What Suburbs Have Great Public Schools

Hey T.,

Welcome to the Bay Area! My son moved to a Chicago suburb last year - Mundelein and this year lives in Gurnee - for his job. I've been twice and found everyone there very kind and respectful. I loved Chicago and its environs but would miss the ocean were I to live there.

That said. You can also go to the California Department of Education website (cde.gov) and get rankings for (public)schools all across the state. Many schools now also have websites once you've identified the school's name and location. You can learn alot by looking at the webpages of the teachers in the schools you've identified. I would not base a decision on just the API scores though.

Don't forget that private, independent, and also parochial schools have no ranking (nor are they required to divulge that information). I know that you can google independent schools for particular locations (i.e cities/counties) and get information that way also. In addition, there are no voucher schools (like in Wisconsin?) but there are charter schools also (both public and private). Only the public are ranked.

In Oakland (where I teach) we borrowed an idea from Chicago and reformed a lot of our schools. Our community lobbied (hard) and we now have over 60+ small, public schools throughout the city.

Again, welcome.

1 mom found this helpful

it all depends on where you want to live - here's a list of bay area counties: san francisco; north - marin, napa, sonoma; peninsula - san mateo; south bay - santa clara (includes san jose); east bay - alameda, contra costa; east-north: solano (fairfield, vacaville).

marin (mill valley) county is about 15-30 minutes from sf across the golden gate ($5 toll and rising) and is very hilly and foresty and expensive;

across the bay bridge (piedmond, berkeley) is about 15-30 minutes from sf but very trafficky and is known as "very liberal" city(ies)...at least berkeley is and temperature is very moderate year round;

father east bay you go (through the caldecott tunnel - lafayette, moraga, walnut creek), the hotter it gets b/c it's in the valley and a little pricier (lafayette, moraga - the county club setting) but great public schools;

further east/south you go (pleasanton, livermore, san ramon), an hour outside of sf, you have really great neighborhoods, schools and affordable everything;

peninsula (burlingame, san carlos) has moderate temperatures and good public schools and about 15-30 minutes from sf - live off of 280 freeway and you're in a higher-end residential neighborhood with good schools, hwy 101 burbs is more industrial lower-end neighborhoods;

my fave - san francisco..someone mentioned the lottery system but the school board might get rid of that program next year (thank god!). there are plenty of great public schools (i.e. dianne feinstein elementary and lowell high school - rated one of the best in the country) and you've got private schools that could cost up to $30k a year.

the drive times i noted are estimates only and each city/county have great schools so it all depends on what you can afford for housing.

couple of great sites to check out:
http://www.greatschools.net/
http://portal.sfusd.edu/template/default.cfm?page=about

i hope this gives you at least a place to start and good luck to you.

1 mom found this helpful

Orinda, Moraga,Lafayette all great and great weather too

Not sure if you're thinking about living in the city, but San Francisco city does not have traditional "school districts". Schools are assigned by lottery system, which really isn't that bad, although other parents may disagree. I have heard good things about Palo Alto, but no direct experience since I live in the city. Good luck!

The top Bay Area suburb public schools all the way through high school (based on my research and which is not comprehensive) are Piedmont, Los Altos, Palo Alto, Redwood Shores and San Ramon. There are also some good schools within San Jose, but the standards vary. If you're only looking at elementary schools, your choice widens quite a bit, but note that a lot of good elementary schools feed into not so great middle schools. Generally, the more expensive areas have better schools.

T.,
Welcome to the Bay Area. It is a great place to live. I grew up south of SF in Millbrae. There are excellent schools in Millbrae, Burlingame, Hillsborough, San Mateo and Foster City. Millbrae is the closest to SF, being 15 - 20 minutes away to Foster City being the farthest at around 40 minutes from the City. Housing is expensive in these areas (ranging from low $700's to well over a few million depending on where you look) But, I'm sure you can find something that will suit your needs.
Good luck.....I hope this helped.
T.

You would be happy the the schools in Marin County. Espically the Tamalpais School district. M.

What constitutes "great" will vary from family to family (i.e. a family that places a priority on raising their kids in an ethnically diverse community probably wouldn't pick the same place as a family whose top priority was test scores and quiet neighborhoods). But areas in the SF Bay Area that are best known for their school districts include (in no particular order):

- Albany - small town north of Berkeley, walkable and family-friendly. Large percentage of the houses are small with small yards (built in 1930's as starter homes)

- "Lamorinda" (Lafayette, Moraga, and Orinda) - 3 towns just east of Berkeley through the Caldecott Tunnel. Probably majority of homes built in 1950's-1970's, a few pockets of older homes in Lafayette. (email me directly for more info, we moved to Orinda from Oakland 3 years ago)

- Piedmont - adjacent to Oakland, much of the houses built around the same time as those in Oakland but much higher priced b/c of the school district.

- Montclair district of Oakland

- much of Marin County (Mill Valley, San Anselmo/Ross, San Rafael) - not as public-transit accessible as the east bay though because they're not part of the BART train system.

Most folks either head to the Peninsula (Palo Alto, Burlingame) Southern Marin (Mill Valley, Larkspur), or the East Bay (Piedmont, Lafayette, Moraga) for great schools and good family atmosphere.

We chose Mill Valley in Marin because it is very close to the city (10 minutes), has unparalleled natural beauty (Mt. Tam) and beaches, and is a wonderful place to raise children. It was rated in the top 10 in Money magazine's best places to live several years ago, and Forbes magazines best value for education. The schools are top rated, and it has many activities and places for families. It has been discovered by the rich and famous, however, and as a result, the home prices have gone up (although they have gone down 15 to 20% in the last year). The only downside is the cost of housing. Other surrounding towns are great, too (Larkspur, Corte Madera, Kentfied) - and San Rafael is very nice and less expensive.

You should definitely put Southern Marin on your list! I know several great realtors in the area if you'd like a referral. You can also check out www.marinmommies.com or Southern Marin Mom's Club: http://www.southernmarinmoms.com/, and also www.greatschools.org for school ratings.

Good luck in your potential move! You'll love the Bay Area.

D. in Mill Valley

The wealthier neighborhoods outside SF have the best schools -- Menlo Park & Atherton, to name 2. If you can't afford homes there, Pacifica is reasonably priced with well-ranked public schools as a result of significant parent involvement. Also, Pacifica is only 20 minutes from SF, whereas the wealthier neighorhoods are farther out.

Lafayette, Orinda, Moraga, Piedmont, Los Gatos, Atherton, Mill valley.

If you're not rich, Albany and parts of Berkeley. If your kids are young, the Oakland Hills, specifically Montclair.

The Bay Area is the most beautiful place to live in the world, yet our schools are all screwed up. A school is only as good as the parents...... thus the wealthy have better environments.

I am happy to help guide you. I have lived here for 47 years, have four kids and know just about everything. Let me know how it goes. and Welcome!

R.

____@____.com

What constitutes "amazing" in your book? There are some very cool schools, even in Oakland, such as Canyon and NOCS. Do you want something with excellent academics? Wild creativity? Social justice? We are all amazed by different things....

Hi, T.,

It would help to hear more about what you consider to be "amazing." Different types of schools fit different children. Could you let us know what you are looking for? I am new to MamaSource so I don't know how things work here. So I don't know whether you'd have to put in a new request or whether you can respond to your own original request. I'd love to hear whether you want a school that emphasizes creativity, traditional academics, child's initiative, diverse backgrounds of the students, etc.

Having said that, Albany (just north of Berkeley) is said to have good public schools, as is Moraga (east of Berkeley/Oakland). Piedmont schools are also said to be good--just outside Oakland. I live in Oakland near the Bay Bridge.

Best wishes, Siddheshwari

California's budget is such a mess. I don't trust the public schools. Who can believe that what they offer this year they will be able to offer the next. My kids have been in private schools. California ranks 47th out of 50 states. I never know how a "good" California school truely ranks when the state overall is doing so poorly and it's only going to get worse. Parents I have talked to from other states tell me they were shocked when they came here. Good Luck. The Bay Area is great, but we are an expensive place to live.

As I don't have a child in school yet, I'm not familiar with many schools. However, I can second what one lady said about Millbrae schools. We live in Millbrae, and I've heard nothing but great things about the schools in the district. A LOT is going to depend on where you want and can afford to live!! Good luck!

Hi T.,
Several people mentioned Mill Valley in Southern Marin. I would like to add the Reed Union School District to that list. The Reed district includes all of Tiburon and Belvedere as well as part of east Corte Madera that is on the Tiburon Peninsula. This is right next to Mill Valley. On average the cost of housing in this district is very high but the part of the district in Corte Madera is a little more affordable. Another excellent school district in Marin not mentioned here yet is the Kentfield District. Also, you might be interested in checking out a series of guides called the McCormick Guides. Many people who are relocating find them useful as a starting place. These have a lot of stats and info about different communities (not just school stats). Different volumes in the series include the towns in a county or regional area. Good luck with your research and decision about moving.

I don't think anyone mentioned Fremont yet. It's a large suburb halfway between Oakland and San Jose. The city is pretty ethnically diverse with very low crime. Almost all of the schools in Fremont Unified School District are "high-performing" in terms of API scores. The district is pretty stable and teacher turnover very low. Housing is more affordable than in other parts of the East Bay and definitely more affordable than in SF, Marin, or the Peninsula. I live in Oakland but work in Fremont, so that's how I'm familiar with the city.

You can check out www.fremont.k12.ca.us or www.greatschools.net for more info.