Q's re: elementary and private schools (Thousand Oaks, Manhattan Beach: apartment, rentals, houses)

[DanaS]

Hi everyone-

We are planning a move to the LA area this summer. Where are the best public schools? We plan to rent for a year and, since we missed the private school 'admission season', we will be living wherever the best public schools are. My children are 5 and 7.

Also, does anyone know of any private schools in the LA area that have 'rolling admissions'? Thanks!

[JTGJR]

Hi Dana. Welcome to City Data. Unfortunately, your question is far too open-ended. Use the search tool up there at the top. There are many, many good school districts within LA County. And there are many poor ones. LALife can give you a good snapshot. There are other school links as well. Be very cautious in your school search. It is not uncommon for grade schools to be very good in a certain area, but quality begins to drop off in middle school and high school. Equally, "private schools" needs to be qualified. Are you looking at religious association, magnet schools, etc?

So, look around the board a bit and see if you can narrow the question down a bit.

[Charles]

Originally Posted by DanaS

Hi everyone-

We are planning a move to the LA area this summer. Where are the best public schools? We plan to rent for a year and, since we missed the private school 'admission season', we will be living wherever the best public schools are. My children are 5 and 7.

Also, does anyone know of any private schools in the LA area that have 'rolling admissions'? Thanks!

Where is the job going to be?
Where will you be living?
What is your rent budget?

[bhcompy]

Originally Posted by Charles

Where is the job going to be?
Where will you be living?
What is your rent budget?

seconded

[DanaS]

The job is on Wilshire Blvd. in Westwood.

We will live wherever there is a good elementary school within reasonable driving distance, < 45 mins. (If the distance is a little longer than that in traffic, my husband could leave really early and come home really early, but I don't think a much longer commute would be acceptable.)

The rent budget... we would like to pay around $4K but could go to $6K if necessary. We are coming from an enormous house in Charlotte, NC, so a much smaller apartment or house is really appealing! (Less to take care of!) The schools will determine where we rent.

As far as private schools, we are just looking for a good, safe, challenging school. I have heard that the public schools in LA are, for the most part, horrible. Sorry if that offends anyone; this is what I have heard, not my opinion. We would love to go to the public schools if we can, but are open to paying for private. I am looking for a quality education, not a status symbol. The name of the school, or who the classmates' parents are, could not matter less to me.

Thanks!

[Charles]

Originally Posted by DanaS

The job is on Wilshire Blvd. in Westwood.

We will live wherever there is a good elementary school within reasonable driving distance, < 45 mins. (If the distance is a little longer than that in traffic, my husband could leave really early and come home really early, but I don't think a much longer commute would be acceptable.)

The rent budget... we would like to pay around $4K but could go to $6K if necessary. We are coming from an enormous house in Charlotte, NC, so a much smaller apartment or house is really appealing! (Less to take care of!) The schools will determine where we rent.

As far as private schools, we are just looking for a good, safe, challenging school. I have heard that the public schools in LA are, for the most part, horrible. Sorry if that offends anyone; this is what I have heard, not my opinion. We would love to go to the public schools if we can, but are open to paying for private. I am looking for a quality education, not a status symbol. The name of the school, or who the classmates' parents are, could not matter less to me.

Thanks!

If I am you (and I am), then I'd look anywhere from Westwood west towards the ocean. Or maybe east towards Beverly Hills.

You might even want to consider some parts of the valley, but that would probably mean some extra commuting hassle.

See here on this map:

California School Performance Maps

Use this neat tool to find craigslist rentals on a google maps interface:

HousingMaps

[BRinSM]

i would look in santa monica or beverly hills. $4000-$5000 should get you a nice detached house with atleast 3 bedrooms. the homes in the price range probably won't be big, but you'll be close to work and many, many other ammenities. much larger houses could be had in the west valley (home to the few top peforming LAUSD schools), but you would be pushing your 45 minute commute requirement. Even nicer, larger homes with even better schools could be had in the Thousand Oaks area and the south Bay, but the commute will most certainly exceed 45 minutes from these locations.

[marimari123]

Here's another link that may help you. There are really great schools scattered all over LA County. This link will show you how individual schools performed on standardized tests (API index). The test is out of 1000 points so a score in the 900's means that the average student at that school scored within the top 10% on the test.

County List of Schools

Hope that helps.

mari

[JTGJR]

From the LALife link I put in my prior post, look at the "Westside" and "Southern LA Coastal" areas. For a 45min commute, I don't think I'd go any further south than Manhattan Beach. If he's open to a longer commute and a very early departure, the Palos Verdes Penninsula has some of the highest rated schools in the nation. But 45mins is not doable on a good day. The performance map that Charles posted is also a very valuable tool.

[Charles]

Originally Posted by marimari123

The test is out of 1000 points so a score in the 900's means that the average student at that school scored within the top 10% on the test.

That is a nice resource.

Is that assertion true about the top 10%? Is that really the statistical meaning? I didn't check...Realizing anything close to 900 is extremely good.