<p>Hi everyone. We are moving to the Dallas area this summer. We are looking for a 9-12 high school with under 1500 kids. Our daughter has minor learning issues that require smaller classes and some special attention. </p>
<p>We prefer public, but are open to affordable private, including Catholic or Christian schools, but don’t think she’d be competitive for schools like John Paul II in Plano. She is at best an average student and does not test well given her learning disability.</p>
<p>We need to be within a 20-25 minute drive from Plano for a club sport she plays. Our work will be in Downtown Dallas right off the 75. </p>
<p>We’ve been told about McKinney, Allen (HS too big), Frisco and Plano (but don’t want Plano 9/10-11/12 system and it’s too large). How do we know which public high schools are best in McKinney and Frisco?</p>
<p>Any other cities on that side of town we should look at with small schools? Any public or private high schools you recommend? </p>
<p>Moving her in HS means we are willing to sacrifice our own needs such as drive time or yard size for the best educational environment for her. Any input would be GREATLY appreciated.</p>
<p>I don’t believe you will find a public school that small that is 20-25 minutes drive from Plano. That said, if I were relocating to Dallas I would seriously consider Highland Park High School–a very, very good school district, probably the smallest public high school in the county and a wonderful neighborhood. HPHS has been a Blue Ribbon school more than once in recent years and has very high standards. Real estate is quite expensive in Highland Park/University Park. It would be close enough to the downtown area for a relatively easy commute but Plano would be a longer drive than you prefer.</p>
<p>We left the area several years ago but still have friends in the DFW area. My kids went to Creekview HS in the Carrollton-Farmer’s Branch district–We lived in the far northern part of the district in Denton County. We were very happy there but the enrollment is over 3000, I believe. In spite of that, they provide their students with a great education.</p>
<p>Look at the Lovejoy district-- no emprical information, but the school tracks all the kids in the honors program, and it is fairly rural, so I would imagine small. It may be a longer commute than you’d want into Dallas, but certainly small and may work best for your D.</p>
<p>As somebody who went to Plano schools, there is a certain group of schools your D should take should you plan to move to that area to avoid more of the ‘crazies’. Excellent teachers, but yes, very large and competitive. PM me for more specific info if you’d like.</p>
<p>I have heard pretty nice things about the Frisco/McKinney districts (though in a very specific context of competition among high-ranking students). I wouldn’t worry too much about the ‘best’ schools in those districts; the area is nice enough that I wouldn’t worry too much about that bit.</p>
<p>I’ve had friends at Legacy Christian in Plano as well, though nothing specific, and some nice things about Prestonwood Christian in Plano (they have superb college counseling services). If you’re looking for a small public (though I agree, that’s going to be hard to find), I’m still thinking Lovejoy. Texas football is big, and for that, you need big schools.</p>
<p>Thank you so much. I should have said we have ruled out HPHS because a) it is too academically rigorous for her b) too far from her club sport in Plano. I think we’ll have to go smaller (McKinney, Frisco) or private. We just can’t seem to find any list of private schools in that area or a way to rate those other schools realistically.</p>
<p>I would beg and claw my way into Parish Episcopal School. It will completely meet your needs (range of student abilities and lots of individual attention) and you can live within striking distance of Plano if you choose. I raised my kids in Dallas and lived there for 28 years. Parish did not have a high school when my kids were that age, but I think it woukd be perfect for your child.</p>
<p>I have heard good things about the Frisco school district, and the city of Frisco is a great area for families. I do not know much about Lovejoy, but it looks like that area may be a little bit more convenient to where you will be working. One thing that is important to remember when you are looking for a house is that city boundaries are not always the same as school district boundaries. For example, a part of Frisco is in the Lewisville school district and is zoned for a larger school than you are looking for, while there are small parts of Plano and McKinney that are zoned for the Frisco school district.</p>
<p>Not sure I follow the logic driven by the club sport. You will need to drive daily from a suburb to downtown. Club sport is two weekly practices and a weekend game. Frisco to downtown is no picnic, if you have to drive. I grew up in Dallas and considered going to Plano as the equivalent of a calvary. The yearly trek to buy discounted ski gear was all we could take. Things have changed, but not the distances and traffic.</p>
<p>Get a copy of D Magazine. They do discuss schools in DFW, as just behind shopping and sports, it is the third obsession and favorite passtime of soccermoms driving huge Suburbans filled with uniformed toddlers.</p>
<p>I have a family friend who is very happy with the Frisco schools. Her S is in 10th grade. He is very active in a varsity sport and elite club sport (same sport), but is not that great of a student. He has a private tutor who comes to their house. She is a very aware mom, a former special needs teacher, and they moved to Frisco partly for their schools. I’m not sure which high school.</p>
<p>I know a woman whose grandson was in a Frisco public middle school and tremendous bullying was tolerated. That shouldn’t paint the whole district, but just be cautious.</p>
<p>One word about Christian schools in Texas. I don’t know where you are from, but some tend to be very Christian…as in a fundamentalist, right wing world view. There are excellent private HSs with religious affiiliations (e.g. Parish Episcopal, Ursuline, etc.), then there are small Christian schools that you should venture into only if you already have similar religious and political views.</p>
<p>I’m not slamming any particular school - to each her own - but some schools are rather out of the mainstream.</p>
<p>There is a private school in Addison called Greenhill. I think its for kids with learning challenges. All I know about it is a friend of mine who was struggling at our public Plano school transferred to it and thrived. [Greenhill</a> School](<a href=“http://www.greenhill.org/]Greenhill”>http://www.greenhill.org/)</p>
<p>I work near downtown and my commute is a breeze-because I’m making it at 5:30 a.m. Much later than that, it is an extremely unpleasant experience.</p>
<p>I have a some friends who sent their kids to Christian schools-Trinity Christian Academy in Addison (easy commute to club sport) and Prestonwood Christian Academy in Plano. They were very happy. I know they are of the southern Baptist flavor, so that might be an issue. Some Catholic friends of ours sent all 4 of their kids to Trinity Christian Academy and loved it, so it may jibe just fine with your values. You obviously would need to investigate that, and they are undoubtedly already full at this point in the year (admissions are usually completed around mid March).</p>
<p>There are also a couple of schools which are designed specifically for kids with learning differences. I really don’t know much about them other than just to give you a name and a starting place for research: The Winston School, which is on the tollway so would be close to downtown and probably 20-30 minutes to Plano depending on time of day, and The Shelton School, also in Dallas.</p>
<p>Uh, no. Greenhill is a vigorous college prep school which sends its students to highly selective schools like the Ivies and prestigious LACs. Not saying your friend was in the wrong place or that someone with a learning difference could not thrive there, but it has a very vigorous curriculum. It has amazing facilities, enthusiastic and brilliant teachers, and a big tradition of “winning” at everything, whether sports, debate, etc. D1 was accepted there and very much wanted to attend, but ultimately we chose single sex education for her instead. We had many friends who sent their kids there, all of them to great experiences and they were so very well prepared for college. It’s a selective school and tough to get into. You have to do very well on the admissions testing, and I think the OP said her child was not a great test taker?</p>
<p>^^^^^^Maybe 20 years ago it was the case-could be, I don’t know. I just know that right now it is a very selective private school with very high ambitions for its students as it relates to achievement and college acceptances.</p>
<p>Humm, I think it might be best for people to avoid offering suggestions that are speculative at best. Greenhill is NOT a school for special needs kids. You are confusing it with <a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Winston_School[/url]”>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Winston_School</a> a different school. It is one of the most selective and most expensive schools in Dallas. It is the coed counterpart of St. Marks and Hockaday, and rests at the pinnacle of Dallas tony education private school system. </p>
<p>A step below you will find Ursuline, ESD, and Cistercian, and perhaps a recent school that was built to accommodate the great number of rejects from the above schools. One might want to add Highland Park HS in that mix. And then come the mostly suburban public school powerhouses that are mostly in the northern part of the city. Dallas proper is simply lackluster has most people with means have voted with their feet and moved to the surburban and exurban ShangriLas. That seem to jockey for the most egregious spending follies. That is where you find megamillions busbarns and underground golf facilities and ridiculous monuments to King football. See <a href=“http://www.davedowns.com/dfwhighschools.htm[/url]”>http://www.davedowns.com/dfwhighschools.htm</a></p>
<p>All in all, one should know that private schools are very expensive in Dallas and that families make sacrifices to escape DISD. Either through high tuitions, high costs of living in the Park Cities, or migrating farther and farther from the geographical center of activities. Note that for some that center is well North of downtown, which is considered the southern frontier. </p>
<p>Again, few subjects create more spirited debates and agony than the choice of schools in Dallas. Getting in the right preK, first grade, or fifth grade at the schools mentioned above consumes many Dallasites. It is the Super Bowl of education. The good news is that the crazy scene diminishes after middle school. </p>
<p>Again, check D Magazine, and pay a visit. Rent a car with free mileage. ;)</p>
<p>Thanks everyone. I wish we could rent and take our time to make decisions, but I only want her to move schools once. And the rental market is terrible right now. Her challenges are minimal, though she does have an IEP. She can handle a small mainstream environment, and so far, I’ve found nothing small about Texas! (Grin) She is very social, a cheerleader here at school, so I’m not looking for a 100 percent special ed school. @Xiggi, her sport is 5 days a week of practice with out of town competitions most weekends in season. It is her love and the one reason she’s willing to make this move with a smile at 14 (which is a great one for the rest of the family) So yes, it sounds silly, but that is dictating where we live and it might be her only chance at getting into college. As far as traffic, how bad is Frisco? I drive almost 2 hours each way in LA, so anything will be better. But I’m trying to be within 30-40 minutes with traffic. McKinney and Allen seem much closer.</p>