Canyon Creek Elementary and Area--Help!! (Dallas, Richardson: apartments, houses, neighborhood)

[rbtcm11]

Hi;

My family is moving to Dallas from out of state mid-August. We are interested in the Canyon Creek Elementary School area and want to get a better understanding of it (in a hurry!).
Can anyone tell anything specific about the school and it's approach/culture? We know it is rated "exemplary" , and has very high test scores, but we would like to know more. Is there a big emphasis on testing?
How could the general educational atmosphere be described?
Does the proximity of Texas University have an influence on the school or neighborhood? Do many faculty live there?
Is there any particular political/social climate to the area?

What about diversity? Is it as white as the school looks on paper?

Thanks so much,

[FarNorthDallas]

It is a very small school - only about 250 kids in K-6th. 2 classes of every grade level and every now and then only 1 class of a grade. I don't think it has any apartments that feed into it. As you said, it's mostly white. Very low free and reduced lunch crowd (9%). There is a City of Richardson swimming pool and park and baseball field on the same grounds of Canyon Creek Elementary. It has a very neighborhood feel to it.

The school houses Enterprise City which all students in the entire district make a trip to at some point in their elementary years. It's a make believe city where kids learn about commerce and how a city is run. Sometimes foreign language classes go to Enterprise City as language practice.

Prairie Creek Elementary is over in that area too. Also small about 250, but even whiter with even smaller free lunch population (2%). I always think one day the two schools will be combined, but I have not heard any talk of that. Just guessing.

I have never heard about Univ of Texas-Dallas being a big influence. That school is just there. It's not much of a college type area surrounding UTD. Maybe because it's mostly a commuter school and it has quite a bit of land surrounding it.

There is a country club in the Canyon Creek neighborhood. Not a super expensive one or anything, but it's nice.

All Richardson schools focus on testing. Politically I would say the area is mostly conservative, Republican. There are still original owners in the neighborhood (now in their 60s-70s), so there are not kids in every house - or even in most houses. It is why the schools are so small. They used to have a lot more students when the neighborhood was newer.

The kids are bused to the junior high (North) for 7-8th grade and to Pearce High for 9-12th grades.

[rbtcm11]

Great information, FND;

Would you mind answering one more question? It sounds very nice, but is there an area that you can think of that has the benefits of Canyon Creek but is a bit more ethnically diverse and liberal? My husband will be working at SMU.

thanks!

[ChristieP]

Richardson itself is very ethnically diverse. LOTS of Indian/Asian businesses thrive in this area due to its proximity to the high-tech "telecom corridor" area.

Liberal areas in Dallas might include Uptown and Cedar Springs, but schools there are not so good.

Honestly, Richardson is a great place to live, and you really can't go wrong moving there.

[FarNorthDallas]

Originally Posted by rbtcm11

Great information, FND;

Would you mind answering one more question? It sounds very nice, but is there an area that you can think of that has the benefits of Canyon Creek but is a bit more ethnically diverse and liberal? My husband will be working at SMU.

thanks!

You might look in the Spring Creek Elementary school zone. That school is mostly white (70%) and small (277 students), but the junior high (Westwood) and high school (Richardson) are even more diverse - about 34% white for each. Both are pretty good schools. Westwood is Recognized. Spring Creek is city of Dallas though, Richardson school district.

Spring Creek has a private pool and tennis courts in the neighborhood that you can join if you want to. It gives it a neighborhood feel to the area, but you don't have to live in Spring Creek to join. The neighborhood has a huge Memorial Day parade every year that attracts big wigs in town like the mayor.

I am not exactly sure of the attendance zone of Spring Creek. I know it's south of Arapaho and west of Coit and north of Belt Line. I don't know what the westernmost line is.

[jpdallas]

i grew up in richardson, and now live in UP. i think richardson is a terrific place to be - much less showy than many areas. very laid back. canyon creek has always had a great reputation as a good elem, and a great neighborhood - beautiful trees, lots of nice, affordable homes. central/75 is a straight shot to SMU. canyon creek would of been my top option is our housing budget was less than 500K. pearce HS is a great high school as well, and really, unless you intend to move, i think its better to look at the HS than the elementary. its pretty easy to be a great elementary, with cute kids and nice teachers. kids are tougher in middle and HS, and pearce is strong as a HS. i would look at areas that feed into Pearce. Lake Highlands is nice, but that high school has many problems, as does Richardson. go with Pearce, and i have been around this town for almost 40 years!!!!