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We may have a job opportunity in the northeast part of Chapel Hill and would love some advice on relocating. We have visited the triangle and spent a good amount of time exploring the entire region over the past two years (really love the different parts for their own reasons).
Now that we have a potential job, I have some questions about school stability and being centrally located.
Concern #1: Stable schooling. We know most of the CH/Carrboro schools and many of the Wake County schools in Morrisville, Cary and parts of Raleigh score well with tests and they also get good reviews from the communities. That's great. We want our kids to get a quality education, but we're not the kind of parents who will put a lot of pressure on them to be hyper competitive or anything like that. But since we have already moved our kids around a few times, the frequency of capping and transferring, (and overall student population numbers) concerns us. The moving hasn't bothered them much so far because they are young. But we now have a 1st grader and preschooler. We want to minimize the amount of upheaval as much as possible if we move again. It would be for our own sanity, as well. :P
Q1: From what I've read, is it wrong to say that Chapel Hill/Carrboro is not growing as fast as Wake County, and so the school assignments are more stable? Even if there was a reassignment within Chapel Hill/Carrboro, it happens much less frequently, and since the area is smaller, the busing (or driving) distances wouldn't be too different?
Q2: On the other hand, since Wake Cnty is larger and growing much more quickly, not only is capping / transferring more frequent, but the difference in distances might be much larger, and your kid might be transferred to a significantly lower-rated school? (We noticed there are a lot of schools that are rated 6 and below (on GreatSchools.org) in Wake Cnty.) Test scores aren't everything, but they do count for something. Maybe crowding is just too big of a problem? I understand the area is much larger, and will make for more variation. I've also read that teacher turnover rate is at its highest in Wake Cnty due to low pay (?), which also doesn't help with stability.
Q3: Last stability question - so, the elementary, middle and high schools can all have different vacation days in Wake County? Or is that in CH/Carrboro, too? Where we live now, all public schools in the county are on the same calendar. Different start times, of course, but same calendars.
Concern #2 - central location. Although this job would be in Chapel Hill (near 40/501), we want to also think about being centrally located for future jobs in case this one doesn't work out, and/or when the other parent gets a job, possibly in RTP, Raleigh, or even Cary. We've learned from past experience that we should plan ahead for these possibilities.
So, we are also considering Morrisville, west Cary, and the northwest part of Raleigh near the Leesville schools. I've google mapped driving times from various addresses in each of these places to the potential office in CH. They're all acceptable to us in terms of times. (I know this is one of those things that can be perceived so differently.. While we visited, we did some driving in rush hour morning and afternoons, and it wasn't that bad compared to where we have lived and where we live now. We can tolerate up to 45 minutes, but less would be better, of course. )
I feel pretty conflicted. School stability is a priority, but centrality and cost cannot be ignored. We know the taxes are lower in Wake Cnty. But we have found plenty of great houses/lots less than $300k in all of these places. So I think we can make it financially work in any of these locations.. although it would be a bit tighter in CH.
Someone posted something on one of these threads that really struck me. They mentioned how their entire quality of life is so much easier, more relaxed, less frantic by having a short drive to/from their child's school. Their kids can get up a bit later, have time for breakfast, make it home at a decent hour and everyone has dinner together, etc. I wish I could remember where that was, I'm probably doing a bad job of summarizing. But it's on this forum somewhere. Anyway, I totally agree! These things can change and set the tone for your entire day, your week, your life.
Q4: So, maybe someone out there can help provide a new perspective on this. If we lived in the Chapel Hill school district (not the far west or far south parts, which seem too far), is it worth the extra expense and potential future commutes to settle there for the more stable schools? If by some chance we can't afford CH, our impression is that Leesville area of Raleigh is seeing less crazy growth than the towns south of Raleigh?
I've read a lot of posts where parents said their kids didn't have any problems with their transfers because their friends were transferring too. That definitely helps with the social aspect, but not with the potentially significant commuting increases.
If we hadn't already moved around a lot with our little ones, I wouldn't be as concerned. On the other hand, I am trying to remember that change can be a good thing! When I was in 7th grade, I would have loved to have changed middle schools, but our small town only had one.
We will roll with reassignments if they do happen, but I have myself convinced that I can reduce our chances.. am I a total fool for trying? ;P
Sorry this was long! Thank you in advance for any thoughts, which will be much appreciated.
If you are looking to avoid capped/reassigned schools.....NW Cary/Morrisville/NW Raleigh is not where you want to be.
I'm not a big fan of the term "no-brainer"....but it sounds like living in Chapel Hill would definitely make the most sense especially if your job is located here (I'm guessing BCBS)
Chapel Hill is growing at a healthy rate. Some Realtors on this site would have you think it's anemic and collapsing in on itself because it doesn't annex and build like a wildfire like Cary does; the reality is Chapel Hill grows at an above average but still manageable 2% per year, 20% per census on average over the last 40 years. That might seem minuscule compared to the suburbia on steroids that is Western Wake County; but it is still above the national average (with a cost of living that is below the national average; again in contrast to what a lot of Wake-centric Realtors here will tell you) and means that the regular overcrowding and subsequent reassignments that are prevalent in a very large and fast-growing district like Wake County Schools are not much of an issue in Chapel Hill.
The trade off is that property taxes will be higher and depending on your budget, your house will probably be a little older/smaller than you would get in many areas of Wake County.
Location: Chapel Hill, NC, formerly NoVA and Phila
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I wouldn't move to Chapel Hill just because you're working here. As you said, jobs change and being centrally located means a lot! I learned that living in the DC area. Having said that, there isn't a whole lot of school reassignment or uncertainty of school assignment in the Chapel Hill-Carrboro School District like there is in Wake. On the other hand, the quality of the schools (here and everywhere) is subjective and varies. We've been mostly pleased with the elementary school, but my daughter has had some really crappy teachers at the middle school, that I sometimes wonder why we are paying such high taxes for such low-quality teaching. There is a high percentage of underprivileged children in the school district, and a lot of resources go towards them as well as the academically gifted children, which is where CH shines. The "average" kid can easily fall through the cracks here.
With the lack of respect teachers and education in general receives from the state, who knows how the quality of schools in NC will change as time passes. But at least in Wake, housing is cheaper and taxes are much less than in Chapel Hill, that you are not paying dearly for mediocrity. Also, since you mentioned Great Schools, remember that ratings on Great Schools is based on state test scores, so a "6" in North Carolina is not the same as a "6" in Maryland, with Maryland schools, in general, being considered to be among the most competitive in the nation.
I would suggest Wake County just to be an aggravation?
Nope.
Job in Chapel Hill and wanting good schools? Move to Chapel Hill.
Like poppy says, it is a nobrainer.
Like Nick says, you get less home for your housing money budget. Chapel Hill is a great town nonetheless.
And that 45 minute commute for the other parent works both ways. In or out of Chapel Hill.
You are way overthinking. Job is in Chapel Hill, move to Chapel Hill. Great schools, nobrainer.
LOL, so true.
I will also say people way overestimate the amount of upheaval with school reassignments, and I am a transplant. I knew it could happen if we moved here, I was ok with it. A little resilience to bumps in the road is not a terrible thing. You aren't going to be reassigned from the best school to the worst, despite what people may see, think or hear. Your neighbors who helped make your current school great are all going with you. There's a lot of moaning in Morrisville right now because a huge neighborhood is being reassigned from Mills Park to West Cary Middle. I certainly "get" wanting to stay where you are comfortable, and older siblings have attended....but at the end of the day it's all going to be fine.
And yes, schools in Wake County are pretty crowded, many over capacity especially in the area you are considering, although they "feel" fine.
There are a lot of rules about transferring in areas where new schools are being built; i would not move to Wake County counting on a transfer at any time. For instance, I believe that people who live in the base zone for a new school are not allowed to apply to a transfer unless they qualify due to wanting to be at the same school as a sibling who has grandfathered at the original school. Confusing? Yup. Im not sure that WCPSS is fully understandable till you live here and experience it for a year or so!
I wouldn't move to Chapel Hill just because you're working here. As you said, jobs change and being centrally located means a lot! I learned that living in the DC area. ...sometimes wonder why we are paying such high taxes for such low-quality teaching. There is a high percentage of underprivileged children in the school district, and a lot of resources go towards them as well as the academically gifted children, which is where CH shines. The "average" kid can easily fall through the cracks here.
With the lack of respect teachers and education in general receives from the state, who knows how the quality of schools in NC will change as time passes. But at least in Wake, housing is cheaper and taxes are much less than in Chapel Hill, that you are not paying dearly for mediocrity. Also, since you mentioned Great Schools, remember that ratings on Great Schools is based on state test scores, so a "6" in North Carolina is not the same as a "6" in Maryland, with Maryland schools, in general, being considered to be among the most competitive in the nation.
Thank you, michgc. I know it seems like living where your job is sounds great, but when you've already moved a lot due to jobs, it makes you want to be more strategic when possible. If we make the move down to NC, we want to pick a good place that will work for the long haul.
I really appreciate your perspective on the cost of living vs. the quality of education. I know CH has a great reputation, but I was wondering if it truly is worth the extra expense. My kids are still too young for me to know for sure where they will fit in in terms of being average / advanced. My first grader so far is doing pretty well..
On the other hand, twingles, I appreciate your perspective on the school reassignments! It really is hard to know what it's like from just reading local news and forums. I don't want to overestimate the hassle. I've read posts that have shrugged it off as not being a big deal, but I've read other posts describing WCPSS as a "clusterf**k" and a huge disruption. Adding an extra 30 minutes to each bus ride is a lot. And yes, a 6 there is maybe not as good as a 6 here?
tarheelnick, I also think it's really useful to consider the steady and slow growth of CH. Thank you for that info. I think growth is good, but I wasn't sure if it was as crazy as Wake.
I've never heard of anyone being assigned to another school that was thirty minutes away. I'm sure someone will come here now and say it happened to them or their cousin but it is not the norm. There are different criteria though when you're talking about a capped school versus a new school.
Given the info you provided I see no reason at all to even look anywhere but Chapel Hill and Carrboro. I don't know what your field is or if there is a company you have your eye on in Raleigh, but plenty of people live in Chapel Hill and commute to RTP if that's an area where you might look for work in the future. If there's more to it that you don't want to put out here then maybe, but as you outlined it, stick with Chapel Hill. It's a great little town, great schools, pretty easy traffic, lots to do. I wouldn't bite off a commute from Raleigh to Chapel Hill unless I really needed to. It's doable, though, if you have to. People commute from all over the Triangle to other parts, but it just wouldn't be my starting point.
I'm sure it varies somewhat by school, but I have a teacher friend who moved from teaching in Chapel Hill Carrboro City Schools to teaching in Wake County Public Schools and she reported fewer resources and less equipment at her new WCPSS school. CHCCS aims to distribute resources equally across the schools and zones for economic equality.
I would not say that CHCCS has a high percentage of low income students, but it averages 20-25% across the district, which is higher than some schools in Wake Co and Durham Co. Some CHCCS schools do have more than others, but there is less disparity overall than there is in Wake County, where you have a high school like Green Hope or Panther Creek with around 10% or less of students receiving free or reduced lunch. Other high schools in the eastern and southeastern part of Wake Co have over 50% of students participating in free and reduced meals. CHCCS does have a few Title 1 schools at the elementary level, but they are well-funded and have active PTAs that work to provide options for the kids from lower income backgrounds. My kids went to one and I loved it.
Location: Chapel Hill, NC, formerly NoVA and Phila
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I think one difference between Wake and Chapel Hill is that in Wake you can move into a neighborhood that has a school that is "capped" so your kid cannot attend the "neighborhood" school because it is full. Therefore, he must go to the overflow school. Now maybe that wouldn't be a big deal because maybe lots of kids maybe got shut out of the capped school or maybe lots of kids go to the year-round school instead, so it's not like everyone in the neighborhood goes to the same school except your kid. People in Wake would have to address that.
In Chapel Hill that would be unlikely to happen. If you move into a neighborhood, you ALL go to the same school unless you choose to go to an immersion school, private, Catholic, charter, etc. It is rare to be sent to a different school because a CH school is full (although it has happened before to some kids who arrived mid-year when some schools were way overcrowded, but I don't think it's common at all). When there is "redistricting" in CH, it's a whole neighborhood usually that gets redistricted - not just the new kids moving to the neighborhood. A new school opened in CH two years ago and there was some redistricting at that time (by neighborhood), but until a new school opens up again, redistricting is just not that common around here. So in my neighborhood, I'd guess that 80% of the kids go to the same elementary school, 10% go to the Spanish immersion school by choice, and 10% go private/Catholic/charter.
Regardless of how fast Chapel Hill-Carrboro is growing, it is still a much, much smaller school district than Wake, so there is only so far away you could even attend school if you did get redistricted. Also, because of its size, there is not as much variance among the CH-Carr schools as there is in Wake County. In general, East Chapel Hill is considered to be the most competitive of the three high schools, but overall, the difference isn't that great among the three. I'd say the same is true, for the most part, at the middle and elem. level. Having said that, the variance in Wake seems to be the east side of Wake versus the west side of Wake, so it probably is not a big deal to be put in a new school in your same general vicinity, but I understand how it would feel unsettling moving to a new place and not even knowing which school your child would attend.
I'm a big believer in moving where you like rather than where you work, and if you do decide you like Chapel Hill, there are areas that are more central to the rest of Triangle than others.
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