Tips for Deciding on a School District
When deciding on where you and your family should live, you are probably curious about what your child’s school would be like. If you are planning to send your child to public school, being able to choose a school district before deciding on a home can feel empowering. Most parents and children like to attend meet-the-teacher day a few weeks before the start of a new school year to get to know the school environment and teaching style. Likewise, choosing a school district from the very beginning is a guaranteed way to know exactly the kind of education your child will be receiving. In many cases, the area in which a home is located is a huge deciding factor for buyers, and the local school districts are a part of that decision. We have compiled a list of factors you should consider when deciding on a school district.
Online Research
This first tip may sound obvious, but there are many avenues one can follow that the internet affords. You should always start with researching the school’s website first and foremost and go from there. There is a plethora of information for parents to consider, and will even lead you to emails and phone numbers you can use to contact and ask questions. It’s also a good idea to check social media to see what other parents are saying about their children’s schools.
Teachers
What kind of teachers a school hires can say a lot about the overall teaching style and mission of a school district. Some teachers will even have their own web page that they regularly post to for parents to follow, which is a big help in keeping track of your child’s learning. In addition to researching teachers, you should also consider who the principal and superintendent are, as their leadership is crucial for teacher success and student success by extension.
Test Scores
Researching a school’s test scores is the most quantifying proof of how a district is effectively teaching their students. If you are a data-driven individual, test scores will show you definitive evidence of a school’s strengths and weaknesses. Knowing a school’s test scores can weigh heavily in the deciding process, as you may want to choose a school that excels in a specific area if you know your child struggles in a certain subject.
School Budget
Lastly, you may want to consider how much money a school district is allocated by the state. This information is freely available for the public to access online, as the money comes from taxpayers such as yourself wherever you decide to live. Depending on how much tax money is used on education, you may consider a different district. This is not to say that a smaller or more humble school is going to have lower education standards, but the budget does signal to how well-developed electives and extracurricular activities are. For instance, a school with a very small budget allocated towards fine arts may not be in your child’s best interest if they are a budding artist. Worse yet, an underfunded school may lack even the most basic items for their core classes. And unfortunately, a teacher that is not well-prepared is a stressed teacher, which affects students’ learning in the long-run. That being said, if all your other research points to a school district that you can trust, a district with a smaller budget may not be a dealbreaker for you.
Live Where the Learning Is
If you have already decided on a home you love, there is the chance that it is located in an area between multiple school districts. This would afford you even more options. For example, The Villas at Legacy West are located between Plano and Frisco ISD. For more information about this community, you can visit us online.