Family life in Sarasota-Bradenton (Plantation, The Hammocks: to rent, condos, new home)
Sarasota - Bradenton - Venice areaManatee and Sarasota Counties
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Hey Everyone, I am just curious and wanted peoples input. How is Sarasota & Manatee county for raising a family? Yay or nay.. and why? Best places/communities to look? Best schools?
I grew up here and raised my family in the area. We've lived here for generations. Sarasota county has one of the best school systems in the state of Florida. It also has Pine View School for the Gifted, which was ranked the top school in Florida and one of the top schools in the Nation. It is a public school and the requirements are that you live in Sarasota county, have an IQ of 130 or more, pass the achievement tests required and have teacher recommendations. I have one child who graduated from PV and another who attended for many years. It's a great school but it's not for every kid. It services grades 2nd-12th. Here's some more info on that subject: Welcome to Pine View School Pine View School - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Southside services most of the downtown area south of Main St. North of Main would be mostly Booker school district. The Palmer Ranch area is mostly Ashton school district. There are other schools in the area but these are ones that I have either had personal experience with or I have friends that have kids in the schools.
Sarasota ranks as one of the top districts in the state by a number of measures, including test scores, graduation rates and teacher compensation.
It offers distinctive programs tailored to different student needs, including Florida's only school for the gifted, the state's largest special needs school and one of a handful of career-focused high schools.
Alright, if I were checking out schools other than Pine View these are the schools that I would look into, in order. This is also the order they fall in if you look at the stats on the state of FL.
I'll throw some zip codes in as well to use for a general guideline but make sure you double check them with the map provided and the local school board as the map/zip codes may change slightly if they add a new school.
I'm going to also include a few neighborhoods within each zip code. Keep in mind that there are many other communities in each zip code worth checking out. I'm just trying to give you a starting point. Also if the community is very large it might encompass two or three different schools.
Please use this website when searching for properties: www.myfloridahomesmls.com It's the most up to date website.
Sarasota County Schools
For Elementary Southside Elementary (34228, 34236, 34239, 34242)
Most of the downtown Sarasota condos, the condos/homes on the south end of Longboat Key, Bay Isles, Bird Key, Bungalow Hill, Cherokee Park, County Club Shores, Granada, Harbor Acres, Lido Key, McClellan Park, Poinsettia Park, St Armand's, some of Southgate.
Venice Elementary (34285, 34292, 34293)
The island of Venice, Bellagio on Venice Island, Lakes of Jacaranda, Pinebrook, South Venice, Venice Acres
Ashton Elementary (34233, 34238)-The Palmer Ranch communities(Arielle, Botanica, The Hamptons, Turtle Rock, Serenade, Stonebridge, Village Walk, Wellington Chase), Center Gate Estates, Colonial Oaks, Emerald Gardens, Grove Point, Three Oaks
Cranberry Elementary (North Port)
-(34286, a certain section)
Taylor Ranch (southern Sarasota county)-(34292, 34293)-Governors Green, Gulf View Estates, Blue Heron Pond, Lakes of Jacaranda, Myakka River Trails, Park Estates, Pelican Pointe Golf & County Club, The Plantation, Pennington Place, South Venice, Stoneybrook at Venice, Venice Golf & County Club, Southwood, Woodmere Lakes
Lakeview Elementary (34241)-Bent Tree, Country Creek, East Lake, Forest at Hi Hat Ranch, Founders Club, Foxfire, Gator Creek, Heritage Oaks Golf & Country Club, Lake Sarasota, Misty Creek, Myakka Valley Ranches, Preserve at Heron Lake, Red Hawk Reserve, Saddle Creek, Secluded Oaks, Serenoa, Trillium, Tuscana
Gulf Gate Elementary (34231, 34238)-Palmer Ranch communities-(Country Club of Sarasota, Deer Creek, Prestancia,
Marabella, Mira Lago, Palisades), Beneva Oaks, Coral Cove, Gulf Gate, Southpointe Shores,
Laurel Nokomis Elementary (mid Sarasota county)-(34229, 34275)-Bay Point, Calusa Lakes, Casey Key, Huntington Pointe, Isles of Sarasota, Laurel Pines, Laurel Woodlands, Mission Valley Estates, The Oaks, Park Trace Estates, Rivendell, Sawgrass, Shakett Creek, Silver Oak, Sorrento East, Sorrento Shores, Sorrento South, Sorrento Woods, South Creek, Southbay Yacht & Racquet Club, Stoneybrook at Palmer Ranch, Venetian Golf & River Club, Waterfront Estates, Willow Chase, Willowbend, Willowbrook
Tatum Ridge Elementary (34240)
-Barton Farms, Colonial Oaks, Deer Hammock, Founders Club, The Hammocks, Laurel Lakes, Laurel Meadows, Laurel Oak Estates, Oak Ford Golf Club, The Paddocks, Palmer Farms, Palmer Glen, Sarasota Golf Club, Sarasota Polo Club, Shadow Oaks, Summerwood, Tatum Ridge, Villages at Pine Tree-(Marsh, Ponderosa, Spruce Pine)
Garden Elementary(34285, 34292, 34293)
Phillipi Shores(34231, 34242)-Aqualane Estates, Bay Island, Florence, Hansens, Harmony, Hidden Harbor, The Landings, Mira Mar, much of Siesta Key, Oyster Bay Estates, Phillipi Cove, Philipi Gardens, Pine Shores, Point Crisp, Princess Gate, Ridge Wood, Sanderling Club, Sandy Hook, Sarasota Beach, Siesta Cove, Siesta Estates, Siesta Isles, Siesta Bayside, Tortoise Estates
Fruitville Elementary(34232)-Hidden Oaks, Nottingham, Sherwood Estates, Sherwood Forest, Woodland Park
Englewood Elementary (southern Sarasota county)(34223)-Artist Acres, Bay Vista, Boca Royale, Deer Creek, Eden Harbor, Englewood Farm Acres, Englewood Gardens, Englewood Isles, Englewood Pines, Manasota Gardens, Manasota Key, Overbrook Gardens, Stillwater
For Middle Sarasota Middle (34231-34242)
High School Riverview(34231-34242)
Manatee county Schools
Elementary Schools Robert Willis Elementary(34201, 34202)-Carlyle at the Villages of Palm Aire, Country Club East at Lakewood Ranch, Edgewater Village, Lake Club, Lakewood Ranch, Lakewood Ranch Country Club, Long Pond at Mote Ranch, Mote Ranch, Panther Ridge, Preserve at Panther Ridge, River Park at Mote Ranch, Riverwalk Ridge Cypress Banks, University Park
Gene Witt Elementary(34212)-Country Creek, Country Meadows, Foxbrook, Greyhawk Landing, Hidden Oaks, Mill Creek, Rye Wilderness,
Gilbert W McNeal Elementary(34202)-Concession, Greenbrook Village, Lakewood Ranch, Summerfield Village
Braden River Elementary(34202, 34211)-Braden Pines, Braden Woods, Oakbrooke at River Club, River Club North & South, Rosedale, Summerfield Village
BD Gullett Elementary(34211, 34212)-Central Park at Lakewood Ranch, Greyhawk Landing, Panther Ridge
Ida M Stewart Elementary(34209)-Perico Isles, Pinehurst, Riverview Landings, Shaws Point, Wisteria Park, Woodlands Park on Palma Sola Bay
Anna Maria Elementary(34216, 34217, 34228)-Anna Maria Island, Bay Palms, Bimini Bay Estates, Cortez, Emerald Harbor, Holmes Beach, Ilexhurst, Key Royale, Long Beach, Longboat Key, Shore Acres, Sleepy Lagoon, Wells Bay Harbor
Kinnan Elementary(34243)-Carlyle at the Villages of Palm Aire, Country Oaks, Desoto Lakes Country Club, Glenbrooke, Mote Ranch, Palm Aire, Palm Lakes, Quail Run, University Groves, Rio Mar, Trails, Treymore at Village of Palm Aire, Vintage Creek
Freedom Elementary(34212)-Gates Creek, Greenfield Plantation, Heritage Harbour, Lighthouse Cove at Heritage Harbor, Old Grove at Greenfield, Planters Manor at Greenfield, River Strand, Stoneybrook at Heritage Harbor, Waterlefe Golf & River Club
Tara Elementary(34212)-Barrington Ridge, Braden Crossing, Creekwood, Manatee Oaks, Mandalay, River Landings Bluffs, River Place, Rivers Edge, Silver Lake, Tailfeather Way at Tara, Tara, Tara Preserve, Wallingford, Water Oak
Middle School
Carlos E Halie Middle(34208-34212)
Braden River Middle(32401-34243)
Nolan Middle(34202, 34211, 34251)
King Middle(34209, 34216, 34217, 34228)
High School
Lakewood Ranch High(34202, 34211, 34212, 34251)
Manatee High(34205-34209, 34216, 34217, 34228)
Alternative School
Manatee School for Arts and Sciences
IMHO, your question is too vague. First, the counties are big places with many different kinds of places within, and second, opinions are like you-know-what (everyone has one) so without specific criteria, any answers you might receive may be of absolutely no use to you.
What makes a place good for raising a family TO YOU?
Location: Sarasota/ Bradenton - University Pkwy area
4,612 posts, read 7,527,424 times
Reputation: 6026
The best source for school district information is available on the school district web sites. School district borders can change from school year to school year. That is especially true in Manatee county where the addition each year of new home communities adds more children to the school system and therefore leads to reassigning of students /zip codes to different school districts.
For families moving to the Sarasota - Bradenton - Venice area, students will be enrolled in either Sarasota or Manatee county schools. Here are links to various sites with information regarding these school districts.
Students in the cities of Sarasota, Venice and North Port attend Sarasota county schools.
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.
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.
Some of the Sarasota county high schools offer specific programs within their schools that are open to all district students who meet the entrance requirements, such as Booker High School's Visual & Performing Arts and Law Academy programs, Sarasota High's math, science and Technology programs (MaST).
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.
Students in Bradenton, Lakewood Ranch, Anna Maria, Ellenton, Parrish, Palmetto and Myakka City attend Manatee county schools.
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 -- as I mentioned, 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 (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: http://www.schools.manatee.k12.fl.us...r1/choice.html
However, most of the more popular school districts for this program are already experiencing full or almost full admission from within the individual distrcts, so may not be available as a school choice option for students outside of the particular school districts.
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
A lot of parents questions can be answered by checking the various pages and links at the two school districts main websites. If you have specific questions that you can't find answers for, both sites offer contact information to various departments to obtain answers to your questions.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
