Keep my 4th grader in the school he is assigned or transfer? Same school district, different elementary schools.

Edit to clarify: Both schools are in the same school district and follow the same curriculum. They are just different elementary schools.

Hey ladies. Question for ya. My son is going into 4th grade and we are moving to Austin TX. The part of town we are moving to used to be completely lower income, but in recent years a bunch of upper-middle class communities have been built. We found the perfect house to rent in a super safe, gated community for a year or 2 until we build outside of town.
Now, here is my dilemma. The school that he is assigned to is the best in the area, however, it is rated a 6 on great schools and has only been open for a few years. 80% of the students are economically disadvantaged and 35% are English language learners and my son would be in the minority as only 10% of the school population (not a huge factor for us as we would like him to experience different cultures).
Based on the school testing it seems it is growing by leaps and bounds every year. It scored 81% overall compared to 75% the previous year. They also have distinctions in Science, top 25% closing performance gaps, and top 25% student progress, as well as a gifted program.
We do have an opportunity to transfer him to a school 20 minutes away that is rated a 9 with an overall score of 91%. Would you transfer? That would be at lot of time in the car daily especially with a car lease. If he stays at his current school any friends that he makes would be close. The school that is 20 minutes away is more diverse but his friends would be further away. Keep in mind this would just be for a year or two until we build in an excellent school district. My husband and I are so torn on this!

Message edited 7/4/2015 9:56:54 AM.

Keep my 4th grader in the school he is assigned or transfer?

If he does well in school it sounds like the school you are zoned for will be fine. I would probably only consider the other school if it is in the area you are building in.

Keep my 4th grader in the school he is assigned or transfer?

That's what we are thinking. We will look for land in an excellent school district so he would start middle school at a great school. We are leaning towards having him give this school a shot and if it doesn't seem to be a good fit, then requesting a transfer.

Re: Keep my 4th grader in the school he is assigned or transfer?

Will you be building a house in the better district? If so, I would definitely put him in that school. But I think I would put him in the better school anyway.

Re: Keep my 4th grader in the school he is assigned or transfer?

Re: Keep my 4th grader in the school he is assigned or transfer?

Better school district.

Keep my 4th grader in the school he is assigned or transfer?

I would choose the better school district.

Re: Keep my 4th grader in the school he is assigned or transfer?

Personally, I'd choose the better school district for 2 reasons. A ranking of 9 over 6 is significant to me, so that would come first. Also, for my son, he would be very uncomfortable being a minority in a school. I'd like diversity as well, but 10% of a school's population being similar to my son is not diverse at all. I think if you know your son's personality and know this wouldn't bother him then it wouldn't be something for you to consider. But the school ranking would matter most to me.

Re: Keep my 4th grader in the school he is assigned or transfer?

I would absolutely put my child in the better school district. I can't see one pro for your child to keep them at the 6 school you describe.

Keep my 4th grader in the school he is assigned or transfer?

Thanks ladies! It is actually the same school district so they follow the exact same curriculum. We are still deciding. If we do switch him, it would put a strain on my career as I would have to limit my schedule, so that is another factor.

Re: Keep my 4th grader in the school he is assigned or transfer? Same school district, different elementary schools.

I would find out how often they are re-zoning the elementary schools. When we looked in NC, they were re-zoning the schools a lot. They were building so many communities that they schools would fill up fast.
Not sure if AZ is like that, but may be something to find out.

If that is not the case then I would see what programs the schools offer and compare them to your needs.