2200 SF foot house Maine East school Districts vs 1200 SF house New Trier district for family of 5?

[G in MP]

Originally Posted by MSchemist80

Maine East does also serve the unincorporated area of Des Plaines east of 294 which is fairly ghetto. That is where a lot of the disadvantaged students come from. But as I said the better students separate into the better classes though there are general required classes like gym and government where they mix.

MS, what year were ya? Bay colony apartments west of Potter rd, you mean? I remember Dee rd area also. Back in the 90's, I wouldn't say it was really ghetto, maybe ghetto...ish. I suppose areas could change fairly fast though. Driving around there lately, looks basically the same, but then again I didn't go down side streets.

[MSchemist80]

I graduated 1999. The whole area between Potter, Golf, Dempster, and Greenwood especially around Dee Park seems crappy, but not Englewood type crappy like the 53-Rand-Dundee Triangle in Palatine type crappy. There was a gang/drug shooting a few years back.

[UMN2BE]

I went to a so-so high school in the (gasp) south suburbs. Average ACT score at the time was around 19-20ish maybe.

It was almost like three different schools in one building: the 15% studious types who took all honors and AP classes, the middle 70% who did so-so, and the bottom 15% who took remedial classes and caused the bulk of the problems at the school. I was in the top group and hardly ever interacted with anyone of the other groups except during physical education class.

IMO as long as the school offers a decent selection of AP classes (Bio, Chem, Physics, Calculus AB/BC, English Language, History), after-school clubs, decent band/orchestra program, etc. you should be fine. Of my classmates there are many MDs, PhDs, successful attorneys, bankers, entrepreneurs etc.

I never found being at a so-so high school to be at a disadvantage but I was fairly motivated and hounded by my parents to keep my grades up. In fact I probably did better because of less competition and more relaxed environment.

Oddly enough, the two people I know that went to New Trier have done very "so so" in their careers. One works as a typical cook county pencil-pushing bureaucrat in some agency, another is a car salesman. Nothing wrong with either of those jobs but spending a fortune on a home in an elite high school doesn't necessarily guarantee success. It may be better to spend that money on tutors, summer courses, books, test prep classes, travel abroad etc. instead.

[fusillirob1983]

Originally Posted by UMN2BE

I went to a so-so high school in the (gasp) south suburbs. Average ACT score at the time was around 19-20ish maybe.

It was almost like three different schools in one building: the 15% studious types who took all honors and AP classes, the middle 70% who did so-so, and the bottom 15% who took remedial classes and caused the bulk of the problems at the school. I was in the top group and hardly ever interacted with anyone of the other groups except during physical education class.

IMO as long as the school offers a decent selection of AP classes (Bio, Chem, Physics, Calculus AB/BC, English Language, History), after-school clubs, decent band/orchestra program, etc. you should be fine. Of my classmates there are many MDs, PhDs, successful attorneys, bankers, entrepreneurs etc.

I never found being at a so-so high school to be at a disadvantage but I was fairly motivated and hounded by my parents to keep my grades up. In fact I probably did better because of less competition and more relaxed environment.

Oddly enough, the two people I know that went to New Trier have done very "so so" in their careers. One works as a typical cook county pencil-pushing bureaucrat in some agency, another is a car salesman. Nothing wrong with either of those jobs but spending a fortune on a home in an elite high school doesn't necessarily guarantee success. It may be better to spend that money on tutors, summer courses, books, test prep classes, travel abroad etc. instead.

Perfectly describes my south suburban HS as well.

[pvande55]

You know you will pay through the nose to get in a top school district. I would go with the smaller house in New Trier. I'm sure that is still more space per person than the average resident of New York City.

[Chicagoisthebest]

Originally Posted by Hiruko

Old thread, but this is nonsense, for the record. Maine East is just as top-notch as New Trier and the other north suburban districts. Park Ridge is a lovely area with a housing stock that is reasonably comparable to Wilmette. These are public schools—no grounds to be snobbish about them.

Just because Maine east is in the suburbs does not mean it is good and Maine east does not serve park ridge and new trier is way better check the average act scores do some research

[Chicagoisthebest]

Old thread?Maine east is worst than it used to be.But I do agree with park ridge schools are similar to wilmette schools.