Moving to Sacramento with school-aged kids (Riverside: for sale, real estate, apartments)

[latosacto]

Hi,

We're moving to Sacramento this year and are trying to identify neighborhoods that a) have good public elementary, middle, and high schools, b) are not far from the Fab 40s, where we have family that we will frequently visit, and c) are close to amenities/stores. We're moving from LA so as to reduce time in the car and lower our cost of living; we'll be tele-commuting from home so we're looking for a larger home (in a shaded neighborhood). We can probably afford up to 600k eventually, but as we're keeping our current home to rent out (and don't anticipate much if any net earnings for a few years), we're having to start saving anew for a downpayment.

Recommendations? I grew up in Sacramento and am partial to American River Parkway, Arden Arcade, and area near there, but how are the schools and will 600k buy a home large enough for us to work out of off (say 2100 sq feet+).

Thanks.

[wburg]

Sounds like you're already on the right track: Arden Arcade, Arden Oaks or the American River Parkway are about right in your price range and needs. All of the above are fairly close to East Sacramento.

[zen_klown]

This is a map of schools by test score.

California School Performance Maps

The Fabulous Forties area is going to be in the Sacramento City Unified School District. You can research those schools here.

California schools - CA elementary, middle and high school information

The area along the American Parkway is in the San Juan Unified School District.

You can find test scores for those schools here.

California schools - CA elementary, middle and high school information

You can find the craigslist housing classified ads mapped here.

HousingMaps

And the MLS mapped here.

HotPads - Map Search for Real Estate, Apartments & Houses for Rent, Foreclosures and Homes for Sale

If you grew up here, you have an idea of what all of those neighborhoods are like.

[CityGirl72]

you have family in the fab 40s??? SWEEEEEEEEET

[latosacto]

Thank you for the links to the scores...I found the school I want, but now have to figure out how to find a place to rent there while we save for down payment.

Are the elementary schools strict about who may enroll? Do you have to be in the catchment areas? I know that some of the SJUSD high schools have more porous borders (i.e., open to non-district students), but I have no sense of the elementary schools.

[zen_klown]

San Juan has an open enrollment policy. Spaces are reserved first for families living the designated attendence areas, then for family members of existing students and then for other students living in the district. You might want to contact the district to see which schools have openings.

San Juan Unified School District

With the city schools, I don't know exactly how that works other than a lady at work who lived in the attendence district for I am going to say Crocker/Riverside but it might have been Phoebe Hearst and so was on the wait list to get in. So you might want to contact the district about that too.

SCUSD Home Page

[PapaDoc313]

San Juan is probably the best overall public school system in the immediate Sacramento area but it's getting worse. Up until a few years ago both the high school and middle school I went to were state recognized fundamental schools. Neither of them are anymore.

[CityGirl72]

Oh yeah - Will Rodgers Middle school went fro (on greatschools.net) from a number 8 ranked school to a 4....

it's falling fast!

[mrgreenthumb]

why on earth would you want to pay up too 600k in SAC????
people like you ruined it for average families here

[edwardius]

Originally Posted by zen_klown

This is a map of schools by test score.

California School Performance Maps

The Fabulous Forties area is going to be in the Sacramento City Unified School District. You can research those schools here.

California schools - CA elementary, middle and high school information

The area along the American Parkway is in the San Juan Unified School District.

You can find test scores for those schools here.

California schools - CA elementary, middle and high school information

You can find the craigslist housing classified ads mapped here.

HousingMaps

And the MLS mapped here.

HotPads - Map Search for Real Estate, Apartments & Houses for Rent, Foreclosures and Homes for Sale

If you grew up here, you have an idea of what all of those neighborhoods are like.

This is really stuff thank you!