They lie or really don't know where their kids zone to?

[Anonymous]

This is the last year if private daycare. I habe asked some parents which elementary school does their rising kindergarteners zone to. They tell me that they don't know. Do they really not know or they don't want to tell me? I can't believe that they don't know. Some parebts use this daycare because it is close to their work place but some parents do live nearby. I really can't believe that they don't really know. How could you rent or buy a house not knowing which ES/MS/HS are zoned to. I also don't understand why they would lie.

[Anonymous]

If they have always planned to do private school they may genuinely have never looked into or paid attention to which public they are zoned for. I don’t find this hard to believe at all.

[Anonymous]

Some people don't use public schools.

[Anonymous]

I don't think I knew at this point when our kid was in daycare. We found a house we liked in a neighborhood we liked, and weren't worried about schools. We checked when it was time to register for kindergarten.

[Anonymous]

They presumably wish to send their kids to private? Or maybe they’re clueless and just assume any public elementary will do?

[Anonymous]

Some people (raises hand) grew up in places where there aren't such stark disparities between schools, and also where buying anywhere above a certain price point guarantees you decent schools, and may be unfamiliar with a place like the DMV, where you can literally spend a million dollars on a home with terrible IB schools.

Also, some people may buy in an area knowing the HS is well regarded and think that means all the schools in the triangle are decent. And many places, that's true. Though not always. But again, if you grew up in a place without massive disparities in school quality, you might not realize that.

And finally, as someone whose kid has attended an IB school for the last two years that is not very good (we are trying to leave but money always an issue), there are a surprising number of families who are weirdly complacent about education. Even if they themselves are well educated. There are things at our elementary that I just find unacceptable but that even UMC, well-educated parents of other kids seem totally fine with, like abysmal test scores, rampant behavioral issues, and some teachers who probably should have retired 10 years ago and engage in incredibly out-dated and ineffective teaching methods. But the other parents don't seem to view any of this as a problem. I don't know if they knew which elementary school they were zoned for back in daycare, but even if they did, I can tell you they probably didn't care because they don't even care now when their kids are in this school.

[Anonymous]

I think it’s highly believable. Some people plan for privates so wouldn’t know and some probably don’t look up details until their kids are about to register for school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Some people (raises hand) grew up in places where there aren't such stark disparities between schools, and also where buying anywhere above a certain price point guarantees you decent schools, and may be unfamiliar with a place like the DMV, where you can literally spend a million dollars on a home with terrible IB schools.

Also, some people may buy in an area knowing the HS is well regarded and think that means all the schools in the triangle are decent. And many places, that's true. Though not always. But again, if you grew up in a place without massive disparities in school quality, you might not realize that.

And finally, as someone whose kid has attended an IB school for the last two years that is not very good (we are trying to leave but money always an issue), there are a surprising number of families who are weirdly complacent about education. Even if they themselves are well educated. There are things at our elementary that I just find unacceptable but that even UMC, well-educated parents of other kids seem totally fine with, like abysmal test scores, rampant behavioral issues, and some teachers who probably should have retired 10 years ago and engage in incredibly out-dated and ineffective teaching methods. But the other parents don't seem to view any of this as a problem. I don't know if they knew which elementary school they were zoned for back in daycare, but even if they did, I can tell you they probably didn't care because they don't even care now when their kids are in this school.

This is a good point, I live in an area where there are multiple elementary schools, 2 middle schools, and 2 HSs. The ratings and rankings are all very similar so I understand why someone would buy a home and just go to the closest elementary without giving it much thought.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Some people (raises hand) grew up in places where there aren't such stark disparities between schools, and also where buying anywhere above a certain price point guarantees you decent schools, and may be unfamiliar with a place like the DMV, where you can literally spend a million dollars on a home with terrible IB schools.

Also, some people may buy in an area knowing the HS is well regarded and think that means all the schools in the triangle are decent. And many places, that's true. Though not always. But again, if you grew up in a place without massive disparities in school quality, you might not realize that.

And finally, as someone whose kid has attended an IB school for the last two years that is not very good (we are trying to leave but money always an issue), there are a surprising number of families who are weirdly complacent about education. Even if they themselves are well educated. There are things at our elementary that I just find unacceptable but that even UMC, well-educated parents of other kids seem totally fine with, like abysmal test scores, rampant behavioral issues, and some teachers who probably should have retired 10 years ago and engage in incredibly out-dated and ineffective teaching methods. But the other parents don't seem to view any of this as a problem. I don't know if they knew which elementary school they were zoned for back in daycare, but even if they did, I can tell you they probably didn't care because they don't even care now when their kids are in this school.

This is a good point, I live in an area where there are multiple elementary schools, 2 middle schools, and 2 HSs. The ratings and rankings are all very similar so I understand why someone would buy a home and just go to the closest elementary without giving it much thought.

This was us 15 years ago when we bought our house. We bought for overall location and the school system, not any specific school(s). Had my oldest still been in preschool or if we had planned on private, I wouldn’t even have looked up which ES we were zoned for. I only did so shortly after closing because I needed to register her for the fall.

[Anonymous]

In daycare, we had no idea where we'd be living even a couple years down the line. Now that kid is in elementary and we are looking to buy, we are more aware of this.

[Anonymous]

I bought years before we had kids. We looked at ratings back then, made our decision and forgot the names of the schools. I was not able to answer that question before kindergarten registration.

I think the other posters are right; there are multiple reasons people may not know.

[Anonymous]

Maybe they think you’re just being nosey and don’t feel the need to feed that

[Anonymous]

What a weird thread. At this time in the year the year before my son went to k I had no idea where he was going. It was going to be whatever school the neighborhood was zoned to.

[Anonymous]

Most people mistakenly think that all public schools are the same. They teach the same stuff, right?

[Anonymous]

We had our 1st after a long period of trying. All of our peers had kids in middle school by then. We had no idea where we were zoned to. Didn't even occur to us until people asked.