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martinisk OP t1_j1yiqx2 wrote

Reply to comment by MightyMason in Expat family moving to Stamford, CT by martinisk

This is what we noticed too... any opinion why that is? From where I am coming from the bigger towns have usually better schools as they have more choices for teachers.

Also, magnet is what we are looking for too- Hart magnet school or Strawberry magnet school is what were discussing as potential choices.

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[deleted] t1_j1zig33 wrote

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martinisk OP t1_j1znq9m wrote

>I have the same feeling in general. Unless it is clearly a school in rough neighborhood there should not be a big deal when talking about elementary school as such. To be honest, from where I am from, there are no ratings on elementary schools. As essentially there are maybe 4-5 basic things that each school can teach you and as a parent you are able to course correct.
Yes, magnet is what we will try, just because everybody talks about them. But it maybe that we will find apartment in Harbor Point as I like the area a lot based feedback and internet and I don't think that area is within magnet school district.

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Pinkumb t1_j1zx44x wrote

When considering Stamford's school rating you need to consider the context of Stamford. This is a city next to many phenomenally wealthy suburban towns. Our neighbors are Greenwich, New Canaan, and Darien. Average home in Greenwich is $2.4M, New Canaan is $1.7M, Darien is $1.6M. Stamford? $600k. The wealth is a good indicator for other factors. Stamford is the most diverse city in Connecticut. Our neighbors are uniquely not diverse.

Lower incomes and more diverse student demographic means you need more educational services with less money. If your kid is average in Greenwich you may get a ton of services to help them out, but if they're average in Stamford they might not. Additionally, Stamford may not have as much funding for extracurricular activities these parents care about more. These are reasons they may call the school "bad" but that's not really the situation.

That's not the whole story. Stamford schools are not immune to criticism, but the ratings are not an accurate picture.

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pizzainquiry t1_j1zeo08 wrote

From reading FB mom groups it seems like the vibe is that if you as a parent are attentive and what not kids can do really well in SPS (even not in a magnet school). A lot of "dont let the scores fool you" because of how diverse Stamford is a lot of non english speakers taking the same tests bring down the scores

I would also suggest joining some of those Stamford mom facebook groups they have lots of opinions on things and suggestions for things to do with kids in the local surrounding areas!

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martinisk OP t1_j261cr3 wrote

u/pizzainquiry can you share names of those groups pls? My wife tried to browse facebook today and could not find anything. Thank you in advance

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MightyMason t1_j1z1tbv wrote

Lots of factors play into a schools rating, as I’m sure you are aware. It would be the opposite here though, whereas big cities typically have lower school ratings.

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freckleface2113 t1_j1z4u36 wrote

There's no guarantee that your kids will be accepted into the magnet schools.

New Canaan and Darien have better schools and have train stations that can get you into NYC. However, they're more expensive. But are probably worth looking at for the sake of your kid's education.

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