Where to live within 20 min of palatine for 500k (Buffalo Grove: neighborhoods, magnet schools)

[leroy217]

Yeah, I really don't know much about the schools here. I was just bringing Hoffman and Wheeling up because I've never seen any bad areas anywhere north of I-90. Since I've moved up here, it seems like every little suburban town looks the same as far as homes, greenspace, etc. IMO I guess I have to live here for a while, and have kids to have a full grasp on "suburban living"

[cubssoxfan]

Originally Posted by Crede's Crew

Yes, for that budget stay out of Wheeling and Hoffman. Stick with Palatine, Deerfield, Glenview, or Arlington Heights. I wish we have that kind of budget. We have to go out all the way to Gurnee to get a decent house when we really want to be in Glenview or Park Ridge

Yet if I pick the right sections of Wheeling, it is comparable to Gurnee and closer. Be careful not to paint with such a broad brush, it leads into inaccuracies.
What part of Wheeling do I consider more desirable? Most of the neighborhoods that feed into D23 and the D21 sections that feed into Buffalo Grove HS. The high school report cards are not too different between Wheeling and Warren and D23 probably scores better than Gurnee's elementary districts. AND Wheeling is closer to Chicago.

[Crede's Crew]

Originally Posted by cubssoxfan

Yet if I pick the right sections of Wheeling, it is comparable to Gurnee and closer. Be careful not to paint with such a broad brush, it leads into inaccuracies.
What part of Wheeling do I consider more desirable? Most of the neighborhoods that feed into D23 and the D21 sections that feed into Buffalo Grove HS. The high school report cards are not too different between Wheeling and Warren and D23 probably scores better than Gurnee's elementary districts. AND Wheeling is closer to Chicago.

Yes, this is very true. I did say that there are parts of Wheeling that feed into good school districts. I think you have to stay south of Elmhurst Rd. and north of Buffalo Grove Rd. I don't remember the exact cut off anymore. But I remember it was the only area in Wheeling that I was ok with and our realtor recommended.

[cubssoxfan]

Originally Posted by Crede's Crew

Yes, this is very true. I did say that there are parts of Wheeling that feed into good school districts. I think you have to stay south of Elmhurst Rd. and north of Buffalo Grove Rd. I don't remember the exact cut off anymore. But I remember it was the only area in Wheeling that I was ok with and our realtor recommended.

Sorry I missed that, thanks for clarifying.

[wjj]

Originally Posted by Crede's Crew

Yes, this is very true. I did say that there are parts of Wheeling that feed into good school districts. I think you have to stay south of Elmhurst Rd. and north of Buffalo Grove Rd. I don't remember the exact cut off anymore. But I remember it was the only area in Wheeling that I was ok with and our realtor recommended.

Given that BG Road and Rt 83 run north and south, that might be hard to do. I am not sure where the line is either, but it is likely west of BG Road. Probably along the south side of Dundee.

[dogluvr2012]

If schools are important, I would go with anywhere that is a part of the Stevenson High School District. Stevenson and New Trier are rated the best high schools in the state every year.

Parts of Glenview go to New Trier, but it's a bit far from Palatine, but still doable. Parts of Buffalo Grove, Lincolnshire and Deerfield feed into Stevenson and probably some other areas. Lincolnshire is pretty expensive but Buffalo Grove is very affordable.

[copelscope]

Originally Posted by dogluvr2012

If schools are important, I would go with anywhere that is a part of the Stevenson High School District. Stevenson and New Trier are rated the best high schools in the state every year.

Parts of Glenview go to New Trier, but it's a bit far from Palatine, but still doable. Parts of Buffalo Grove, Lincolnshire and Deerfield feed into Stevenson and probably some other areas. Lincolnshire is pretty expensive but Buffalo Grove is very affordable.

There are also parts of Lake Zurich that feed into Stevenson-- might be worth looking into for proximity to Palatine


If something doesn't make sense, I blame autocorrect.

[Crede's Crew]

I think for $500k you can afford something within Stevenson district. I'm not sure about New Trier tho. I myself is looking to get my kids into New Trier. (They are only 1 now so I still have plenty of time to save up.) Anybody know other town that feed into New Trier that is more affordable than Winnetka?

[dogluvr2012]

New Trier is Wilmette, Glenview, Glencoe and Northfield mostly. I grew up in Wilmette when you could buy a house for 100K, lol. My parents sold the house for over 600K a while ago. Anyway, I don't know your price range, but probably the further north you go, the better. Winnetks is very expensive. Here's a link to the district map.
http://www.newtrier.k12.il.us/upload...wnship_map.pdf

I wanted to add that NT split up their campus and the freshman are separate. I have heard from some of my daughter's friends that they hated it and it was kind of strange. My daughter didn't go there, but she had friends that did. My daughter went to Stevenson and I was very impressed with the school overall. Not sure if you have ever been there, but the inside is like a hotel. They have the best looking pool I have ever seen and a professional auditorium. My daughter is a dancer and the dance program was fantastic. They even got to dance in Europe! NT Is a very good school, but I don't think it beats Stevenson in the arts.

[Crede's Crew]

Hey thanks. I graduated from one of the CPS magnet schools but I have been to NT for a sport competition but not Stevenson. We found some houses in Glenview but it falls under Grenbook South. We can't afford NT area right now so we're settling for Warren Towhship. But we hope to move into either NT district or Main South district before our kids reach junior high. My mother suggested that we registered our kids in Park Ridge district using her address, but that sound messy.