If you are on the north side of Mission Hills (north of Washington), Grant Elementary is not too bad (it’s now K-8). I think most people in that area can go to Point Loma High, which would also not be horrible. South of Washington, the sequence is Florence Elementary, Roosevelt, then San Diego High. There are fine teachers at all the schools, but without saying what I do, let’s just say I have inside knowledge that keeps me from wanting to put my kids in that sequence.
Many people who live in this area put their kids in private schools, especially Francis Parker, and I think that removes local pressure on the schools to improve.
There are a lot of older people in the Mission Hills area, which is the case for our particular block, however, we’re seeing more and more families with young children around. Point Loma is nearby and offers a lot more kid activities (gyms, art classes, etc.), although having Balboa Park nearby is wonderful.
Thanks to all for the comments. The things most of you mentioned are what we’ve been considering from the lack of true diversity to the drug issues and elitism. We’re also not pushing to move right now, but just starting the process of exploring the neighborhoods. Our child is only 2, so we have plenty of time.
I was hoping there might be some area we had overlooked. Scripps Ranch actually has some good schools, (although we’d hoped for more north to be closer to extended family), and I think we’ll check into there more carefully.
We’ve looked Del Sur and 4S only superficially. Any other thoughts about those areas? Thanks so much for the help –
