Mac Groveland/Highland Schools ..Catholic our only option??

[uptown_urbanist]

I would stick on the St. Paul side myself, but if you still want urban and walkable and decide against St. Paul you could look to the other side of the river; Seward in Minneapolis is Montessori and has a middle school, although I don't know how hard it is to get a spot. South High School is quite good; I know many educators who have chosen to send their kids there. Or head over to Uptown or Linden Hills, which while obviously not as convenient as Mac-Groveland, aren't THAT terrible of a commute, either, especially when you're considering heading out to the 'burbs, anyway. Most (although not all) of Uptown feeds to Anthony junior high and then to Southwest High School. Multiple schools come together for middle school, so it's actually not a bad time to be new; everyone else will be forming new friendships, too. (I don't know what it's like in St. Paul, but I'd suspect a similar dynamic will also be at work as schools merge.)

[Mason3000]

Originally Posted by figure44

I have read this thread carefully and with a lot of interest. So many people are so invested and thinking so carefully here about the schools, and I really appreciate that. I am moving to the area as incoming faculty at Macalester, with a son heading into 6th grade and a daughter into 4th this coming fall--and the question of where to live is pretty overwhelming for someone not from the area who has a rising middle-schooler. We did the research and the lottery paperwork in Feb, in an effort to keep our options opened: but currently he is very low on the waiting list at Twin Cities Academy and at Great River (which was my first choice for both kids by a long shot, as I'd love a Montessori education for them), got a flat rejection from Capitol Hill (no wait list number confuses me, but I just got the email notice yesterday so haven't been able to clarify), and we are not in a position to seriously consider the kind of private school tuition that seems to exist in St. Paul. In fact, we are big supporters of public schools generally, and would really rather send our children to them. (And we are not Catholic, so the religious schools have less appeal for us.)

We would prefer to live in a walkable neighborhood, and so much about Mac-Groveland and some of its surrounding neighborhoods appeals very very much, with the sense of community, the ability of kids to ride bikes places, and so on. But I find it hard to imagine sending a child who's been uprooted from all his friends, and moved several states away, to a school that is facing as many challenges as Ramsey seems to be facing. At his current school, he would be entering an accelerated math program this coming fall, and so I am looking for something that will be both challenging academically and feel like a welcoming environment for the new kid.

Highland sounds like a good option, but are there any other areas, even suburban ones, that people would suggest? I am feeling kind of desperate about the fact that all the places that seem most wonderful to live are places where the middle school would be Ramsey--and the posters above, who say that to an outsider, these stories make that school seem pretty off-putting, are sadly right. As a person in education myself, I am not at all inclined just to believe "bad" test scores, and I know how much a great community can make or break a school. But I also worry a lot about transitions for a child who will be entering a school knowing literally no one, particularly at the already-difficult time of starting middle school. At the same time, my impression of many of the suburbs is that they are less warmly community feeling than the more urban neighborhoods in St. Paul, even if their schools are technically "good."

We are coming to look at neighborhoods, houses, and schools in ten days. Is there any place else you would suggest besides Highland Park to look? Since we don't own a house yet, we have the added pressure of needing not only to find a school that works for us but also a house to buy.

If you're interested in TCA, be the squeaky wheel. Call them up, ask where you are on the wait list. Drop by and shake a few hands, make sure they know your last name and that you're committed to TCA. Attend the open house as if you've already been accepted. Sometimes you make your own luck. Also, ask them when the deadline to accept the TCA spot is? Usually, right after that there is a big shake-up in the waiting list. Then expect another big shape-up in that waiting list just before school starts and people give up their TCA spots if they got accepted at another school they preferred. Also, go down to Capital Hill/Expo/JJ Hill. Shake a few hands, make sure they know your last name and how serious you are about their schools. Tell them all that they are the ONLY school you applied at! When we moved into the neighborhood 3 years ago we came in after the cut off and were too late for JJ Hill (a block from our house). We got a call in October with an opening, so it was really only 30 days into the year that a spot came open. We passed on that spot, just as we did with Capital Hill because we have three kids and they only had one spot so we stuck with Groveland Park. Your son could attend Ramsey for a month or two until one of your preferred schools opens up or he could end up really enjoying Ramsey and wanting to stay. He won't be the only normal, White kid at the school, lol.

Here's a list of neighborhoods you should look at: Cathedral Hill, Summit Hill, Summit-University (aka Summit-U), Mac-Groveland, Merriam Park, Highland Park, St Anthony Park, Desnoyer Park and Como. While you're looking around, have a Juicy Lucy at the Blue Door on Selby and stop at Izzy's Ice Cream for a scoop afterwards on Marshall Ave. Those are both in Merriam Park. Drive Summit Ave and Grand Ave. They run parallel East to West so you can drive up one and down the other and see most of the neighborhoods mentioned. Get out of the car and walk Selby Ave from Western to Dale. It's chock full of cool little bistros, bakery's, coffee shops, etc. Take the kids to either the Science Museum or the Mn History Center, both of which are downtown, but very close to the strip of restaurants on Selby I mentioned. You'll also run into the Cathedral between DT and Selby and that's worth a look as well. In the Como neighborhood, you'll find Como Park, Como Zoo, Como Town (small amusement park), Mini Golf, Como Pool (brand new pool, zip line, lazy river). Bottom line is there are a LOT of great things going on in St Paul and a lot of great school options. You will not find the same neighborhood feel in the suburbs.

[figure44]

Cheddar, thank you so much for the information about accelerated math programs, which is encouraging. And Mason3000, I really appreciate all of your suggestions of specific places to go as we wander around and explore the city. It's great to have some concrete ideas about all of these things.

More generally, I have to say how much I appreciate how invested everyone is in the quality of the neighborhoods and the details of the complex questions--and how willing you have been to help a transplant navigate some of these complexities. Thank you all.