Moving from DC to job in Oakland - schools??

[Anonymous]

Hi there, we are moving from DC to the Bay area. My husbands new job is in Oakland but my focus is on the schools. I have 3 kids (middle/high) who are currently in DC private schools. We will focus where we live based on the schools as my husband has flexibility on the commute. Where would people suggest are the best areas for public schools and if that is a bust, what about private schools? I was thinking about Berkeley? Or maybe the other direction is better? I don't want to live in San Fransicco. In terms of budget for a house when we ultimately buy one, we could afford up to $3m which I am hoping even in the Bay area should be enough to have a nice home (and yes I am very grateful). I don't know the Bay area very well, we looked at Palo Alto years ago but decided it might be a bit of a pressure cooker for the kids (and us as well for that matter), but I don't know the area around Oakland at all. Given the pandemic I am not sure when I would be able to get there to check things out. Any pointers to start me in the right direction would be really appreciated. My greatest concern is figuring out the schools and i think everything else will work out from there. Any guidance appreciated in these crazy times.

[Anonymous]

How old are the kids?

[Anonymous]

Public: Piedmont is considered to have the best public schools. Expect to spend at least 2 million on a house to lie within the district. Otherwise, Albany, or live in Lafayette or Orinda and spend too much time in the Caldecott commuting home each day. In Oakland, Canyon is an alternative elementary school that, if you can get in, is well regarded (presuming you’re into more, erm, creative curriculum.)

Private in Oakland: College Prep for high school if they can get in, Head Royce if they can’t. Head Royce is elementary through 12th so it might work for middle school too.

[Anonymous]

Also, join berkeleyparentsnetwork.org. Lots of discussion about publics and privates in the East Bay. Discussions are visible even to those without accounts but to post you’ll need one.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Public: Piedmont is considered to have the best public schools. Expect to spend at least 2 million on a house to lie within the district. Otherwise, Albany, or live in Lafayette or Orinda and spend too much time in the Caldecott commuting home each day. In Oakland, Canyon is an alternative elementary school that, if you can get in, is well regarded (presuming you’re into more, erm, creative curriculum.)

Private in Oakland: College Prep for high school if they can get in, Head Royce if they can’t. Head Royce is elementary through 12th so it might work for middle school too.

I live in the East Bay, and this isn’t bad advice. We are more limited to areas south of Oakland by DH’s job/commute, and we wanted a more socio-economically diverse community (even at the expense of top schools)...but if you’re comparing to DC privates, I think this is the right advice.

California public schools are not great, honestly. And there also isn’t as much of a private school culture. There’s a lot more supplementing and homeschooling here, I think.

[Anonymous]

I grew up in Berkeley and the previous poster gave an accurate run down. If your children play sports, check out Bishop O'Dowd. The academics are definitely not at the level of CP or Head-Royce, but the athletics are fantastic. It is also much more diverse when it comes to ethnicity and socioeconomic background, which is always good. Kids from the East Bay also commute to private schools in San Francisco, but that is going to be an hour on Bart. It'll definitely force your kids to be independent. That'll be International or Lick-Wilmerding, both fantastic prep schools on the Bart line. St. Ignatius is a great combo of sports and academics, but is going to be quite the commute from Piedmont.

[Anonymous]

Have you considered Marin? Great public schools- Redwood & Tam. Even better private options- Branson and Marin Academy for High School & MCDC for K-8. 3 million is more than enough for a nice house in Mill Valley, Corte Madera, & Larkspur. Or a massive place in San Rafael. The commute will not be bad as you will be going against the commute across the Richmond Bridge. Door to door will be 45 minutes depending where you are. This also opens up the door for SF privates if your children are willing to commute by bus/ferry.

[Anonymous]

OP here and thanks for the advice, that is very helpful. Sports are not a big factor for our kids. I am going to research all of these options, thank you for sharing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hi there, we are moving from DC to the Bay area. My husbands new job is in Oakland but my focus is on the schools. I have 3 kids (middle/high) who are currently in DC private schools. We will focus where we live based on the schools as my husband has flexibility on the commute. Where would people suggest are the best areas for public schools and if that is a bust, what about private schools? I was thinking about Berkeley? Or maybe the other direction is better? I don't want to live in San Francisco. In terms of budget for a house when we ultimately buy one, we could afford up to $3m which I am hoping even in the Bay area should be enough to have a nice home (and yes I am very grateful). I don't know the Bay area very well, we looked at Palo Alto years ago but decided it might be a bit of a pressure cooker for the kids (and us as well for that matter), but I don't know the area around Oakland at all. Given the pandemic I am not sure when I would be able to get there to check things out. Any pointers to start me in the right direction would be really appreciated. My greatest concern is figuring out the schools and i think everything else will work out from there. Any guidance appreciated in these crazy times.

Hi! I grew up in the Bay and went back to work in education a few years back for a while. With your budget I would say target the Oakland Hills. Someone else recommended Piedmont but that is a different vibe so you will have to go out there to see what suits you best. Since your kids are used to the culture of private school I would say stick to sending them to private schools. Do your research to see which ones have record of tracking into the colleges you are looking to send your kids to. As you know Cal/UC schools are great but very competitive. IMO the State Universities are a great value but don't offer the social leverage that you will find at at UC school or Stanford. Hit up some SF/Oakland/Berkeley boards like this one.

Another option is to look at the surrounding suburban cities like Hayward, Livermore, etc. They are just a few minutes out and you don't have the urban vibe of Oakland. Best of luck with your search.

[Anonymous]

Thanks, although I would love to keep them all in private, I think financially we are going to move toward public. I have spent all day researching the public school system. Oakland Hills sounds nice but the Oakland public schools are not very good it seems.
Does anyone know if there are any school consultants like there are in New York/DC for the Bay area? I feel like I could use some help navigating this.

[Anonymous]

Hi OP, my family is looking at doing the exact same thing, except our budget is less, around 1.75m. Doesn’t look like there is much available for housing now but I hope that changes in the spring. We are coming from the Midwest and will be sad to leave an excellent private school. Sorry I don’t have any new suggestions, but will be following this thread as well hoping for some good options in Lamorinda area or Danville. Please post what you decide!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Public: Piedmont is considered to have the best public schools. Expect to spend at least 2 million on a house to lie within the district. Otherwise, Albany, or live in Lafayette or Orinda and spend too much time in the Caldecott commuting home each day. In Oakland, Canyon is an alternative elementary school that, if you can get in, is well regarded (presuming you’re into more, erm, creative curriculum.)

Private in Oakland: College Prep for high school if they can get in, Head Royce if they can’t. Head Royce is elementary through 12th so it might work for middle school too.

+1 to all of this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thanks, although I would love to keep them all in private, I think financially we are going to move toward public. I have spent all day researching the public school system. Oakland Hills sounds nice but the Oakland public schools are not very good it seems.
Does anyone know if there are any school consultants like there are in New York/DC for the Bay area? I feel like I could use some help navigating this.

Piedmont like the other PP said.

[Anonymous]

I know several upper middle class families (including my internationally renowned scientist postdoc advisor) who have been happy with Berkeley public schools, especially Berkeley high for diversity along with many special academic programs. The test scores aren’t as high as Piedmont, but there are less problems than Oakland high schools. As far as Oakland high schools go, the only one I heard a substantial number of professional
parents being happy with is Oakland Tech. The rest seem like kind of a mess.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I grew up in Berkeley and the previous poster gave an accurate run down. If your children play sports, check out Bishop O'Dowd. The academics are definitely not at the level of CP or Head-Royce, but the athletics are fantastic. It is also much more diverse when it comes to ethnicity and socioeconomic background, which is always good. Kids from the East Bay also commute to private schools in San Francisco, but that is going to be an hour on Bart. It'll definitely force your kids to be independent. That'll be International or Lick-Wilmerding, both fantastic prep schools on the Bart line. St. Ignatius is a great combo of sports and academics, but is going to be quite the commute from Piedmont.

"which is always good" lolololol