School Options

Don't make the mistake of just writing off the school you are zoned for. Do some checking on your own, and find out what's good or not so good about the school. My kids went to a school that was given low ratings, because of a heavy population of farm worker children, but they got an excellent education there. Just because some children in a school score very low on test scores and take the overall rating of the school down, doesn't make it a bad school.
Our granddaugters are now in a similar school to the one their mother attended and we are seeing the same results in their education. The teachers and the school are great! It's just that a lot of the kids come from homes where they don't speak English and the children have problems learning, so the school ends up looking bad in the statistics.

Please do not lie about your address as another poster suggests. It can come back to bite you in the butt when they find out the truth. Not only will your child endure the potential humiliation of being kicked out of their school for defrauding the system (and having to make all new friends, get all new teachers, and learn a whole new routine), you can also be held legally liable for the money you 'stole' from the district in which you were not paying property taxes. In my area, one family decided to try and cheat the system and their kids went to school in a neighboring district for 2 years. The school district sued them for the tuition/per pupil assessment for each kid and year and now the family owes $24,000+. Yes, schools do check and no, this is not something you want to do.

I transfered my children to a different district when they started school and I'm glad I did. My neighborhood school had a very high rate of non English speaking students. My next door neighbor chose to take their children to that school and have had a good educational experience there. So I think it does depend on how involved you are as a parent. I will say thought that in my experience that they key is PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT! The more parents are involved the better educational experience all of the children in that school will have. Sadly, in my town, there just isn't a lot of parental involvement at some of the lower scoring schools. The districts with more money have the ability to pay for things like science facilitators, music programs, field trips etc. Because of the way our districts are aligned, my middle school child is now in one of the lesser funded districts and I am seeing the direct result of the budget cuts and lack of parental involvement. Do your homework and talk to parents in other districts/school, and make sure they don't have their own biases and agendas.

If you want your kids to go to a different school within the district you can get an intra-district transfer form from the district office. No guarantee though. Two of my kids are in the public school here and my son is now attending one of the charter high schools. I wish I had gotten my oldest in the charter high school years ago it's a really impressive program but not for everyone I imagine. My experience with the public school system is like with anything else, you have some really incredible people and some truly awful ones that make you wonder why they are teaching when they obviously aren't happy. Talk to parents in your area (go to playgrounds in your neighborhood) and ask ask ask about the schools, the teachers etc. Makes a world of difference if you know what to expect. Often low test scores are a result of a high ratio of ESL students. Unfortunately they expect these kids to be able to take the same tests as kids with English as their primary language. Not an ideal situation. Instead of looking at test scores, maybe look at graduation statistics (graduates v dropouts) Making an appointment with the principal is a wonderful idea! Go for it.

Welcome to the wide world of school. It is very nervewracking especially with all the budget cuts and stories in the new about how bad schools are. We personally chose the public school system route and we love it.

Talk to your neighbors about your school. Visit the school and talk to the principal. In our previous town, I called our "neighborhood school" and took a tour with the principal. She was fabulous and understood my concerns of low test scores. It was a title 1 school and the kindergarten class had only 2 English speaking students. We opted out of that environment for our first experience with school. We ultimately chose to do an intra district transfer to another school that was also close to our home. You have this option but can only get into to the school of choice if there is room.

We have moved cities and now go to our neighborhood school and love it. It really turns into an extension of family because you are there so often. It helps to get involved at your school. Get in your child's classroom and volunteer. Get involved in the PTA.

Right now you could attend a PTA meeting at the school and see what they are up to..do a campus tour.

Charter schools are fabulous. I like the idea of more competition among schools...more options. I personally like the idea of my kids going to school with the kids in our neighborhood.

Just a little side note. You may not be happy about all the teachers you get. Sometimes I may have a problem with a teacher but my child loves that teacher. I see parents writing letters and trying to hand pick teachers each year. I have left it up to the school's choice and it has worked out well so far. Our oldest is in 5th grade. Each year brings challenges and blessings. We grow as a family with the good and the bad.

Be involved...get to know staff and parents and students. Your school journey is a fun one..but at times can be bumpy but that is when true growth takes place.

Low test scores are due to sooo many factors. Your child will do well if you are involved, help with homework and work with them at home. Nowadays so much help is expected from parents at home. THis is very hard on students that come from homes where parents are not available to help or do not speak English. These students tend to fall behind and test scores suffer. Focus on YOUR child's scores to measure success. I am not joking when I tell you that you will have to help your child alot. Kids have waaaay more homework and projects than I had growing up. They are also learning things earlier...kindergarten is like first grade used to be.

Good luck!

you can start with your local school to find out when registration starts; you at least want to know the documents you'll need to register regardless of school you choose. Or you can start with the school district's administration office, there may be a packet or website you can browse through. Also you can get in touch with the PTA reps and get the scoop on the teachers/school. It is definitely hard when it's all new, I'm on the same boat. Good Luck!

Look into the charter schools - and do it now. Registration usually starts in the spring (now). Visit Greatschools.org to get ratings on schools. Talk to other mothers. I learn ALOT by talking to other mothers. School quality and test scores are usually related to real estate prices. Expensive homes = good schools. Apartments and cheaper houses = not so good schools. However, as long as the school is safe, the home environment has a big impact on your child's learning experience. And test score aren't everything. Good-luck.

if you want them in school a and your zoned for school b use someone address friend or relative that is zoned in a use thier address and get your kids in that school :)

Hi, I would make an appt. w/ the principal to ask questions and to tour the school. If the principal is a decent principal then YES he/she will make time for you. Just don't drop in though, he/she might be too busy or distracted at that moment to help you, call ahead and set up a time to meet. My son's school has low test scores (60% of families there have english as their second language, which often leads to low test scores, not because they aren't teaching well, but because the kids being tested are still learning the language) but I am absolutely convinced that they are the best school in all of the state, if not all of the country :-) Before we started school there, I met w/ the principal and he showed me all around the school and answered about 100 of my questions. I was really worried that low test scores meant they weren't a good school, but my fears were quickly relieved once I got to know the staff and see the classrooms in action myself. I honestly can not tell you one negative experience I have had there, and we've been there for almost 2 years now. Also, just to mention, we started there for 2nd grade, after being in an expensive private school for pre-k through 1st grade. I am very picky and not easily satisfied when it comes to who works w/ my son, being that he has autism, but they have impressed me completely, and have been just as good (and in some ways, dare I say BETTER) than private school. Oh another thing, you can talk to your neighbors who have kids that go to school and find out their experiences with the school too. That will give you a lot of information, and either make you excited to send your kids there or help you realize that you want to research your other options! We did that too, talked to everyone in the neighborhood w/ kids pretty much, and got 100% positive feedback about the neighborhood school, in spite of the low test scores.
Good luck,
A.