Moving to the San Francisco Bay Area

Updated on January 08, 2013
K.M. asks from Los Altos, CA
7 answers

Hello Fellow Moms,

I am relocating from Dallas to the San francisco area. It is a big move and need lots of input, so any input from all of you would be helpful. I have two boys, one is in kindergarten and the other is in second grade.
Any information on the following is much appreciated:

1.Good private schools?
2. Good public schools, which suburbs are good?
3. A friend recommended the following schools since my kids are currently in montessori, any input?
Bowman International School
Belmont Oaks
Keys school

Thanks in advance.

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Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

J.J.

answers from San Francisco on

Saratoga, Monte Sereno, Los Gatos, Cupertino. All these areas/schools are top notch.

I've lived in Los Gatos pretty much my whole life, the weather is wonderful & people are friendly.

Side note... the average home in these towns are well over a million dollars.

1 mom found this helpful

T.S.

answers from San Francisco on

I live about 15-20 minutes out of SF, in the east bay hills, in Orinda.
Our public schools are excellent, as are the schools in the surrounding towns of Moraga and Lafayette. Pretty homes and neighborhoods, low crime but VERY expensive.
That's pretty much the story in the bay area.
The "best" public schools are in the most expensive neighborhoods.
The north bay (Marin) is a lot like the east bay, but a little cooler and foggier.
I could give you better advice if I knew roughly what your housing budget is (?) Feel free to PM me if you want!

1 mom found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

C.M.

answers from San Francisco on

SF Bay Area is big. Where do you need to be close to (work)? I'm in south bay, about an hour from SF. There are good and bad public districts. There are many good private schools. It just depends where you are. Good luck on the big move!

1 mom found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

L.L.

answers from San Francisco on

We moved from IL a year ago so I know how you feel. It can be really overwhelming. We decided our main criteria was schools and family friendly neighborhoods. My husband works in San Jose and from home so we could pretty much live where we wanted. I have small children so I focused mostly on elementary and middle schools although I did make sure the high schools were good or there was a good private option available should we end up staying here that long. This site helped me a lot as it shows the schools statewide ranking and you can see wich districts repeatedly comes up. You can check out individual school districts etc. Make sure you are aware of CA bumping policy. If your local public school does not have space for your child that school year your child may be bumped to a nearby school that does have space so don't just check that your local school is good all of them have to be good. Good luck we are very happy here.
http://www.schooldigger.com/go/CA/schoolrank.aspx

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

R.S.

answers from San Francisco on

Hi Kavitha,

If you plan to live in the peninsula (menlo park, redwood city, san carlos, belmont, san mateo), I would suggest that San Carlos has excellent public schools. As others posted, it depends on which area of the SF bay you plan to live.

Good luck with the move, I moved from Dallas too and love it here in the bay area.

Best,
Raji

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

K.M.

answers from Dallas on

Thanks to all of you that answered my question.
I am considering the peninsula area, but am open to suggestions. I also thought about Saratoga and Cupertino. Any input on these areas?

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

M.J.

answers from Sacramento on

A good realtor should be able to steer you in the right direction. You need to talk to an expert who can not just pinpoint the best school districts, but also the best schools in your budget. You're going to be in sticker shock going from Texas to the Bay Area. Sure, Belmont is great, but it's also very expensive.

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