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We are living with young children in an apartment we like in Chapel Hill that is zoned for Rashkis, Culbreth and East Chapel Hill High, but staying would likely mean raising our kids in an apartment or buying a relatively inexpensive (old? small) house (if such a thing can even be had here?) due to our financial situation.
Or, we can move to Cary and take over my parents' house and have our kids attend Carpenter Elementary and eventually probably Green Hope High (or possibly Panther Creek). Their townhouse is well-maintained and walkable to a park and library - ideal except for question of whether schools really aren't as good as in CH and for a few years at least, for my husband's commute.
We are very liberal and like international cultures, especially Chinese. Not very religious. We would like our kids to learn Mandarin and Spanish. We expect that they will do well in school and need to be challenged academically. But, one may have ADHD and need that support. (We've also been told CH has teaching aids for years longer.)
Anyone experienced both Chapel Hill and Cary (to live and to attend or have your kids attend school) and have an opinion on our situation? Real estate agents' opinions? Are we making any wrong assumptions?
We are living with young children in an apartment we like in Chapel Hill that is zoned for Rashkis, Culbreth and East Chapel Hill High, but staying would likely mean raising our kids in an apartment or buying a relatively inexpensive (old? small) house (if such a thing can even be had here?) due to our financial situation.
Or, we can move to Cary and take over my parents' house and have our kids attend Carpenter Elementary and eventually probably Green Hope High (or possibly Panther Creek). Their townhouse is well-maintained and walkable to a park and library - ideal except for question of whether schools really aren't as good as in CH and for a few years at least, for my husband's commute.
We are very liberal and like international cultures, especially Chinese. Not very religious. We would like our kids to learn Mandarin and Spanish. We expect that they will do well in school and need to be challenged academically. But, one may have ADHD and need that support. (We've also been told CH has teaching aids for years longer.)
Anyone experienced both Chapel Hill and Cary (to live and to attend or have your kids attend school) and have an opinion on our situation? Real estate agents' opinions? Are we making any wrong assumptions?
Thank you so much!
If you can take over a nice townhome (I presume it's probably in Carpenter Village or nearby) and not have to live in an apartment or try to take on an older home while under financial constraints, I can tell you that I would not hesitate for a minute to move to Cary.
The schools in Cary and CH are (arguably) the best in the Triangle, on a consistency basis, anyway, for there are standout schools throughout the region.
Your kids will not languish in lesser schools if you move to Cary and give yourselves a leg up in the housing department. It sounds like you might fare better financially, and that can only help you achieve some goals like getting your kids into a good program someplace. They will encounter Chinese kids aplenty in the area where you'd be living if you moved to Cary and there's always the Chinese School if you want them to learn Mandarin. Spanish is offered pretty much everywhere in Wake County anyway.
Best to you and your family. I will let someone who lives in CH chime in. I know that poppydog and michgc would be good to give you the skinny on CH and poppydog, like myself, is a native of these parts.
I think CH is great, btw. I think the schools are excellent. But, if I was choosing between trying to stretch my money or live in a apt vs a free townhouse in the area you mention, I would NOT hesitate to move.
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Location: Chapel Hill, NC, formerly NoVA and Phila
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While I don't have direct experience with Cary schools, I would not hesitate to move there. Many of their schools are ranked very well and several actually outrank Chapel Hill schools on some metrics like state testing. Your child would likely peform similarly in any school where there is a critical mass of like-minded peers. The only hesitation I would have based on what you wrote is if you were going to try to get your child into the Mandarin or Spanish immersion program in Chapel Hill. I don't think you can do that in Cary. Having said that, I'm not sure how difficult it is to get into the immersion programs (I *don't think* that Spanish is that difficult to get into, but mandarin may be harder). If you are not wed to those programs, then pick what has more comfortable living arrangements for your family.
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