In addition to the web sites included here, speak with your realtor and other people in the town to get their opinions about the education system.

Click here to view Realtor web sites.

New Homeowner's Guide

By Book Author, Sheri Koones

Children and Schools —

One of the major factors people consider when purchasing a new home, if they have children, is the quality of the public and private school systems.

It is often the deciding factor, when families are selecting a town for relocation. It is not uncommon for the Board of Education to differ from town to town, district to district in their philosophy on education, curriculum, teacher credentials, etc.

If you have the option of selecting from several different towns, it is worth the time to collect information about various school systems. You might want to know about the size of the student population, average class, in what grade computer education begins, teacher to student ratio, how the students have fared on the SATs compared to students in other towns, etc.

There are several resources to use in order to gather data about the various school districts if you are still undecided about a location. If you have already decided where you want to move, you can use these same resources to find out more about the local public and private schools in the area.

The National School Reporting Services offers information on public and private schools. Their web site, www.TheSchoolReport.com has information on public schools around the country. For a comparative analysis of selected school districts and a listing of private schools, you would have to contact a realtor who has signed up for this service and has access to the software.

For further information about this service call 800-229-4992 or contact the U.S. Department of Education by using the School Locator on their Web site at http://nces.ed.gov/ccd/. Just enter the zip code, county, or city and state to get a listing of public and private schools.

The www.usacitylink.com web site lists public and private school information as well. For those interested in secondary schools, www.petersons.com provides detailed information on schools around the country.

Because school is such an important factor in a family’s adjustment to a new town, it is critical to collect as much information as possible before purchasing a house. In addition to all of the web sites included here, speak with your realtor and other people in the town to get their opinions about the education system, click here to view Realtor web sites.

If you are moving into a new community, your children will likely be attending a new school. You may want to contact the school to meet your child’s teacher, learn about the curriculum, homework and bus schedules, and find out the schools’ calendar to aid in planning family vacations. Schedules vary from town to town, so even if you are moving to the next town, the school schedule may differ.

If you have the luxury of moving in the summer before the school term begins it is a good idea to find out about local activities such as day camps, sports camps, plays, picnics, fireworks, YMCA/YWCA sponsored events, etc. so that your child can meet other children in the area before starting school.

Summer Camp:

If you are considering sending your child to summer camp and haven’t finalized those plans, there are several web sites available to locate appropriate camps around the country. www.petersons.com provides information about camps and other summer opportunities for children. www.kidscamps.com has information about overnight camps, day camps, sports camps, teen tours, camps for people with special needs, family camps and academic camps. For tots, a local day camp may give them an opportunity to meet some of the children they will be going to school with in the Fall.

This is a wonderful area in which to bring up children, with many social and educational opportunities. It is best to be prepared in order to make the transition for them as easy as possible. •