Hartsdale schools -- still meh? (Yonkers, Mount Vernon: how much, big house, school districts)

[sashygirl]

Longtime lurker, first-time poster...I've seen posts on here from a few years back stating that Hartsdale schools aren't so great. I'm wondering if that's still the case...I'm particularly concerned about elementary/middle schools. Does anyone know about the Intl Baccalaureate program at Highview Elementary -- is that a good program and is it helping to raise the quality of teaching and education there? Also, any thoughts about Sacred Heart for elementary school?

My husband and I are looking to move to Westchester and while it seems like Pelham is the current front-runner, I want to explore other possibilities. Hartsdale seems like it fits all of our requirements as well as/better than Pelham (good commute, decent value for Westchester, some walkability, nice downtown -- better than Pelham's, I think -- a bit more sane and down-to-earth than some other towns -- I grew up on the Upper East Side and have no desire to relive it) with the very big exception of schools. Would love any thoughts/perspective. Thanks, all!

[sdcity]

If anything, all local public schools have degraded in the economic downturn. Sacred heart is a private school...

I would recommend White plains over Hartsdale if you are going to pick public schools. Better schools and similar taxes. When i was looking for a place, white plains had better taxes for only slightly less of a house. From what I have read in this forum, people pick Hartsdale when they want a big house and are going to send their kids to private school no matter what.

I personally do not like the Hartsdale downtown. Too much traffic.

[New Yawker]

I fall into the category of the Hartsdale residents who send their kids to private (Catholic) school. I went to Catholic school growing up and was going to send my kids there anyway, so I would rather not have to subsidize the public schools in the "elite" school districts with my property taxes.

That said, Hartsdale's schools (especially K-8) are not considered bad by any means (ala Yonkers or Mount Vernon). They are considered average, or slightly above average, which still gets panned by most of the people on this forum who place a huge premium on elite public school districts. Personally, I can't justify that tax bill and would rather get the benefits of living in an area with far more reasonable property taxes, even if it's not considered an "elite" school district.

If you're willing to make that trade-off, you can look forward to a huge bargain on how much house and land you get for the money. I also really like the downtown area, and how great the commute is to the city (35 minutes to GC on the express).

PM me if you'd like more details.

[ShouldHaveLeft914]

What public high school is associated with Hartsdale?

[sashygirl]

Thanks much, all. This is really helpful.

[streetsmart]

Originally Posted by ShouldHaveLeft914

What public high school is associated with Hartsdale?

Pretty sure it's Woodlands.