Relocating! Best schools and neighborhood for young family (Toledo, Springfield: 2014, apartment complexes)

[TheLawfirm]

We will be relocating due to a job change for my husband. Right now we are looking at Maumee and Perrysburg, as this will leave us both with an ok commute. Schools are very important to us, and we'd like to stay in the public school system if possible. I've seen houses in both areas that are in districts other than Maumee and Perrysburg. So how do Springfield, Anthony Wayne and others shape up against Maumee and Perrysburg schools?

[lprmesia]

Both Anthony Wayne and Perrysburg are rated in the top 50 districts in the state based on a recent study. However, when test scores are used to rate districts, it can tend to favor areas with stronger socioeconomic stability due to factors such as parental support/involvement. Perrysburg traditionally and Anthony Wayne tend to not have as many socioeconomically disadvantaged areas which could be positively impacting their scores. Maumee while having many nice areas and beautiful homes also has more areas not quite up to spectacular than Perrysburg or Anthony Wayne while also including many lower cost apartment complexes just over the Turnpike in South Toledo which are part of Maumee City Schools. Springfield Township, while including some of the nicest homes in the Toledo Area in general in Stone Oak and Tremore also includes many less stable areas.

None of these areas are "bad", but studies do show that income levels do impact test scores, meaning districts that include a mix of both high and middle incomes will tend to show lower aggregate scores. This does not mean though, that high income children will always perform great at a high income school district, or that middle income children will always perform average at middle income districts. Just arguing that just because Maumee has a larger percentage of middle income areas than say Perrysburg, does not mean that a student would perform better at one or the other, just that the total "score" of the district may be impacted because of this.

I'm hoping others can chime in on their children's experiences in these districts to give you a better sense of what you might be looking for. Some districts might have programs and/or interests which better suit your wants/needs. Is there anything more you could tell us about your wish list?

Also, depending on which areas you're looking at, you might have different experiences. For example, Perrysburg and Maumee are much more established communities (with Maumee having a community theater, etc.), while parts of Anthony Wayne (Monclova Township in particular) is newer housing/subdivisions with maybe less of a truly established community. Springfield Township is also a bit more patchy and less community oriented.

Any thing more you can tell us?