Best Place to raise kids (Houston, Dallas: rentals, new home, neighborhood)

[HtownLove]

Originally Posted by Scarface713

The Houston area has the largest school district in the state with the best ranking (Exemplary), and that's Katy ISD. I really don't think there is a best place to raise children, but Houston and DFW offer the best options overall and generally have more things to do for families.

I tend to agree. I think those two offer a fuller range of experiences along with a good education

[Melissa78703]

Originally Posted by hoffdano

Melissa - you live near (Stephen F.) Austin high school, not Lake Austin high. It is one of the best high schools in Austin ISD. Guess what - it draws kids from upper income families - who almost always do well in school.

Hah. Well, that explains why so many apartments and condos are occupied by families with school-aged children then. (Not that I'm complaining--better than rowdy college students.)

I agree with you on prioritizing. It's important to expose children to art, theatre, ballet, symphony, etc., but it's not necessary to live in the thick of it. When I was a child, those things were a treat, maybe once a month, but they were not mainstays. I took piano lessons or art lessons or dance lessons, but never more than one activity at a time. My folks expected me to put in a great deal of book study on weekends, so I could get the best grades. The problem with a lot of kids is that their social calenders are so full with extra activities that there's no focus on core education. When it comes time to apply to universities, it doesn't really matter how many museums a kid has been to. It is competitive out there.

[HtownLove]

I agree with you there Melissa, we do tend to overload our kids with excess stimulation

[hoffdano]

Originally Posted by Scarface713

The Houston area has the largest school district in the state with the best ranking (Exemplary), and that's Katy ISD. I really don't think there is a best place to raise children, but Houston and DFW offer the best options overall and generally have more things to do for families.

Katy ISD is a "Recognized" school district, not Exemplary. I am not knocking Katy ISD - it is a fine school district and the explosive growth of that area is largely driven by parents' desire for top schools.

About Katy ISD

I do not agree Houston and DFW offer the best options overall. They may offer the most options due to their size. Dallas has some of the worst schools in Texas and Dallas ISD has a history of corruption and mismanagement. Be careful in Dallas ISD. The surrounding areas are a different story.

I think Houston, DFW, San Antonio, and Austin each offer many fine areas to raise a family.

[HtownLove]

yes hoffdano, Houston has its share of crappy schools too

[bgrn198]

Originally Posted by HtownLove

You wouldn't believe how many times I here from people that "San Antonio is a good place to raise kids....fiesta Texas and Sea world is there"

Some one told my friend Huntington WV is a great place to raise kids because it is close to the river and you can take the kids fishing

I think it would be a nice place but not for the river

Yes but San Antonio has more than just Sea World and Fiesta Texas if you want museums the NcNay Art museum in SA is really nice they have a great Zoo there's a childrens museum and La Villita historic arts village i've only been to the McNay so I can't say how the other museums are. I also saw some where that Boerne just outside of San Antonio has a good school district.

http://www.visitboerne.org/

http://www.boerne-isd.net/

http://www.mcnayart.org/

http://lavillita.com/index.php?option=com_frontpage (broken link)

http://www.sakids.org/home.aspx

http://www.samuseum.org/main/

http://www.sasymphony.org/

http://www.majesticempire.com/

http://www.sazoo-aq.org/

[HtownLove]

bgrn I am not just talking about having museums. I am talking about the museums providing activities for kids.

The McNay is okay. It is one of the first of its kind in Texas (older than Bayou Bend), but San Antonio leaves much to be desired in terms of Art.

Boerne is too far out there in my opinion. I can't even call it an SA Suburb. An Sa neighbor maybe

[hoffdano]

Originally Posted by HtownLove

yes hoffdano, Houston has its share of crappy schools too

Didn't mean to ignore this. All of the major Texas cities have some schools they aren't proud of.

[HtownLove]

Originally Posted by hoffdano

Didn't mean to ignore this. All of the major Texas cities have some schools they aren't proud of.

Thanks for recognizing

[Melissa78703]

Originally Posted by hoffdano

Didn't mean to ignore this. All of the major Texas cities have some schools they aren't proud of.

There are definitely low-performers in all of the major cities--Austin's just about to close down yet another school, as I understand. It's truly sad, because we're one of the most educated cities in the U.S. overall.

The only way to assess a school district is to look at the performance of a specific school (and also look at its history). This might not even be a guarantee, because neighborhoods can go down fast in times of economic uncertainty.