best shaker school (Cleveland, Parma, Euclid: crime, houses, neighborhoods)

[floss_k]

Any feedback about the individual Shaker elementary schools? Strengths/weaknesses? Are they all teachinga second language?

[WRnative]

Check out the Ohio Department of Education school report cards. Keep in mind that these are considered very biased, especially the "improvement" rankings.


https://reportcard.education.ohio.gov/


Check out Greatschools.org.


https://www.greatschools.org/search/...aker%20Heights


Call the SH Board of Education with any specific curriculum questions, or contact school principals.


One interesting difference is that Fernway has been rebuilt and modernized following a major fire. Fernway is a very family friendly neighborhood.


https://www.cleveland.com/community/...-concerns.html

[ferraris]

Originally Posted by floss_k

Any feedback about the individual Shaker elementary schools? Strengths/weaknesses? Are they all teaching a second language?

All of the schools currently teach Mandarin, but that is going to be changed to Spanish.

I don't think any of the schools are seen as especially bad or good relative to each other. They all seem to have pretty strong boosters.

The districts are pretty well balanced demographically, though this can result in some geographic oddities like the Moreland neighborhood feeding to Mercer elementary, or portions of Lomond feeding to Fernway instead of Lomond.

I'd recommend joining one of the Shaker Heights or Neighborhood facebook groups if you have specific questions.

[dr_j_planning]

Here is a breakdown of the racial/ethnic composition of Shaker Heights elementary school students based on the FALL 2019 enrollment count from the Ohio Department of Education (Enrollment Data | Ohio Department of Education). Fall 2020 count data should be available by February 2021:

BOULEVARD
45% Black
34% White
10% Mixed
8% Asian
3% Latino

FERNWAY
49% White
35% Black
9% Mixed
5% Latino
3% Asian

LOMOND
59% Black
25% White
11% Mixed
3% Latino
1% Asian

MERCER
44% White
40% Black
8% Mixed
5% Latino
1% Asian

ONAWAY
57% White
28% Black
10% Mixed
3% Asian
1% Latino

Current Shaker Heights elementary school district attendance map: https://www.shaker.org/Downloads/Sha...rict%20Map.pdf

Hope this helps!

DR J

[cubsguy81]

Originally Posted by ferraris

All of the schools currently teach Mandarin, but that is going to be changed to Spanish.

Ah yes. Another prediction gone wrong that China would rule the world and our kids better learn Mandarin. Turns out the Chinese learn English from a young age because it is the worldwide language of business. Nothing wrong with learning a second language, and Spanish is most useful here in the US, but let's stop pretending that we will become a bi-lingual country and schools telling students it is the basis for imploring a second language. It's about as useful as gemoetry therems.

[dr_j_planning]

Originally Posted by cubsguy81

Ah yes. Another prediction gone wrong that China would rule the world and our kids better learn Mandarin. Turns out the Chinese learn English from a young age because it is the worldwide language of business. Nothing wrong with learning a second language, and Spanish is most useful here in the US, but let's stop pretending that we will become a bi-lingual country and schools telling students it is the basis for imploring a second language. It's about as useful as gemoetry therems.

And spelling?

[m1dwestcon]

I went to Onaway, but that was almost 15 years ago and looking at the rankings and statistical information it’s the best elementary school in Shaker Heights. That being said, as someone who grew up there and spent all but the last two years of high school in Shaker Heights’ public schools, I’d say that if great schools are your priority there are better places to look in Cleveland than Shaker; it’s not a bad place to live by any means but I do think that it is a really overrated suburb. There are a few really nice enclaves but mostly it runs the gamut between average and sort of sketchy depending on where you are and in terms of educational quality and atmosphere the schools in Shaker Heights are more like good urban schools instead of being good suburban schools and so have a lot of city school type problems.

[TheProf]

Originally Posted by m1dwestcon

I went to Onaway, but that was almost 15 years ago and looking at the rankings and statistical information it’s the best elementary school in Shaker Heights. That being said, as someone who grew up there and spent all but the last two years of high school in Shaker Heights’ public schools, I’d say that if great schools are your priority there are better places to look in Cleveland than Shaker; it’s not a bad place to live by any means but I do think that it is a really overrated suburb. There are a few really nice enclaves but mostly it runs the gamut between average and sort of sketchy depending on where you are and in terms of educational quality and atmosphere the schools in Shaker Heights are more like good urban schools instead of being good suburban schools and so have a lot of city school type problems.

Wow, I couldn't disagree with you more. A few "really nice enclaves?"... Try every street north of Fernway, which spans much of the width of the 6 sq/mile suburb; and those areas aren't just "really nice" ... they are among the most attractive and desirable in the nation, esp for a close-in suburb. And practically anywhere else in Shaker provides considerably above "average" living in terms of neighborhood and housing quality -- put those neighborhoods up against any "average" suburb, even in greater Cleveland; say, South Euclid, Parma, North Olmsted ... Then consider, say, University Heights, which I consider above average, and still, many would consider those (south of Fernway) Shaker neighborhoods considerably better. And as for "sketchy," besides the much-derided Moreland neighborhood -- a small corner of the suburb west of Lee Rd and south of Chagrin; OK, perhaps -- but even here, I question your definition of "sketchy." ... Do you mean rundown houses -- no, Moreland doesn't have rundown houses, thanks to strict Shaker housing codes. Many houses aren't fancy in this area, and often are similar to those across the Cleveland border -- there are a number of 'Cleveland Doubles' and other middle/working class wood-frames, but still, neat and well kept.

I don't know the crime stats per se, but even then, compared to other pretty average suburbs, like say Euclid, I'd say even Moreland is better.

As for the schools, what do you mean by "city school" type problems? It's ridiculous to state or imply that, somehow, Shaker schools can't even compete with other quality suburban schools, when college placement still hovers around 90%, and test scores, AP and student equipment, services, extra-curriculars match many private schools.

So I have no idea what you're looking at or talking about. Please explain...

[ferraris]

Originally Posted by TheProf

Wow, I couldn't disagree with you more. A few "really nice enclaves?"... Try every street north of Fernway, which spans much of the width of the 6 sq/mile suburb; and those areas aren't just "really nice" ... they are among the most attractive and desirable in the nation, esp for a close-in suburb. And practically anywhere else in Shaker provides considerably above "average" living in terms of neighborhood and housing quality -- put those neighborhoods up against any "average" suburb, even in greater Cleveland; say, South Euclid, Parma, North Olmsted ... Then consider, say, University Heights, which I consider above average, and still, many would consider those (south of Fernway) Shaker neighborhoods considerably better. And as for "sketchy," besides the much-derided Moreland neighborhood -- a small corner of the suburb west of Lee Rd and south of Chagrin; OK, perhaps -- but even here, I question your definition of "sketchy." ... Do you mean rundown houses -- no, Moreland doesn't have rundown houses, thanks to strict Shaker housing codes. Many houses aren't fancy in this area, and often are similar to those across the Cleveland border -- there are a number of 'Cleveland Doubles' and other middle/working class wood-frames, but still, neat and well kept.

I don't know the crime stats per se, but even then, compared to other pretty average suburbs, like say Euclid, I'd say even Moreland is better.

Hard agree! Shaker has a very high ceiling with the million dollar mansions, but the floor is really "middle class". As a visible but somewhat arbitrary metric, you'll see snow removal and lawn care services operating all throughout the city, not just the mansions.

Sussex, Lomond, Moreland, and Ludlow really get an undue amount of flak simply because they're contrasted against North Park or Shaker Blvd. However these are still solidly middle class and upper middle class neighborhoods. Reading the Shaker police blotter is typically downright boring.

M1dwestcon may have a point about proximity to some sketchiness on parts of the border with Cleveland that can offer a pretty stark contrast with Shaker, but even that's not true for the entire boundary between Shaker and Cleveland.

[TheProf]

Originally Posted by ferraris

Hard agree! Shaker has a very high ceiling with the million dollar mansions, but the floor is really "middle class". As a visible but somewhat arbitrary metric, you'll see snow removal and lawn care services operating all throughout the city, not just the mansions.

Sussex, Lomond, Moreland, and Ludlow really get an undue amount of flak simply because they're contrasted against North Park or Shaker Blvd. However these are still solidly middle class and upper middle class neighborhoods. Reading the Shaker police blotter is typically downright boring.

M1dwestcon may have a point about proximity to some sketchiness on parts of the border with Cleveland that can offer a pretty stark contrast with Shaker, but even that's not true for the entire boundary between Shaker and Cleveland.

Yes, and it isn't even just North Park, where some of the largest mansions exist (in/around that street)... Look at South Woodland, which slices all the way through east-to-west the upper mid-section of Shaker... While most So. Woodland mansions aren't quite on the level of North or South Park, most are huge; with a bunch with their backs directly on the Shaker Lakes (with canoe-piers) and/or the Country Club. I don't have to take visitors to South Park... Just a drive along South Woodland knocks their socks off.