Berkeley Parents Network: Moving for the Schools

Berkeley Parents Network

Moving for the Schools

Berkeley Parents Network > Reviews > Housing, Neighborhoods, & Moving > Moving for the Schools

Moving vs. private school - how to make the decision?

September 2006

Hi - My family and I are trying to assess whether we should stay in our current home in San Leandro (where our public school is sub- par, and we didn't get the intra-district transfer)and pay for private school, or try to move somewhere (considerably more expensive) where we feel good about sending our two kids to public school. We're somewhat overwhelmed trying to get a handle on all the economic variables, some of which are unknown,at least for now (real estate market fluctuation, property tax, interest deductions, private school tuition, financial aid). Can anyone tell me how they approached this decision? Did you use a financial planner? I realize there's no way to make this decision with total accuracy, but want to gather as much info as possible. I'd really appreciate hearing about others' thought processes, as well as their end results. . . thank you!
In a conundrum

I think if you begin by renting in a town with good schools you will be able to learn about the neighborhoods, the town, all the while your kids would be able to attend the schools. We love it in Orinda, but I grew up in the area so was familiar with Lamorinda (Lafayette, Moraga, Orinda) before we bought. Of course, if you can afford to buy in a place with good schools then by all means buy.

One reason we like it here is because so many residents value education, whether wealthy or not. Lamorinda is beautiful with lots of open space. Most families donate money to the schools which isn't nearly as much as the high cost of private schools.
Happy Resident

Hi: I have a spreadsheet I developed for clients considering Piedmont public schools vs. living elsewhere w/ private schools. You can set your own variables for your tax rate, etc. Home prices are based on the average 3/2 in Piedmont and same zip-Oakland in 2004, but can be changed. Of course one has to have the downpayment/credit to make a move, but absent that, the key ''aha'' is that a home purchase is an investment (with eventual return) while private education is an expenditure with no return (other than the educational benefits, of course). I'd note that Piedmont prices, at least, have been flat for more than a year, while private school tuition continues to increase at 7% a year . . . . Maureen

Hello,
This is a hard one. Basically, (I have been told and now beleive) if you have 2 children, it makes economic ''sense'' to move to where the schools are ''better'', when you consider the increased home prices and property taxes (with the assumption that your children would be in private schools in San Leandro).

You have to figure you'll need to pay about (gasp!) $700,000- $1,000,000 + in areas where the public schools are considered ''good''. But dont forget to factor in all of the equity you have in your current home, yet to sell. We purchased our first home in Lamorinda because I wanted my children to attend public schools. We couldn't be happier with how it is going. We still have to make small contributions to the PTA, to the classroom and give our time, but parents generally do enthusiastically, so it works out well for everyone. We have attended private school and I must say that I appreciate the economic and ethnic diversity that you find in public school. Also consider that when you attend your neighborhood public school, your child will form friendships with children who live within walking distance of your home. Families that attend private schools commute from different cities/further distances. That affects their availability for (and ease of) playdates and their availability to participate with your children in organized activities such as team sports and cub scouts.

And when looking at private school tuition, I would factor in that your school will likely depend greatly on family monetary donations and support. Perhaps several thousand dollars annually...

We made the move and we are so happy to be here. It is nice to know that private schools in the area are a second option for us if the public schools don't end up working out for us. Best to you in your decision.

Should I move to the suburbs for the schools?

Feb 2003

I'm looking for suggestions on areas to move our kids that have great schools. I welcome information about Lamorinda, Walnut Creek, San Ramon and Castro Valley. I have read the discussions on the parents network about about san ramon, CV and San leandro, didn't see much about Lamorinda. Oakland is still a possibility and we're in the Kaiser elem school district, any comments about Kaiser elementary school? I haven't heard much and the school scores are a bit low. Jennifer

I don't know if it's the solution for you, but moving to Lafayette was the best thing we did. We were living in the N. Oakland Hills and were in the Kaiser district. I don't know anything about that school but wasn't thrilled with the prospect of Oakland schools in general (not an educated opinion I admit) or Oakland Tech. We ended up in Lafayette for it's schools, for their arts and science foundation and the community. Our son is now in 2nd grade at the downtown school, Lafayette elementary and started there with kindergarten. Our second son is in preschool still. The teachers, principal and support staff are amazing, very hands-on and concerned and knows every family by face and name. The foundation LASF is funded by contributions from families and community to the tune of $750k - 1mm a year. It supplies additional music, art and science programs to the 4 elementary, 1 middle and 1 high schools. There is a meeting tonight about the school budgets and what we can do to lessen the impact. Most parents I've spoken with are going. Finally the community is totally family oriented. You can go anywhere with your kids without people looking funny at you and can get whatever services and activities you can dream of. We were ones that said we never would go over the hill, but are very happy about it now. Life is much easier where we are. Linda

Moving to the suburbs is NEVER the answer - to any question! That said, I can commiserate with you over the mixed quality of the Oakland School district. However, many in our neighborhood have been working hard with the local elementary school (Glenview, Oakland) - becoming involved in many ways on a grass roots level - and the school has improved as a result (in state scores, as well as in the opinions of folks in the area!) So, please stay in the city and attempt to work with the people in your neighborhood and with the school itself - you can affect change! Don't join the rest of the country and abandon our wonderful cities - they get better when people stay and want them to improve. (Sorry to rant - but this is my particular soap box topic!) A City Mama

I say no, it's not always the right answer to move to the suburbs. My husband and I choose live in Oakland, with our toddler. My parents moved to Lamorinda when I was 9 (from the other side of the tunnel) for the schools, and we agree it was one of the worst things we did.

On the positive side, the area is beautiful and ''safe'', etc. Also, it's true that there is alot of parent involvement in the schools. So much so, that friends of mine who teach in Lamorinda complain that the parents are over-involved (aka over-bearing). And, there is a lot of pressure for each family to contribute to the ''foundation'' (I think the going rate is at least 1000$/yr). I bet Oakland schools would be better, if there was a community foundation to support them!

On the negative side, the schools are almost like a factory to get kids into the UC system when they graduate (kids are pressured to take certain UC-favored courses in high school at the expense of other classes and interests).

While I can't speak yet as to the quality of the public schools, I just wanted to put in a good word for Walnut Creek as a family-oriented community. We moved here from SF 7 years ago and I was not sure we were making the right decision, but we really grew to like Walnut Creek so much. It's so nice having Mt. Diablo right here. There are kids everywhere, lots of great parks here and near to here. From what I understand the public schools are better in Lafayette, but it's much more expensive to live in Lafayette (not that it's inexpensive in Walnut Creek, as I can attest now that we are looking to buy a bigger house!). We like downtown Walnut Creek - can't beat the shopping! And there are plenty of good, non-chain restaurants here as well. Our daughter will be attending a private elementary school in Lafayette, but will switch to public school when she hits middle school. We expect to remain in Walnut Creek (or Lamorinda) through her high school years. LB

Socially it's a very tough place in so many ways. Money and wealth is a huge issue that kids get judged on-- from the cars they drive to the clothes they wear and where they go during ski week. I still maintain friendships with friends from high school, and I was friendly with lots of different groups. However, when a girl murders another girl because of a popularity quest (this happended in the 80's to my classmate), then I'd say the community as a whole has issues.

If people stopped moving ''because of the schools'', and worked as hard as the Lamorinda parents (many of whom were living in Oakland and Berkeley and miss the city!) to improve what we have here in Oakland/Berkeley, I bet we could all make a huge difference AND like where we live! (As a previous person wrote, sory to get rant, but this is also something that I think is really important!) --Another City Mama

Moving to Berkeley area, wondering about schools

July 1999

My husband, two children(girl 6, boy 10) & I will probably be moving to the East Bay in about a year--my husband is a tenured position here in Minnesota & has a lateral offer at UCBerkeley. We will be visiting with our kids in August & would like to focus them on areas we might like to live.

I would like feedback on the following questions: 1)Where should we be looking to buy (or rent for awhile, then buy) a house within an esy commute to Oakland/Berkeley if we are interested in maintaining our kids in public schools? and 2)If public schools really aren't an option, what private schools should we be looking at? Comments on aftercare available in conjunction with these schools would be appreciated, as would thoughts on housing prices. (Do not exclude the "pricey"--let us do that.

Background: we are a biracial family (white/Asian) as our kids were adopted from Korea as infants. They have been in multiracial, multicultural environments since infancy and have attended a public Montessori "magnet" school in St. Paul since age 4. Our son will be entering middle schoool (a crucial age) and has needed alot of attention--he is a pure kinesthetic learner (or at least he was at age 4 when he was tested) and has trouble staying focussed--not ADD according to his teachers, but at the restless end of normal. We think our 6 year old is gifted & her biggest problem will be that she is wilfully girlish & is going to have to be pushed to achieve. Mary Ann

Welcome! Here are some quick reactions to your questions.

Albany schools are well-thought-of. Nice, safe neighborhoods, but the town is mostly smaller stucco houses; three-bedrooms are rare and more expensive.

Berkeley middle schools, especially King and Willard, are good; Longfellow is smaller, newer, getting its act together. Will probably improve by the time you come. Elementary is more of a mixed bag, but you can do very well. You'll be at a disadvantage, though, registering in the summer. Berkeley K-5 school assignments are by zone (north, middle, south), and are done in March based on proof of residency supplied in February, so if you come in the summer, you'll get assigned what's left in your zone.

Oakland schools have some bright spots, but the overall picture isn't pretty.

The west Contra-Costa school district (Richmond, El Cerrito, etc.) has a lot of problems, except for Kensington's elementary school, and some folks like Harding in El Cerrito.

In any of these communities I wouldn't think your family would stand out as "different-looking". I'm a single white mom of two Peruvian boys, 11 and 8, and in our north Berkeley neighborhood and school, we're an entirely normal family. The same is not as true of communities over the hill (Orinda, Lafayette, Moraga, etc.,) or in Piedmont, where the schools are better, but much less diverse (although what diversity is there tends to be Asian).

There are lots of private schools of every flavor in the East Bay, including several Montessori ones. But these are also much less diverse than the public schools (although they all claim to want more diversity). My experience is that private schools are not as good as public schools at handling kids that may need special ed. There are a couple new private schools just for girls that you may want to investigate for your daughter.

Afterschool care is pretty much school-specific; each school I'm familiar with has two or three options either onsite or reachable by district-supplied school bus, but you almost need to know the school you'll be in before you can get into specifics. There's Albany-Berkeley YMCA Kids Club, the Berkeley-Richmond JCC, several City of Berkeley programs, PTA-sponsored afterschool classes, etc. Quality and cost vary.

Housing prices are outrageous everywhere here, buying or renting, but are higher where the public schools are good (over the hill, Piedmont, and, to some extent, Albany). Most of the houses are older; lots of Berkeley and Oakland houses may remind you of the Twin Cities (I used to live in Mpls.).

Hope this helps. Jane

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