<p>I live in Maplewood/South Orange and would not say we have postage stamp lots - the lots in my neighborhood average 100x150 or .33 acres. It is a beautiful town, probably a bit closer to NYC than you need, as you do pay for the convenience of the non-stop train (<30 min to NYC) and the property taxes are outrageous. </p>
<p>I also object to the characterization of the HS. Columbia HS has something for everyone and offers more AP classes than Millburn/Short Hills and there are several kids I know in the rising Sr class with 2400 SATs. What Columbia offers that most schools do not is diversity, as we share a few block long border with Newark. You name, we have it here! Our arts program is one of the tops in the state with recent alums such as Zach Braff and Lauren Hill, an Emmy winning TV production studio, etc. Yes, some people send their kids to private schools, but so do people in M/SH.</p>
<p>No offense on Maplewood, but I lived on the “wrong side of the tracks” near the HS and I am just stating my opinion. Lots on this side are 55 x 125 or so. I loved my commute to NYC there, loved my house and the beauty of the town but left after my ds entered the schools for lots of reasons, maybe partly the taxes but mostly the schools.</p>
<p>two cents here; if you are going the “private” route for school, try to find a town where the taxes are more reasonable since you are not using the schools; especially if you are renting rather than buying at this point…not sure if the tax issue is passed on to renters but keep that in mind…</p>
<p>alot of the private schools in this area draw from farflung so don’t be too concerned about friends being too far away…just keep in mind that this new 11:00 driving curfew/issue is killing the newly minted 17 yr olds around here that have friends in other areas…doesn’t seem to be as big an issue within towns but rather causing angst if kids are visiting others…</p>
<p>Oh, sheesh, if the wrong side of the tracks in Maplewood, and Columbia HS (which has a stellar reputation, and great diversity, both ethnically and economically, which I think is a plus though I know not everyone does) are problems, I better not even mention the town my kids went to public school in!</p>
<p>Honestly, there are tons of wonderful public schools in NJ, and they are not going to evaporate because of Christie’s cuts (despite his best efforts.) I think a junior would have a better chance of a good experience entering an eclectic public school, rather than a small, insular private. but I know not everyone agrees with that.</p>
<p>I started out with your reasoning and wanted to find a good public high school with a mix of socio-economic kids and especially one where there wasn’t a lot of busing (like where we live). I know those schools are out there. Have really gotten a bad feeling from my encounters with several, however. Just not at all welcoming. I think the publics in NJ are in the midst of a big funding transition and am not sure brand new midstream juniors would get much in the way of support. I could be underestimating these schools tho and reading too much into a few conversations.</p>
<p>I do worry about the elitism factor at the privates we’re considering. DD is at a private where we live but it is far less expensive and does a great job of extending FA to less privileged kids. The more I look at moving the more I appreciate what an unusual and terrific school it is. Oh well. Gotta embrace the change.</p>
<p>Of course NJ privates have financial aid; Pingry and the other top privates do indeed have scholarships for poor (often but not always) minority kids particularly at high school level but also to a lesser extent in earlier grades I think. It is the middle income families of all ethnicities, especially with more than one child, who don’t really have a place there anymore. Even a pretty comfortable family may well have trouble paying $25,000 a year per child two or three three times over.</p>
<p>And as a longtime NJ resident I must also point out that elitism and snobbery can be found everywhere, in both public and private schools and in a wide range of communities. So can reverse snobbery like the annoying belief of people in some Essex County towns that only the proudly diverse Montclair and Maplewood/South Orange public schools can produce kids who are comfortable with diversity–a complacency that is just as grating as that hushed-voice “Maplewood is a changing community” that people were so fond of observing thirty years ago and that some still express, albeit with different catch phrases. </p>
<p>So I’d say if private school is what works for you, and it seems to be the choice, go for the private school that best fits your child’s needs and your family values. It sounds as though you have looked into the best that NJ has to offer. There will be snobs (not necessarily the richest or the best or the brightest) but there there will be amazing people who are smart and nice as well as highly privileged. And there will be some really good teachers and great facilities. Your D will find her way.</p>
<p>Re the driving curfew referenced a few posts up–it was midnight for years, so limited 17-year-old driving anyway, and this is only one hour earlier. The limitation on having passengers is also not new. The graduated driver’s license program for under-18s is of long standing and seems to be a very good thing.</p>
<p>Not to be too big a cheerleader for Summit High School, but Summit has more ethnic and socio-economic diversity than many other schools in the area. In our experience, though, there is more self-segregation between ethnic groups than was the case in our son’s previous high school in suburban Seattle.</p>
<p>Some stats:</p>
<p>Summit High 70% white, 12% free or reduced lunch eligible
Governor Livingston (Berkeley Heights) 86% white, 1% free or reduced lunch eligible
Millburn High 81% white, 0.5% free or reduced lunch eligible
Chatham High 91% white, 0.7% free or reduced lunch eligible
Ridge High (Basking Ridge) 93% white, 0.4% free or reduced lunch eligible</p>
<p>Re - the new driving curfew
It’s a huge problem for the teens. If you have to be home by 11pm, then parties tend to have to end at 10 so the kids have time to get home in time. At least this is the case for my daughter and her friends as they come from a wide area. </p>
<p>Did any of you have to leave a party at 10 when you were in high school? I had very conservative parents and even I didn’t have to leave a party at 10. </p>
<p>I’m very hopeful that Kyleigh’s laws will be rescinded - very soon!</p>
<p>^^not to mention the fact that they cannot go to a movie past 8:30 (which don’t exist; most are either 7-7:30 or 9:30)…</p>
<p>apparently, there has already been a vote to rescind Kyleigh’s law on June 25th and did not go through; so far now, still have to follow this ridiculous curfew</p>
<p>“Did any of you have to leave a party at 10 when you were in high school? I had very conservative parents and even I didn’t have to leave a party at 10.”…me too and my curfew was 1:00 all through high school…that even surprises me now…</p>