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Does anyone know why the demographics in White Plains schools don't reflect those in the community? I was casually checking out a few zip codes and area schools, and it doesn't seem to be reflective of the people that live there. Do many people go to private school or something?
Yes, many move to WP to save on home price and taxes, and instead funnel the savings into private school. I can't say that the schools are bad by normal standards, but many people here are just turned off by the larger urban districts, so they have a disproportionate number of minorities in them. Also, many just want to go private regardless of where they land, so they make a point of not moving to the top tier districts so that they don't pay an arm and a leg for schools they have no intentions of ever using.
I live in White Plains and here are some of my theories:
I don't think a disproportionate number of children in WP go to private school - the schools reflect the actual demographics of the young population of the city. It is a large and diverse city and there are several low-income neighborhoods - many of which have apartment buildings. I believe that these areas have a higher percentage of new immigrants with children than the wealthier neighborhoods. I believe the upscale neighborhoods are mostly comprised of babyboomers who bought their houses in the last 15-25 years and their kids have already moved out. They really have no reason to move out at this point.
I'm sure there's a technical term for this, but what I'm trying to say is that the younger generation have not yet begun to move into the upscale neighborhoods. This is all just my theory based on what I see around me.
I went to White Plains schools around 20 years ago and it was diverse then as well. I remember in high school it was about 30% hispanic and 30% black. I always viewed this as a positive thing though as the schools are actually very good and I'd rather have this diversity in a good school district than live in a homogenous upperclass town. Also - we moved back to WP after living in Brooklyn for 11 years - and did not want to go to a small-town, everybody-knows-your-name type place (although WP is still somewhat like that - which I don't like). I miss the anonymity of NYC.
All that said, our child is in kindergarten now and very happy so far. Feel free to PM me if you have any specific questions.
The reason the demographics in White Plains neighborhoods dont match up to the schools is because they have school choice. This means that the school a child goes to is not governed by the neighborhood they live in. A parent chooses 3 schools, ranked in order of preference and then they are assigned a school based on that preference, space in the school and the school districts race and ethnic balance policy.
That is actually a good point to mention, since the no-neighborhood school can really turn some ppl off. A friend of mine lives there and complains that none of the kids on her street go to the same school, so they barely know each other. They force racial balance, but in the process segregate neighborhoods.
That is actually a good point to mention, since the no-neighborhood school can really turn some ppl off. A friend of mine lives there and complains that none of the kids on her street go to the same school, so they barely know each other. They force racial balance, but in the process segregate neighborhoods.
Not sure that I understand the question. There are certainly more coveted areas of WP than others, but even if you live right next door to an elementary school, you can't necessarily attend that one from what I understand. There are preferred schools, though, as some have special programs.
You don't get preference based on location. The only preference that I know of is if a child already attends a school, siblings are guaranteed to get that one if they want.
Out of everyone I've spoken too only one person I know didn't get their first choice - and even that person ended up getting it in the end after going on the waitlist for it. Seems like they do a pretty good job of getting people their first choice.
The schools all teach the same curriculum, use the same methods, etc. One school has an early start/dismissal, and like jjinla said, there are a couple of programs that may be different from one to the other. The only one I know if is the dual language program though.
Not sure that I understand the question. There are certainly more coveted areas of WP than others, but even if you live right next door to an elementary school, you can't necessarily attend that one from what I understand. There are preferred schools, though, as some have special programs.
Meant to say, "Is there a preference based on the closest school"? Meaning, if the closest school is one of the schools on the list, wouldn't it make it easier for the child to attend that school? It appears that the previous post answered what I was looking for, to some degree.
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