, you can be assigned to a school other than your "base" school if your based school gets capped before you move into the base area. So, for instance, Panther Creek HS (a mile from Green Hope HS) is overcrowded and is capped for next year. So you could move into Panther Creek's base area anytime between now and the beginning of the new school year, and your children would not be guaranteed seats at PCHS.
Or, let's say you have a current 7th grader... you could move into my neighborhood, which has Davis Drive MS and Green Hope HS as its base schools. DDMS is capped, so your child would be assigned to a different middle school. They could still go to GHHS for 9th grade, and your child would likely go to GHHS even if it got capped for that year, because you moved into the base area before the capping date.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jesslauren310
Thank you for your input. No, she is not high school age quite yet. We are currently at the #2 district in PA, and she does really well. She's in the gifted program and receives excellent grades, which is partly why we'd look at higher performing schools. I didn't know about the new high school being built, but that is definitely something to consider when we are looking. Thank you! I will also check out those other areas you mentioned.
Something I learned when my oldest daughter hit middle school is that "competitive" schools are almost always "high performing", but high performing schools don't always have to be competitive. And if you have a gifted kid who isn't competitive, a school filled with kids whose parents have instilled a sense of "you must be the smartest/best" is just not a fun place to learn. My daughter truly loves to learn (not so true of my younger one). She does not have a competitive bone in her body (unless it's vs. her sister, then she must always be right). She has no interest in comparing grades or academic abilities with other kids. But it is brought up point-blank by a lot of other kids and when asked directly, she will answer (she hasn't learned to deflect yet). They then look at her with disbelief and say, "There's no way you got into the TIP summer program. That must be a fluke." Or "I don't believe you scored better than I did on that test, you must have cheated." I joke around with her and call her the "Stealth smart kid" because no one knows how smart she is (because she doesn't broadcast it). But I can tell it hurts her feelings when other kids try to diminish her accomplishments (to make themselves feel better). She's switching to a magnet school next year and I'm hoping that a more diverse student body will be a better fit.
Tinka gave a good synopsis of both the capping issues and the "feel" of the schools you are talking about (DDMS in its near-entirety feeds into GHHS).
One thing I will mention about a new HS being built. That should not be a concern in the least. First of all if you live in the GHHS base area, and you get reassigned to a new HS, guess who else is getting re-assigned? That's right, many of your like-minded, high performing neighbors. Additionally, WCPSS has a track record of sending "most favorite" principals to the new schools, and those principals get to hand pick their new staff. They aren't taking the dregs who have terrible test scores.
You can get a house well within your budget in the current GHHS base zone.
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