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Rye and Harrison have some of the lowest taxes in Lower Westchester (still obscene for the rest of the country but a steal compared to Edgemont and the River Towns). If we didn't have kids we would consider White Plains but we'd happily pay an additional $5-10K a year to send our kids to a better school.
We've dealt with sub-standard public schools for the past 2 years in LA and will not ever do it again. Besides, I think that you have to pay an additional 1% income tax in White Plains...which starts eating up the savings.
Why do you think the schools in WP are sub-standard? I am a product of that school system and have done pretty well for myself, as have most of my former classmates. I also have friends who have kids in the system that love it. White Plains is a city and is more diverse than most of the surrounding towns. Unfortunately people tend to assume this means the schools are substandad - which is not the case. I personally liked the diversity growing up and I felt like I was more grounded and even a bit "street smart" compared to my friends who went to Scarsdale, Edgemont, etc... To each his own I guess.
Test scores and graduation rates are much lower than in surrounding areas. Now, I realize that this doesn't mean that a bright kid won't do well, as in your case (and even the majority of cases) but when it comes to my kids, I'm not taking any chances.
Especially since my son has an IEP...the graduation rate for kids designated as special ed is almost 98% in Rye and Scarsdale. In White Plains, under 70%. I don't mean that anyone that goes there is 'less than' but as school systems go, you just cannot say that a child would have the same kind of education in Rye vs. White Plains...or Yonkers or Mt. Vernon.
Test scores and graduation rates are much lower than in surrounding areas. Now, I realize that this doesn't mean that a bright kid won't do well, as in your case (and even the majority of cases) but when it comes to my kids, I'm not taking any chances.
Especially since my son has an IEP...the graduation rate for kids designated as special ed is almost 98% in Rye and Scarsdale. In White Plains, under 70%. I don't mean that anyone that goes there is 'less than' but as school systems go, you just cannot say that a child would have the same kind of education in Rye vs. White Plains...or Yonkers or Mt. Vernon.
I would go as far to say that I think they would get a better education in White Plains than a Blind Brook for instance. There are a lot more factors to what constitutes a good school other than test scores. I think this topic has been much discussed on these boards. Like I said above, I think the racial diversity at a school like White Plains is a positive influence on the education you receive. The school population there more closely mimics "real life". Blind Brook for instance is 99.9% white. I would also look more closely (if you haven't already) at the stats for White Plains High School. It is not really on the same level as Yonkers or Mt. Vernon. I think the graduation rate there is over 90% and the test scores are well above average.
IMO, the school system in White Plains has the best value in Westchester.
P.S. One more interesting thing, but I don't know if this is significant or not: According to the stats in this article, the per pupil spending in WP is actually $20 MORE than in Blind Brook (Rye). Harrison is more, but WP spends more than Chappaqua even. Yonkers on the other hand spends $6k less and Mt. Vernon $4k less. I'm sure someone else can interpret what this means, but I think it's clear WP is definitely in a different than Yonkers or Mt. Vernon.
Honestly, I think you'll be able to find nice people in any of those towns. And you'll find unruly bratty kids everywhere you go. For your criteria, I'd still consider Rye, Pelham and MAYBE Larchmont.
White Plains is the answer. I am a proud yuppy from NYC / Boston and love White Plains - there is a generation gap in that most of the elder generation would not be able to afford the neighborhoods they currently live in, since the city was historically more blue collar, but this makes for an interesting dynamic. Nice, normal professionals who don't have the luxury of plunking down an extra $10K per year on schools they won't use for kids the don't have ought to give White Plains a hard look.
Suburbandad...so are you saying that you would, or would not send your kids to WP schools? I have 2 young kids, and if the schools are vastly better in Scarsdale and Rye, I consider the extra $5K per child a year an investment. I look for value in many things but not my kid's education.
I'm not saying that I care if my kids get into an Ivy League school, but I want them to have every opportunity available to them. If many upper-class people in WP either don't have kids or send their kids to private school, it might not be a good fit for us. We are dealing with that in LA now and hate it...neighbors barely know each other that way.
I would absolutely send them, and plan to. It's not "bargain shopping" at all, but it's a sensible choice. Taxes and real estate values in order to get into the "best" schools has become a badge of honor of sorts - parents move to Bronxville and pay the higher taxes so they can say they did it. White Plains offers very good schools and central Westchester location without the ridiculous price tag.
I want to add an update to this thread. My son started pre-K a few weeks ago in White Plains and loves it. White Plains is one of the few places that has a public pre-K program in Westchester. He goes every day for half a day at the Post Road school. It's a brand new school, the teacher is great, and he's in a classroom with children of all nationalities. So far, I'm impressed. Somehow WP gets a bad rep because of its diversity. As I mentioned previously I saw the diversity as one of the pluses.
Also, you can't beat the commute. The 35 min express trains runs every 5-10 minutes during peak times. It's practically like taking the subway. If you work near GCT, your commute will probably be less than many places even within NYC.
I want to add an update to this thread. My son started pre-K a few weeks ago in White Plains and loves it. White Plains is one of the few places that has a public pre-K program in Westchester. He goes every day for half a day at the Post Road school. It's a brand new school, the teacher is great, and he's in a classroom with children of all nationalities. So far, I'm impressed. Somehow WP gets a bad rep because of its diversity. As I mentioned previously I saw the diversity as one of the pluses.
Also, you can't beat the commute. The 35 min express trains runs every 5-10 minutes during peak times. It's practically like taking the subway. If you work near GCT, your commute will probably be less than many places even within NYC.
Quick question hominamad. What nationality are if you don't mind me asking?
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