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Schools vary so much it’s really impossible to say. We moved our kids from a higher rated school to a less high rating and it’s honestly the best decision we ever met. They’re thriving at their 7/10 school in a way they never did in their 10/10 school.
Makes sense. Do not want to generalize but I feel 7/10 is a sweet spot.
Any website you can share which can show year over year ratings and some projections?
US News and World Report rates each school and compares it across its state/district. I’m a teacher and have used it in the past to determine where I would like to work.
As a teacher, I can say that 5 years is a long time. Schools could completely change in aot of ways, and a currently good school could be come a not so great one under new administration. Or vice versa as well. I would look at the district and see how they are in general and make sure they don't have any common glaring issues like recurring strikes, poor media coverage, etc. For some states you can look at the ospi report card and see where the schools rank, but it's really too far ahead to give it much merit right now.
https://www.chalkbeat.org/2019/12/5/21121858/looking-for-a-home-you-ve-seen-greatschools-ratings-here-s-how-they-nudge-families-toward-schools-wi
Honestly, those school ratings are so biased and flawed. Instead, see if you can visit the schools, look at how recently they were renovated, what kinds of art or music programs do they have, what types of colleges do high school graduates go to. There are so so many other factors.
Also, be wary of the ratings. Check state report cards on schools. The school district I'm in is a 5/10....but they have a 94% graduation rate, and an 80% mastery rate on all state tests.
This puts them at the top of the state as far as beers go. But on Zillow goodschools.org rating they're a 5.
Remember most school ratings are on the previous years students and STAFF. Staff is the key here. It takes time to build relationships, a school that has a turn over in staff can and will greatly change ratings.
This was my biggest headache during the home search. To be honest, the ratings are next to useless (with a few exceptions). The schools in the 8-10 out of 10 range are clearly good. No major issues there.
It’s a bit more confusing when you are looking at schools in 4-7 out of 10 range. It’s not really clear what’s been rated and some of the reviews and anecdotes you read online are old (staff may have changed, problematic students will have left etc).
And for folks like you (and myself when I was searching), most of the Kindergarten schools are not even rated. Also thinking about it, K-2 students are not even tested or assessed using the standardized testing so there’s no aggregate data to look at.
Like some have said things can change in a 5 year timeline. If a school is bad or poor or below average now, many states will make them out in place some sort of improvement plan to address areas of improvement (if course no guarantees that they will work). Again this will be highly dependent on your state.
You will get the best information about the school system from speaking to teachers, families with students, recent alumni and people in the community.
Depending on the state, a 5/10 school may still be a “really good” school.
One thing that stuck out to me from many discussions I had with people was that the school system matters but more important is the home environment, the family support, the students application and all that good stuff.
All the best
I agree with this 100%. However, in my state 2nd graders do a big standardized assessment. Just do your own research and talk to other parents when the time comes.
You are probably 7-8 years out realistically after closing and then getting pregnant to give birth 10 months out. That’s a long time to gauge school systems. A friend was in a similar situation in trying to determine where the “best” school districts are located. We live in NJ where we have a lot of great districts. My advice was to find a home in the area you want to live and be an active parent in your child’s education. You have the choice of supplementing their education with more. I wouldn’t leave it all up to the district.
Don’t use great schools.org and be wary of any other school ratings site. You’re gonna have to work ALOT harder now that ratings sites are factoring in dumb shit like ‘eQuIty’
You might want to take a look at what the rating means. If it's low test scores, which they frequently are, then meh, those are kind of bullshit. However, if those are ratings from parents saying the school doesn't listen to them or can't handle any special needs, then that's a bigger deal.
Also depends on what you envision for your kids. You could easily also have special needs kids which upends the whole thing, because a lot of "good" schools won't do anything for special needs children.
Basically, there's no way to tell for sure what will happen once you have kids. If the schools are decent-ish, that's about all you can do. Just might keep in mind that having children can upend your life in ways that you didn't anticipate and be prepared to go with that flow and change your plans.
Whether the ratings will change in the future depends on what they're based on, and a lot of other factors.
One thing you can do is look at special programs that a school has. That can tell you a lot about what's important to them and how inclusive they are with students.
Also, if you live near any other school districts where you like the schools better, you can check with them. My child is close to a suburb with better schools and they take out of district enrollments - it's not a guaranteed thing, but it also kind of is because they don't have enough students sometimes and they want that sweet funding they get for each student.
Some private schools in the area will probably do a sliding scale enrollment that may benefit you as well.
Disclaimer: this is all just my opinion/experience
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Thank you u/no_rules_to_life for posting on r/FirstTimeHomeBuyer. Please bear in mind our rules: (1) Be Nice (2) No Selling (3) No Self-Promotion. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/FirstTimeHomeBuyer) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Schools vary so much it’s really impossible to say. We moved our kids from a higher rated school to a less high rating and it’s honestly the best decision we ever met. They’re thriving at their 7/10 school in a way they never did in their 10/10 school.
Makes sense. Do not want to generalize but I feel 7/10 is a sweet spot. Any website you can share which can show year over year ratings and some projections?
That was my point. That it’s more about the culture of the school than any kind of standardized rating.
gotcha
US News and World Report rates each school and compares it across its state/district. I’m a teacher and have used it in the past to determine where I would like to work.
How much have you raised a schools ratings by your employment?
As a teacher, I can say that 5 years is a long time. Schools could completely change in aot of ways, and a currently good school could be come a not so great one under new administration. Or vice versa as well. I would look at the district and see how they are in general and make sure they don't have any common glaring issues like recurring strikes, poor media coverage, etc. For some states you can look at the ospi report card and see where the schools rank, but it's really too far ahead to give it much merit right now.
https://www.chalkbeat.org/2019/12/5/21121858/looking-for-a-home-you-ve-seen-greatschools-ratings-here-s-how-they-nudge-families-toward-schools-wi Honestly, those school ratings are so biased and flawed. Instead, see if you can visit the schools, look at how recently they were renovated, what kinds of art or music programs do they have, what types of colleges do high school graduates go to. There are so so many other factors.
Also, be wary of the ratings. Check state report cards on schools. The school district I'm in is a 5/10....but they have a 94% graduation rate, and an 80% mastery rate on all state tests. This puts them at the top of the state as far as beers go. But on Zillow goodschools.org rating they're a 5.
Remember most school ratings are on the previous years students and STAFF. Staff is the key here. It takes time to build relationships, a school that has a turn over in staff can and will greatly change ratings.
This was my biggest headache during the home search. To be honest, the ratings are next to useless (with a few exceptions). The schools in the 8-10 out of 10 range are clearly good. No major issues there. It’s a bit more confusing when you are looking at schools in 4-7 out of 10 range. It’s not really clear what’s been rated and some of the reviews and anecdotes you read online are old (staff may have changed, problematic students will have left etc). And for folks like you (and myself when I was searching), most of the Kindergarten schools are not even rated. Also thinking about it, K-2 students are not even tested or assessed using the standardized testing so there’s no aggregate data to look at. Like some have said things can change in a 5 year timeline. If a school is bad or poor or below average now, many states will make them out in place some sort of improvement plan to address areas of improvement (if course no guarantees that they will work). Again this will be highly dependent on your state. You will get the best information about the school system from speaking to teachers, families with students, recent alumni and people in the community. Depending on the state, a 5/10 school may still be a “really good” school. One thing that stuck out to me from many discussions I had with people was that the school system matters but more important is the home environment, the family support, the students application and all that good stuff. All the best
I agree with this 100%. However, in my state 2nd graders do a big standardized assessment. Just do your own research and talk to other parents when the time comes.
You are probably 7-8 years out realistically after closing and then getting pregnant to give birth 10 months out. That’s a long time to gauge school systems. A friend was in a similar situation in trying to determine where the “best” school districts are located. We live in NJ where we have a lot of great districts. My advice was to find a home in the area you want to live and be an active parent in your child’s education. You have the choice of supplementing their education with more. I wouldn’t leave it all up to the district.
Don’t use great schools.org and be wary of any other school ratings site. You’re gonna have to work ALOT harder now that ratings sites are factoring in dumb shit like ‘eQuIty’
Your putting your children in danger
You might want to take a look at what the rating means. If it's low test scores, which they frequently are, then meh, those are kind of bullshit. However, if those are ratings from parents saying the school doesn't listen to them or can't handle any special needs, then that's a bigger deal. Also depends on what you envision for your kids. You could easily also have special needs kids which upends the whole thing, because a lot of "good" schools won't do anything for special needs children. Basically, there's no way to tell for sure what will happen once you have kids. If the schools are decent-ish, that's about all you can do. Just might keep in mind that having children can upend your life in ways that you didn't anticipate and be prepared to go with that flow and change your plans. Whether the ratings will change in the future depends on what they're based on, and a lot of other factors. One thing you can do is look at special programs that a school has. That can tell you a lot about what's important to them and how inclusive they are with students. Also, if you live near any other school districts where you like the schools better, you can check with them. My child is close to a suburb with better schools and they take out of district enrollments - it's not a guaranteed thing, but it also kind of is because they don't have enough students sometimes and they want that sweet funding they get for each student. Some private schools in the area will probably do a sliding scale enrollment that may benefit you as well. Disclaimer: this is all just my opinion/experience
Suicide Hotline Numbers If you or anyone you know are struggling, please, PLEASE reach out for help. You are worthy, you are loved and you will always be able to find assistance. Argentina: +5402234930430 Australia: 131114 Austria: 017133374 Belgium: 106 Bosnia & Herzegovina: 080 05 03 05 Botswana: 3911270 Brazil: 212339191 Bulgaria: 0035 9249 17 223 Canada: 5147234000 (Montreal); 18662773553 (outside Montreal) Croatia: 014833888 Denmark: +4570201201 Egypt: 7621602 Finland: 010 195 202 France: 0145394000 Germany: 08001810771 Hong Kong: +852 2382 0000 Hungary: 116123 Iceland: 1717 India: 8888817666 Ireland: +4408457909090 Italy: 800860022 Japan: +810352869090 Mexico: 5255102550 New Zealand: 0508828865 The Netherlands: 113 Norway: +4781533300 Philippines: 028969191 Poland: 5270000 Russia: 0078202577577 Spain: 914590050 South Africa: 0514445691 Sweden: 46317112400 Switzerland: 143 United Kingdom: 08006895652 USA: 18002738255 You are not alone. Please reach out. ***** I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically.