I'm so confused, private schools??? (Jacksonville, Miami: houses, transferring to, neighborhoods)

[6ofus]

Hi -
I'm sorry if I'm redundant with some past posts. I just need more info. We live in a suburb of Chicago and have four kids. My husband is probably going to get transferred to Jacksonville. I was somewhat excited. My parents live in Naples and I thought it might be a nice change. All these posts about illiteracy and terrible schools has me completely freaked. Are there any areas that have good schools or are there known great private schools. I'm so sorry if this sounds snotty, but is there an area where the mid - upper class live in this area where education is a priority or does this not exist. Thanks for your patience and guidance.

[riveree]

Originally Posted by 6ofus

All these posts about illiteracy and terrible schools has me completely freaked.

Hi 6ofus,

This is a forum where anyone can post, so you have to take the advice with a grain of salt.

Some people will come here, make some awful posts, and then they're gone - they either leave on their own or they're banned by the moderators.

When you read a post that you find disturbing, look to the profile of the poster - did they just join or have they been around for a while? The "points" they have can be somewhat of an indicator too, but I think longevity speaks well enough. "Karla with a K" is a regular poster who has probably been around the longest and she provides very good and fair responses - take a look at what she says about an issue .

Yes, there are areas with good schools, yes we have lots of excellent private schools and parochial schools to choose from, yes we have nice middle and upper class neighborhoods......no worries .

[riveree]

Oh, one more thing -

Look to the posters location too......see if they even live in Jacksonville .

Also if you find a post to be inflammatory, excessively rude, etc., you can report the thread to the moderators by clicking on the red "alert" symbol on the upper right of the thread. You also leave a poster negative feedback (or positive !) by clicking on the "scales" symbol.

[Magnolia Bloom]

I live here and have personal experience with two of Duval's A-rated schools. I sent you a DM.

[5FLgirls]

You need to check out Ponte Vedra Beach. It's a small community right by the ocean with homes that range from middle of the road to very over the top multi-million dollar homes. The public schools are great because it's St. Johns County. PV-PV Rawlings and Ocean Palms are the elementary schools and my friends are happy with their experience at PV-PV. Their daughter is starting middle school this year so they don't have any experience there yet. Nease High has a great reputation, too. Bolles, which is an excellent private school, has locations in PVB (for elementary) and Jax near the St. Johns River. Ponte Vedra is a good suburb if you want a suburban life, close to the beach, with great schools for your family.

[6ofus]

Hi -
Thank you so much for the great advice. Can I ask for more? HIF, I sent you a dm. 5FLgirls, thanks for the Ponte Verde Beach tip. Can anyone suggest any other places. My children are 9,8,5 and 3. I like interactive neighborhoods and my husband and i still like to go out and have fun. I don't want a boring neighborhood with all older people that stay inside. Thanks in advance!
liz

[MaryG601]

Ponte Vedra would be the way to go if you can afford. I'm not from Jax, but I'm moving there. From my trips down there, Ponte Vedra is the "classy" part of Jax. There are many nice communities and plenty of stuff to do. Everything is right there. The beach, food, shopping, and going out. Def check into it. You dont even feel like your in a big city!

[FLPL75]

Hi 6ofus
There are many really nice neighborhoods to chose from.
One thing what is the area of Jax your husband will be transferring to? That is one consideration you want to think about. If he is working lets say in the Orange Park area,living in Ponte Vedra, which I love, is doing to be a commute.
I also have to echo riveree in that don't let some of the negatives you read hear "freak" you out. Some people are just very unhappy and they translate it to their feelings about the area. All these posts about illiteracy and terrible schools along with the really bad salaries where so true, then who is living in the $500k to million dollar + houses ? and why would anyone with kids stay. This is not NY or Miami but if the folks really want that then why would they continue to stay. Last I checked no one if forced to live somewhere. I moved here 15 years ago and while it is different from Phila & NJ it has things that make it a great place to live.
If you have a price range your looking for we can give you specific areas to look.

Karla

[wzippler]

No matter what type of schooling you pick the key is being involved with your children know what they are doing in school, take them to places like zoos and museums. Do what ever you can to find something your children are interested in enough for them to be willing to learn more about.

Example I love my daughter but she is lazy to the bone. When it comes to most learning she has to be harassed into it, but she loves animals to the point that if she sees an animal or plant that she has never seen before she will look it up in our field guides to figure out what it is and something about that animal. She also adores reading. So whenever I can I buy her books and encourage her to go outside with her life list to get her to look for a new species to add to the list.

[6ofus]

Thanks Maryg601 and Karla with a K! I have already looked into Ponte Vedra. It looks great. B/c I have 4 kids, we need 4 bedrooms, 3 baths and our price range would be up to high 600's. I'd also like the option of good private schools nearby and fun too, like I said My husband and I still like to have a good time. Also, I'm going to start another thread...i hope that's ok. I need to know where there is a good club for gymnastics. My one daughter is a competitive gymnast. And, one more, a really good dance studio. Thanks!!!