Irvine elementary schools; how to pick one

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Dinofan

New member
Hi all! New to this forum, but have been lurking for a while.
I hope I?m posting this in the right sub-forum, Education. It?s kind of a mix.

Although we live in FL now, we just found out about a job relocation to Irvine for next June. We?ve lived in Irvine before, and it?s my absolute favorite place to live, beige and boring and everything! We have three kids, oldest is 6, and really who has time to be bored, I just am so happy to move back to a place that provides such a great environment for the little ones. I can?t think of a better place to raise a family.

So now I am stuck with big decisions! Where in Irvine to live (we?ll rent at first, 3-4 bedrooms, up to $3500). Hard to pick a neighborhood, schools seem to be equally good everywhere, ditto amenities. I am inclined towards Woodbridge,  although homes are older, I like the idea of walking around the lake, to Barnes and Noble, a  very central location. Being able to walk to the elementary school is an absolute must. We lived in Westpark II before, right by Plaza Vista. But the kids were not in school at that time. It was very nice though, a little newer, easy to get anywhere.
How are the elementary schools (aside from academics, which I know are top-notch). Are the classes over-crowded (here in FL there is a cap on class size, 18 for K-5)? Are the kids well-mannered, respectful , friendly to newcomers? Right now we are doing private school (there is no other way unfortunately),  but look forward to a good public education, 3 kids in private school  is quite a burden.
Would I make a mistake by not being in the Uni High area (Woodbridge HS is pretty good too right?) Academics are at the top of our list in the kids? upbringing.
I?ve excluded Portola Springs, Woodbury, Stonegate, too far out there.

Anyways, always good to read interesting posts about Irvine, and stay up to date via this forum!
Thanks
 
Welcome to the forums, dinofan

$3500/month should be plenty to get you most any village you'd like to be in.  Do you still have friends in the area, from when you lived here before?

-IR2
 
We did have some friends who lived at the Village at Spectrum apartments, but that was two years ago, haven't kept in touch. DH has former co-workers who live in the area.

I was just reading IHO's post about transitioning to public schools, and got a little worried, if they don't assign enough homework in the Irvine schools, then where? Here the main issue we have with the private school (besides the cost!) is that there doesn't seem to be enough homework, too much emphasis on non-school related activities, like Pumpkin Patch, Hispanic Heritage, rummage sales etc, I just want the kid to learn to read and spell, add and subtract, the fun stuff I can do myself, after school!!

Otherwise, I do admit, they treat kids very nicely in private school, the teacher always has a smile on her face, is always available, I can walk onto the campus at lunch to say hi to my kid every day, which at this age means a lot to him.
 
I would love to hear everyone's opinion about the preferred elementary school for Irvine. I will be moving there at the beginning of 2012 and will have a child entering Kindergarten in the fall. Thanks for any help...it seems the schools are all good; but, would love to hear what you have to say. Thanks!
 
Since we've decided to live in the Plaza Vista school area, and will move there in January, I called the school the other day to see what to do about enrolling mid-year. They said they don't guarantee a spot, although at this time they are still accepting new students. If they dont have spots, they will register us at the nearest school with openings. How am I supposed to pick a place to live (I need the home address in order to register) if I don't even know for sure that's the school we are going to attend. And I am moving to irvine so I can WALK the kid to some of the best schools in the country!
 
Hey Dinofan-I have found this out recently by reading these boards. I, too, want to rent in an area that my oldest will enroll for Kindergarten next year. I really would hate to know I am spending extra money to live in a "better" part of Irvine to not end up at that school. So, what made you decide on that area? Thanks for any info!
 
We've decided to live in Westpark II because of its central location, the K-8 year round school (I have three kids, so I want to have them all in the same school for as long as possible), the newer homes (as opposed to Woodbridge, which was also high on the list); and now we've found out we'll have to move to Irvine in december, which means I can only pick areas with schools that are still open for my son's grade (the Woodbridge schools for instance are closed for this school year).
Also, at the top of my list is walking to school (after all, this is a major part of the Irvine lifestyle), and there are many areas in Irvine where you cannot do that (say, Portola Springs, Laguna Altura). And I am talking about the "walking two blocks to school kind of thing", not half a mile.

Plus, we've lived in Westpark before, it's always good to know what to expect!

My daughter is also starting kindergarten next year, I know I will be the first one at the school in march to register!!
 
Thanks, Dinofan! I will most likely be going out and starting my new job after Thanksgiving. So, I will take a look around when I come. I will fly back and forth until I can find somewhere to live. I appreciate the insight! Thanks!
 
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