tarrytow, sleepy hallow, white plains or more (Eastchester, Mamaroneck: apartment, rentals)

[rrr2009]

We are a family with two children, (one in K and another in pre-K). We are relocating to NY. I'm looking for good schools for my children and we want to rent apartment/townhouse. We are ready to commute to work, so the criteria is the school.

[bmwguydc]

Do you have a budget in mind? That can help to narrow selections. Also, how long of a commute would be tolerable? I am assuming that you'd be commuting to Manhattan.

The districts mentioned: Tarrytown, Sleepy Hollow, and White Plains have school systems that tend to have average performance by Westchester standards. Top-tier districts can be expensive, but there are a good number of school districts that are good, yet do not carry the price premium of a top Westchester district.

[rrr2009]

Thankyou for your reply. One of us work at Tarrytown. Less than 1hour commute is tolerable. As I mentioned earlier, school is the main criteria. The average household income in Tarrytown is $80K per annum (before taxes) and will it be possible to stick to that. Can you please tell me about the good school districts.

Thank you

[bmwguydc]

Sure, some good school districts in the same general area would include: Hastings-on-Hudson, Ardsley, Dobbs Ferry, and Irvington, though Irvington can get expensive in terms of housing. Valhalla, Thornwood, North White Plains (with Valhalla schools -- not city of White Plains), and Pleasantville also have good districts. And toward the east side of the county, Pelham, Harrison, and Larchmont/Mamaroneck are also very good districts, and are within your preferred commute range.

Scarsdale and Bronxville are two sought-after districts in Westchester, but Scarsdale can be a pressure cooker district that also has comparatively expensive housing, and Bronxville is just as expensive in the village, which is where you would need to live for the schools as the zip code straddles other areas that are billed as Bronxville, but are not in the school district. Edgemont, aka Greenville, is also a good school district and it's immediately to the west of Scarsdale, with either a Scarsdale or Hartsdale mailing address. It's part of the Town of Greenburgh, but does not have a downtown area of its own, save for Central Avenue, and the train to Manhattan is in Scarsdale. That's similar to Dobbs Ferry-Ardsley as well where much of Ardsley is not in immediate proximity to the train as the station is in Dobbs Ferry.

Tarrytown is changing, but if your priority is the best school district right now, I'd look in the surrounding area first, since you'd have an easy commute to work as well. At the honors/AP ranges, Tarrytown has some good programs, as does neighboring Sleepy Hollow, but the districts have more economic diversity than say Irvington or Hastings in the immediate area, such that performance statistics tend to show that the edge in achievement, and to some degree in facilities and materials, lies in the more homogenous, smaller (by population, not area) school districts.

ETA: Eastchester might also be a consideration as it's a solid school district that serves Eastchester and part of Tuckahoe. Tuckahoe, though a small district, comparatively, is also a respected school district, and it serves part of Eastchester and Tuckahoe. The Town of Eastchester has three districts: Eastchester, Tuckahoe, and Bronxville, but Bronxville does not straddle the village borders whereas Tuckahoe and Eastchester do cross into one another, within the Town of Eastchester's borders.

[rrr2009]

Thanks for the information. I would like to stick to the good public schools. I don't have a option for private schools.

[rrr2009]

is it possible to tell me the names of good elementary schools (public)

[rrr2009]

Thank you bmwguydc,

It was a very wealthy information indeed. I would like to ask you how expensive it is to live in scarsdale? I found may good school there like,
edgewood, seely place, green acres, quaker ridge, greenville school etc.,

[Viralmd]

Scarsdale is the mother lode. Two million dollar homes are not uncommon. There are some co-ops, however, that are less pricey.

[bmwguydc]

For a tiny house in Scarsdale, I'd expect to pay around $3k/month for starters in a rental, and on up from there. The same house to buy would be around $750k+. An unremarkable 1950s, split-level in Scarsdale can rent for $4-$5k/month, and cost over $900k to buy.

ETA: In places like Hastings, Dobbs Ferry, Pleasantville, or Valhalla where one might find more multi-family houses, or subdivided houses, I would expect to find rentals between $1800 and $2k for starters, and possibly even some townhouses for not much more, and houses in Valhalla might start just above $2k for some of the smaller houses. Most single-family homes will be priced around $3k in the river towns, but are larger than the cottages in Scarsdale for the same price. Irvington will be expensive, much like Scarsdale, and Pelham can be expensive, but the housing dollar stretches a bit further. A dividided house in Pelham might be somewhere around $2500 for an apartment, and a single family home will be more expensive. Buying would tend to vary by housing style and neighborhood, in a good district, but the lower priced houses are probably going to be around Valhalla/North White Plains in this part of the county, with good schools, and they would run north of $500k, unless the house is in need of considerable updating, or is tiny. West Harrison might also not be a bad bet, but some blocks are not as posh, but the schools are good, and rentals for a divided house would start around $1500/month.

Hope that helps.

[rrr2009]

Oh! god! V. expensive. I was prepared for $1500-1700 on rent. We are not going to invest on house for a while. In that case, will staying in NJ and commuting to Tarry town make more sense? Is thee any good school district that you may know. Please throw your inputs. I really appreciate your help.

Thank you