Worth moving to Plano/Frisco Texas for kids' education and lower COL? (Dallas: real estate, house)

[priyama]

Hello everyone. We currently live in Braintree and my husband has an option to relocate to Plano, Texas for a job. We have two kids, one in 4th grade and one in 8th grade. They are doing well both socially and academically in schools here. But we have heard that both Plano and Frisco, where we would purchase a house if decide to make the move, have very good secondary education systems and COL there is much lower.
My questions are:
1. Other than the housing cost, is COL really much lower in Plano/Frisco than in Braintree?
2. Are schools in Plano/Frisco better than the schools in Braintree?
Hope those familiar with both areas can share your opinions to help us to decide if we should uproot the kids and make the move or not. Thanks!

--Priya

[izzy2017]

Hi there,

I probably really shouldn't comment because we're moving to the Boston area so I don't know much about Braintree. However, I did live in Plano quite a while ago and have kept up with friends there.

Two things to look out for, the housing costs are very low but the property taxes are much higher than you'd expect. The schools in Plano are HUGE, they divide the schools into 9-10 and 11-12 and each grade has approximately 1500 kids. It doesn't mean they're bad schools, but they are gigantic.

[trevor0101]

I think the big challenge is that Texas in general, particularly in the booming areas like the DFW / Plano area is very oversubscribed, and the infrastructure is bursting. The state is not really investing. TX schools are not really comparable to those in MA. We just take things like that far more seriously here. In TX, academics take short shrift to sports. The thing to keep in mind, is do you want to have Texas kids, or Massachusetts kids. There is no right answer, but there is an answer for you.

[scorpio516]

According to NYT, Braintree is 2.3 grade levels above average. Plano is 1.3 grade levels above average.
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/...-compares.html

Braintree SAT results: 509 tests, 570 R, 583 M.
Plano SAT: 1216 tests, 602 R, 615 M

[dcb175]

Originally Posted by scorpio516

According to NYT, Braintree is 2.3 grade levels above average. Plano is 1.3 grade levels above average.
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/...-compares.html

Braintree SAT results: 509 tests, 570 R, 583 M.
Plano SAT: 1216 tests, 602 R, 615 M

This is really interesting to me. I know nothing about Braintree schools (lived / grew up in Metro West area), but we did live in Dallas for 10 years and Plano schools are considered excellent. The SAT scores line up with what I would have expected, the NY Times analysis not as much (wonder why the divergent results?)

In either case, someone mentioned focus on sports in TX. That is defininitely true. They spend an ungodly amount on football infrastructure (google the Allen HS stadium.) That would never fly in the NE (rightfully). But, as I mentioned, Plano is considered one of the better schools systems in the state.

[bizcuit]

I know that the COL in the Dallas/FW area used to be much lower, but I don't think that is the case anymore. Real estate is booming and prices have sky-rocketed. I used to travel there quite a bit for work and know about the struggles of my colleagues in that office to find affordable housing. Most of them have had to move a fair ways out in order to buy.

That said, it may be less expensive than Braintree, but don't expect it to be a game changer.

ETA: I hope that you are also asking these questions in the appropriate Texas sub-forum.

[chicagoliz]

I have friends from college who were from either Plano or the part of Dallas that has a high school similar to Plano and is one of its "rivals." They liked it well enough, although most no longer live in the Dallas area. If I had to live in the Dallas area, that's probably where I would live. However, I would never, ever move to Texas. I would not be able to take the governor, state legislature, U.S. Congressional delegation (aside from just a couple exceptions) or the churchy atmosphere that pervades the state.

Plus they have tornadoes. And lots of ice.

[camj70]

We currently live in Dallas, have previously lived in Plano and have also lived in other cities. We are making our way to the Boston area this summer. We are looking forward to our kids having a new living experience, with lots of options for winter and summer activities, easy travel to other east coast cities and all the history (and good food) the east coast has to offer.


But we will certainly miss the lower cost of living and the quality of home you can have and maintain for far less in this area. The affordability of the Dallas-Fort Worth area (even with increases in housing costs in the last several years) is still strong for a major city. We have been told to expect that the Boston area will be 25-35% more expensive across the board -including for child care, utilities and groceries.


We did not have kids at the time we lived in Plano, but most all of our neighbors did, many of whom relocated from out of state. The consensus was that the schools are strong with good teachers, but also large as noted by izzy2017. Most of the families seemed comfortable with the size of the schools for older kids, as that allows the schools to offer something for anyone. From chess clubs, to drama, music, and of course, sports.


Overall, as we look at the Boston area, we are excited for a change, but I wouldn't easily pass over an opportunity in Plano without giving it some consideration. The schools are solid, it's a strong job market and the cost of living is lower (but watch out for property taxes). One additional note -as our families are on the coasts and upper Midwest, we have found it convenient to be in the center of the country with two airports and lots of flight options.

[bjimmy24]

Sounds like a good move.

[camj70]

Originally Posted by chicagoliz

I have friends from college who were from either Plano or the part of Dallas that has a high school similar to Plano and is one of its "rivals." They liked it well enough, although most no longer live in the Dallas area. If I had to live in the Dallas area, that's probably where I would live. However, I would never, ever move to Texas. I would not be able to take the governor, state legislature, U.S. Congressional delegation (aside from just a couple exceptions) or the churchy atmosphere that pervades the state.

Plus they have tornadoes. And lots of ice.

The OP did not mention politics - just schools and COL, so the change in politics may or may not suit them, but in any case, Dallas and all the major cities in the State are blue, which tends to get lost in the headlines with some of the policies that do make it through the State legislature.


The ice is a drag, but unless the OP loves winter sports and activities (as some do), then the weather would have to a be plus for Dallas, notwithstanding the occasional ice storm. Having lived in the Northwest and the Midwest, we are looking forward to introducing our kids to more winter activities and enjoying the beautiful east coast falls, but we expect to visit Dallas in March, when it is already 70 and sunny in Dallas and still cloudy and cold in the East.