Rye Neck and Mamaroneck School Districts, or the small vs. big school battle royale (White Plains: insurance)

[hartsie]

Hi all!

My family and I are in the process of deciding on one of two houses—one in the Rye Neck School District, and the other in the Mamaroneck School District. We have one kid, who will be going into 2nd grade, and our biggest concern in where to buy is the large vs. the small school debate, since based on my research, the two school districts are ultimately comparable in performance-based data.

My question is about people’s experiences with either school district. I’m hoping people might share their views on the benefits/drawbacks of Mamaroneck, as a large school district, and Rye Neck, as a small school district, especially when students get to the middle and high school level.

As for elementary school, if it helps in giving input, the Mamaroneck district house we’re looking at is in Larchmont, zoned for the Murray Ave. elementary school.

Any insight is greatly appreciated!

[BD1978]

We looked closely at both districts and ended up choosing Mamaroneck because we preferred the larger district. It's entirely a personal decision, but we liked the fact that the middle and high schools are much larger and have more diverse offerings, activities, etc. We live in Larchmont and are extremely happy with our decision so far, as our neighbors are wonderful. We have not yet gotten into the school system because my daughter is young and first starts at Chatsworth Avenue School next year, but many of our neighbors and friends are very pleased with the district, and we have good friends with children at Murray. Also, FWIW many of the homes in the Rye Neck district are in a flood zone and require flood insurance, which can cost thousands of dollars per year. Some homes in Larchmont are also in a flood zone but it is (relatively) rare. Good luck with your decision.

[hartsie]

Thanks so much for your insight, BD1978! It's so helpful to hear from people who live in areas to get their experiences. You're absolutely right about it being a personal decision; the challenge for us is that both my husband and I went to far smaller high schools, so it's hard for us to envision what a much larger high school experience would be like (even though we're still years away from that at this point...), and I worry about students getting kind of lost. The plus side, as you point out, is that a larger school can generally offer far more classes, activities, etc.

Fortunately neither house in contention is in the flood zone, so at least that's not a factor.

Thanks again!

[BD1978]

No problem and good luck with your decision. I went to a large NYC public high school with close to 500 students in my graduating class; and my wife's high school had at least 250 students per grade. So to us these tiny districts seem kind of limiting, but we have lots of friends who had great experiences in various small districts throughout Westchester; and we certainly like some of the bigger districts such as White Plains as well. Very much a personal choice. Good luck!

[allanny13]

If your child seems like they would benefit from more focused personal attention then go Rye Neck, if you think they will flourish in an environment where they have a broader array of learning options then go Maro. Kids from Larchmont tend to stick together through high school at Mamaroneck so I wouldn't worry about the social aspect as much as the academic style fit.

[NYfamily77]

Can someone give some examples of the activities present at the larget school and missing at the small school? I am in the same situation as OP and trying to decide...We're not focused much on sports (my kid is not that athletically talented and we can do perfectly fine with a narrow set of sports plus paid extracurriculars outside of school ), but the selection of AP classes and other academics matter. Can anyone give some examples? Thanks so much!!

[ABCDQQ]

I spent time at both high schools, and both districts are good. As previous posters have stated, at the middle and high school level, Mamaroneck has more activites, but Rye Neck has the edge in personalized attention and a tighter community.

To expand, Mamaroneck has more (and better) sports teams for the most part, a bigger music program, and more electives and extracurriculars. Community-wise, it's definitely a bit more divided, which I think results from some combination of the size, the stark socioeconomic contrast between Mamaroneck and Larchmont, and the fact that kids attend four different elementary schools. Mamaroneck almost felt to me like multiple schools in one building when I went there. The advantage, of course, is that with three or four times more students, it much easier to find people with common interests.