[quote=UCGal]I like the area North of CMB, east of Gennesee, west of 805 – especially the homes on San Clemente Canyon. These home are in the Hawthorne Elementary school area. I have a friend who sends her son to Hawthorne because she liked their Seminar program better than the one at Spreckels (in UC). She LOVES the school. Not sure how much of that is stictly love of this school’s seminar program.
I have friends who live off of Mt. Herbert – west of Genesee, north of Balboa. There are some really cool houses along finger canyons that run through there.
One of the schools over there is Muir – it’s a charter school that is K-12. Friends who send their kids there are really impressed with the school. I’m impressed with the parent volunteers that did all the new landscaping last year. (My children’s piano teacher is in the neighborhood so I watched them work on weekends.)
I have a friend who taught at Field (near the Clairemont Square) for several years. It’s student population has a lot of english learners – so that’s a data point for you.
As far as middle schools and high schools… I went to Marston and Clairemont HS… I turned out ok. But I just had my 30th HS reunion… so my data is a bit out of date. LOL.[/quote]
Scarlett, don’t get so far ahead of yourself. You will be looking for your first home, no? Your kids are only in ELEM. school. These grades are not averaged in for college entrance. Look at UCGal’s suggestions above. She also has lived in Clairemont for many, many years and is an ENGINEER. Awombadavis is absolutely right. VEEP applicants have been ahead of Choice applicants since the beginning of time. In order to qualify for VEEP status, your family income must qualify you and you must be bussing in or driving from a school attendance area whose schools have MUCH lower scores and maybe didn’t even meet the “no child left behind” criteria. Race plays a part in VEEP selection, too. Obviously, LJ and TP High Schools must not be as *naturally* integrated as other schools, thus they hold spaces open for grade-qualified VEEP applicants. (Corr. me if I’m wrong, awombadavis.) Many VEEP students bus up to 1 hr. each way from 92105, 92115, 92113, 92114, 92139 and 92154. Having a child in the VEEP program can be a daily logistical grind for the student AND their parent(s) alike, but it’s a chance for a deserving student to obtain education and opportunities their parents never had. You can’t count on successfully “choicing” out of the school in the attendance area of a property you haven’t even purchased yet or use your unknown-as-yet ability to “choice” as criteria as to whether to consider a particular area to purchase/live in.
Not trying to lecture here, Scarlett, but you posted you have around a $500K limit you can pay for a property and poss. getting parents to help with down payment. This will be enough to get an awesome property you will be happy with. You are considering Clairemont: City of SD, urban, 8-11 mi. north of dtn. SD, to purchase a property for your family. Good choice, well-located, large lots, no MR, most devs. have no HOA.
YOUR KIDS WILL BE HAPPY WHEREVER THEY GO TO SCHOOL!! In SD, they will also be eligible for a public mo. bus pass for bet. $27 and $32 mo. if they are able to “choice” or attend a magnet program. This is cheaper and more convenient than paying for school bus transportation, IMO.
I’ll repeat this. ALL CA PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOLS HAVE AN EXIT EXAM AND OTHER STRICT REQUIREMENTS FOR GRADUATION. THEY *ALL* MUST FOLLOW THE SAME CURRICULUM TO GRADUATE SENIORS. Opportunities abound in the AP classes in every school and IB Programs, as well as math/science/tech magnets such as High Tech High in Liberty Stn. San Diego. It is actually EASIER to get accepted into the UC system in schools where there are more “lower-scoring” or ESL students because the UC system accepts a top percentage of graduates FROM EACH SCHOOL.
I just had to vent here because almost every time I log on the forums, I see posts of young parents absolutely OBSESSED WITH SCHOOL SCORES and SCHOOL ATTENDANCE AREAS, to the extent they’re willing to commute long distances to work and pay exorbitant MR and HOA to live within certain boundaries. No matter where your child attends school, it will be all UP TO HIM/HER to excel in school.
Guess what!! I’ve recently got my last child to agree to attending CC for the first two years of college. My childrens’ college fees are paid for by a third-party gov’t entity but ONLY FEES and ONLY for 8 semesters. It is taking SO LONG now to get a degree from MOST UC and CSU campuses, due to budget and class cutbacks that I now want the WHOLE 8-semester benefit to be used beginning in the junior year. I will pay for a CC (Associate or “Transfer” Degree) out of my pocket. Why? THE INK READS THE SAME AND DRIES THE SAME ON A CAL-POLY BACHELOR OF SCIENCE DEGREE, no matter WHERE you spent the first 2 years of your college career! [End of Rant]. . . and thanks for listening!
