Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
My children went to private school in Westchester and in CT. You might want to visit and read reviews on some of these schools. Public schools are excellent in Westchester, and the private schools have a totally different feel to them. Some of them might not appeal to you!
Another poster also makes a very good point. You can't assume your kids will be accepted into the top tier private schools. Their admission standards are basically designed such that everyone there is an Ivy League candidate.
This is scary that we are willing to pay but we are not sure if we are going to get a spot....I guess this is how it is in the US...BTW, how do they if the child is an Ivy League candidate or not??
Riverdale is a very nice area but yes, it is urban (it is part of NYC after all!). There are 3 private schools there (Riverdale Country, Horace Mann, and Ethical Culture Fieldston) and they are extremely competitive. If your kids got into one of those schools you wouldn't need to live in Riverdale, but maybe a town along the Hudson river like Tarrytown say, where prices are a bit lower because the schools aren't considered top tier. However, I think most of the kids who attend those schools do come from the city.
is there any specific reason all the best private schools are in Riverdale?
We moved to NY from Switzerland last summer. The debates on the forum there are always about local vs. private school with the big push for local being integration for the kids (and parents). Funny to see to see this debate here!
Do your kids speak English? There would be a ton of opportunities for them to meet local kids:your neighborhood, extracurricular activities and the "park and recreation" department of your town.
May I make a wild suggestion? In my mind, some of the public schools around here are just as good, if not better, as the private schools. We live in Chappaqua where, I think, the schools are outstanding. Moreover, public schools are obligated to help a child with any learning disabilities where, with private, you often have to pay for those services yourself. Anyway, thinking completely outside of the box, could you tell whichever company that is paying for this, that you have opted to live in a town with very high taxes in order to send your children to local school and that, because it is almost like a tuition, that you would request they pay for your property taxes? Just a thought...
Please feel free to private message me with any questions! (ie, America vs. Europe, etc.)
Thanks a lot. The company is not flexible and I believe it will be a bureaucratic institution thus I know that it won't be possible to ask them to pay the property taxes. I wish they could but there is no way....
However, I will think more about your suggestion of public schools. Just because there is a deal, we don't have to make use of it....
In terms of where to live, many people from that agency actually do live in Riverdale, but they rent apartments. Those who rent or own houses with yards typically live in places like Tarrytown, Nutley (NJ), Princeton (NJ), Livingston (NJ), Lyndhurst (NJ), White Plains or Jamaica Estates. A number have started to settle down in Nanuet (Rockland), which has a couple of private schools nearby. Why they choose to live in these neighborhoods, I don't know. They just do.
I guess this is same like any other immigration situation. People choose to live where friends/relatives/countrymen live e.g. Chinatown, Little Italy. In this case, probably they talk to other people in that families of organizations (which we plan not to do but it is inevitable).
We would like to have stable friends for our children that's why schools where there is lots of student movement due to parents work situation is not an option for us. This move will hopefully be our final destination until kids get into a good college. Since you are knowledgeable in various areas, should we consider NJ? (low tax + nice relatively new house + good private school)?
My children went to private school in Westchester and in CT. You might want to visit and read reviews on some of these schools. Public schools are excellent in Westchester, and the private schools have a totally different feel to them. Some of them might not appeal to you!
When you say totally different feel, what exactly do you mean?
I guess this is same like any other immigration situation. People choose to live where friends/relatives/countrymen live e.g. Chinatown, Little Italy. In this case, probably they talk to other people in that families of organizations (which we plan not to do but it is inevitable).
My suggestion would be when you come here, rent in an Avalon for a year or 2 first and send kids to UNIS or other schools with flexible admissions in the interim. Once here, ask colleagues where they live and the reasons why. Other neighborhoods where such workers end up living in are Bloomfield and Bergenfield (NJ). If your spouse will work in the UN, look at the bulletin boards in the Secretariat and DESA buildings (usually near the cafeterias) and see where houses being sold are located. My guess is it would be in those places I mentioned.
The thing about Westchester is that most neighborhoods have distinctive "identities" and the residents are cognizant of that. In a way that is a good thing because it provides differentiation between neighborhoods. The ones I mentioned, including Tarrytown and White Plains, tend to be more identity-neutral, which is probably why they appeal to workers in international agencies.
At least if you rent for at least 1 year first upon arrival, you will have the time to research and figure out which Westchester/NJ/Long Island neighborhoods would be a good fit for you. For example, you might realize that you like huge yards and therefore someplace like Yorktown Heights or Bedford/Bedford Hills might suit you. Or you might feel comfortable living near predominantly Catholics which would imply Crestwood. It depends. By renting first, you have the time to reflect and decide rather than jumping into a neaighborhood that you later feel is not a good fit.
In terms of New Jersey, Morristown and Princeton are the areas that have a good number of private schools in the vicinity.
Quote:
Originally Posted by stayalive
We would like to have stable friends for our children that's why schools where there is lots of student movement due to parents work situation is not an option for us. This move will hopefully be our final destination until kids get into a good college. Since you are knowledgeable in various areas, should we consider NJ? (low tax + nice relatively new house + good private school)?
Another approach you can take - if you really must have them attend the same school through 12th grade from the time you arrive and wish to keep gross tuitions below $30K - is to choose the school first and work your neighborhood around that criteria.
With that in mind, check out the Waldorf schools in Chestnut Ridge (Rockland) and Garden City (Long Island). These Waldorfs offer K-12 and tuitions are less than $20K. They also post faculty bios in their websites so you can see the teachers' credentials. There are Avalons in Rockland (Nanuet) and Long Island (Rockville Centre) where you can rent in the meantime while you search for your best fit neighborhood. Also check out the Friends Academy in Locust Valley and Kew Forest School in Forest Hills. I could be wrong but I believe the Rockland Country Day School's tuition is lower than $30K (they don't disclose in their website).
Last edited by Forest_Hills_Daddy; 02-03-2012 at 10:06 AM..
is there any specific reason all the best private schools are in Riverdale?
I didn't say the best ones are in Riverdale. You could argue for ages about which ones are the absolute BEST, but most of the really top ones are in Manhattan.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
