Opinions and experiences about Richmond suburb schools/neighborhoods

[Anonymous]

My family will be moving to the Richmond area with two kids, though they won't be school age for another year. Based on one trip, online research, and local friends suggestions, we are strongly considering the Short Pump and Midlothian areas. It seems they have the best performing schools. We are leaning toward Short Pump because the demographics are more diverse(DH is south asian). What is your experience with the schools in those areas? Is overcrowding an issue, are they cutting budgets for certain programs? How are teachers treated and do they stick around? How are the parents, meaning are people amiable or is there a lot of competitive snobbery?

From a purely neighborhood prescriptive, we don't like how there's that one major highway in Short Pump with all the stores, and it has more of those suburban sprawl developments. Midlothian seems to have bigger lots and older neighborhoods with mature trees, but we get the sense that there is a stronger religious community. That not necessarily bad, but we might miss out on activities if that's one of the main ways people make friendships. Of course, we could be entirely wrong about what we are feeling.

[Anonymous]

I suggest St. Christopher’s and St. Catherine’s. They produce upstanding citizens.

[Anonymous]

Isn’t Douglas Freeman the top public high school outside Richmond? I’m not sure how close that is to Short Pump, but it’s NW of the city.

[Anonymous]

Short Pump/Glen Allen is great. Relative lives there and sent 2 kids through the system - and they are persnickity about everything for kids. Both kids got into top 20 colleges as well

[Anonymous]

Pretty much anywhere in western Henrico will be a good school. Northern/Eastern Henrico, not so much.

Chesterfield is improving and is far better than it was 15 years ago, but I wouldn’t send my kids there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Isn’t Douglas Freeman the top public high school outside Richmond? I’m not sure how close that is to Short Pump, but it’s NW of the city.

OP, Thank you for sharing. My kids are toddlers so my focus is on the elementary and middle school. I’ll look into this high school and see what schools feed into this one.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Pretty much anywhere in western Henrico will be a good school. Northern/Eastern Henrico, not so much.

Chesterfield is improving and is far better than it was 15 years ago, but I wouldn’t send my kids there.

Eastern Henrico native here. Agree 100% with this. Go with Short Pump.