Seminole elementary schools-good but cultural diversity??? (Clearwater, Largo: condos, crime, homes)

[Moni74]

We will be relocating to St. Pete this summer. I've heard Seminole has good schools and I'm looking for feedback from any parents of kids in elementary school (or anyone who knows about schools in seminole).

I visited a couple websites and the elementary schools get excellent ratings. I'm wondering about cultural diversity. The stats appear very Caucasean and I'd like my son to be exposed to the wonderful diversity that FL has to offer.

Any thoughts/expeirences? Or Advice on other neighborhoods with good schools AND cultural diversity? I will be working in St. Pete Beach off of Gulf Blvd and would like to have a 30 min or less commute, with traffic!

Thanks!

[Caa]

No idea for you, but then again, I live in Louisiana where the private schools are almost all white and the public school almost all black. That is the way it is sometimes I guess. Good luck finding what you want.

[ferret111]

Seminole is a very white community, as are the surrounding areas. There will be a few blacks and Hispanics at every school, plus maybe a few Asians, but it's going to be hard to find a school outside of South St. Pete that isn't mostly white.

[lavender]

There are several schools outside of S St Pete that are very diverse, but they are not areas that I would choose to reside, and the performance of the schools are not highly rated either. Our daughter actually set up an ESOL voluntary project in one in Lealman area of St Pete, where they had the highest percentage of non English speaking students, from 56 countries. Its a choice of education vs diversity sadly, I'm not sure that I'd risk one for the other - you may have to do other things to give the children an experience of the richness of our culture.

[heather825978]

Originally Posted by ferret111

Seminole is a very white community, as are the surrounding areas. There will be a few blacks and Hispanics at every school, plus maybe a few Asians, but it's going to be hard to find a school outside of South St. Pete that isn't mostly white.

I am moving to Florida and would like to live in the seminole area. I have small children and I hear good reviews on the schools. Any suggestions on what neighborhood or specific area to live?

[ghostrider7811]

In Pinellas County, Seminole and Palm Harbor is by far the whitest. BTW Palm Harbor is just an area, not an incorporated city like Clearwater. Stay clear of south St. Pete, West Clearwater, and West Largo. These areas have too much crime IMO.

[lavender]

Anywhere in seminole school zone is pretty decent, some can be a bit run down, but overall ranges from very upscale homes to (a few) condos.

[vaughanwilliams]

Lack of "diversity" (wink wink) is one of the selling points of Seminole and Palm Harbor. I'm not saying it's a good or bad thing, that's just the way it is.

[ladynole]

Originally Posted by Moni74

We will be relocating to St. Pete this summer. I've heard Seminole has good schools and I'm looking for feedback from any parents of kids in elementary school (or anyone who knows about schools in seminole).

I visited a couple websites and the elementary schools get excellent ratings. I'm wondering about cultural diversity. The stats appear very Caucasean and I'd like my son to be exposed to the wonderful diversity that FL has to offer.

Any thoughts/expeirences? Or Advice on other neighborhoods with good schools AND cultural diversity? I will be working in St. Pete Beach off of Gulf Blvd and would like to have a 30 min or less commute, with traffic!

Thanks!

Hello Moni74,

I will be relocating to the st pete area within the next few months with my school aged son. I was curious to know whether you were able to locate any good schools that offered cultural diversity?

[Charles6682]

If your looking for a good school that has a good dose of cultural diversity,you should try Lakewood High School.This school has alot of racial diversity.It's CAT program was recently rated the 15th or 16th best program in all of the USA.The surrounding areas such as Pinellas Point and Lakewood Estates are culturally diverse areas.These are very beautiful areas as well.I would check out the CAT program at Lakewood High School if you are looking for a great education and a culturally diverse population.