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Old 11-09-2011, 06:13 PM
 
5 posts, read 6,150 times
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Hello to all,

We are a family (3 daughters ages 5-11) from Israel planning to relocate soon. I am going to work in the city (mission district).

What I think is most important to us is:
- good public school
- nice house (around $3500/m)
- transportation to the city
- nice community (& safe) of course

Does it make sense to live in the city (e.g. Presidio) or is it better for us out-side the city (e.g. Forrester / San Mateo)?

Can anyone recommend good schools and towns/neighborhoods for us?

Thanks and hope to join you soon...
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Old 11-09-2011, 06:33 PM
 
13,711 posts, read 9,189,504 times
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If you want good public schools then San Francisco is out of the question. If you must live in city and you insist on public schools instead of private schools (where many parents in SF send their kids) then I'd suggest the Richmond/Sunset area where the schools are at least average to above average.

Outside of the city, there are many, many good public schools. Marin County to the north (Sausalito, Mills Valley, etc), the Peninsula (Burlingame, Millbrae, San Mateo, Palo Alto, etc), or the East Bay (Berkeley, Piedmont, Orinda, Lafayette, Moraga, Walnut Creek, etc).

Keep in mind that even within a small town the difference between the best and the worst can be quite significant (ie. San Mateo). So definitely do your research where the good schools' boundaries are within a neighborhood.

.
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Old 11-09-2011, 06:45 PM
 
Location: South Korea
5,242 posts, read 13,044,398 times
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- if you want to drive to work: somewhere like Millbrae or in and around San Carlos. Burlingame maybe.
- if you want to ride BART: Millbrae would work, or the East Bay. Albany and Alameda have cool weather because they're by the Bay. Lafayette/Orinda/Moraga are up in the hills and get warmer in summer, like in the 80's a lot of the time. Walnut Creek or Pleasanton are further inland and get really hot in summer, often in the 90's and low 100's.
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Old 11-10-2011, 06:58 AM
 
5 posts, read 6,150 times
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Thank you for the info, much appreciated.

The places seems to be best for us are in the north of the Peninsula..

It seems that I first have to find the school and then look for a house within its boundaries.

If someone can point me to nice public schools in the are (north Peninsula) that would be great.

Also if anyone can suggest a decent public school in north-west of SF that would be great too.

Private schools will not work out since it seems that 3 kids in private school will cost $6000/m which is too high for my budget....

I am also worried if I will be able to find a place in the school in the middle of the year, does anyone knows if that is a problem?

Thanks to all!
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Old 11-10-2011, 08:08 AM
 
Location: SF Bay Area
2,148 posts, read 3,309,149 times
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Check out Millbrae. It's a very safe community. They have no "bad" areas, all the schools are highly rated (all of the elementaries, the middle school, and Mills, their home district high school, is ranked #1 in San Mateo County). And it's a very easy commute to SF via Bart.

You will not have trouble enrolling into public school mid year, however a particular school may be filled at the grade level you would like (but all 3 kids would be placed together in one school). In Millbrae, it really wouldn't be a big problem since all the schools are good. If you are concerned, talk to the principal ahead of time.
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Old 11-10-2011, 04:49 PM
 
Location: South Korea
5,242 posts, read 13,044,398 times
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Also keep weather in mind. Pacifica I think has decent schools but it's right on the Pacific so it's cold and windy and foggy most of the time. Daly City, South San Francisco and San Bruno I think have iffy schools but don't quote me on that. Millbrae and anywhere south of it along 101 and 280 will be warmer and sunnier than the area around Daly City/Pacifica/San Bruno.
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Old 11-12-2011, 11:47 AM
 
5 posts, read 6,150 times
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Hello friends, thanks for all the good tips and options.

I am going for Orinda/Lafayette; it seems to have good public schools, nice house-to-cash ratio and BART.

Is this a good choice?
Anybody knows the place and can connect us with schools and renters?

For the rest of the searchers who are reading my thread I can recommend using those sites:
HousingMaps and San Francisco Schools - San Francisco California School Ratings - Public and Private

C U around
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Old 11-13-2011, 01:15 AM
 
13,711 posts, read 9,189,504 times
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Great choice. If you can afford to live there, why not.

Any house with an Orinda address has access to great public schools. For Lafayette, there is a tiny portion in the north east (borders Walnut Creek) that goes to Pleasant Hill schools. So watch out for that. Both towns' high schools are ranked as one of the best in the country by US News. If you have to nit pick, Orinda has a slightly better high school (gold medal) compared to Lafayette (silver medal). All the schools in Orinda from elementary to high schools are rated 10 out of 10. While in Lafayette, I think there's one, maybe two, that is 9 out of 10 while the rest is 10 out of 10. That whole area from Orinda all the way to Walnut Creek and San Ramon is soccer parents country where the mentality is that a 9/10 school is sometimes looked down upon and a 8/10 school is downright unattenable. There is not much diversity there and the student body is very competitive from grades to materialism. Do keep in mind that you will be solicited for money to fund school programs. There's a reason why those schools do so well despite a broke state government - they're propped up by parents.

Don't overlook Moraga, just south of Orinda, it's schools are just as good as Orinda/Lafayette.

You can get more info regarding HS in that area below from US News:

Miramonte High School | Best High Schools | U.S. News

Acalanes High School | Best High Schools | U.S. News

Campolindo High School | Best High Schools | U.S. News
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Old 12-09-2011, 10:57 AM
 
5 posts, read 6,150 times
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Default Countdown

Dear prospect friends

I was green lighted, should be there before xmas.

If anyone knows of a great school with 3rd and 5th grade openings and a nice house close by let me know...

Preferred locations are Orinda / Lafayette / FosterCity / SanMateo / Berkeley.

CU around
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Old 12-09-2011, 11:55 AM
 
Location: South Korea
5,242 posts, read 13,044,398 times
Reputation: 2957
Sounds good. Orinda and Lafayette will be fine for schools. If you want to stay in the Berkeley area I'd look at Albany too, maybe Piedmont which is expensive but has good schools.
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