One of the biggest decisions you have to make when deciding to buy a new house and move your family to a new area is picking the right school. Transplanting your kids can be stressful, and depending on their age, it could be a big issue, so choosing the right school district is vital and can greatly impact your decision on where you buy. Having school age kids ourselves, we have compiled a couple of suggestions for how you can make sure to land in a great school district without having to pull your hair out!
Ask Questions
Probably the best thing you could ever do is ask questions. Set up an appointment with the school and request a meeting with the principal and any teachers that might be teaching your children. Go in prepared and ask as many questions as you can. A school leader is vital to the education process, so make sure that the principal is involved and reachable. You can also reach out to other parents and ask them about their experiences with the principal, teachers, other students, and faculty. There seems to be an unspoken code between parents in these situations so you should be able to get a pretty well-rounded feel for the place based off of these conversations.
Consider The Academics & Extracurricular Activities
If you’re looking at middle schools, make sure that they have a strong algebra program. It is the number one subject that middle school students going into a high-school struggle with. You can also visit the state education department’s Web site and see their average test scores. And while this should have some impact on your decision, just because a school has high scores doesn’t mean that it’s the “perfect” school.
Listen to what your kids have to say about the schools you are considering. They may not always have the best attitude about changing schools, but at the end of the day, they will ultimately tell you what is important and how they are looking to get involved in their new environment. This is definitely where you should ask about extracurriculars and what they are interested in. Chances are that if they aren’t able to get involved they won’t connect the way that you want them to and as a result, it may make your move much more difficult than it needs to be.
Evaluate the Environment
The environment can have a huge impact on kids. When you visit the school, make sure to take in the whole picture. Are the walls covered with artwork and worksheets? Is the building and its grounds well maintained? What’s the overall feel of the school? In the same stroke, remember that sometimes a school is going through a renovation period or they are waiting on the right funding to make changes, so don’t judge too harshly until you know the whole story.
Just remember, at the end of it, you just have to go with your gut. It sounds corny, but ultimately, you know what’s best for your kids and you’re capable of making the best decisions for them.
