How did you pick a kindergarten/elementary school?

chelseymat · September 2014

So we purposely live here because the district is good but we also have two exceptional charter schools in area. How did you pick which school to send your LO to? Just by the one you live by? How do I know which one is the best? Please tell me I'm stressing over nothing. I have tours scheduled at the charter schools but the idea of a charter school is weird to me….Like I trust a regular district more? Is that crazy?

penguingrrl · September 2014

I'm opposed to charter schools on principle (I don't like that money is being diverted from the public school system and given to private companies) so our kids are in public school. We chose where we live based on the public school system and even if we were interested in a charter school there isn't one available.

chelseymat · September 2014

penguingrrl said:

I'm opposed to charter schools on principle (I don't like that money is being diverted from the public school system and given to private companies) so our kids are in public school. We chose where we live based on the public school system and even if we were interested in a charter school there isn't one available.

Actually, the more I research the more I think this is how I feel about them too. Did you pick the public school you are in area for? In my state I can send my kid to any public school as long as I can get him there. The one we are assigned is overcrowded (which will be fixed in 2 years when the new school is built). This is my only real concern with the school.

penguingrrl · September 2014

chelseymat said:

penguingrrl said:

I'm opposed to charter schools on principle (I don't like that money is being diverted from the public school system and given to private companies) so our kids are in public school. We chose where we live based on the public school system and even if we were interested in a charter school there isn't one available.

Actually, the more I research the more I think this is how I feel about them too. Did you pick the public school you are in area for? In my state I can send my kid to any public school as long as I can get him there. The one we are assigned is overcrowded (which will be fixed in 2 years when the new school is built). This is my only real concern with the school.

As far as I'm aware we can't just pick any public school and take our kids there, you have to live within the boundaries (I have never lived somewhere where it was easy to go anywhere but your assigned public school so have never considered it an option). When DH got his job last spring the first thing we did was researched school districts and found the one we liked best within reasonable commuting distance and then we only looked at rental homes within the district. We're very very happy with them and crossing our fingers that he's promoted from Visiting Prof to Tenure Track within his current dept because we love the schools (the girls' school and the college he works for) and community and really don't want to move. But schools for them were the only factoring in deciding between various communities for us.

chelseymat · September 2014

My state must be different. Some districts get as much as 40% of their students from out of district. Would overcrowding be on anyones radar if a new school is in process and everything else about the elementary (test scores, grades, parent reviews) is excellent?

orangegoggles · September 2014

We moved to be in our current district. We wouldn't consider charter schools/private because in my experience they are often stepping stones for teachers. Before I am flamed for that comment what I mean is that in NY, being a public school teacher is the goal for most teachers. They obviously want to work for the state to receive awesome benefits, tenure, retirement, etc. So, many teachers work at charter schools/catholic schools to build their resume before they can get a job at a public school.

The school I work at is at the very top and I could send DS there because I work there but we chose not to because its a pretty small school with no diversity and I actually liked the idea of him being part of a larger community. The school he will go to is just a few rankings down so its still an awesome school.

chelseymat · September 2014

So I'm over thinking this. I moved here single and pre kids but knew enough to make sure I was in a good district. Good thing since right now we can't/don't want to move. Our assigned school is excellent just a little full and DS will be just fine there. BTW- I was in no way talking about a virtual charter school or any of that craziness….I can't even believe those are allowed to exist but thats just me.

trizzie · September 2014

We moved here and built in this neighborhood because it is the top school in the district. That said, I chose to send DS to private kinder where he went to pre-school because I didn't think he was ready for "big school". His kinder was 9-2:30 and the public school is 7:50-3:30. He started 1st grade there this year. I am SO glad I sent him to private kinder. He has adjusted beautifully and having a great year, but I don't think he would have been ready last year. Like @nandab said I plan to be super involved. I am on the PTA board, I volunteer, etc.

Spin313 · September 2014

We moved into a top school district and send our son to the assigned elementary school.

spring_time · September 2014

I am also always shocked at how many people live in the best district in their state :-)

Like others, I have a problem with charter schools, and we are fortunate enough to be able to live in an area with excellent schools. We had a lot of good choices and were able to pick the community that best fit our lifestyle. One nearby district is known for excellence and always ranked near the top. However, in order for our children to compete at that academic level, it would involve a lifestyle that we did not want for our kids (hours of studying, Saturday school, highly competitive/nationally ranked academic teams). We wanted a more well-rounded education for our children that also offered the same opportunities without the pressure. Other districts are known for their affluence, but as LalaMama mentioned, most of the students within bounds attend private schools. Of course, there are always variations just within the district.

In your case, since it sounds like you have a lot of good options, it is most important to visit the schools. The only way to get a feeling for a school is to spend some time in the building while school is in session. Rankings cannot measure the soul of a school. I taught at a school that looked terrible on paper, but everyone who taught, learned, and visited understood what a special place it was. I have been in many "excellent" schools that did not have the same warmth. Since you know the academic rigor is there, go with the school that gives you the best gut feeling.

Ilumine · September 2014

We chose to send DD to a Private School.

First, I am not a fan of Common Core. I have done my due diligence in researching BOTH SIDES of the Common Core debate, to include researching the educational systems our country compares itself too and why their systems work and why Common Core will not.

https://www.nea.org/home/40991.htm

https://sitemaker.umich.edu/case.356/german_schools

The biggest issue is with the CC early education tract.

My mother is 40+ year, double masters in early education and my father, who also has a masters in education and who was his school district's Union Representative, have both sided with my decision to keep my child out of public schools. That is almost a miracle, given my father's rabid support of the public system.

Second, we live in Florida. Granted, we are 13th out of 50 and 11the county in the state, but its Florida. And the public school were we would have to send DD to sucks. There was a mass exodus of teachers because of a new principal. And while I don't have an immediate distrust of new teachers (my parents were new teachers at one time.), I am concerned with baby teachers and a principal that ran off the older and from what I heard, wonderful teachers.

Doesn't inspire confidence.

Third, I am not sure where DH and I will be moving to next. We choose a school that uses a curriculum that I can home school with, depending on the next location. I am not a good candidate to be a homeschooling teacher and my Daughter is an even worse one for being taught by me, but it is what it is.

Keeptruckin · September 2014

I think our charter system here in Canada may be different. I would say they are more like what in the US are called magnet schools. We built our home because the area had a great public school. Well, as soon as the house was finished the announced the school has been capped for enrolment. So we couldn't have DD attend. Luckily there is a montessori charter close by. We entered the lottery and got in. Otherwise she would be busing for an hour each way. I like the montessori approach. Our daughter is a bit rigid and has some issues. She has been assessed for ASD and ADHD and the results were very atypical, but that is another post for when I have time lol! Basically, we lucked out in that the Montessori is a great environment for her. She is in a 1-3 class, currently working more at a grade 2 level. I like that she can work ahead without having to skip a grade.

Keeptruckin · September 2014

I don't know how to tag here lol! We received an ASD diagnosis, I am surprised but not. She has some memory issues that are really not part of the ASD diagnosis. Glitches in working memory. So that explains things a lot to us! If we tell her one time the climbing wall is not a slide, she will not remember the next time. We have one more specialist to see as her memory issues are complicated and very rare. I kind of have to laugh, I always thought people with autism had great memory lol! Not her lol!

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