Advice on Schools (San Jose, Palo Alto: to rent, homes, school district)

[penny lane]

I'm a teacher and I'm going to an interview at Oak Grove School District. I don't know much about the schools and the district itself. I'm trying to do some research since I don't live there.

I was just wondering if anyone here knows much about the elementary schools in the Oak Grove School District? Which one's are the good one's. Which one's should I stay away from? Is Oak Grove in a good part of town?

Any help is appreciated. Thank you!

[sjrep]

My step-daughter went to Bertha Taylor Elementary and loved it. It is, or was, a small school close to the foot hills. That was 6 years ago. I haven’t driven by there in a long time. There are some websites to check on schools, I would suggest looking there to see what the current ratings are. The intermediate schools are pretty good as well. (Note that Oak Grove High School is part of the East Side Union High School District, and has issues like every other large school.) Oak Grove School District is in south San Jose, and I consider it a good area. It is an area of tract homes, and not much is unique about it. There is a mall here, and everything else I need shopping wise: dry cleaners, hobby store, restaurants etc is accessible. There are a few stores I drive further to get to, but not frequently. The only draw back for me is I work in Palo Alto, so commuting sucks. One other thing that may be of interest to you as a teacher is they are remodeling the public library which is located a mile or so down Santa Teresa Boulevard from the district offices. If it turns out like the other remodeled libraries San Jose has done, it will be a great library. It is not the cheapest area of San Jose to live in, nor is it the most expensive. But if you can find a place to rent and work in the area then you won’t spend hours a day driving. Let me know if you have more specific questions aboutthe area. Good luck on your interview

[beme719]

As a long time resident in this district, I can tell you it's pretty good. Of course, there are problems as there are with many districts, but overall, it's not a bad place to work. There are some schools you might steer clear of, like Stipe (they have gone thru so many different principals in the last 6 or 7 years, nearly a new one every year). My oldest son goes to school at Frost, but is enrolled in the Indigo program. It's great that this district has plenty of schooling options (parent participation and independent study). Anyway, I have several friends and neighbors that work for the district either as teachers or employees at the DO. So, if you have any specific questions, I'd be happy to find out any answers for you.