Buying New Home/school District...

I have to say...I'd take the home in the better school district...especially is on district is "questionable." Parent involvement is said to be the most important ingredient, but I still think opting for an excellent school district is important.

If you are able to afford a private school and want the bigger/nicer/fancier house, then why not? My only caution is, is that even though your kids would be going to a private school, they still won't be playing/hanging out with ONLY those friends from school. On weekends and during the summer, your children will be socializing with the kids in the neighborhood and if the neighborhood/school district isn't that great, then think of what your kids will be exposed to. Just some food for thought!

better school district but also look at activities and the whole neighborhood.

i don't sacrifice my children for a big house.

that said, we bought the house we could afford on one salary in a good district (which is only as good as parent involvement anyway) and sent kids to boarding school anyway, after homeschooling some of the them.

i don't do child sacrifice for material things.

My husband and I just moved last December to our first home. We had searched in our school district for quite some time and decided to expand our search. We opted to buy a brand new home in a smaller school district. The district that my daughter was in at the time was supposed to be one of the best, but I must say that she is doing much better in the new school. we did not want to switch but we now know it was the right decision. Can I ask what districts you are talking about? I would suggest going and touring the schools that could be possibilities before you make a final decision. What one person thinks is a good district, another may find to be sub-par. there are also many websites where you can compare the two districts, one is

www.greatschools.net

I hope this helps.

I'm all about finding a good school district, even if it means sacrificing a little comfort.

We want to move and i know i want a better district than where we are now but i don't know exactly what constitutes a "good" school district... test scores, sports programs,?????? I know for sure i want my kids to be safe and not bullied or scared that a classmate will bring a gun, although there is no guarentee at all these days.

If anyone has any advice on what to look for and where to find the information (word of mouth isn't working much) please contact me. thanks

Hi,
I was just reading your post. I myself am looking an am at a stand still. I currently live in the "pittsburgh public" zone for schools. I can't complain much as all 3 of my kids are a-b students. The most i could say is our high school don't offer much if your not into sports. I was looking to move,but not for school reasons just bigger house for us as we are growing out of this one.what area are you looking to buy in if you don't mind me asking? I'll help as much as i could

I would also say better school district. We sacrafice a whole lot to live where we do and stay in this school district.

I had to add after a certain post... we do not sacrafice to the point of unhappy and there are no materalistic things more important than your children.

When I was young, my parents chose an older home in a good school district. My sister and I got a good education, but socially we were miserable, because the kids and their parents were snobs.

Six years ago, my husband got laid off, and we had to move in the middle of the school year. We bought a house in a district that looked great on paper (or the internet) but our experiences proved different. The school staff was indifferent, some even hostile to parental input. They couldn't offer my two oldest children challenging enough curriculum. My second and third daughters were being bullied and the school couldn't stop it. So we withdrew them and enrolled them in cyber school. Currently two are in cyber school and two are being homeschooled by me.

Just because a district looks good academically or has good test score averages, doesn't mean it is all roses. There are other factors. What are the neighbors like? Is the neighbor hood safe? Are their kids around to play with? Is the smaller house able to be renovated or added on to?

Go to the schools you are considering and meet with the staff. Ask if you can observe classes in your children's grades. Talk with other parents and see what they have to say about their experiences.

When we moved 2 years ago we based our searches on the school districts we were interested in then looked at the towns within those districts for ones that best fit our preferences. We ended up buying an older home in one of the districts we liked and are updating it a little at a time.

Personally I'd say the smaller home better school district. But if you need the space & can afford private/ charter school that is always an option. Just keep in mind if the district is not so great the extra cirrucular activites might not be so hot either.
We bought our house based on the district.
Good luck!

Isn't that kind of a "no brainer"? Go for the better district.

with the market being the way it is you can probably get both if you act before it changes..it is a buyers market and alot of people need to get out...circle in on area and start looking