Top schools in CDA/Sandpoint areas (homes, best school, college)

[blockzilla]

Hi all,

As the title says what do you think or know are the top K-12, public or private schools in the area from CDA to Sandpoint and in between? We're considering a move, love the general area, and schools for our kids (ages 9 and 7) are important to us so I'd love to hear which public/private schools and districts are considered the best and why.

I've done some searching and found tidbits hear and there about specific schools, that maybe Sandpoint public is in general better than CDA public, etc. but I've yet to find a thread like this that summarizes the best options, public or private, of the entire area.

Thanks so much in advance!

[jberdik2173]

Good Morning-

I too am curious. To your point, it seems Lake Pend Oreille School District is the best with Dalton Elementary being the best in CDA.

Thanks for posting.

[Cnynrat]

I don't have kids, so I don't have any personal experience with the schools up here.

There is a lot of data on this site put up by the state: School Accountability & Assessment

You can drill down to see data on achievement, graduation rates, etc. for individual schools. Perhaps that might help with your assessment.

Dave

[mistyriver]

One thing to keep in mind is that Idaho is second to last in the nation for school funding.
That shows.
I don’t know much about CDA school but Sandpoint (Lake pend Oreille school district) is far better than West Bonner SD where my two daughters went to school. One started in the district at 8th grade so already had a good start and the youngest I pulled out to homeschool for four years for a far more academically rigorous curriculum. She returned for high school but took Most classes online so she could access AP classes thru the state. Both kids turned out well, have college degrees.
One is a CPA and the other is finishing up law school.
Still...it was like banging our heads against the wall for years with the schools.
I have noticed that a lot of people posting here over the years with kids also homeschool.

Education is just not a huge priority in Idaho.



But lots of other great things about the state!

[Sandpointian]

Originally Posted by blockzilla

Hi all,

As the title says what do you think or know are the top K-12, public or private schools in the area from CDA to Sandpoint and in between? We're considering a move, love the general area, and schools for our kids (ages 9 and 7) are important to us so I'd love to hear which public/private schools and districts are considered the best and why.

I've done some searching and found tidbits hear and there about specific schools, that maybe Sandpoint public is in general better than CDA public, etc. but I've yet to find a thread like this that summarizes the best options, public or private, of the entire area.

Thanks so much in advance!

I strongly suggest you search your soul as to what constitutes a good life, look at your kids, and look in the mirror and your own ambitions to determine your criteria for "the best school" before searching for schools. I would say that for anywhere, not just CDA/SP.

One can get into a stat battle, though that is really not interesting.

What I liked most about Sandpoint schools was their balance and warmth. It is a throw back to schools in the 1960s and early 1970s. I also like the lack of rushing and atmosphere of high pressure.

That said, there is a cost to the positives, namely a lack of higher end courses or social offerings found at elite schools or wealth school districts. However, I think those costs are outweighed by the overall benefits of the school and community.

For whom is Sandpoint a misfit. Kids with high needs. They do a good job, but funds are so limited. Super type A or ambitious students who are not self-motivated. Go to the CDA Charter Academy if you want that. High end athletes.

For whom is Sandpoint a nice fit. Most everyone else.

I am not sure about CDA schools.

S.

[mistyriver]

Originally Posted by Sandpointian

I strongly suggest you search your soul as to what constitutes a good life, look at your kids, and look in the mirror and your own ambitions to determine your criteria for "the best school" before searching for schools. I would say that for anywhere, not just CDA/SP.

One can get into a stat battle, though that is really not interesting.

What I liked most about Sandpoint schools was their balance and warmth. It is a throw back to schools in the 1960s and early 1970s. I also like the lack of rushing and atmosphere of high pressure.

That said, there is a cost to the positives, namely a lack of higher end courses or social offerings found at elite schools or wealth school districts. However, I think those costs are outweighed by the overall benefits of the school and community.

For whom is Sandpoint a misfit. Kids with high needs. They do a good job, but funds are so limited. Super type A or ambitious students who are not self-motivated. Go to the CDA Charter Academy if you want that. High end athletes.

For whom is Sandpoint a nice fit. Most everyone else.

I am not sure about CDA schools.

S.

Just out of curiosity: how is a “super type A or ambitious kid” ever not self-motivated? That’s pretty much the definition of “type A and ambitious”.

[oregonwoodsmoke]

I don't have kids in local schools. Every child I've had any interaction with in North Idaho has been well mannered and articulate. That might be the schools and it might be the parents and how kids are raised. It is probably a combination of the two.


It's certainly not normal for children in some of the other parts of the country I've been in.


In Idaho, people are expected to take some self-responsibility. That means you can't just turn over your kids to the school system, not pay any attention all, and expect the schools to be 100% responsible for turning your child into a successful citizen.


Pay attention. Make sure your kid understands the lessons and does his homework. Provide some enriching extracurricular activities. If you are actively engaged, your child will come out of the school system properly educated.


Funding for schools is not overly generous. There is no money for a lot of specialized programs. Parents pick up the slack for special students that need special additional work.

[oregonwoodsmoke]

I'm going to add this (not necessarily for the OP, but in general): if a parent is moving in from an area where children are rude, think graffiti is art, kids are smoking cigarettes and pot behind the school , disrespectful of teachers, and other bad behaviors that are not rare in some other parts of the country, then their child is very likely to be ostracized at school and at home.


Parents who work hard to raise good children will not allow their children to associate with troubled disrespectful children.


If your kid has been hanging out with the wrong crowd, moving your child to an area like North Idaho, will not save your child. All you do is to bring bad behavior with you and that behavior is not welcome here.

[blockzilla]

Originally Posted by Sandpointian

I strongly suggest you search your soul as to what constitutes a good life, look at your kids, and look in the mirror and your own ambitions to determine your criteria for "the best school" before searching for schools. I would say that for anywhere, not just CDA/SP.

One can get into a stat battle, though that is really not interesting.

What I liked most about Sandpoint schools was their balance and warmth. It is a throw back to schools in the 1960s and early 1970s. I also like the lack of rushing and atmosphere of high pressure.

That said, there is a cost to the positives, namely a lack of higher end courses or social offerings found at elite schools or wealth school districts. However, I think those costs are outweighed by the overall benefits of the school and community.

For whom is Sandpoint a misfit. Kids with high needs. They do a good job, but funds are so limited. Super type A or ambitious students who are not self-motivated. Go to the CDA Charter Academy if you want that. High end athletes.

For whom is Sandpoint a nice fit. Most everyone else.

I am not sure about CDA schools.

S.

Thanks for all the feedback! I think my main criteria would be for a school (mostly) full of children who are actively parented and that take an interest in the childs education. That usually translates into good achievement. More than achievement though I want good people with good values more similar to my own upbringing than where I live now (socal). I grew up very poor in a rural Michigan community where the school would've been considered "bad" by most standards, kids didn't go to college (I was one of 2 out of 50 kids in our class that did), there were ZERO opportunities for academic or arts extracurriculars, and the school experience was entirely centered around the high school football team.

Where we are now is megacity socal where its the exact opposite of that to an extreme with competitiveness, socially more than anything. I'm an engineering nerd and not "cool" and my kids probably aren't going to be either, and that is everything here. I'm looking for a healthy medium for my kids - smaller town values, but also at least some modicum of success and ambition to do something in life after high school.

Where I grew up the private Catholic school was where that type of experience was found, but maybe I'm taking the comments about "education not being a priority in Idaho" too literally and the schools actually arent that bad?

Bottom line is that i know test scores and what ranks as the "best school" aren't everything, but at least they are something. I just want them to have a reasonable chance to do what they want in life, and have more opportunity to find passion in life that I had, whether that is being a doctor, artist, farmer, engineer or carpenter.

[jberdik2173]

OP-

I too am looking around CdA/Sandpoint and was wondering if you had stumbled upon any good resources outside of the thread? I was looking on Niche... and found it to be rather insightful. I'll preface by saying that I recognize education isn't everything but it is difficult to move from a school district that is in the top 1% in the country to an area that generally struggles in that category.

Thanks in advance!

Justin