Best Public School district in san diego

[cali gurl]

Hi, Anyone who has current information on the previous posts? like housing cost in the better school areas. I have three elementary children and am looking to move to san Diego county. I'v been looking mostly at San Marcos so far. Where else can I get a good combination of housing and school? Thanks!

[lrmsd]

Originally Posted by rhanifin

Poway is probably the best district if I had to pick one.
Carlsbad, San Marcos, Coronado & San Dieguito (including feeder districts) are also high performing districts. They are also the most expensive places to live in the county, except for San Marcos. Homes there are still relatively cheap and new...

However, I dont think any of these districts are really "better" than the other. They are all great places for your child to get an education. What it ultimately comes down to is your own involvement in your child's education and the quality of teachers.
I attended one of the poorest, lowest performing schools in my district (Alvin Dunn in San Marcos). I was a minority to an 85% hispanic majority. However, my parents were very involved with my education and the school administrators & my teacher recognized my higher math levels so they created a personal curriculum allowing me to work ahead of the class. In the end, I was accepted to the major UCs and some Ivies when most of my peers that attended the more affluent, white-majority schools went to community college. Attending a less affluent school was a very humbling experience and now that I look back I realize that I would have much rather gone to a poor school than an affluent one, where the kids are spoiled and think they are entitled to everything.

Moral of the story: stay involved. There is nothing more important to your child's education than you. Also, never discredit a school because of its academic scores or demographics. Visit the school for yourself, talk with the principal and the teachers, and you cant go wrong.

Best of luck to you in your search. If you need any information on San Marcos Unified, Poway Unified, or Vista Unified feel free to message me, I have relatives that work in these districts and family that attend these schools.

(and sorry this is so long)

Oh, there is DEFINITELY a difference among schools and districts. People always say 'the parents are the main thing'. I agree to a point. I have homeschooled, unschooled, charter schooled (more than one charter!) in different parts of SD and am now in san dieguito district. Big difference. Not just in schools but in quality of life with children. Clean parks and wide sidewalks do make a difference. You need the parent involvement for success, but the baseline you start from does matter. Also, the 'poor schools' that you would have 'much rather gone to' looking back...well, those poor schools are in even rougher shape and social climate today, than when you grew up!

All children deserve nice environments to learn, even if some of the kids are 'spoiled/entitled'. And btw, not all of the kids we have met, even when their families have a lot of money, are spoiled or entitled. There are many wonderful children in the district. (Including hispanic and a very wide variety of ethnic backgrounds, for example, in the San Dieguito district). And keep in mind, for anyone researching, we rent an apt. and many families move into these top districts just for the schools, but cannot afford to buy or even rent a home. This is parental commitment and dedication, too, and does make a difference. I am not saying you cannot find a good school outside of 'top districts' yada yada yada...just that the top district resources are nothing to scoff at just b/c they are affluent.

That said, just wanted to add that the feeder districts to san dieguito include carlsbad and solana beach, so if living in carmel valley/del mar, your lower level elementary schools would be del mar or solana beach districts. It's a little confusing, so for the sake of future people reading this post, wanted to mention the detail.

Top districts in SD county:
Poway, San Dieguito and many others are strong just behind them. [Scripps Ranch, San Marcos, parts of Encinitas [Rancho Santa Fe is included in some of the Encinitas boundaries] and some of Escondido is part of the higher performing district, too. So check your boundaries when house hunting or renting.

Other school options for out of area people looking at school options:

Charter schools: Some have a lottery and waiting list, but no enrollment boundaries-you just need to be a CA resident, in most cases. [not sure if you can apply ahead of time; check with schools] SD city school does list its charter schools, but since they are state funded, rather than city district funded, there is some contention and other districts/cities in the county outside of SD proper will not always have them listed on their website. So google charter school+ area or zip code. Charter schools will have a focus, classical, language immersion, montessori, etc etc They vary widely in terms of performance and academics or pedagogy. So check your great schools dot com reviews!!!

Magnet schools: Within SD city schools, anyone can apply to a magnet program, organized around a particular theme-ie, IB program, Arts, TEchnology and science, language immersion,. pre-nursing (this one for high school age) etc. Again, check the district pages.

Open Enrollment: SD city has open enrollment; any student can enroll in a school outside of their neighborhood school, IF the desired school has a program or class that is not offered at their neighborhood school. So apply to La Jolla high if living in another area, for example. This is for all schools within the SD city schools.

Homeschool: VERY big in SD county. Plenty of options for charter schools that have on site classes one or 2 days per week, the other days work at home. Also charter schools that have no on site, but you meet with a credentialed teacher once per month, use the school district's curriculum and supplies and usually have access to free or very cheap field trips with other HS families, events, activity discounts, etc. Most home school programs also have vendors: You get a certain amount of money per semester per child, to use for classes with said vendor (paid directly to the vendor; you don't get handed cash by the school). May be P.E. related, music, art, foreign language-supplemental to the main math, science, english, etc coursework. Many people are also able to use the money to have their child's long term sport or dance class covered, etc. Again, check the charter school listings for the district. There are several programs that are so cal wide, with learning centers in riverside, orange and san diego counties. There are several private [ie, non school district related] home school meetup groups, community events, park dates, etc. Homeschool students are also eligible for the 'take classes as the community college tuition free' option for high school students, just as public enrolled high school students are. [Check individual community colleges in SD county for options.]

Transportation: Charter and I believe also Open Enrollment you are required to provide transport for your child. Magnet schools have had some cuts with transport but may have regrouped since I last read about it. So you may have school bus transport for them.

Moral of the story: Look around and be creative. There are a lot of options but generally you may not want to have all of your eggs in one basket. I know there are some families who have the money and precision of goal, in moving to a certain district and area. For others, it may be useful to know there are options and that your needs and situation may change over the years. Good luck parents/families!

[sdhkshdcny09]

Originally Posted by lrmsd

Oh, there is DEFINITELY a difference among schools and districts..... Also, the 'poor schools' that you would have 'much rather gone to' looking back...well, those poor schools are in even rougher shape and social climate today, than when you grew up!

Everything is school-specific, teacher-specific, family-specific, child specific. A great learning environment can be found anywhere. It takes only one great teacher to inspire a student. One interesting project to lead to a career.

I mentioned San Marcos Elementary and Alvin Dunn as the poor schools of San Marcos Unified. Since I was in school, both elementaries have made significant gains in test scores and language proficiency. SM Elementary has been completely rebuilt into a beautiful campus and Alvin Dunn will be rebuilt with Prop K money. Alvin Dunn is also currently in the process of becoming an international baccalaureate school/academy. Sounds a lot better than when I attended...