Where to move with good schools

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:D2 and D3 in Manhattan have plenty of really good gen ed public middle schools. G&T has been diluted and is totally over-rated. I know countless kids from various middle schools in these districts who have gone on to do great at SHSAT schools, Gen Ed HS and private schools. And not just from the best known schools - plenty of gems where your kid can get a great education, be a bit more relaxed and still get into a great high school and thrive.

The issue is that there are few guarantees of getting into one of these schools. Most likely you will get one of them. But it is not for sure. And starting at a school in 5th grade and going through the middle school process would not be fun, and would be hard on a kid. And living in NYC is not for everyone.

I love NYC and I am raising kids here but I'm not sure I would recommend it for a kid coming from the suburbs going into 5th grade - it can be very overwhelming and that is just a hard time to switch. It would almost be easier if they could wait until starting 6th grade, but even then, not sure if I would do that.

I’m the poster who recommended moving to the city. I guess I just don’t understand people who move from a suburb ‘to NYC’ who then move to another suburb. Why not jump in and really experience NY? My extended family (not from NY) all thought I was crazy for raising kids here, but I wouldn’t change it for anything. And we are NYC middle class, not uber wealthy. There are just so many options and experiences your kids will have here that they won’t get anywhere else. Plus no teen drunk driving.

I grew up in the NYC burbs and I'm now raising my kids in NYC. There are pros and cons to each. But the math is different when you are talking about taking a kid who is roughly 10 years old, lived in the suburbs their whole life and doesn't know a soul in NYC and moving them to the city. It is a much bigger adjustment. Especially if the kid has anxiety. And to be fair, I make the same argument about taking a city kid and moving them out of the city at that age (though I think that is less challenging). City and suburbs are culturally very different places and the older a kid is, the harder it is to adjust.

[Anonymous]

We moved from the suburbs to the city at 11 and 8 and asked both kids after a year if they wanted to go back to the suburbs and neither did; older kid was extremely enthusiastic on that point, younger was borderline (and had a slightly rougher transition at school) but had enough things they liked about the city (camps, after-school activities, the ability to walk home from school or to the grocery store or whatever independently) that ultimately they decided they'd rather stay too.

I can't promise that every kid will react that way: in our case they also never really fit in that well in the suburbs (despite living there as long as long as either of them could remember), they were always pretty low on the social hierarchy and weren't very good at sports. But at least in our case it was a strong net positive.

[Anonymous]

Thank you all — this is all really helpful. I’m hoping to not move the family until the end of this school year (potentially renting an apartment in the meantime if I do get the job and commuting back and forth) but this gives me a good starting place to start to look.

[Anonymous]

The city!!! UES or UWS. you’ll be zoned for some decent elementary and can figure out schools after that. UES far east (York) is not nearly as pricey as you might think

[Anonymous]

Another vote for uptown Manhattan!

[Anonymous]

We raised our kids in D3 but I know many people who rave about the schools in Tenafly, NJ.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We raised our kids in D3 but I know many people who rave about the schools in Tenafly, NJ.

Tenafly is nice and has good schools but I wouldn't "rave" about it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We raised our kids in D3 but I know many people who rave about the schools in Tenafly, NJ.

Tenafly is nice and has good schools but I wouldn't "rave" about it.

So don’t

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We raised our kids in D3 but I know many people who rave about the schools in Tenafly, NJ.

Tenafly is nice and has good schools but I wouldn't "rave" about it.

So don’t

That added a lot of value. Thanks! If you went to Tenafly public schools you are not a ringing endorsement of the scholars it produces.

[Anonymous]

I think Larchmont is a fantastic option--if you live in the village or manor you can walk to restaurants, parks, schools, library, train station (express trains to NYC), and to the town beach. People really know their neighbors and most kids start walking/biking to school with other kids from a young age.