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Hi!
My husband and I are looking to move out of NYC within the next year. We really like Westchester but am hearing different things about school districts. How true are the rankings found here (and copied/pasted below): The Best School Districts In Westchester - Business Insider
Here are the top 10 public school districts in Westchester County, via Niche:
Edgemont School District
Scarsdale Union Free School District
Rye City School District
Chappaqua Central School District
Blind Brook-Rye Union Free School District
Bronxville Union Free School District
Rye Neck Minority Free School District
Byram Hills Central School District
Mamaroneck Union Free School District
Briarcliff Manor Union Free School District
I agree that most of those would be no-brainers, although there are some areas in which there could be some variability in some of the individual schools, at least based on test scores (i.e. Mamaroneck).
I would also add that you don't overlook Pelham - excellent school district, very commutable -- some people may not know much about it, and it can be overlooked in part by where it is geographically (sandwiched between the Bronx, Mount Vernon and New Rochelle), but it's definitely worth looking into. But note that for Pelham, and most, if not all, of the other towns you list, prepare to pay a *lot* in property taxes.
They are all really good as are most of the others, e.g., Hastings, Irvington, Pleasantville, Byram Hills, etc. Your best bet is to comb the areas and see which you like best.
Thanks so much, everyone! Any thoughts re: Tarrytown? I liked the area and homes but have heard that the public schools are lackluster.
You heard correct! They've always had a bad reputation. A lot of the students come from broken homes. Many of them live in Sleepy Hollow formerly North Tarrytown. It's kind of like a miniature inner city and with it those same problems only on a smaller scale. The entire southern part of Tarrytown south of 287 to Sunnyside Lane is in the Irvington School District. If your considering living in Tarrytown you may want to consider that area. Part of it is called East Irvington that would be on the north side of Sunnyside Lane which becomes Taxter Road. Another section is called "Pennybridge" which is on Sheldon Avenue and it's neighboring streets. If you go to Google Maps you can easily find that section of Tarrytown. You would be living in Tarrytown but sending your children to Irvington Schools. Your children will be much better off attending Irvington Schools. My entire family of three generations were born and raised in Irvington/Tarrytown. I know the area very well.
I agree that most of those would be no-brainers, although there are some areas in which there could be some variability in some of the individual schools, at least based on test scores (i.e. Mamaroneck).
Just for clarification, Mamaroneck Avenue School in the Mamaroneck district is by all accounts an EXCELLENT school. Its test scores are lower because there is a large population of ESL students. By all accounts the principal and teachers there are terrific, the parents of ESL students are hugely invested in school and are very respectful of teachers, and there are not major behavior problems. I completely understand why someone would not prefer an elementary school with a high ESL percentage, but please understand that this is a very good school. It does not have low test scores because of poor teachers or kids from bad homes; it's really just a reflection of a large population of first generation Americans who are learning English as a second language.
Thank you all for these helpful response! Would also love thoughts on Eastchester and Pelham schools, please!
My username is outdated -- we moved to Pelham from Brooklyn this summer, and schools were a major factor. The town of Pelham is comprised of two villages -- the Village of Pelham (where I live) and the Village of Pelham Manor. Each village has two elementary schools, and all students in the entire town go to the same Middle and High School. Here is the Greatschools data on the Village of Pelham Schools (two elementary and Middle/High, which students from Pelham Manor also attend):
In my humble opinion, the Pelham schools have a better reputation than Eastchester -- both are very good, I just think if you ask around and do the research, you may find that Pelham is thought of as a slightly better district. There are also pros and cons to each town, independent of the schools -- commuting, shops, walkable downtown, and the lack thereof. Eastchester is bigger, more commerce, and more spread out. Pelham is more compact, has a nice central, walkable business district (right near the Metro-North station and a short walk to most of the schools). Pelham taxes are high, I believe materially higher than Eastchester, but the services here have been excellent.
I would strongly recommend doing a number of searches on this forum for the vibe of each, and you'll start to get a flavor. But if schools are the only factor, I would say Pelham are a bit better, but Eastchester isn't bad by any means. We considered Eastchester, as well as a few other towns, chose Pelham, and haven't had the slightest twinge of regret in any fashion -- love it here.
Good luck.
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