Comparing school districts for elementary-age kids (Ballwin, Kirkwood: houses, neighborhood, university)

[jbMissouri]

Particularly those with mild special needs. I've been told that Clayton and Ladue are the best, but I don't think there's a way we can swing that. Looking at Webster Groves, Kirkwood and Parkway now. I'm a little turned off by the Parkway system because it is so huge, but I'm not ruling anything out.

Also is Glendale in the Kirkwood school district?

Ultimately the schools will determine where we buy, but can someone describe the differences in the neighborhood/community "feel" between Kirkwood and Webster Groves? I'm thinking Parkway will feel more like a suburb?

[MUTGR]

Originally Posted by jbMissouri

Particularly those with mild special needs. I've been told that Clayton and Ladue are the best, but I don't think there's a way we can swing that. Looking at Webster Groves, Kirkwood and Parkway now. I'm a little turned off by the Parkway system because it is so huge, but I'm not ruling anything out.

Also is Glendale in the Kirkwood school district?

Ultimately the schools will determine where we buy, but can someone describe the differences in the neighborhood/community "feel" between Kirkwood and Webster Groves? I'm thinking Parkway will feel more like a suburb?

Kirkwood has highly rated schools and seems to have good resources for kids with special needs. You will want to contact the schools and do your own due dilligence though.

Most, if not all, of Glendale is in Kirkwood Schools. A small part might be in Webster, but I'm really not sure about that.

Differences between Kirkwood and Webster? I dunno, I'm from Kirkwood and grew up here so I lean towards Kirkwood. A Webster person can probably make a compelling case of why Webster is better. I think Kirkwood Schools are more highly thought of, but Webster schools are good too. Webster is a little bigger, has Webster University and generally a slightly more proggressive vibe about it for whatever that might be worth. In all, I'd say they are more similar than dissimilar. Both are nice, older communities. Neat older homes. Both very walkable and, if you live close enough to their respective downtown areas, walkable to shops/restaurants/bars. Bot are less expensive than Clayton or Ladue but still expensive compared to many other areas. You will get more house for the money in Ballwin. Both Kirkwood and Webster definately have more of the old fashioned small town layout as opposed to subdivisions, although you can find subdivisions in both.

[billiken]

To me, Kirkwood and Webster Groves are very similar. People who are from there typically disagree because there's kind of a strong rivalry between the high schools. The biggest difference might be that Webster Groves has more of a university influence, with Webster University being in town. Both have nice downtowns, gorgeous old houses. I think people generally think Kirkwood has a better school district--and I say this as someone who lives in the WG school district.

Glendale's city website mentions that homes west of Berry Rd attend Kirkwood schools, and homes east of Berry attend Webster Groves. Other smaller towns that feed into WG/Kirkwood include Shrewbury, Rock Hill, Warson Woods, some of Des Peres.

Towns feeding into Parkway schools feel much more like typical suburbia, in my opinion.

[aragx6]

I'm essentially only going to reiterate what others have said. I don't feel comfortable enough with any of the special needs programs to make an assessment of that, but all the districts you are looking at are solid, well run districts and I believe that your child(ren) would be in good hands in any of them.

It should be noted that Olivette is less expensive than Ladue proper (and the homes more modest), but are in Ladue's schools, which is certainly something to consider.

But my vote, if you're looking for something with a more inner-ring suburban feel as it seems you are, would definitely be for something in Webster or Kirkwood schools.

My sister is actually at Webster High School right now, and (while she's had some friend problems this year as does happen with teenagers) she's pretty happy there. The school is large but manageable, there's a good selection of classes etc. Webster Groves proper is a bit closer to the city, which is a bonus to me, but I actually would say I prefer Kirkwood's downtown for walkability and things to do. Personally I don't think you could go wrong with either one, and if you find yourself a bit priced out still, some of the nearby suburbs, including Rock Hill (where I, partially, grew up) and Glendale would be solid options.

My dad's house was a small 2/1, but they had finished the basement and added living space, so aside from bathroom sharing craziness (at one point when all of us were there on some weekends there were 7 of us!) it was a nice little house. And the lot was enormous, which was fantastic as a kid.

[ja84]

My mild (WritingLD/ADHD) special needs child is in Parkway School District and we have been nothing but thrilled with the support he has been given. He always says that resource is his favorite class and we have seen a HUGE positive difference in his enthusiasm, maturity, grades, and self esteem since he started receiving special services. They have many things at their disposal to help him and have even purchased new equipment for him to use to meet his IEP goals.

That said, the other end of the bell curve (gifted services) is atrocious--pull out service one day a week, and the general idea is to exclude as many kids as possible from the program (kids have to score 96% or above on THREE different intelligence tests!) Of course, that's Missouri in general when it comes to Gifted and Talented.

Anyway, there's a quick summary of my experiences with Parkway additional needs services. Hope it helps someone out there!

[aragx6]

^For what it's worth, Francis Howell SD has one of the best respected G&T programs (called Spectra) around, and one of the very few (only?) secondary programs in the state. As a product of it I honestly can't speak highly enough of it.

Spectra FAQ - Francis Howell School District (http://fhsd.sharpschool.net/departments/gifted_education/spectra_program/spectra_faq/ - broken link)