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Hello - anyone have information and/or first hand knowledge of the Grandale subdivision (Centex homes)? Does the community have amenities (pool, etc)? Are there lots of families with kids - i have 3 children ranging from 5 to 13. What schools would they go to and how are the schools? Any info. or opinions on this area would be appreciated.
Thank you all!
This is a nice area that has larger lots, nice layout of homes, and close to Southpoint, RTP and I40. Yes, it does have amenities such as a pool. See link below to answer more of your questions. Centex Homes - Grandale - Heritage neighborhood in Durham NC
Several forum members (amcjap, Calvitts) are Grandale residents, and sbanawan recently signed a contract to build a new home there.
There is a pool and little club room type thing at the pool, however I do not believe there are things like a fitness facility or anything in it.
Grandale is a very nice neighborhood - in fact, out of everything we looked at when choosing to build a home, it was a close second on our list behind Brightleaf at the Park. We loved the mature trees and the general aesthetics of the community were quite nice.
As for schools, one thing that may concern you is that Grandale is districted to Hillside High School which some people have concerns about. Like any school, there are happy and unhappy parents counted among it's ranks, but Hillside is generally not thought of as one of the better high schools in the Durham system. With a 13 year old this may be a concern, but I encourage you to look into it yourself and ask around. Who knows what you will find!
As sneezecake mentioned, we're building there. We don't know much more than he already posted, but we love the floorplans and it's very convenient to I-40 and RTP. We'll be closing in Feb 09 or before and we can't wait.
We moved to Grandale last September, and my daughter attended Hillside High School for her senior year. For all the bad press that Hillside High School receives, my daughter had a surprisingly great school year. We found a school with some very, very dedicated teachers and staff. My schedule permitted me to attend only one PTA meeting; however, there was strong representation by parents and staff -- not huge numbers, but strong support. When my children were in elementary school in Michigan, I never saw a teacher at the PTA meetings, so I was pleased to see the dedicated staff support at Hillside.
Also, I know several families who live in Woodcroft, and Woodcroft is also districted to Hillside. Their children attend Jordan High School, and this has to do with the "track" they are on. Entering the Durham school system so late, I did not understand the track system. Since your oldest child is 13, you will have a chance to learn about this.
The elementary school is Parkwood, and the middle school is Lowes Grove. Hopefully someone can provide you with information on these schools.
Good luck in your search, and feel free to send me a DM if you would like more information!
As sneezecake mentioned, we're building there. We don't know much more than he already posted, but we love the floorplans and it's very convenient to I-40 and RTP. We'll be closing in Feb 09 or before and we can't wait.
Also convenient to RDU and to 147. As convenient as we are to all of these areas, the subdivision suffers NO traffic noise. The frogs, cicadas, and birds can sure make a ruckus, though!
Thanks everyone for your replies! It's definitely easy to become addicted to these boards but the information available is priceless. Anymore opinions/info. would be appreciated! Take care!
Visit the schools, and if your not happy, transfer to a different school.
I agree with the visit the schools to make your own determination. If you are considering a transfer I would have several questions for the district. The school board has had some recent discussions on transfers, especially in regards to transfers into over crowded schools like Jordan. I did not attend those school board meetings but you might find the minutes on the website. Of course, Jordan is not the only school you could transfer to. But I think sometimes parents of elementary and middle school kids think since currently it's fairly easy to transfer to a school like Jordan then it will remain easy.
As much as Durham is growing and considering how long it takes to build a school (not just in Durham but everywhere) I think these things will impact student transfers.
In regards to Lowes Grove I understand that they are getting a new principal. The LG parents that I know think this will be a good thing. LG seems to have had somes ups and downs which has been principal dependent.
In regards to Parkwood, I toured the school last spring. I was VERY impressed with the new principal there. She has a great vision for that school and I think she will make some needed improvements. If you look at past tests scores for Parkwood, they had good scores before Creekside opened. When Creekside opened a bunch of kids just to the west of Grandale moved to from Parkwood to Creekside. The scores went down at Parkwood after that. To me that just means they moved the kids with higher socio-economics (for the most part) to Creekside.
I find that the school improvement plans (required by the state of NC) have more information than just test scores. Here you can determine if there are issues with behavior or teacher retention etc. For Durham, go to http://www.dpsnc.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2030&Ite mid=504 (broken link)
Click on the school and then scroll to the very bottom. It's the last link.
Ultimately, check it out yourself and ask a lot of questions to the schools and the district.
Good luck.
Last edited by PDXmom; 07-14-2008 at 10:38 AM..
Reason: one more thought
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We don't know much more than he already posted, but we love the floorplans and it's very convenient to I-40 and RTP. We'll be closing in Feb 09 or before and we can't wait.
