Finding a school--Lehi area (Provo, Orem: transplants, condo, how much)

[guffdaddy]

My family is relocating to Lehi/Saratoga Springs/Eagle Mountain with four kids: pre-K, 4th grade, 6th grade, 8th grade. I have been puzzled by the wildly varying school performance within a single district. We will be in Alpine USD, but our neighborhood school has a very low rating, while a neighboring elementary school in the district is much more highly rated, with more amenities.



Public school also is a foreign enterprise for us. Despite having lived in great school districts, our kids always have been in private Montessori school up to this point, as we favor student-centered schooling. I am surprised at the lack of private schools around, and near void of Montessori and other student-driven options. With the absence of my preferred education choices, I have been contemplating public school for the purpose of my transplanted kids forming friends in the neighborhood, but I am concerned about shelving their education in the process.


I've lived in several different areas of the country and world, so I know that regions vary considerably in terms of how things are done and what's important. So know that my questions below are truly coming from a place of honest inquiry.



Questions:
1. Do most families simply send their kids to the neighborhood school?


2. Or is it more common for families to send their children to whatever school in their district they want?



3. Or are charter and magnet schools very popular here?



4. Is education simply a lesser priority (e.g., compared to faith, community service, recreation, etc.)?


5. Do the kids tend to form their social groups at their schools, their churches, sports teams, ... other?


6. Are there Montessori and other student-centered options present, and I'm just not finding them? (So far, I only found one--Arches Academy in Orem)

[kletter1mann]

Originally Posted by guffdaddy

>>>snip<<<
Questions:
1. Do most families simply send their kids to the neighborhood school?
2. Or is it more common for families to send their children to whatever school in their district they want?
3. Or are charter and magnet schools very popular here?
4. Is education simply a lesser priority (e.g., compared to faith, community service, recreation, etc.)?
5. Do the kids tend to form their social groups at their schools, their churches, sports teams, ... other?
6. Are there Montessori and other student-centered options present, and I'm just not finding them? (So far, I only found one--Arches Academy in Orem)

Where are you relocating from? Utah culture at large is not very educationally aspirational. If you're coming from a place where education is a major priority, and that's your frame of reference (e.g., upmarket towns in Westchester NY, North Shore of Chicago, Fairfield county CT, etc), the answer is unequivocally "yes." And this will color how good the "good" schools really are vs. how good you're told they are. It will also color how people respond to the other questions. Individual school test scores notwithstanding. If I'm flamed for saying so (as I expect), take that as a validation.

[Coffeequeen]

Have you considered living in Draper for better options? Why have you picked your locations? I wouldn't live in Utah county with lots of kids but maybe you are LDS and that is your preference?

[guffdaddy]

Thanks so much for your responses. We are relocating from an area where the school districts are very good and those who can still send children to competitive private schools. Where we are now, you'll find school districts pretty consistent as a whole. While there are poorly performing districts, if one school in a district is high performing, they all tend to be that way. It was curious to me that the elementary school for where we are going was rated 4 out of 10, while another elementary school 3 miles away and in the same district is rated 7 out of 10. In any case, I'm gathering from your responses that I will be finding a much lesser focus on education where we are going.

We aren't LDS. We were looking for a combination of (a) relatively close to work, (b) peaceful neighborhood setting, (c) decent-sized house and yard, and (d) good price. Where we are now, we are a family of six stuffed in a 1200-ft condo, houses are out of reach, and yards--if you can afford one--are non-existent or postage-stamp size.


I was disheartened reviewing the school options before; now I'm really second-guessing our choice! Is Utah County predominantly LDS and SAHMs (which is fine, but not our demographic)? We had heard about a tech-belt emerging in Eagle Mountain, Lehi, Provo, etc. along with accordant population shifts and observed a residential and commercial development boom while we were there recently. Is all of that more wishful thinking than reality?

[Katzpur]

Originally Posted by guffdaddy

Thanks so much for your responses. We are relocating from an area where the school districts are very good and those who can still send children to competitive private schools. Where we are now, you'll find school districts pretty consistent as a whole. While there are poorly performing districts, if one school in a district is high performing, they all tend to be that way. It was curious to me that the elementary school for where we are going was rated 4 out of 10, while another elementary school 3 miles away and in the same district is rated 7 out of 10. In any case, I'm gathering from your responses that I will be finding a much lesser focus on education where we are going.

We aren't LDS. We were looking for a combination of (a) relatively close to work, (b) peaceful neighborhood setting, (c) decent-sized house and yard, and (d) good price. Where we are now, we are a family of six stuffed in a 1200-ft condo, houses are out of reach, and yards--if you can afford one--are non-existent or postage-stamp size.


I was disheartened reviewing the school options before; now I'm really second-guessing our choice! Is Utah County predominantly LDS and SAHMs (which is fine, but not our demographic)? We had heard about a tech-belt emerging in Eagle Mountain, Lehi, Provo, etc. along with accordant population shifts and observed a residential and commercial development boom while we were there recently. Is all of that more wishful thinking than reality?

If you were willing to live in Salt Lake County (i.e. Draper or South Jordan, for instance) and commute to work, I think you'd be much happier. Contrary to the opinion of the "great and unmatched wisdom" of one of our posters, Utahns do value education. We have larger than usual class sizes, though, and parental involvement is essential. When parents are willing to do their part, Utah students perform very well, resulting in US News & World Report ranking Utah 10th in the nation in education.

[Coffeequeen]

Draper will give you Canyons school district (no panacea, but probably not as overcrowded as West or UC schools), your smart younger kids can test for the academic (SALTA, not dual immersion) magnet programs, you can look at charters. You will still be in decent distance of Lehi etc. Draper Park Middle and Corner Canyon high should be pretty well rated schools. They are also close to new, but your budget is going to be your biggest driver. How much is your housing budget? As you will not have to fund private schools at all in the SL valley, that should help you see a school district optimisation plan is better than a cheaper house forcing you to consider private schools. In the SL valley, the most academic schools are public. You are also not tied to your boundary unless certain schools have a moratorium to non boundary admission. Magnet programs override boundaries but you must provide transport.

[kletter1mann]

Originally Posted by Katzpur

If you were willing to live in Salt Lake County (i.e. Draper or South Jordan, for instance) and commute to work, I think you'd be much happier. Contrary to the opinion of the "great and unmatched wisdom" of one of our posters, Utahns do value education. We have larger than usual class sizes, though, and parental involvement is essential. When parents are willing to do their part, Utah students perform very well, resulting in US News & World Report ranking Utah 10th in the nation in education.

Says one who has never lived anyplace else and no other frame of reference or basis for comparison. I stand by my remarks, which the OP will discover to be correct should she move here. But I guess we can agree on not living in Utah county, eh?

[Katzpur]

Originally Posted by kletter1mann

But I guess we can agree on not living in Utah county, eh?

We could probably agree on a lot of things if you could manage to shed that superior attitude you brought with you when you moved from New York.

[guffdaddy]

Yikes! Would love to know the biggest complaints about Utah county.



Main issues I saw in other threads are:
* very LDS, little/no diversity

* believe non-LDS transplants will not be welcomed/included by others
* abundance of young conservative families

* traditional gender roles, lack of women's equality
* one of the most socially and politically conservative areas in the United States


On the contrary, others have noted:
* Lehi, Saratoga Springs, and other towns aren't the sleepy Mormon enclaves they were 20 years ago
* Said areas are the fastest growing areas of the state and are diversifying


Other comments?



Also: What areas tend to escape the inversion layer Dec-Feb?

[markg91359]

Originally Posted by guffdaddy

Yikes! Would love to know the biggest complaints about Utah county.



Main issues I saw in other threads are:
* very LDS, little/no diversity

* believe non-LDS transplants will not be welcomed/included by others
* abundance of young conservative families

* traditional gender roles, lack of women's equality
* one of the most socially and politically conservative areas in the United States


On the contrary, others have noted:
* Lehi, Saratoga Springs, and other towns aren't the sleepy Mormon enclaves they were 20 years ago
* Said areas are the fastest growing areas of the state and are diversifying


Other comments?



Also: What areas tend to escape the inversion layer Dec-Feb?

Your analysis about Utah County is right on.

It is very LDS. There is little to no diversity there.

It is an extremely conservative area both socially and politically.

The only person I could really recommend this area to is someone who has a strong LDS background and wants to raise a family in a very LDS area. Even than, I'll let you know that I have many LDS friends up north who would never consider moving to Utah County simply because the area is a "bit too much" for them.

Think once, twice, and three times before you do something like buy a home in Saratoga Springs or elsewhere in Utah County. Draper and some of the communities in south Salt Lake County would be a better option.

As far as the inversion goes this is a sore point for many of us. We routinely see people come on here and ask where they can live in the valley and avoid the inversion.

Two points: First, unless you want to live north of Ogden or way south of Provo there is no real way to avoid the inversion. Second, I interpret comments like "where can I live and avoid the inversion" as akin to saying "I don't care about you and your family, where can MY FAMILY go to avoid it". I understand you cannot do anything personally about the fact we have an inversion here. However, I find the numerous people who ask this question to be rather...well...annoying.