Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Long is a safe campus, whether your concern is knifes or facebook. I wouldn't worry about those issues at Long more than anywhere else. I will remind you, in case you have forgotten, that middle school sucks
Omg, did you purposely try to find the most hideous homes in the Lakewood/ Long/ Woodrow feeder? Op, look north of Mockingbird where homes are much less expensive and you can find an updated 3/2 or 4/2 in your price range.
OP, If you are interested in IB program then Richardson's 75082 pocket would be a great choice. Plano's IB Academy is housed in that area's senior high school and Health Academy in located on junior high school's campus, STEAM school, community college and UTD aren't that far either. These are great options to have.
Plano doesn't offer the Middle Years Programme. Neither does Richardson (nor Diploma Programme). That's why Long becoming an IB MYP school is such a big deal -- there aren't many. See TIBS - Texas International Baccalaureate Schools. After Long, Woodrow offers IBCC as well as the Diploma Programme. Only 36 schools in the nation offer IBCC: IBCC Schools in North America
I live in Lakewood, and I'm surprised with the 80% figure of Lakewood Elementary going to Long. We live in Lakewood, and for many reasons, have decided to go private (though Woodrow is a possibility once we are at that stage). Our reasons for going private are mostly gripes with public school in general: year long myopic focus on testing, and the overcrowding. My daughter is adopted and the large size and small modular units at Lakewood really put her off as she feels more secure and less overwhelmed in small environments....I think because she spent her early years at a large, rather impersonal, orphanage in another country.
Many of our neighbors attend Lakewood and Woodrow. It feels like less go to Long, but this is ancedotal. I would also say there is a fair percentage that are in private schools all along, so are never in Lakewood Elementary. On my block, the majority of kids attend private school, but this might not be typical.
We are in a small private school, my daughter is in 4th grade. We got 6 new kids this year transferring in from Lakewood Elementary....I know at least two families that knew they would not send their kids to Long, and so left early. I think a number of famillies don't stay through 6th grade at Lakewood, as the good privates open up spots in 5th grade.
Just from the perspective of a mom with school age kids, it seems like most families leave DISD during the middle school years, or their parents are very pro public school choice and the kids go to Long. When I ask these families if they are happy with Long, they always reply "it's middle school, what do you want?"
I hope Long improves with the IB program, I am rooting for it. But not enough to send my kid there in the next couple of years.
Many white students leave Lakewood Elem. and Stonewall prior to the 5th grade. There are 235 white K students at Lakewood and Stonewall this year, but only 107 white 5th graders at both. There are 93 white 6th graders at this year at JL Long. You also get a few white 6th grade students at Long from Lee, Lipscomb, Mt. Auburn, and out of feeder pattern transfers. I would guess that together, Lee, Lipscomb, Mt. Auburn, and transfers add up to around 20 white students coming in to Long. So, about 73 white 6th graders coming out of Lakewood Elem. and Stonewall. It's a bit apples to oranges because of year to year changes, but assuming the trend is stable, 73 of 107 white 5th graders move on from Stonewall and Lakewood Elem. to JL Long. But, most white kids starting K at Lakewood Elem. or Stonewall will not be around for 5th grade elem. or 6th grade at Long.
To the OP, Long is a middle school in transition. Long has been on a 4 or 5 year upswing, with the upswing accelerating in the past two years. Four of the six feeders into Long (Lee, Lipscomb, Stonewall, and Lakewood) are good elementary schools. Lee, in particular, is much improved over the past few years. Mount Auburn (K-3) and Mata (4-5) are okay, but need improvement.
Long's IB program and pre AP classes have solid teachers and good students interested in learning. The non pre AP classes and non IB classes are hit and miss, but overall still struggling. Long has a solid base of upper/middle class white and middle class hispanic families, about 20% each. The remaining 60% are mainly working class hispanic families, most of whom qualify for free or reduced lunch and are in sheltered English/language arts courses.
I wouldn't pay much attention to greatschools.org. Most of the comments about Long are super negative or positive. Long is in Dallas' best feeder patter, going in to DISD's best comprehensive high school, Woodrow Wilson. But, Long is a school with plenty of issues. Overall student achievement is lower than it should be, even with the high number of poor and ESL students. The DISD central admin. is awful, and the Woodrow feeder pattern doesn't get the support or capital investment it deserves from DISD.
I think Long works best for families that can roll with the punches and who are not expecting the perfect middle school experience. There is a good education to be had, but you have to seek it out and be proactive. Long doesn't feel like an inner city school or a suburban school, but a diverse neighborhood school with plenty of character and community support.
Long is a safe campus, whether your concern is knifes or facebook. I wouldn't worry about those issues at Long more than anywhere else. I will remind you, in case you have forgotten, that middle school sucks
Couldn't agree more, which is why, frankly, I worry about middle school more than either elementary or high school. I should say that I do not want my kids to be overprotected weaklings. I have worked hard at getting them to stand up for themselves and their friends. So episodes of bullying do not worry me as long as the general disciplinary atmosphere is not lax.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lakewooder
About the best area to look in that price range is University Terrace https://www.city-data.com/neighborhoo...Dallas-TX.html (Lakewood Elementary) between Fisher and Northwest Highway. I see listings on Wake Forest, Clemson, Bennington and Rutgers for $250-$300K. Unless you like Craftsman Bungalows (which will probably need work), then I would suggest Junius Heights Junius Heights Neighborhood (Lipscomb Elementary). I also see a couple of the smaller homes on Ravendale in Caruth Terrace Caruth Terrace, Dallas - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (Stonewall Jackson Elementary) in that range.
Any of those would probably be a better investment than the other areas mentioned. Prices are still rising in East Dallas/Lakewood and I see no end in sight. Even if you don't make any improvements you can sell for tear-down value in the future if you are in an area with no restrictions...crazy, I know...
Thanks for these great suggestions. I had noticed that East Dallas seems to be the better investment, compared to Richardson or elsewhere. That does add to the attraction, as do your descriptions of the neighborhood character and your pictures! Long and Wilson are beautiful schools; they remind me of my older alma mater, G.W. in Alexandria, VA.
I will check these areas.
Quote:
Originally Posted by TurtleCreek80
Omg, did you purposely try to find the most hideous homes in the Lakewood/ Long/ Woodrow feeder? Op, look north of Mockingbird where homes are much less expensive and you can find an updated 3/2 or 4/2 in your price range.
7125 Haverford (contract pending. Not on realtor.com anymore)
There are over a dozen homes for sale in those neighborhoods that could meet your needs.
I did think that I had come across a few possibilites, but I am not always sure where neighborhoods begin and end. Thanks for pointing me in a good direction.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lakewooder
Plano doesn't offer the Middle Years Programme. Neither does Richardson (nor Diploma Programme). That's why Long becoming an IB MYP school is such a big deal -- there aren't many. See TIBS - Texas International Baccalaureate Schools. After Long, Woodrow offers IBCC as well as the Diploma Programme. Only 36 schools in the nation offer IBCC: IBCC Schools in North America
The IB program is a big draw, as I mentioned. We currently live abroad, and all my kids were born abroad. They are tri-lingual and the program seems a good fit for our experience (at least as much as I can judge for their age). The financial benefits it offers are hard to beat. I know from experience, having used my 5 AP credits + one stint at summer school to earn me a year of college credit.
Quote:
Originally Posted by BellaO
I live in Lakewood, and I'm surprised with the 80% figure of Lakewood Elementary going to Long. We live in Lakewood, and for many reasons, have decided to go private (though Woodrow is a possibility once we are at that stage). Our reasons for going private are mostly gripes with public school in general: year long myopic focus on testing, and the overcrowding. My daughter is adopted and the large size and small modular units at Lakewood really put her off as she feels more secure and less overwhelmed in small environments....I think because she spent her early years at a large, rather impersonal, orphanage in another country.
Many of our neighbors attend Lakewood and Woodrow. It feels like less go to Long, but this is ancedotal. I would also say there is a fair percentage that are in private schools all along, so are never in Lakewood Elementary. On my block, the majority of kids attend private school, but this might not be typical.
We are in a small private school, my daughter is in 4th grade. We got 6 new kids this year transferring in from Lakewood Elementary....I know at least two families that knew they would not send their kids to Long, and so left early. I think a number of famillies don't stay through 6th grade at Lakewood, as the good privates open up spots in 5th grade.
Just from the perspective of a mom with school age kids, it seems like most families leave DISD during the middle school years, or their parents are very pro public school choice and the kids go to Long. When I ask these families if they are happy with Long, they always reply "it's middle school, what do you want?"
I hope Long improves with the IB program, I am rooting for it. But not enough to send my kid there in the next couple of years.
This information is extremely useful, and what I was hoping to find out. Individual experiences will not tell the whole story, I realize, but you are there on the spot and know better what is going on than greatschools.org.
Quote:
Originally Posted by LakeDad
To the OP, Long is a middle school in transition. Long has been on a 4 or 5 year upswing, with the upswing accelerating in the past two years. Four of the six feeders into Long (Lee, Lipscomb, Stonewall, and Lakewood) are good elementary schools. Lee, in particular, is much improved over the past few years. Mount Auburn (K-3) and Mata (4-5) are okay, but need improvement.
Long's IB program and pre AP classes have solid teachers and good students interested in learning. The non pre AP classes and non IB classes are hit and miss, but overall still struggling. Long has a solid base of upper/middle class white and middle class hispanic families, about 20% each. The remaining 60% are mainly working class hispanic families, most of whom qualify for free or reduced lunch and are in sheltered English/language arts courses.
I wouldn't pay much attention to greatschools.org. Most of the comments about Long are super negative or positive. Long is in Dallas' best feeder patter, going in to DISD's best comprehensive high school, Woodrow Wilson. But, Long is a school with plenty of issues. Overall student achievement is lower than it should be, even with the high number of poor and ESL students. The DISD central admin. is awful, and the Woodrow feeder pattern doesn't get the support or capital investment it deserves from DISD.
I think Long works best for families that can roll with the punches and who are not expecting the perfect middle school experience. There is a good education to be had, but you have to seek it out and be proactive. Long doesn't feel like an inner city school or a suburban school, but a diverse neighborhood school with plenty of character and community support.
Sorry to hear about DISD central admin., although I don't find it hugely surprising. I have to deal with the big bureaucracy administering to our schools where we live now and it is always a painful experience. This is probably a place where RISD and PISD have an advantage -- they are smaller. In any case, I am very glad to have all of these helpful opinions. Many thanks!
Being IB schools gives Long and Woodrow certain autonomy from the administration.That is one of the reasons http://www.woodrowfoundation.org/ is trying to implement this in several of the schools. The next targets are Lee and Lipscomb Elementaries. As I mentioned before, Mata is being turned into a montessori magnet next fall solely for the Long-Woodrow attendance zone.
As far as capital investment, Woodrow and Long just received $20 million in renovations from the last DISD bond program. Woodrow got a $14 million, 40,000 square foot arts and science wing. About 6-7 years ago, Long got a large sixth grade wing - I believe that was about $8 million.
Regarding languages, Long has two Mandarin teachers and offers American Sign Language as Stonewall, Long and Woodrow house the regional school for the deaf. You are able to complete part of your foreign language requirements for high school while still at Long and I have heard that is not the case at other middle schools. IB MYP curriculum documents are in English, French, Spanish and Chinese. Upcoming IB trips at Long are to Philadelphia, Spain and Costa Rica.
Last edited by Lakewooder; 12-12-2013 at 10:23 AM..
If you want to get another look, the Woodrow choir and cheerleaders are performing from 6:30 to 8:30 pm Friday (12/13) along with Studio B (a dance studio featuring many young girls from Lakewood - director is Bessie Waddill, Woodrow '02). On Saturday at 7 pm, (12/14) Woodrow Dance Theater and the Woodrow Sweethearts drill team will perform. Both performances are in the North Court at North Park between the theaters and Nordstrom. Woodrow's dance program is the largest in Dallas (including the Arts Magnet, Booker T. Washington) and it has the largest drill team - 100 members.
There will be many parents milling around if you want to talk with them...
I've heard people talking about Mata going Montessori PK-8 soon (next year)? Maybe that would add another alternative for people around this area.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
