Hellobee Boards Topic: If the schools near you, aren't good, why?

Hellobee Boards Topic: If the schools near you, aren't good, why? https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Fri, 01 May 2026 14:02:14 +0000 Mrs. Lemon-Lime on "If the schools near you, aren't good, why?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-the-schools-near-you-arent-good-why#post-2523949 Wed, 13 Apr 2016 15:34:38 +0000 Mrs. Lemon-Lime 2523949@https://boards.hellobee.com/ Even the good schools in my area suffer from over crowding. Green space on the school grounds are littered with the trailers- these temporary classrooms are permanent fixtures. Another difference between a good and bad school are the facilities, school resources and activities. Just looking at the websites of what's available at my A rated neighborhood school vs poorer rated school in another city clearly shows why one school is stronger. Heck a stronger PTA in a A rated school vs a weaker PTA in a A rated school makes a difference too. Children from poorer neighborhoods/ families have challenges that other children from middle income neighborhoods/ families just simply don't have. Part of that goes back to what does the school offer in terms of #2. One of my friends worked at a magnet middle school located in a poor neighborhood. Most of the student body was from the neighborhood. He explained it's hard to pay attention in class when you are the primary caregiver for your younger siblings and you hear loud noises all night long- people out on the street, ambulances etc. I live in a community where English is often something children pick up at school because their parents make a conscious effort to speak their Native language at home. We live in a diverse community- different languages, socioeconomic due to affordable apartments etc. You can get the best of both worlds if you pick the right community. looch on "If the schools near you, aren't good, why?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-the-schools-near-you-arent-good-why#post-2523794 Wed, 13 Apr 2016 13:43:08 +0000 looch 2523794@https://boards.hellobee.com/ @Happygal: FWIW, I think diversity is an asset, but the problem is that you have people that put a lot of weight on test scores. Foodnerd81 on "If the schools near you, aren't good, why?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-the-schools-near-you-arent-good-why#post-2523791 Wed, 13 Apr 2016 13:40:07 +0000 Foodnerd81 2523791@https://boards.hellobee.com/ Adding to what @catlady: said, our city schools are a lottery so you don't know whether you will get a "good" school or a low performing, sad looking school. And frankly, the wealthy families will enter the lottery and if they get a good school, they stay, if they only get a "bad" school, the go to private school or leave the city for better suburban schools. We are one of those families looking to leave to city now so I'm currently looking at the suburb schools and trying to figure out what's good. Happygal on "If the schools near you, aren't good, why?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-the-schools-near-you-arent-good-why#post-2523780 Wed, 13 Apr 2016 13:33:59 +0000 Happygal 2523780@https://boards.hellobee.com/ Under the right administration, students from diverse SES backgrounds and a large English language learner population may present a challenge, but it does not automatically mean a school isn't good. snowjewelz on "If the schools near you, aren't good, why?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-the-schools-near-you-arent-good-why#post-2523751 Wed, 13 Apr 2016 13:21:22 +0000 snowjewelz 2523751@https://boards.hellobee.com/ I *think* mostly it's #3. Mrs. Lion on "If the schools near you, aren't good, why?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-the-schools-near-you-arent-good-why#post-2523724 Wed, 13 Apr 2016 13:02:00 +0000 Mrs. Lion 2523724@https://boards.hellobee.com/ @808love: yep, exactly this. If your state does teacher working conditions surveys this is a great place to look up data that describes the school climate. That is a much better indicator of the health of a school than the test scores in my opinion. avivoca on "If the schools near you, aren't good, why?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-the-schools-near-you-arent-good-why#post-2523636 Wed, 13 Apr 2016 12:25:45 +0000 avivoca 2523636@https://boards.hellobee.com/ The system here is arranged in clusters to increase diversity. The city itself is pretty segregated as far as housing. Most blacks and other minorities are crowded in the west and south ends of town, with the east end being the most affluent, white, and sought after areas to live. The west/south ends are considered dangerous and do have a high crime rate, but poverty is endemic and it's a food/hospital desert. If you are zoned for a school in the west/south ends, most people who can afford to pull their kids out and either put them in private schools or try to get them in an east end school cluster. My cluster isn't terrible, but we aren't guaranteed to get into our resides school (that is, the school closest to us that we are actually zoned for) and the other schools are kind of far away. They are all in the south/east side of the county though. I'd prefer to move to a suburb where there aren't clusters, but diversity goes way down the farther you move from the city. So do we want our kids to go to a less diverse school possibly and have a longer commute (the parents) or do we want to deal with them being bussed all over creation because of the clusters? MamaG on "If the schools near you, aren't good, why?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-the-schools-near-you-arent-good-why#post-2523625 Wed, 13 Apr 2016 12:22:06 +0000 MamaG 2523625@https://boards.hellobee.com/ Our schools are also funded by property taxes. In the district I live in that covers three cities the average home value is $196K. In the next district over which covers two cities the average home value is $620K. Also, socioeconomic factors tend to drive parent involvement. We read to our 4 year old Pre-K daughter at least 20 minutes per night. We practice her writing and sight words. Many 4 year olds don't own books or have parents that can dedicate time to their learning in the evening. We have 20 elementary schools that each house about 700 students. But only 2 high schools. The high schools are rated significantly lower than our elementary schools. This is primarily driven by test data, but also economic factors (how many students are on the free/discounted lunch program). One of our three cities in our district has a significant pacific islander immigrant population. Our district does an amazing job from what I've seen of trying to level the playing field for all students. And they really do spend the funds wisely. They are often recognized for this. Also, in our state there is a "Peter Pan" effect. Some of our wealthiest districts do need to contribute to a state fund to help the poorer districts in the state. I'm not sure how that is all handled. catlady on "If the schools near you, aren't good, why?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-the-schools-near-you-arent-good-why#post-2523624 Wed, 13 Apr 2016 12:21:03 +0000 catlady 2523624@https://boards.hellobee.com/ We live in a city, so it's a combination of diverse socioeconomic status and the fact that many higher income families tend to move to the suburbs when kids reach elementary school age. The schools closest to us have a high population of students coming from housing projects, and the test scores are noticeably lower than in other parts of the city. Our city tries to combat this by making school selection a lottery system and by having quotas for low vs high income students at the more popular schools, but it only sort of works. Basically the system as a whole is mediocre (for our state), some schools are pretty good and some are below average. They are super well funded though, at least. Our city has tons of money for schools. ModernDayJibarita on "If the schools near you, aren't good, why?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-the-schools-near-you-arent-good-why#post-2523617 Wed, 13 Apr 2016 12:17:13 +0000 ModernDayJibarita 2523617@https://boards.hellobee.com/ We chose to purchase a home in small school district that has only 1 elementary, 1 middle and 1 high school with a 13:1 student/teacher ratio. The schools are mostly funded by property taxes from a mostly affluent neighborhood where home prices go from 200K to 1 million. 808love on "If the schools near you, aren't good, why?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-the-schools-near-you-arent-good-why#post-2523609 Wed, 13 Apr 2016 12:13:46 +0000 808love 2523609@https://boards.hellobee.com/ Each school has its own climate. And there are even microclimates between each grade level so there is no way you can look this up, except perhaps ask a teacher or parents at this school..or just give it a try. An ideal school, imho, is one where the teachers genuinely care about the parents, have strong competencies to deliver updated high quality, research based curriculum, low turnover, great staff teamwork to solve problems and innovate, and teachers who see their current student's strengths and needs and meet each child, individually and compassionately, where they are at. This does not always or only happen at the richest schools. You can find this in the least likely places. Full disclosure: I'm a teacher at a middle of the road elementary school that had done very well in the past, but had poor test scores during the past year as we switched over to new math curriculum and new common core testing. Charm54 on "If the schools near you, aren't good, why?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-the-schools-near-you-arent-good-why#post-2523604 Wed, 13 Apr 2016 12:10:45 +0000 Charm54 2523604@https://boards.hellobee.com/ @looch: @Truth Bombs: @hummusgirl: wow...that is all super surprising - sad how inequitable it is . i guess it makes more sense though why choosing a house in certain areas plays such a role in the US in terms of schooling. Truth Bombs on "If the schools near you, aren't good, why?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-the-schools-near-you-arent-good-why#post-2523599 Wed, 13 Apr 2016 12:07:57 +0000 Truth Bombs 2523599@https://boards.hellobee.com/ @looch: Nope, no state income tax here. Just property taxes and sales tax. hummusgirl on "If the schools near you, aren't good, why?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-the-schools-near-you-arent-good-why#post-2523594 Wed, 13 Apr 2016 12:04:42 +0000 hummusgirl 2523594@https://boards.hellobee.com/ @Charm54: I think it varies by state, but in Texas where I live the schools are funded through property taxes. The districts with high-value homes pay more in tax and those schools are better funded. It's not a good or fair system at all. :-( Baby Boy Mom on "If the schools near you, aren't good, why?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-the-schools-near-you-arent-good-why#post-2523593 Wed, 13 Apr 2016 12:04:03 +0000 Baby Boy Mom 2523593@https://boards.hellobee.com/ There is a huge disparity in terms of socioeconomic status in our area. Those that can afford private schools go that route. There isn't a lot of in between, and the younger "gentrifying" population finds various creative solutions or leaves. looch on "If the schools near you, aren't good, why?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-the-schools-near-you-arent-good-why#post-2523588 Wed, 13 Apr 2016 12:00:17 +0000 looch 2523588@https://boards.hellobee.com/ @Truth Bombs: Right, but in my area, the property taxes are funding the pensions of retired teachers (which they are entitled to, I am not in any way saying they do not deserve it). In this case, this is where state funding is really important. But we pay a state income tax, not sure if you have that where you live? Truth Bombs on "If the schools near you, aren't good, why?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-the-schools-near-you-arent-good-why#post-2523583 Wed, 13 Apr 2016 11:57:33 +0000 Truth Bombs 2523583@https://boards.hellobee.com/ @Charm54: Our schools are funded in part by property taxes. So if you live in an area with higher home values, there is more money to go towards funding the schools. In the US school rankings are largely a reflection of the socioeconomic status of the people who live in the district. looch on "If the schools near you, aren't good, why?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-the-schools-near-you-arent-good-why#post-2523569 Wed, 13 Apr 2016 11:50:59 +0000 looch 2523569@https://boards.hellobee.com/ @Charm54: Basically, if you don't ask for it, you get nothing. My town is currently suing the governor in order to get that changed. I have to go and see if I can find an article that explains what happened. It's been like this for about 20 years, probably because the schools were built in the 60-70s and then other towns needed to build schools. Ok, I found an article and don't want to share it because it names the town, but it has to do with an antiquated Cost Sharing Formula that is used by the state to decide where to spend the money they have. MoonMoon on "If the schools near you, aren't good, why?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-the-schools-near-you-arent-good-why#post-2523568 Wed, 13 Apr 2016 11:50:42 +0000 MoonMoon 2523568@https://boards.hellobee.com/ @Charm54: I also wonder this, because there are trade offs my husband and I wouldn't want to make for "better" schools, such as lack of diversity. Our city is something like 50% white, and our public schools suffer from lack of funds. I worked on the 2010 census in one of our wealthy suburbs and it was something like 98% white. Those schools perform better, but we don't want our child in those schools either and it's a tough decision. Mama Bird on "If the schools near you, aren't good, why?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-the-schools-near-you-arent-good-why#post-2523565 Wed, 13 Apr 2016 11:49:40 +0000 Mama Bird 2523565@https://boards.hellobee.com/ My zoned school was in the news several times for bad stuff, like a paraprofessional allegedly beating a student, and a mom getting shot while picking up her kid by students from a high school nearby. Also was there for work and it was dirty, and I saw teachers yelling at students :sad: Charm54 on "If the schools near you, aren't good, why?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-the-schools-near-you-arent-good-why#post-2523564 Wed, 13 Apr 2016 11:49:39 +0000 Charm54 2523564@https://boards.hellobee.com/ @looch: how do they decide which towns get more funding? looch on "If the schools near you, aren't good, why?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-the-schools-near-you-arent-good-why#post-2523563 Wed, 13 Apr 2016 11:48:49 +0000 looch 2523563@https://boards.hellobee.com/ @Charm54: Partially. It isn't distributed on an equal level from the state. Some towns get a lot of funding and some don't. yin on "If the schools near you, aren't good, why?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-the-schools-near-you-arent-good-why#post-2523561 Wed, 13 Apr 2016 11:48:06 +0000 yin 2523561@https://boards.hellobee.com/ Diverse socioeconomic populations and mismanagement of funds in the school district :( MoonMoon on "If the schools near you, aren't good, why?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-the-schools-near-you-arent-good-why#post-2523557 Wed, 13 Apr 2016 11:46:27 +0000 MoonMoon 2523557@https://boards.hellobee.com/ Our schools are pretty bad by state rankings and I'm guessing it has a lot to do with lack of funding for public schools, like everywhere else! Charm54 on "If the schools near you, aren't good, why?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-the-schools-near-you-arent-good-why#post-2523556 Wed, 13 Apr 2016 11:46:12 +0000 Charm54 2523556@https://boards.hellobee.com/ I've always wondered about what people mean when they talk about good school district vs a bad one as I see a lot of mention about it on HB, but it's not really on my radar in real life. Does it have to do with differences in funding? In my province, each school, regardless of what neighbourhood it is in, receives the same amount of funding per student. So there aren't big discrepancies from school to school or district to district. There are slight differences between schools but it's more of personal preference stuff (tech focus , new playgrounds, languages offered, etc) I'm curious to see the answers because I never really understood what people meant when they said they bought a house to be in a good district, etc looch on "If the schools near you, aren't good, why?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-the-schools-near-you-arent-good-why#post-2523546 Wed, 13 Apr 2016 11:39:25 +0000 looch 2523546@https://boards.hellobee.com/ Kind of spinning off the home price thread, if the schools in your area aren't "good," why aren't they good? Ours aren't "good" for a few reasons...And good means that we have low test scores: 1. Overcrowding, lots of kids in mobile classrooms 2. The district hasn't invested in schools in this town, the last time a school was built was in 1970. 3. Diverse socioeconomic populations, lots of kids that don't have support at home, non native english speakers, etc.