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Old 03-15-2010, 06:56 AM
 
Location: Tucson, baby!!
65 posts, read 143,342 times
Reputation: 46

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My dh grew up in the Bradenton area. He's lived here for about 10 years. We just took our first family vacation down to Florida to visit his family & some friends. Now, he's ready to move back. I'm perfectly fine with that. He has no family where we live now, and my family is slowly starting to move away too.

We live in a pretty small town (about 10,000 people) and we both like the small town life. I do wish we were closer to a large city (right now we're about an hour away from Pittsburgh) mostly for shopping, jobs, activities, etc. I wouldn't mind living in a suburb. Dh has family & friends from Sarasota up to Plant City. We wouldn't mind driving to see them, anything there is closer than PA. We would really like to be within walking distance to beaches, but I'm finding that's not that easy.

I'm also interested in the schools. Are there any really good schools that come to mind? I do plan on doing my own research, but would like some suggestions on where to start.

I guess I'm asking for info on small towns & great schools. When we first visited the Gulf beaches I totally fell in love. I've been to both the Atlantic & the Pacific ocean and nothing compares to the blue/green of the Gulf water. Dh, myself & our girls can't wait to get back!
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Old 03-15-2010, 07:03 AM
 
Location: Palm Island and North Port
7,511 posts, read 22,922,074 times
Reputation: 2879
Quote:
Originally Posted by DaynesWife View Post
My dh grew up in the Bradenton area. He's lived here for about 10 years. We just took our first family vacation down to Florida to visit his family & some friends. Now, he's ready to move back. I'm perfectly fine with that. He has no family where we live now, and my family is slowly starting to move away too.

We live in a pretty small town (about 10,000 people) and we both like the small town life. I do wish we were closer to a large city (right now we're about an hour away from Pittsburgh) mostly for shopping, jobs, activities, etc. I wouldn't mind living in a suburb. Dh has family & friends from Sarasota up to Plant City. We wouldn't mind driving to see them, anything there is closer than PA. We would really like to be within walking distance to beaches, but I'm finding that's not that easy.

I'm also interested in the schools. Are there any really good schools that come to mind? I do plan on doing my own research, but would like some suggestions on where to start.

I guess I'm asking for info on small towns & great schools. When we first visited the Gulf beaches I totally fell in love. I've been to both the Atlantic & the Pacific ocean and nothing compares to the blue/green of the Gulf water. Dh, myself & our girls can't wait to get back!
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 two children that attend PV and we are more than pleased with the school. 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
The Public Elites - Newsweek.com
Pine View wraps up perfect Olympics | HeraldTribune.com | Sarasota Florida | Southwest Florida's Information Leader
America's Best High Schools: Gold Medal List - US News and World Report

There are many other fantastic school in Sarasota county. Here's a website where you can see how the schools are rated:
School Accountability Report...
or www.GreatSchools.com

Alright, if I were checking out schools other than Pine View these are the schools that I would look into, in order.

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.

For Elementary
Southside Elementary
Venice Elementary
Ashton Elementary
Cranberry Elementary (North Port)
Taylor Ranch (southern Sarasota county)
Lakeview Elementary
Gulf Gate Elementary
Laurel Nokomis Elementary (mid Sarasota county)
Tatum Ridge Elementary
Garden Elementary
Phillipi Shores
Fruitville Elementary
Englewood Elementary (southern Sarasota county)

For Middle
Sarasota Middle

High School
Riverview
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Old 03-15-2010, 02:44 PM
 
Location: Where the sun always shines..
1,938 posts, read 6,262,639 times
Reputation: 829
I actually vote for Manatee County schools as they are ALSO ranked really high in the state. All teachers must be HIGHLY QUALIFIED. They also offer registration for school choice which means their boundaries are very loose and you can send you child to a superb school, if you are not located within it's boundaries. There are limitations though..
I also like Manatee County to live in better, it's a bit more laid back IMO.. a bit less busy also.. Just my opinion though
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Old 03-15-2010, 02:49 PM
 
17,535 posts, read 39,131,539 times
Reputation: 24289
Quote:
Originally Posted by Oobie119 View Post
I actually vote for Manatee County schools as they are ALSO ranked really high in the state. All teachers must be HIGHLY QUALIFIED. They also offer registration for school choice which means their boundaries are very loose and you can send you child to a superb school, if you are not located within it's boundaries. There are limitations though..
I also like Manatee County to live in better, it's a bit more laid back IMO.. a bit less busy also.. Just my opinion though
Oobie, I agree with you about Manatee County -I love living here, definitely more laid back, plus I think we have better taxes, and I like the utilities here better (better service and lower cost, and the water taste better!)
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Old 03-15-2010, 07:46 PM
 
Location: Tucson, baby!!
65 posts, read 143,342 times
Reputation: 46
Thank you all so much!

SoFLGal- Wow. Great info & great links! I will have to look at all of those in time. THANK YOU!

Oobie119 & gypsychic- More great info! I really loved the laid back atmosphere while we were visiting. My dh went to school in Bradenton (elementary, middle & senior high) and has good things to say about the schools (for the most part). Also, good to know about the utilities.

Thank you all again. I will keep doing my research & be back (I'm sure) with more questions!
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Old 03-16-2010, 07:03 AM
 
Location: Punta Gorda and Maryland
6,103 posts, read 15,088,066 times
Reputation: 1257
Well, you can put the snow shovels, hats, gloves, and de-icer away, or give 'em to your neighbors when you leave. I'm sure they will just love 'em!
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