High School and Upgrading (Evanston, Buffalo Grove: house, landscaping, established neighborhood)

[homewifeev]

Hello Everyone,

I have lived in Evanston, Illinois for over 20 years. I have really enjoyed the time I have spent here in Evanston. My only child was born here and my husband graduated from college here. I bought my first home here in 1990, then a year after my son was born we moved to a large home where we live today. My son is in seventh grade at Roycemore School he is doing very well there. Originally we had him in the Evanston Public School System but we found poor results and large class sizes. Now that he is beginning his entrance to High School he has decided to transition back into public schools. I have heard many good stories about kids from Evanston Township and some very horrific ones. I have heard about gang activity at ETHS and drug problems. It also astonished me when the former Evanston police chief was brought in to be head of security. I was reading over the Illinois State School Report Cards and was very impressed by the numbers at New Trier and Stevenson. My only problem with Stevenson is that it would mean a much longer commute as to only adding a couple of minutes if we move to New Trier Township. Earlier today we went to a open house in Wilmette and we really liked the house. It was 1631 Washington Avenue in McKenzie Square. It was really sunny and spacious, I loved the backyard and landscaping. The bedrooms were nice and large and very sunny. It had 4 Bedrooms and 4.5 Bathrooms and a big basement with an extra bedroom. I felt that the home was a little overprice at $1,465,000 though. It also was nto close to the lake. I was wondering if anyone has had any experience with Evanston Township, New Trier, or Stevenson. I want facts and information on the high schools. I am also interested in upgrading my home. I would like neighborhood information and if possible home listings. I am leaning towards Wilmette right now. I am interested in spending $1,000,000 to $1,500,000 and I would like 4 Bedrooms and at least 3.5 Bathrooms and at least 3500 square feet. I would also like recommendations and comments.

Thank You!

[homewifeev]

I see that nine people have looked at my post but none have replied.

Any Help you can give will be much appreciated.

[Bogey]

Check out greatschools.net, there are 13 reviews of ETHS that you might find helpful. I don't have facts or details about the high schools you mention, just hearsay from friends and neighbors. One coworker of mine has 1 son at ETHS and one who graduated from there and is now in his 2nd year of college and she has good things to say about their high school experience.
Good luck in your decision making process.

[homewifeev]

That is very interesting! Thank You Very Much Bogey

[ahava]

I teach at Stevenson so I feel compelled to respond, even though it sounds like New Trier would be a better fit for you based on the reasons you've already given (closer to Evanston, shorter commute, etc.). I think you could get a larger home (definitely a newer home) in the Stevenson district. Some similarities and differences between the two schools: Stevenson has just under 4500 students - a lot of people are shocked when they hear this - but the campus is huge, and there are almost 300 teachers. The official average class size is 15, but for most classes it's around 20. New Trier has over 4000 students and two separate campuses - one for freshmen and one for sophomores/juniors/seniors. Having just one campus does a lot to unify the student body. Much of how the schools are run is the same because Stevenson looked to New Trier for a model of a highly successful school. Gangs and drugs are not a problem here. We have security guards (non-threatening ones: retirees and students' moms) who really enforce the rules. Stevenson has one of the best AP programs in the country. The school does so well academically because the teachers are held to a very high standard. There is constant pressure on us to improve our teaching practices and share strategies that work. We have meetings all the time to discuss what's working, what isn't, and how to help our students learn. I know I would have a lot more free time if I taught somewhere else, but I really enjoy working here, and so do most of my colleagues.

You also asked about neighborhoods...I believe the New Trier district is all older, established neighborhoods. The nicest part of the Stevenson district is Long Grove, in my opinion. Long Grove has a very cute historic downtown, with several festivals every year. Except for the traffic it still has a rural feel, partially because the zoning laws in the town are that residential lots must be one acre or larger. There's a lot of open space there and in Hawthorn Woods and Kildeer - small towns that are basically extensions of Long Grove. Buffalo Grove is very much typical suburbia. There's a Wal-Mart and a Target in Buffalo Grove, and many locally-owned restaurants. There aren't many other large chains or big-box stores but that's starting to change. Lincolnshire is nice too; it's very wooded. They've been trying for years to establish a downtown area but it's nothing compared to Long Grove's.

[nanannie]

You have responses on your other post that you have not acknowledged .Regarding the open house and
housing comments,wouldnt a realtor be able to answer these instead of posting on this forum.?Iwas suprised you are in Evanston,bythe questions you asked in your previous post,it sounded like you were from out of state.It seems you could get in your car and go to the schools yourself and also get a realtor ,as counting how many people view your posts sounds like you are a bit rushed for answers

[homewifeev]

Hi Nanannie,

I don't have a realtor right now because my home is undergoing renovation to get ready for a sell. I am a locum tenens surgeon working 90% of the time in Ohio, and the other 10% working at my Evanston office, so I do not get much time to look around. I would appreciate anyone who replies to this post reply with information not critiques.

Thanks