For those who know Sarasota and surrounding areas very well. (Bradenton: 2014, to rent)

[JasonMarc12]

If someone were to ask me where the "most desirable" areas where families want to raise their children, in the county I live in here in NJ, I would be able to give a "top 5" so to speak (depending on money). So, I'm asking in YOUR opinion, what are your top places to raise a family in the Sarasota/Bradenton areas? I'm just trying to gather opinions. Price range we will say is in the 300k area for a family of 4, including 2 boys ages 5 and 4. If you want to give towns/school districts that's fine.

Again, this is just for your personal opinions. Thanks

[beninfl]

34243

[Obrero]

Originally Posted by JasonMarc12

If someone were to ask me where the "most desirable" areas where families want to raise their children, in the county I live in here in NJ, I would be able to give a "top 5" so to speak (depending on money). So, I'm asking in YOUR opinion, what are your top places to raise a family in the Sarasota/Bradenton areas? I'm just trying to gather opinions. Price range we will say is in the 300k area for a family of 4, including 2 boys ages 5 and 4. If you want to give towns/school districts that's fine.

Again, this is just for your personal opinions. Thanks

Well I'd probably say the Lakewood Ranch area zip code 34202. But it's not the same thing as NJ where your town / zip code are extremely important for schools etc. Here schools are area driven and there are added complexities of school choice, charter schools etc.

[gypsychic]

Originally Posted by Obrero

Well I'd probably say the Lakewood Ranch area zip code 34202. But it's not the same thing as NJ where your town / zip code are extremely important for schools etc. Here schools are area driven and there are added complexities of school choice, charter schools etc.

I will second this ^^^. Also, zip codes are meaningless, because here in Sarasota, you have some of the wealthiest areas, along with its only ghetto in the same zip (34326)

[JasonMarc12]

My point is, that in the county I live in, it would be easy for me to come up with the most desired places to live. I'm just looking for the most desired in the price range I gave. School districts still follow the best areas and vice versa.

[Sunshine Rules]

Most families with chldren in school do typically purchase homes in their desired school districts, so certain areas are more popular with families for that reason.

So it would probably make more sense to read up on the school districts to find those that are prefer, then check school district boundaries, then select neighborhoods matching the remainder of your criteria.



For families moving to the Sarasota - Bradenton - Venice area, students will be enrolled in either Sarasota or Manatee county schools. Here are links to the sites with information regarding these school districts.


Sarasota county schools

Students in the cities of Sarasota, Venice and North Port attend Sarasota county schools.

The main website for Sarasota county schools is: Sarasota County Schools, Home

This site has links to each individual school within the district as well as all of the other important information for parents such as school ratings and test scores, school districts, new student enrollment, bus routes & schedules, gifted student programs, etc.

The site above does have a school locator feature where you can plug in an address and you will get all 3 current school districts for that address (elementary, middle & high schools). Regarding school districts -- the school board does make changes to the boundaries of the districts almost every year, so if you are looking to rent or buy within the borders of a particular school district, you will want to verify whether the school district boundaries are changing.

Sarasota county has an open boundary policy regarding school choice -- students may apply to go to a school outside of their district assigned school, which is based on their legal domicile. New students to the county may participate in the school choice by completing an application prior to attending the "assigned" district school. Please note: admittance to a school is based on availability of seats and it not guaranteed that a student may attend the school of their choice.

Some schools have specific entrance criteria. For example, Pine View, which is a district wide school for gifted students in grades 2 - 12.

Sarasota also offers charter schools for parents seeking alternatives to traditional schools. These include Christian, Catholic, Montessori and Independent schools. You can contact the Sarasota school district via their website or call 927-9000 and speak with the charter schools contact person.




Manatee county

Students in Bradenton, Lakewood Ranch, Anna Maria, Ellenton, Parrish, Palmetto and Myakka City attend Manatee county schools.

The Manatee county school website is: http://www.manateeschools.net/pages/SDMC

This site has links to each individual school within the district as well as all of the other important information for parents such as school ratings and test scores, school districts, new student enrollment, bus routes & schedules, gifted student programs, etc.

The site above does have a school locator feature where you can plug in an address and you will get all 3 current school districts for that address (elementary, middle & high schools).

Regarding school districts -- the school board does make changes to the boundaries of the districts almost every year, so if you are looking to rent or buy within the borders of a particular school district, you will want to verify school districts. This is especially true in southern Manatee county (zip codes 34203 and 34243 near University Parkway) and eastern Manatee county (east of I-75) where there have been significant population increases due to construction of new subdivisions.

The Manatee county school system also offers school choice, information on the program can be found here:
Choice

Information on private schools within Manatee county can be found at:
Private Schools - Manatee Chamber of Commerce

Manatee county's school system has been experiencing financial issues brought about by the previous administration. Although the new administrator has been working with the school board to correct issues found, the county is still dealing with red ink. There have been a number of stories printed in the local papers on the topic, here is a later one:
Issues to Watch 2014: Manatee School District budget - The Observer Group



School Ratings and Rankings

The school districts make available the ratings for the individual schools within their districts.

The state of Florida's Department of Education (FDOE) also ranks both FL school districts and individual schools each year based on a FCAT scores and a number of other factors. This information can be found at:
School Accountability Report


Another site that offers both school ratings and remarks from parents is GreatSchools.org at
Florida Schools - Florida State School Ratings - Public and Private



As I mentioned, once you know the school distircts you prefer for your children it will be easier to start defining which locations/neighborhoods to seek out.

[Cardiff by the Sea]

Anyone else having a de ja vu experience? There was a thread in the last year in which the poster came from the same area and had the same premise and asked the exact same question. When people tried to tell him that desirable neighborhoods here don't work the same way, he called us all idiots. I searched for that thread and couldn't find it again. Not saying this poster is calling us idiots, but the premise and wanting to identify desirable neighborhoods and then determining whether he can afford it is giving me the Yogi Berra "de ja vu all over again" feeling.

[FLSnowbirds]

Traffic up by LWR is going to go from bad to worst in the next few years.

[JasonMarc12]

Originally Posted by Cardiff by the Sea

Anyone else having a de ja vu experience? There was a thread in the last year in which the poster came from the same area and had the same premise and asked the exact same question. When people tried to tell him that desirable neighborhoods here don't work the same way, he called us all idiots. I searched for that thread and couldn't find it again. Not saying this poster is calling us idiots, but the premise and wanting to identify desirable neighborhoods and then determining whether he can afford it is giving me the Yogi Berra "de ja vu all over again" feeling.

No, not all...all I'm trying to find out is what towns are the "top 5" to choose from, that's all. The "nicer" areas usually have good school districts. Obviously, the word nicer to me could mean something different than someone else, but I think we all get the point. I'm not trying to find out if I can afford anything. I know my price range can find me a good area, I'm just trying to see what people's opinions are that actually have been there and know the areas well.

[Cardiff by the Sea]

Originally Posted by JasonMarc12

My point is, that in the county I live in, it would be easy for me to come up with the most desired places to live. I'm just looking for the most desired in the price range I gave. School districts still follow the best areas and vice versa.

Originally Posted by Obrero

But it's not the same thing as NJ where your town / zip code are extremely important for schools etc. Here schools are area driven and there are added complexities of school choice, charter schools etc.

Originally Posted by gypsychic

zip codes are meaningless, because here in Sarasota, you have some of the wealthiest areas, along with its only ghetto in the same zip (34326)

People are trying to tell you that it doesn't work the same here as in NJ. Many desirable areas are micro areas. It can be a few streets with really nice houses next to streets with homes worth 25%-40% of the nice homes.

Finding good schools here seems to be the biggest challenge for families moving here. That is why so many move to Lakewood Ranch. Outside of LR, some of the nicest areas are inhabited by people who have moved to Sarasota as empty nesters and who don't care about schools.

People are having a hard time answering you because this corollary doesn't hold up here. There are not monolithic "desirable areas". It is really more like a patch work quilt here.

Originally Posted by JasonMarc12

School districts still follow the best areas and vice versa.