Moving to the Bay Area - Which Suburb to Choose?

[RelocationCOVID]

Hi all, thanks again for the very helpful replies. I saw MrOhashi's reply specifically and never realized that there could be such drastic microclimates within 30 minutes of each other! As East Coasters we are expecting a more reasonable 'cold' weather haha, but my wife is personally a way bigger fan of the warmth than the cold. I really appreciate you all taking the time to mention all the good schools in SMC as well, I myself was quite on board for entertaining all of them but my wife wasn't too keen based on rankings specifically. The first thing she did was look for Top 50 schools in California and that was that; none of the SMC schools seem to be as highly ranked as the ones in SCC, and for her education is #1, no matter where we live. She is open to compromise, however, and I did convince her to consider Carlmont and Mills, which were the highest ones we could fine in SMC. I'm leaning closer to the Carlmont area than to the Mills area though since it is closer to Palo Alto downtown and seems equidistant to San Mateo downtown (two of our Top 3, along with MV downtown) as the Mills area is.

As for the competition aspect of things: we're from NoVa and my eldest is fortunate enough to go to TJHSST, which is nationally renown for its STEM focus and competitiveness, so overall I think the schools should be fine no matter what level of competition. He's a pretty high-achieving kid there, so I think the standard should be pretty similar around Silicon Valley and both my kids will be fine no matter where we pick. I have heard a lot about the stress at Palo Alto and Gunn, but that's something my wife and kids aren't too concerned about, especially given the stick to easier online learning this year.

Speaking on commute, my wife should honestly be fine no matter where we select as Palo Alto seems centered in the region, and I'm willing to compromise on mine given that most of our picks are close enough to Caltrain stations that we're not going to be too car dependent anyway. However, we did think that Saratoga was too far south, and so was the Lynbrook area in West San Jose and the Cupertino High School area in Cupertino. We think that the Monta Vista area is close enough to 85 that Mountain View station is fairly easily accessible, so that is the farthest south we are considering. Also, I didn't mention this but since we are considering Los Altos and its high school Area, so we are looking at Mountain View homes. Overall, I think I should be done with this first part of the selection process, and we're ultimately considering part of Cupertino, part of Mountain View, Los Altos, Palo Alto, San Carlos, and Millbrae. Unless any of these is a drastic mistake (in which case please let me know!), thanks for all your help guys.

[arnavvr]

Have you considered Hillsborough? With a $3M budget, you should be able to find a smaller, ~ 2500ft^2 home in the area, and all three elementary schools, and the middle school rank well. There is no high school in the area, most go to private school but there are some that do go to Burlingame and San Mateo High as well.

[silverkris]

Originally Posted by arnavvr

Have you considered Hillsborough? With a $3M budget, you should be able to find a smaller, ~ 2500ft^2 home in the area, and all three elementary schools, and the middle school rank well. There is no high school in the area, most go to private school but there are some that do go to Burlingame and San Mateo High as well.

In Hillsborough - if they don't go the private school route (Crystal Springs Uplands, Nueva, Mercy, Serra), the public schools they'll go to include Aragon and Burlingame as well. Depending on location.

[arnavvr]

Originally Posted by silverkris

In Hillsborough - if they don't go the private school route (Crystal Springs Uplands, Nueva, Mercy, Serra), the public schools they'll go to include Aragon and Burlingame as well. Depending on location.

That's not a problem though. Aragon and Burlingame are well-ranked.

[Jaman]

But dude, remember that Caltrain might very well shut down, if they don't get proper funding that is on the ballot as a tax measure this year. So take that into account, when you choose to plonk millions into housing. Also, be ready to shell out a crap ton of taxes that go with living on the peninsula.

Also note that Palo Alto schools have had suicide clusters in the past, where the kids have taken their lives because of insane educational pressures. Apart from that, Cupertino has white flight because the schools are book-ended each day why we know as Hagwon (cram schools) with a variety of titles like "X's Russian School of Math" and "Y's Asian school of Nobel laureates". Private schools offer a more rounded and well-informed education on the peninsula in my opinion. Something like Woodside Priory in Woodside, California.

[silverkris]

Originally Posted by arnavvr

That's not a problem though. Aragon and Burlingame are well-ranked.

Agree.

[silverkris]

Originally Posted by RelocationCOVID

As for the competition aspect of things: we're from NoVa and my eldest is fortunate enough to go to TJHSST, which is nationally renown for its STEM focus and competitiveness, so overall I think the schools should be fine no matter what level of competition. He's a pretty high-achieving kid there, so I think the standard should be pretty similar around Silicon Valley and both my kids will be fine no matter where we pick. I have heard a lot about the stress at Palo Alto and Gunn, but that's something my wife and kids aren't too concerned about, especially given the stick to easier online learning this year.

Your child should fit in well in either Paly (Palo Alto HS) or Gunn - if he's very self motivated, and thrives in an atmosphere where it's expected that you'll want to do your best. The community is well aware of the issues surrounding student well-being and mental health - and the schools have devoted resources that are available for students, such as a wellness center. Important for both parents and students not to lose perspective of student life.

[BayAreaResiding]

Fremont, CA.