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I am considering moving to Eastchester and am unsure of the diversity in the public schools. My children would be going to Ann Hutchinson. Does anyone know if this school has Jewish children attending and if so what is the ratio of the kids in the class. Have looked into Scarsdale but the houses are incredibly small and expensive. Just started thinking about Rye Brook to try to get more of a house yet not sure if it will feel too isolated and not "city" enough. Not really one for country living, did not like Armonk because it felt too isolated. How does Rye Brook or Harrison compare?
Would appreciate any advice.
Rye Brook is not isolated, nor country. It is less than 10 minutes to Eastchester and at least half of the population is Jewish. It is also more expensive than Eastchester and has higher ranked schools, although Eastchester has great schools. Armonk is very country and isolated in comparison to Harrison and Rye Brook. I know Eastchester has a large Italian population, not sure about Jewish population. I do know several Jewish families, but don't know overall.
I am considering moving to Eastchester and am unsure of the diversity in the public schools. My children would be going to Ann Hutchinson. Does anyone know if this school has Jewish children attending and if so what is the ratio of the kids in the class. Have looked into Scarsdale but the houses are incredibly small and expensive. Just started thinking about Rye Brook to try to get more of a house yet not sure if it will feel too isolated and not "city" enough. Not really one for country living, did not like Armonk because it felt too isolated. How does Rye Brook or Harrison compare?
Would appreciate any advice.
Hi Jandsien -
I am Jewish and my kids attend the Eastchester School District. I am guessing that the schools are between 10% and 15% Jewish (including kids that are half Jewish). We are very satisfied with the schools. The test scores are lower than Rye Brook's because just about everyone in Rye Brook lives in a property that is worth over $500,000. Eastchester is much more economically diverse. Kids from families with lower incomes tend to have lower test scores. But the top kids in Eastchester get into the best colleges (as they do in most school districts).
However, pound for pound, I do not think Rye Brook is more expensive than Eastchester. If you compare the same 1960s' cape cod house in both communities, I think you will find that their values are pretty similar.
Despite what the other poster said, Eastchester is much more convenient. The trains from Scarsdale to Crestwood take 30 minutes to Manhattan. Most of Rye Brook is not near a train station (I think Port Chester is the closest station). If you don't like going to malls, Eastchester has much better shopping. Finally, Eastchester has Lake Isle Country Club. If you have little kids, it is the best place to be in the summer. It also offers an 18-hole golf course at ridiculously cheap rates for town residents.
Italians are the largest ethnic group in Eastchester. But they do not represent half the population. And they are a very diverse group of people (like every group in the community). My understanding of Rye Brook is that it is pretty much 50% Italian and 50% Jewish. It also has the reputation of being a pretty "Jappy" community - the Long Island of Westchester.
Harrison is a whole another story. North of I-95 (and including Purchase) it is probably the wealthiest area in the county, with a fairly large Jewish population. South of I-95, and the area near White Plains (West Harrison), it is mostly middle-class Italian, with lots of multi-family houses. Harrison is a very split community.
Thank you so much for your info. I hate to sound too picky but approximately how many Jewish kids are in a class. If the percentage is 10!% are you saying that in a class of 20 kids maybe 2 are Jewish? Have the numbers been more than that in your experience?
Regards,
I don't mean to be rude, but if it is of that much concern to you exactly how many children in a given class are Jewish, maybe you should be looking into private Jewish day schools instead of public schools. It's my opinion that one of the benefits of going to public school is that kids will meet other kids from all sorts of backgrounds. And furthermore, I know that my own kids very rarely, if ever, talked about who-was-what-religion with their classmates. The only times it really came up was in 7th and 8th grade when they were going to all the bar and bat mitzvahs. And even then, they were far more interested in the social aspect of it than the religious. Even if the majority of kids in the class were not Jewish, I'm sure your kids would be going to religious school and temple events and would meet Jewish kids there.
Of course, this is all based on the assumption that you are, in fact, Jewish--if you're asking because you DON'T want too many Jewish kids in class with yours, then I don't even want to go there.)
Without giving you any opinion either way...If you are looking for a large population of jewish kids in a public school system, I doubt you could find a higher percentage than in Rye Brook. In a class size of 21, 15 -17 will be jewish.
Thank you so much for your info. I hate to sound too picky but approximately how many Jewish kids are in a class. If the percentage is 10!% are you saying that in a class of 20 kids maybe 2 are Jewish? Have the numbers been more than that in your experience?
Regards,
Hate to say it, buy I haven't really counted. It doesn't really matter to my kids. But as the prior poster said, Rye Brook probably has the highest percentage of Jews in Westchester County, so you might be very comfortable there.
I think Eastchester is becoming more diverse in last decade or so. I know when my relatives moved there- it was definitely mostly Italian. I think lots of Irish have moved there recently. I think a Jewish child would feel comfortable. I think when towns are predominantly one nationality/ religious affiliation it is hard for children who are not (or at least that is what the parents think). I understand wanting to make sure your child has peers who have same background as them. I think we all want that- even if we want our kids in a diverse school. But in reality- I do not think kids pay any notice to whether their peers are Jewish or Catholic or Muslim or whatever.
I am Jewish and my kids attend the Eastchester School District. I am guessing that the schools are between 10% and 15% Jewish (including kids that are half Jewish). We are very satisfied with the schools. The test scores are lower than Rye Brook's because just about everyone in Rye Brook lives in a property that is worth over $500,000. Eastchester is much more economically diverse. Kids from families with lower incomes tend to have lower test scores. But the top kids in Eastchester get into the best colleges (as they do in most school districts).
However, pound for pound, I do not think Rye Brook is more expensive than Eastchester. If you compare the same 1960s' cape cod house in both communities, I think you will find that their values are pretty similar.
Despite what the other poster said, Eastchester is much more convenient. The trains from Scarsdale to Crestwood take 30 minutes to Manhattan. Most of Rye Brook is not near a train station (I think Port Chester is the closest station). If you don't like going to malls, Eastchester has much better shopping. Finally, Eastchester has Lake Isle Country Club. If you have little kids, it is the best place to be in the summer. It also offers an 18-hole golf course at ridiculously cheap rates for town residents.
Italians are the largest ethnic group in Eastchester. But they do not represent half the population. And they are a very diverse group of people (like every group in the community). My understanding of Rye Brook is that it is pretty much 50% Italian and 50% Jewish. It also has the reputation of being a pretty "Jappy" community - the Long Island of Westchester.
Harrison is a whole another story. North of I-95 (and including Purchase) it is probably the wealthiest area in the county, with a fairly large Jewish population. South of I-95, and the area near White Plains (West Harrison), it is mostly middle-class Italian, with lots of multi-family houses. Harrison is a very split community.
Good Luck!
I cant agreed more. The comunity is very JAPPY, that was the 1st reason way I moved out of rye brook.
I moved to NEW ROCHELLE BORDER WITH SCARSDALE. THERE IS A BIG JEWISH COMUNITY HERE,
Last edited by Viralmd; 07-30-2008 at 06:42 PM..
Reason: No advertising
I cant agreed more. The comunity is very JAPPY, that was the 1st reason way I moved out of rye brook.
I moved to NEW ROCHELLE BORDER WITH SCARSDALE. THERE IS A BIG JEWISH COMUNITY HERE,
GOOD LUCK
Last edited by Viralmd; 07-30-2008 at 06:42 PM..
Reason: No advertising
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