Parkway vs. Rockwood vs. Ladue school districts

[aragx6]

Originally Posted by clementine.jones

Distance from downtown doesn't matter too much to me. I work from home and my husband will be working on the northernmost piece of the Chesterfield Parkway. He has a job that requires a lot of travel and long hours, so I really want to live in a place that minimizes his commute time so he can maximize his time with our two young kids.

We are avid hikers and our family enjoys the outdoors. It would be nice to have access to a nearby park or walking trails. My oldest daughter loves swimming so it would be nice to have a neighborhood pool, or be in close proximity to the Y or a community center with a pool. (Wouldn't rule out a house with a pool, either, but it's not a "must-have."

I would also like a neighborhood where my kids can run around and play with the neighbor kids. They are social butterflys

I'm also a "yard person" -- I like gardening and spending time outside in my yard.

It's good to hear that the schools are good in all of the areas that we're considering. My oldest daughter is very smart, but if she is not challenged she gets bored and gets in trouble for socializing. She needs teachers that will challenge her with advanced material once she gets the hang of the easier stuff.

After reading through all of this I still stand by my initial suggestion -- find something close to hubby's work. Not only because it will be an easy commute for him that will allow him as much time with the family as possible, but also because I think it's genuinely the area you'll like best. If you head farther out I think you'll lose some of the sense of community you're looking for -- sort of the problem with those big lots, but you should still be able to get you something of adequate size that will give you space to play and garden as much as your heart desires.

[HomesMeBoyer]

I would recommend Greatschools.org for help on parents opinions on the programs at each of the schools. I have found that the more parent involvment there is, the more comments you will have to look over on the site.
When you are ready to compare the homes that you would be offered in each area please try this Free Search-yourself site [URL="http://www.melissboyer.listingbook.com"]www.melissboyer.listingbook.com[/URL]

I would be glad to give you information on the homes that interest you.
Thanks and happy searching!

Melissa

[silibran]

Sorry it took so long for me to get back to you about Rockwood. I don't know about the Suzuki program, whether it is still ongoing. Here is the Rockwood site. I recommend going there for information: Rockwood School District

We read about the audit. It sounds as if Rockwood and Glenn Construction were too cozy for a number of years. I don't know how it affected the quality of instruction. I would send kids to the district in a heartbeat though. Before we moved to Wildwood, we lived in NW County and kids went to Hazelwood. Rockwood was amazingly better in every respect. I recommend visiting the schools to see what you think.

I agree with another poster who said that you don't need to enroll your kids in private schools if you live in West County. I'd recommend Rockwood, Parkway or Kirkwood districts. I understand that the Pattonville district has also improved tremendously in the last decade or so.