Young couple from Boston considering moving (Providence: low income, how much, university)

[independent man]

Originally Posted by HopeStreet

FWIW, I live on the East Side of Providence and we're very happy with the public schools where we send our 2 kids.

Everybody who cares would appreciate any elaboration, you might care to give contradicting the "common wisdom" regarding the Providence Public School System.

[ormari]

Originally Posted by massnative71

So in other words, you responded just to say that. To question the credibility of other posters you know nothing about.

I posted to affirm that it was nice to hear HopeStreet's positive opinion of the public school system in Providence based upon their first hand experience.

And yes, I do question why people without first hand experience with the Providence Public Schools, whether they live in Timbuktu or Kalamazoo, pass on questionable hearsay. For instance, do you have any experience with the Providence Public Schools, or not? Do the Providence Public Schools have a Maine campus? Do you at least have friends or family who have kids in the Providence Public Schools? At least that would be something.

[massnative71]

Originally Posted by ormari

Do you at least have friends or family who have kids in the Providence Public Schools? At least that would be something.

I did, and have nothing leading me to believe much has changed since then.


And no Ormari, the purpose of your post was more than just an affirmation. If it were, you wouldn't have brought other posters into the conversation. But you did, so you are clearly trying to start something like usual. You have yet to add anything helpful to the OP, or the topic in general.

[HopeStreet]

Originally Posted by simplexsimon

Could you elaborate what you're happy with? Are what people say about Providence public schools unfounded? If not, how do you mitigate these factors?

So I have one elementary school child at Martin Luther King Elementary School (MLK) and one middle school child at Nathan Bishop Middle School.


We've been lucky at MLK to have a great principal and assistant principal in charge who are very accessible and responsive to our communication. We've also been very happy with the teachers who are always sending home reports, keeping our son challenged, and helping us choose the right teacher for him the following year. Also, the PTO is very active and helpful. That being sad, the building could use a lot of TLC, communication could be better, and the after school, while on site, could also be better. However, our son gets bused to his after school location so it has worked out.


Nathan Bishop is a very good middle school. The building was renovated years ago (it actually has air conditioning), there are a lot of extra curricular activities, and advanced classes are available. Again, active PTO, good teachers, and principal. Communication home could be better.


Like any school, your mileage may vary. No parent is going to be happy with every teacher or aspect of their child's school. But I would not explicitly rule out Providence Public Schools as an option without first touring the school and asking questions of the staff or other parents. There are other good public schools in Providence as well. It just takes a little bit of persistence and investigation to find the right fit. Hope that helps.

[Rally_Point]

Hey OP, I'm in a similar boat, at least partially. I'm uprooting my family (GF + 1 toddler) from Maryland and moving to Rhode Island next month. We made our first trip last October and have been there at least every couple of months ever since. We initially thought we wanted to live in Westerly because a) it was the first town in the state we visited and b) had a great feel but after realizing it probably wasn't as practical as we would like, started looking in Warwick and surrounding areas. We settled on a house in EG in the western part of town and are very excited.

When I tell people I'm moving to Rhode Island, their first question is always 'Why Rhode Island?'. I can only speak for myself and my family but after looking in Mass, Connecticut and RI...the Ocean State offered the best mix of true suburban feel, decent housing with nearby water access and easy access to downtowns without a ton of traffic. From EG, I can be a number of places in 15 minutes. In Maryland, living ten minutes from the DC line, it can take 15 minutes to go two miles to get a cup of coffee! I'm sure there will be a ton of stuff that drives me nuts (like the friggin taxes!) but like I said, we couldn't be more excited. Good luck and PM me if you have any questions.

[simplexsimon]

Thank you for sharing HopeStreet.

That's great Rally_Point, congrats! Will you be working in Providence?

Do people take buses to commute to Providence? Or the MBTA?

[Rally_Point]

Thanks! Moving sucks and trying to sell and buy a house is stressful but I think it'll be worth it. As for jobs, we both telecommute and I travel a good portion of the time. I like Providence, hope to buy a multi there for REI but it's not where I was really looking to live.

[ormari]

Originally Posted by massnative71

I did, and have nothing leading me to believe much has changed since then.

Note even HopeStreet's post--relating first hand information--indicating otherwise?

Originally Posted by massnative71

That is for the OP to decide, not you.

[simplexsimon]

Originally Posted by simplexsimon

Do people take buses to commute to Providence? Or the MBTA?

I think this may have gotten buried. For the above question about commuting I'm referring to RIPTA/MBTA from the suburbs. Is it rare for people to take public transportation to work in Providence? Even though my commute to Boston is long, I like that at least half of it is not where I'm stuck behind the wheel (although there are plenty of times trains have been delayed.)

[massnative71]

Originally Posted by ormari

Note even HopeStreet's post--relating first hand information--indicating otherwise?

HopeStreet's post (while valuable), didn't say anything about High Schools.