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Old 12-05-2008, 04:21 PM
 
93 posts, read 192,314 times
Reputation: 50

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Good evening all....I have been lurking on this board for about a year now. My husband and I have been planning a move to the Tampa area. Right now, we don't have the area narrowed down. My husband is interviewing at hospitals in the Tampa/Clearwater area in January and we plan on moving in June. We have a child that will be in first grade next school year. I haven't heard very positive responses to the school system in florida in general...but there has to be at least one decent school in the county, right?

My husband won't mind the commute, since he works night shift he should ( in theory ) would be on the "other side" of the traffic issues.

Can some of you guys that are on here frequently discussing schools and "safe" areas aim me in the directions of where to look for housing that is in a good school district? I would greatly appreciate it.

Thank you so much in advance!
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Old 12-06-2008, 07:30 AM
 
68 posts, read 258,796 times
Reputation: 82
I don't have children, but I know several of my coworkers moved to Fishhawk Ranch specifically for the schools there. They are supposed to be some of the best in the area. The have a very active HOA there though. To some people that is a big turn off.

FishHawk Ranch New Home Community Tampa Florida::FishHawk Ranch New Homes Available
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Old 12-06-2008, 05:19 PM
 
93 posts, read 192,314 times
Reputation: 50
Thank you so much jetlag! Does anyone else have any thoughts or opinions for me? Thank you so much!!
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Old 12-06-2008, 07:07 PM
 
Location: East Tennessee
3,928 posts, read 11,603,566 times
Reputation: 5260
If I were you, I would wait until your husband gets his hospital position and take it from there. What if he works in Brandon and you live in Clearwater (~40 miles each way)? It wouldn't be any fun if your DH is spending time commuting when he would rather be with family. If you move in June, the school year doesn't begin until August, so you'll still have some time.

As far as ratings, most of the elementary schools score well (FWIW). If you've been lurking, you probably have seen the school district sites and also several privately run websites that are recommended on this forum. If this isn't the case, let us know and we'll link you up!
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Old 12-07-2008, 08:26 AM
 
93 posts, read 192,314 times
Reputation: 50
Hey Karen...I would appreciate any websites that you can provide to me. I have found the Hillsborough County School website and magnet school information, but it doesn't seem very helpful. I have a friend that worked for the Polk County school system and her stories scared the hell out of me! What real estate company do you work for? We will be looking to buy several months after we move down.
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Old 12-07-2008, 08:46 AM
 
Location: East Tennessee
3,928 posts, read 11,603,566 times
Reputation: 5260
If you live in the Clearwater/St. Pete area, you would also need this site --> Pinellas County Schools. For anyone else reading this at a later date, here's a link to the Tampa Schools site --> http://www.sdhc.k12.fl.us/.

Ths Florida Department of Education has a website here --> FLDOE Home. It's quite overwhelming. I use the data & statistics tab, and lookup school grades.

There are some privately funded websites. The one most recommended on this forum has been Great Schools - Public and Private School Ratings, Reviews and Parent Community. A very comprehensive list of all the schools is here America's Education Guide (http://www.americaseducationguide.com/search - broken link).

I think the best any of us can do is research thoroughly and try to get personal testimony from parents who's children attend a given school. Get and stay involved in the school and if it doesn't meet your child(s) needs or your expectations, be prepared to move.

I am a broker associate with Future Home Realty. You can lookup public profile information for any user on City-Data by clicking on their user name.
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Old 12-08-2008, 07:16 AM
 
93 posts, read 192,314 times
Reputation: 50
Thank you so much Karen, you have helped me SO much!
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Old 12-08-2008, 10:13 PM
 
37 posts, read 178,836 times
Reputation: 42
Quote:
Originally Posted by mylittletyguy View Post
Good evening all....I have been lurking on this board for about a year now. My husband and I have been planning a move to the Tampa area. Right now, we don't have the area narrowed down. My husband is interviewing at hospitals in the Tampa/Clearwater area in January and we plan on moving in June. We have a child that will be in first grade next school year. I haven't heard very positive responses to the school system in florida in general...but there has to be at least one decent school in the county, right?

My husband won't mind the commute, since he works night shift he should ( in theory ) would be on the "other side" of the traffic issues.

Can some of you guys that are on here frequently discussing schools and "safe" areas aim me in the directions of where to look for housing that is in a good school district? I would greatly appreciate it.

Thank you so much in advance!

I've lived east of Tampa, in Dover for 36 years. Both of my kids went to local grade schools, and I think they got a good education. My kids went to junior high, and high school in Plant City. I think they got a good education. Plant City is a smaller town, with many positive aspects. About a 30 minute commute with favoriable traffic to Tampa.
you can go on the county government web site, and link up to all kinds of web sites, and get a lot of different info. I like the Tbay area ok. I live within a 1/4 mile of I-4, and I don't mind it at all.. The summers are a b___h, but we make up for it this time of year. Short pants in December---I like it.
The area is large enough for any kind of activity, and almost anywhere you live, your not far from the beach.
Good luck in your search.
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Old 12-09-2008, 07:00 AM
 
3 posts, read 6,729 times
Reputation: 10
Does anyone know anything about Collins Elem. in Panthers Trace. I will be moving in the summer and my son will start 3rd grade at that school. Do they have an afterschool program?
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Old 12-09-2008, 05:07 PM
 
Location: Tampa
68 posts, read 215,394 times
Reputation: 21
Westchase, Lowry and Baycrest are all very well rated elementary schools in Tampa.
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