Wow, since I left the discussion, it’s gotten all the way down the road to thinking about college! Yikes…our family is in the throes of college applications/acceptances with our 2nd, and fortunately, we’ve found that local schools (DMUSD and SDUHSD) have prepared them well for college (not to take any credit away from our kids’ hard work and persistence)!
A few years ago, SDUHSD was pursuing an IB program but recently elected not to implement it. Some (I would not say “many” as previously stated) local high schools do offer IB programs, and it’s reputed to be an outstanding program. SDUHSD does offer AP courses, which are extremely demanding and difficult for most students and (contrary to previous statements here) DO involve extra work and a faster pace (and not just an extra exam for college credit, which is optional).
Anyway, for ssr123, back to the original issue regarding elementary districts: To answer your question about DMUSD and accuracy of school assignments – it’s not that the DMUSD website page isn’t accurate with the description of which schools tie in with which neighborhoods, it’s just that there are NO guarantees at this point regarding matching the student with his/her neighborhood school due to the growth in Carmel Valley (mainly Torrey Hills area) in the past 5-10 yrs.
From the DMUSD website: “Please note: Every effort is made to place students at the school in their attendance area, however, due to the explosive growth within DMUSD in the last several years and the District’s commitment to maintain balanced, low class sizes at all school sites, we must inform you that students are placed at a school on a space available basis. If you have specific questions regarding streets in the area or have a question about whether or not a prospective house may be in DMUSD please contact the District Office at (858) 755-9301.”
That’s why I recommended visiting the district office and trying to figure out the chances of being placed in your school of choice. Again, I know this topic was on last night’s DMUSD board meeting agenda so perhaps some new guidelines were instituted that you’ll want to know about. I’m sure they’re trying to prepare for the upcoming school registration period starting in March.
As flu suggested, I would also encourage you to attend the March open houses at various DMUSD schools. This is a perfect opportunity to hear the principal talk about what makes his/her school unique and try to find the best fit for your child (and then you can tackle the question about whether or not that school has room for you).
Regarding your question about Solana Beach elementary district overlapping into Carmel Valley – yes, this is true. It’s VERY confusing and difficult to figure out, but in a nutshell, in the area east of I-5, neighborhoods north of Del Mar Heights Rd in Carmel Valley are actually part of the Solana Beach elementary school district. Once the kids enter 7th grade, it all becomes part of SDUHSD.
Hope this helps. Good luck continuing your search!
