Moving from CT to Denver area. Need suggestions on best schools. Willing to commute 1hr. (Arvada: houses, neighborhoods)

[MovingSoon2CT]

Hello all. I was wondering if I could get some suggestions on places to live near the Denver area. I am moving from Connecticut and I currently commute into NYC everyday. However, my job is moving me to Denver. My new place of work will be close to Stapleton and I am looking for a good place to live. The school system is my number one priority. I am willing to commute an hour into Stapleton just to find the best school system. I have heard that the Cherry Creek Area is great. But they don't have the best ratings on GreatSchool.org. And before anyone blasts me... I understand that this website is solely based on test scores. But at least it provides some direction on where to look. I am also open to looking into private schools. My kids currently attend a great Christian School and I would be fine with some private school suggestions as well..

Here are some criteria on the type of home I am looking for:

-Absolute best school systems
-Suburb of newer single family homes. I want to stay away from the city.
-$500K-$800K range. I could push this up to $1M if necessary but would prefer to stay under $800K
-A community is a must versus isolated homes
-At least 3/4 of an acre of land. More would be preferable


Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
Edgar

[2bindenver]

Most of the city and county of Denver is suburban vs city.

3/4 of an acre? most lot sizes are considerably smaller in the suburbs. We have water issues.

"Best" school is totally subjective. Are we talking the whole series elementary, middle & high? Didn't John Elway send his kid to Cherry Creek High School? If you find a private school you like - look around for housing there first.

I would focus on the east side of town to ease your commute.

Are you willing to commute an hour every day each way & three hours in snow?

What do you think of this one? http://www.recolorado.com/homes-for-...0111-172454349

[SkyDog77]

Ditch the 3/4 acre requirement and live in Stapleton. You would be insane to spend 2 extra hours commuting, away from your family every day, when there is one of the best family friendly neighborhoods in Denver right where you will be working. They have the top rated public elementary school in Colorado right there.

[Count David]

Originally Posted by MovingSoon2CT

-Absolute best school systems
-Suburb of newer single family homes. I want to stay away from the city.
-$500K-$800K range. I could push this up to $1M if necessary but would prefer to stay under $800K
-A community is a must versus isolated homes
-At least 3/4 of an acre of land. More would be preferable


Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
Edgar

As it pertains to this particular metro area, many of your wants don't mesh together.

Here, if you have a newer single family home on 3/4 acre of land (good schools will generally be a given at your price range), it is going to be semi-isolated/isolating. We don't have much in the way of "communities" here, 90%+ of this area is suburban, where the only "community" you're going to find is at your local major intersection that has the grocery store or big box shopping.

That being said, your best bets will be Parker, Elizabeth, and Castle Rock.

[Texas Ag 93]

Originally Posted by SkyDog77

Ditch the 3/4 acre requirement and live in Stapleton. You would be insane to spend 2 extra hours commuting, away from your family every day, when there is one of the best family friendly neighborhoods in Denver right where you will be working. They have the top rated public elementary school in Colorado right there.

This would be my suggestion as well. Not sure why you would create a commute when you don't really need to. Stapleton offers what you want, with the exception of the lot sizes. Yards are small to nonexistent there, but there are many parks and tons of green space- all of that by design.

Urban locations with older homes and more "character", such as South Park Hill and Hilltop are fairly close to Stapleton. A little farther out, Cherry Creek is a possibility, as are places like Wash Park, but you will really find the schools there to be hit or miss, or good at the Elementary level, but not so great for middle school.

If you really want suburban and are willing to commute, I think those suburbs south and east previously suggested above are the best option.

[Gorges]

Keep in mind that things are very different here than the east coast. The school populations are more diverse. You're not going to find an area where all the public schools within a 30-mile radius are 10's and the FARM (poverty) rate is below 2%. That's what I was used to as well, and there were no charter schools where I came from. Here, many of the highest ranked schools are charter schools, many with a select population. Even the highest ranked neighborhood public schools here have a poverty level 4 times what I was used to. There are some excellent schools in this area that are not 10's. It's much harder to get those super high ratings with a poverty level around 20%. Also, here you can choice into schools that are not in your neighborhood or district. That's also something foreign to me. Things are just different. Keep that in mind.

It sounds like you might be looking for schools with a certain snob factor. If that's the case, the Greenwood Village and
Centennial areas in the Cherry Creek SD might be your best bet. Or schools that feed into Grandview HS. Or the Boulder and Evergreen areas.

[Sunderpig2]

Originally Posted by MovingSoon2CT

-At least 3/4 of an acre of land. More would be preferable

I'm not an expert on all areas of Denver, but where ever I've gone in the city, the homes seem mostly crammed together on small lots. There is all a lack of tall/big shade trees too, especially as you'd find elsewhere (including the NE). Most of those types of trees simply do not grow here due to the dry conditions. So in many places, it's like looking out onto a sea of houses.

OP - You may be in for a shock. Best to visit first and get a good visual before getting too far into your plans. Best of luck.

[blondmoray]

Agree with poster above. School systems here are HUGE. I would be hard pressed to identify one as "the best". Stapleton does seem to fit all of your criteria other than lot size, but keep in mind, Stapleton has an enrollment zone as opposed to schools assigned by neighborhood, so you'll have to try and choice into your preferred school. If you are looking for the snob factor, then check out Graland Country Day in Hilltop. I don't think it's better than Steck (the public school down the street from it), but it does go to 8th grade, so you don't have to worry about navigating the choice process or finding a good middle school.

[Augie Daugie]

It is going to be difficult to check all of those boxes. Greenwood Village seems like the logical choice, but no way will you find 3/4 of an acre. Boulder would also work, but you'll have a longer commute and still no 3/4 acre lots. You could try for Bow Mar to get a bigger lot, but most of the homes are built in the 1950s. When I worked for CU, the most impressive students by far were graduates of Kent Denver, which is in the Greenwood Village/Cherry Hills Village area.

[dasearch]

You have criteria very similar to our own. I would suggest the following:
Greenwood Village (you can absolutely find 1/2-1 acre but it is expensive)
Ken Caryl (feels like you are living in CO with pretty good schools)
Arvada (Ralston Valley HS)
Castle Pines/North/Highlands Ranch
Louisville
Evergreen (furthest away)

Stapleton is ok if that's what you are looking for. There is zero privacy, but you can walk to the store, restaurant, etc. You are also further away from trails, mountains, etc.