Best Schools in Dade/Broward County... (Miami, Tampa: for rent, day care, homes)

[ruski]

Manatee Bay elementary in Weston is a great school

[acegolfer]

Originally Posted by ruski

Manatee Bay elementary in Weston is a great school

Ruski,

We are in the manatee bay elementary zone. My kid will attend the school in a couple of years. I heard that manatee bay is overcrowded. How bad is it compared with other Weston schools?

[acegolfer]

Originally Posted by Chelsa1075

Can anyone give me a list of areas in the either county, where normal middle class people can live and still have their kids go to good schools? I have found in my research that if the elementary school is good the middle and high schools are not so good...wierd but true. Does anyone know any areas other than Parkland and Coral Springs that have A schools all the way through?

I could be wrong but I was told that Weston has the best public schools in Broward county.

[Shoegal1075]

Weston has A rated schools, but I think Weston is just a little smaller than some other cities in Broward, Davie, Cooper City and Coral Springs and Parkland (these two cities having the most consistently rated A schools), but CS and Pkld are much bigger I believe than Weston. At least CS they have so many schools.

[tankev]

Weston is a totally different type of city than the others mentioned. It is a planned community. All Shopping, dining and living is contained within very specific bouandaries. And 90% of the 20 to 30 developments inside those bouandaries are gated. The other cities you mentioned are much more spread out. Just depends on what you want. If you have not been to these areas before you really have to visit to see the differences. Davie and Cooper City are very rural which is actaully a nice change around here. I am not sure how old your children are but in Weston there are at least 6 elementary, 2 middle and only 1 high school which is capped this year. Hopefully in years to come there will be another high school. Not sure about that though. There are many privite schools within the city limits. I think that no matter which city you choose from your list, the schools should be the best of the public schools in Browrad.

[Shoegal1075]

Tankev, are your from Weston? I am not familiar Weston at all, but have heard only good things about it. Are you familiar at all with Coral Springs? If so can you tell me how they compare. The way you described Weston is very attractive. Can you tell me what the commute is like from Weston to Miami?

[Momma_bear]

Originally Posted by ruski

Manatee Bay elementary in Weston is a great school

We are zoned for Manatee Bay. My son attends the charter school. Many of my neighbors do not like Manatee Bay. They say the office staff is nasty. They say the teachers are overwhelmed. They say there is a hectic feel to the school.

[tankev]

Chelsa1075
I do live in Weston but I have only been here for 5 months. We lived in an apartment in Weston for the first 2 months. We are one of the families who actually purchased a home during this crazy time. But we are happy we did. As I said Weston is a planned community unlike anything I have see up north. Florida is known for them. There is plenty of shopping, dining and outdoor activities. We have a very nice town center that my middle schooler and high schooler can ride bikes to. In fact I would feel comfortable letting them ride their bike almost everywhere here. The elementary and middle school kids ride or walk to school. For me the area seems to have a home town feel which is rare in FL. All my neighbors have been very friendly and there is a great mix of diversity. My kids go to Tequesta Trace Middle and Western High (Cypress Bay is capped all new kids on our end of town go to the Davie High School. He really enjoys it.) So far the schools compare well to the northern schools. I am happy with how my kids are adjusting.
I really can't tell you anything about Coral Springs other to say that is about 15 minutes north of Weston. I have driven through and it looks very nice.
My husband commutes to Miami (Coconut Grove) everyday. On average it takes him 45 min. For some reason he doesn't mind it. (again, he has only been doing it for 5 months)
So far we do enjoy Weston. My husband was actually the one who wanted to live here. He said compared to Miami it was very peaceful.
Seriously, focus on getting a job first. Then find a realtor to take you to the areas you are considering. Keep in mind that if you want to get into most of the neighborhoods in Weston, you will need a realtor as they are gated. Good luck and don't be worried. Just find that job!

[tonyc]

Tankev - did u guys look into Soutwest Ranches before you bought? And if you did, what was the determining factor of choosing Weston over SW?

TIA

[tankev]

Tonyc,
No we never did only because our realtor out of Miami and family members that know the area never mentioned Southwest Ranches. According to our realtor we needed to stick to Weston in Broward and Palmetto Bay in Dade. I would have also looked at Cooper City. For us, I am glad we chose Weston. My son would have killed me if he had to mow the yards in the other areas in the summer! I would suggest to others to look at SW Ranches, Cooper City and parts of Davie along with Weston. If someone wants more land, the first 3 mentioned are the places to be.