Finding A Neighborhood
With Great Schools
If you have children, or
even if you don't yet but plan to in the future, schools are something you will
need to take into consideration when you search for a new home. In most areas, certain boundaries define
which schools your children will go to, and switching to a different school can
be complicated and expensive in many cases.
Fortunately, finding a
great neighborhood with good quality schools is not difficult, thanks to the
internet. Online ratings and reviews of
schools can help you to make the right call when it comes to finding a home
that will offer your children a quality education.
Start With The District
The first thing you should
look into is which school district you are considering moving into. Find out if the schools in that district tend
to be highly rated, and what kind of test scores are generally seen among
students in the district schools. All of
this information is readily available online.
The school district Web
site will be able to tell you which school your children would go to if you
were to buy a particular house. There is
usually a boundary map you can check, or you can enter your address and search
to find out which school is the right one.
Check The Reviews
The internet allows people
to review everything from appliances to doctors-and schools are no
exception. Search for your school of
choice online and you will find plenty of reviews from parents whose children
have attended the school. Getting an
unbiased opinion of the school will help you to get an idea of what you can
expect.
When You Love The
Neighborhood, But Not The School
If you really want a
particular house in a particular neighborhood, but aren't too happy with the
schools, you can look into your other options.
Most school districts have a system by which you can choose to send your
child to a different school. This
usually involves either particular needs that can't be met by the in-area
school, or a fee or lottery system to allow your child to attend the school of
your choice. Find out what the rules are
in your school district.
Your other option is to
look into private schools. This is, of
course, the more expensive choice, but should you select a private school you
will have the freedom to live wherever you like, without worrying about what
school your child will be slotted to attend.