Which public schools are better: Carmel Valley or La Jolla

[Nazzy_17]

We are relocating from Boston, MA to San Diego, CA. Two daughters ages 9 and 7. We chose San Diego for the weather. We both work at home. Fell in love with La jolla but prices are high, but loved the high walk score, not sure if conducive to raising kids? Our comfort zone is $1.m but would go to $1.2m in La Jolla, but how does one compare the schools? We could not afford private school so would like input as to which district provides a better public education. Thank you.

[SK in CV]

If you can afford a $1.2 million dollar house, you can afford private school for your kids. You might choose to spend your money on a house instead.

Both areas have outstanding public schools. Neither is likely to disappoint. The difference is insignificant.

[Anonymous]

Some resources for you to consider or at least get you started:

1. Website to locate school district:
http://california.hometownlocator.com/schools/

La Jolla = San Diego Unified
Carmel Valley = San Dieguito Union High

2. Website to evaluate school district’s ‘Academic Performance Index’
http://api.cde.ca.gov/Acnt2012/2012GrthAPICo.aspx?cYear=2011-12&cSelect=37,SAN,DIEGO

3. Website to evaluate individual schools:
http://www.greatschools.org/

If interested in further information we have several clients that have purchased in either Carmel Valley or La Jolla that can be references for their perceived pro’s and con’s.

Also, we have many contacts that work in these school districts that can be utilized as great resources; teacher’s at La Jolla High School and within San Dieguito school district.

Finally, as you are no doubt aware from your visit to La Jolla there are lifestyle choices that need to be accounted for when making this decision.

If you’d like further resources or information please feel free to reach out. If not, good luck with your relocation.

[email protected]

[bearishgurl]

Here’s the more recent county schools list (that flyer posted).

http://dq.cde.ca.gov/dataquest/Acnt2013/2012Base_Co.aspx?cYear=&cSelect=37,SAN,DIEGO

[ljinvestor]

Both LJ & CV schools are good so if San Diego is where you want to be once the kids are out, then I would choose the area you like best between those two.

Not sure if you can get a SFR with at least 3BR & 2BA in the walkable areas of La Jolla for $1.2mm right now as the market has gone crazy the last 6mo. Those that are close to $1.2 or perhaps even under are most likely on very busy street or need lots of work.

Good luck with the search

[flyer]

Two areas to which I can comment are La Jolla, and Carmel Valley (92130). My wife and I grew up in LJ, and attended the public schools there with no regrets.

We raised our kids in Carmel Vallley and RSF, and they went to private schools, and colleges, but friends who have used the public school system in both LJ and CV also have no regrets. Checking out API scores in various areas of San Diego County might also be of help to you. (See below.)

Frankly, your housing budget will go a lot further in CV than LJ, and, from my perspective, CV also has the edge with regard to a great area to raise children. JMO.

Of course, the Poway School District is also great, but since you mentioned your housing interest is primarily coastal, you may or may not want to consider a location 10 miles or so inland.

Here’s a fairly recent API report:
http://dq.cde.ca.gov/dataquest/Acnt2012/2011Base_Co.aspx?cYear=&cSelect=37,SAN,DIEGO

To check out available properties by zip code see sdlookup.com.

Good luck, and welcome to San Diego!

[bearishgurl]

nazzy, flyer is correct that you will get more house for your money in Carmel Valley. But you will likely get a bigger lot for the same purchase price in LJ. And Carmel Valley doesn’t have very many one-story homes. It is comprised of tract developments, the vast majority of which were built in the last 20 years with a good portion of them built in the last 10 years. Additionally, some tracts there have Mello Roos tax, which is a tax over and above regular property tax and collected by the assessor along with property taxes.

LJ single-family residences are 40-85 years old with the majority being 55-65 years old with major remodels sprinkled on nearly every block. Unlike Carmel Valley, the views from many streets in LJ could have partial or full ocean views. However, in your price range it is doubtful you will find a SFR with more than a partial or “peek” view out of some windows as most of those coveted “view fixers” have undoubtedly already been snapped up by cash buyers only to immediately undergo a major remodel.

Good luck in your search. Since schools are comparable, it is all about what you want to live in now and after your kids are grown and that “walkability factor” (greater in LJ in most areas).

[XBoxBoy]

We live in La Jolla, and have a son who has gone through the LJ schools. (Bird Rock Elem. Muirlands Middle and LJHS) One thing I can tell you is that I’m amazed at how many times I hear from other parents that they, like us, are very disappointed with them.

If your kids are very bright, things aren’t bad. There are plenty of classes for the gifted. If on the other hand your kid is a middle of the road student, be prepared to have teachers who don’t want to provide any remedial help. Expect teachers to go rushing ahead even though many of the students do not understand the previous lessons. Expect to encounter teachers who won’t even meet with you to discuss your child’s progress. Expect to encounter a guidance department that is woefully understaffed and an administration that doesn’t care that so many of the average kids are having to repeat classes or becoming discouraged.

While I can’t cite data, I can tell you that we have a number of friends who have kids in CV and most of them are much happier with the schools than the friends we have in LJ. As a homeowner in LJ, I wish it was the opposite, but overwhelmingly this has been my experience.

Just my two cents.

XBoxBoy

[zk]

Plenty of good info on schools.

A word on the weather. You may already know all this, but just in case…

In May and June, we have “May gray” and “June gloom.” It’s frequently cloudy in the mornings and at night. Sometimes all day. The further you go inland, the less cloud cover you’ll have.

Also, it’s pretty cool (temperature-wise) near the coast. If you like highs in the upper ’60s and low ’70s, right along the coast is good. Every mile you go inland makes a difference. In Carmel Valley (about 3 miles inland) it’s in the low ’70s almost every day in the summer. Which sounds really nice. And I guess it is. But I’ve found it a bit cool for my taste. And it’s cool every night (except a few nights during the strongest Santa Anas). Great sleeping weather, but you’ll need a jacket if you want to spend much time outside at night. Even in July and August. In Scripps Ranch and Poway (9-12 miles inland), it’ll be 6-15 degrees warmer than Carmel Valley, depending on the microclimate where you are. That usually varies depending on how much air flow you get from the ocean. The more seabreeze, the cooler, obviously. You’ll get less cloud cover out there, too.

The real beauty is you can pick exactly how warm you want it to be. La Jolla and Del Mar, Carmel Valley, Santa Luz (you might check that out) and Rancho Penasquitos, Scripps Ranch, Poway. Each of these is a bit warmer than the previous.

Good luck and enjoy the great weather!

[Nazzy_17]

THANK YOU FOR ALL THE USEFUL INFORMATION. The housing market in La Jolla is hotter than Carmel Valley-which is why we have expanded our search to Carmel? Much more available in Carmel. In the past 3 months for homes that have closed in La Jolla, only 3-4 of them would have worked for us-closing price, location, no need to renovate. Would one not see more appreciation in the value of their home in LJ vs. CV? Do we rent for 6 months while holding out that something may pop up again in LJ or act on something in CV? We close mid July here in Boston and plan to be in SD by 5th of August. Major factor in not wanting to do a six month furnished rental (while our things are in storage) is creating stable environment for children as soon as possible?

[earlyretirement]

[quote=XBoxBoy]We live in La Jolla, and have a son who has gone through the LJ schools. (Bird Rock Elem. Muirlands Middle and LJHS) One thing I can tell you is that I’m amazed at how many times I hear from other parents that they, like us, are very disappointed with them.

If your kids are very bright, things aren’t bad. There are plenty of classes for the gifted. If on the other hand your kid is a middle of the road student, be prepared to have teachers who don’t want to provide any remedial help. Expect teachers to go rushing ahead even though many of the students do not understand the previous lessons. Expect to encounter teachers who won’t even meet with you to discuss your child’s progress. Expect to encounter a guidance department that is woefully understaffed and an administration that doesn’t care that so many of the average kids are having to repeat classes or becoming discouraged.

While I can’t cite data, I can tell you that we have a number of friends who have kids in CV and most of them are much happier with the schools than the friends we have in LJ. As a homeowner in LJ, I wish it was the opposite, but overwhelmingly this has been my experience.

Just my two cents.

XBoxBoy[/quote]

XboxBoy,

Thanks for sharing. We’ve heard the same kind of thing from some of our friends that lived in La Jolla or currently living there now.

On the other hand, our friends that live in Carmel Valley are quite pleased with their schools.

Many great comments on this thread. I totally agree with the weather comment. Originally we were planning to buy in La Jolla but we decided to buy in Santaluz and SO GLAD that we did. It was one of the best decisions I ever made.

We love the community and the weather is just incredible avoiding the marine layering of nearby Del Mar and La Jolla and it’s not too hot like when you go too far inland.

[Rhett]

If you are looking at it from purely a test score perspective, you can’t go wrong with either. Grades schools are excellent in both.

Torrey Pines probably does a little better on the high school level than La Jolla, but man is it huge (> 2600 students). I think more of the La Jolla kids end up doing private school for high school than the Carmel Valley kids, and there actually is a not so insignificant amount of choice students in La Jolla High – so it’s less of a closed community at that level than would seem at first glance.

I think that given OP’s situation, they’d be happier in Carmel Valley, perhaps up in Torrey Hills.

[bearishgurl]

[quote=Rhett]. . . there actually is a not so insignificant amount of choice students in La Jolla High – so it’s less of a closed community at that level than would seem at first glance. . . . [/quote]

Rhett, I believe you are referring to VEEP and magnet students as the out-of-area students attending LJ High. I would imagine that zero or close to zero CHOICE applications are granted to attend that school.

Many of the (deserving) VEEP students attending LJ High typically hail from the Abraham Lincoln and Samuel Morse HS attendance areas and must keep their grade point averages up every semester to maintain their VEEP transfer eligibility.

[carli]

Just wanted to clarify/correct some info that the realtor, Ryan@LaJollaAgent, posted above. Carmel Valley residents are covered by two different school districts, depending on grade level of child. Since your kids are still in elementary school, if you move to Carmel Valley, they would not attend San Dieguito Union High as Ryan mentioned, but would attend schools in the Del Mar Union School District (known as DMUSD) through 6th grade. From 7th grade through high school, they would then attend schools in San Dieguito Union High School District (known as SDUHSD), not be be confused with San Diego Unified School district, which covers other parts of San Diego, including La Jolla.

The websites for Carmel Valley school districts are DMUSD.org and SDUHSD.net, and I’d encourage you to visit those sites and familiarize yourself with the various school attendance boundaries. Depending on which neighborhood you settle in within Carmel Valley (or if you land in Del Mar), your children would attend various elementary schools in DMUSD. When they get to mid/high school, their “default” schools would be Carmel Valley Middle School followed by Torrey Pines High School; however, they would have the option of applying by lottery (pure chance, not based on academics, etc) to Canyon Crest Academy or other schools within SDUHSD for high school.

For differences between schools and reviews by local parents, visit greatschools.org and enter the zip code of the area (92130 for Carmel Valley) to view the various schools’ API scores and parent feedback. Schools in DMUSD and SDUHSD have stellar API scores which are, generally, the highest in San Diego county.

Our kids have attended DMUSD schools for elementary and SDUHSD schools for middle and high school (Canyon Crest Academy), and we’re extremely pleased. We live in Del Mar, after moving from the NYC/CT area 10 years ago, and we love it here and feel our kids are getting good solid educations. Feel free to PM me if you’d like more info. All the best to you!

[Rhett]

Not to be overly pedantic, but a few of the elementary schools in Carmel Valley are actually part of the Solana Beach Union School District. Solana Highlands, Solana Pacific, Carmel Creek, and the future Solana Ranch School (in Pacific Highlands Ranch) are part of that district.

BearishGirl – didn’t mean to slight the magnet students at La Jolla; from what I’ve been told that most are exemplary students. I just wanted to emphasize by the time you get to high school, there aren’t as many “locals” left as you normally would see in most areas, and you may find that many of the kids on your block are going elsewhere. In many ways, it is not a local school

[Author]

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