buy house acroos from school
September 13, 2011 2:08 PM Subscribe
Would you buy a house that's across the street from an elementary school?
My wife and I have been searching hard for a home that's in a decent area, is well priced, and is in excellent condition. We have found one that meets all those standards, but there's a catch...it's located across the street from an elementary school. On the plus side, the bus drop off area is not on this street. But there is an area where kids come out to play that's right across the street from the house. I also work from home and require silence for conference calls. I went with my realtor today to go inside the house while the kids were outside playing. To be honest you could barely hear them. The windows are double pane. And in the room that I would probably choose to make my home office you basically can't hear anything. So it seemed to pass the test. It also seemed that parking on the street was still fine with the school there. And the house provides a 2 car garage, and room for about 3 cars on the driveway. Other then being across the street from the elementary school the house is flawless. Would you buy a house that's across from an elementary school? We do plan on having kids and our kid would go to this school. Any thoughts here would be great.
My wife and I have been searching hard for a home that's in a decent area, is well priced, and is in excellent condition. We have found one that meets all those standards, but there's a catch...it's located across the street from an elementary school. On the plus side, the bus drop off area is not on this street. But there is an area where kids come out to play that's right across the street from the house. I also work from home and require silence for conference calls. I went with my realtor today to go inside the house while the kids were outside playing. To be honest you could barely hear them. The windows are double pane. And in the room that I would probably choose to make my home office you basically can't hear anything. So it seemed to pass the test. It also seemed that parking on the street was still fine with the school there. And the house provides a 2 car garage, and room for about 3 cars on the driveway. Other then being across the street from the elementary school the house is flawless. Would you buy a house that's across from an elementary school? We do plan on having kids and our kid would go to this school. Any thoughts here would be great.
In two separate houses I lived on the same block as elementary schools, and I thought it was fine, especially if it is a school you would consider sending your kids to later. We had double panned windows and I never heard them. Traffic was occasionally bad at pick up or drop off but not too bad. It's probably good for your resale value if the school is decent. Also, if you're somewhere that it snows, you'll get pretty quick plowing!!
posted by dpx.mfx at 2:12 PM on September 13, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by dpx.mfx at 2:12 PM on September 13, 2011 [1 favorite]
Sorry, if that wasn't clear - I'd buy it in a flash. Being next door to the local school is a huge plus for me - such a short trip for the kids, you can send them out to play in the schoolyard afterschool and on the weekend.
I grew up next to a schoolyard and loved it, though sadly the school itself shut down when I was 7 and I was bused after that. Ever since then, being close to a school has been a big deal to me.
posted by jb at 2:14 PM on September 13, 2011
I grew up next to a schoolyard and loved it, though sadly the school itself shut down when I was 7 and I was bused after that. Ever since then, being close to a school has been a big deal to me.
posted by jb at 2:14 PM on September 13, 2011
I work from home, and my two sons are home from school sick. When I'm on the phone you can't hear them at all.
Honestly, it would be very convenient if we lived across the street from the school. No worries about drop-off and pick-up (this would save a lot of time every day), and no worries about the kids getting hit by a car on their way to school.
posted by KokuRyu at 2:14 PM on September 13, 2011
Honestly, it would be very convenient if we lived across the street from the school. No worries about drop-off and pick-up (this would save a lot of time every day), and no worries about the kids getting hit by a car on their way to school.
posted by KokuRyu at 2:14 PM on September 13, 2011
I rented across the street from a complex that was an elementary and the school district administrative offices, and I think you've covered the bases already. My experience:
- noise doesn't bother you, was not much of an issue for me either
- parking was terrible for me because this was in an urban area with first-come street parking and not much of it. you don't have this problem
- I did not have any incidents with kids vandalizing things
- do you have an outdoor cat? I wouldn't let a cat roam around near a school because kids are jerks
- I think my neighborhood was actually better policed because of the school, side perk for me
posted by slow graffiti at 2:17 PM on September 13, 2011
- noise doesn't bother you, was not much of an issue for me either
- parking was terrible for me because this was in an urban area with first-come street parking and not much of it. you don't have this problem
- I did not have any incidents with kids vandalizing things
- do you have an outdoor cat? I wouldn't let a cat roam around near a school because kids are jerks
- I think my neighborhood was actually better policed because of the school, side perk for me
posted by slow graffiti at 2:17 PM on September 13, 2011
There are often greater penalties to people who break the law within some radius of school grounds. I have no citation to offer that proves this, but it seems reasonable to expect that this house (and it occupants) would be at less risk from all kinds of crimes, as a result.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 2:17 PM on September 13, 2011 [2 favorites]
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 2:17 PM on September 13, 2011 [2 favorites]
Another thing to consider - school lets out a couple hours before "the working day" ends, and the grounds are usually deserted after that -- so scheduling your calls towards the end of the day just to be safe may also help.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 2:18 PM on September 13, 2011 [3 favorites]
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 2:18 PM on September 13, 2011 [3 favorites]
I am working from home and I get more noise from lawn mowers, leaf blowers, delivery men, and the like than I do from kids playing. I am one block away from an elementary school. I think it is a plus.
One downside down the road is that I think some of your future children's mates parents may assume their kid can just go across the street to your house when they are running late for pick-up or they lack child care that day. This could be a benefit too, but think about it.
posted by JohnnyGunn at 2:19 PM on September 13, 2011 [3 favorites]
One downside down the road is that I think some of your future children's mates parents may assume their kid can just go across the street to your house when they are running late for pick-up or they lack child care that day. This could be a benefit too, but think about it.
posted by JohnnyGunn at 2:19 PM on September 13, 2011 [3 favorites]
I have friends who live across the street from a middle school. They love it because when they have a lot of people over we just park in the school parking lot and cross the street. It helps that the tennis courts and softball/baseball fields are available to the public when the school isn't using them.
The traffic might be really bad twice a day, but it's a pretty predictable twice a day that happens. It's pretty easy to work around.
I doubt the other kids will care all that much about yours just having to cross the street. Unless they're friends coming over, then the short walk would be pretty cool. Although my elementary school had a rule that you couldn't walk/ride a bike to school if you had to cross a certain road. You might want to look into that.
There's no way your kid is coming home for lunch though (I'm assuming you're still living in the US). Too much liability there. Even if your kid could come home for lunch you'd be taking them out of a valuable social interaction.
posted by theichibun at 2:20 PM on September 13, 2011 [1 favorite]
The traffic might be really bad twice a day, but it's a pretty predictable twice a day that happens. It's pretty easy to work around.
I doubt the other kids will care all that much about yours just having to cross the street. Unless they're friends coming over, then the short walk would be pretty cool. Although my elementary school had a rule that you couldn't walk/ride a bike to school if you had to cross a certain road. You might want to look into that.
There's no way your kid is coming home for lunch though (I'm assuming you're still living in the US). Too much liability there. Even if your kid could come home for lunch you'd be taking them out of a valuable social interaction.
posted by theichibun at 2:20 PM on September 13, 2011 [1 favorite]
Things to keep in mind:
1. How easy is it to commute in and out of there during dropoff/pickup hours? Find out first-hand.
2. Is the school's playlot frequented during the afternoons/evenings by older, potentially rowdy kids?
If the two concerns above aren't a problem here, then go for it! I've heard many a harrowing tale related to living across from a high school, but an elementary school shouldn't be a problem so long as you don't mind the sound of kids when you're in your front room.
posted by davejay at 2:20 PM on September 13, 2011 [1 favorite]
1. How easy is it to commute in and out of there during dropoff/pickup hours? Find out first-hand.
2. Is the school's playlot frequented during the afternoons/evenings by older, potentially rowdy kids?
If the two concerns above aren't a problem here, then go for it! I've heard many a harrowing tale related to living across from a high school, but an elementary school shouldn't be a problem so long as you don't mind the sound of kids when you're in your front room.
posted by davejay at 2:20 PM on September 13, 2011 [1 favorite]
We have a school next door and it's great because in the evenings and on the weekends it's completely quiet. During the week it does get noisy at recess, but we also work from home occasionally and with the windows closed it's a hum we don't notice.
It's actually quite lovely to see the kids at recess, there's a joy in that noise.
I wish I could say we too send our children to this school because the convenience is extraordinary, but in our case it's a Catholic school and we didn't feel we wanted our children exposed to religion at a young and impressionable age.
posted by Dragonness at 2:20 PM on September 13, 2011 [1 favorite]
It's actually quite lovely to see the kids at recess, there's a joy in that noise.
I wish I could say we too send our children to this school because the convenience is extraordinary, but in our case it's a Catholic school and we didn't feel we wanted our children exposed to religion at a young and impressionable age.
posted by Dragonness at 2:20 PM on September 13, 2011 [1 favorite]
I lived right across the street from my 5th grade elementary school.
Pros (mostly for your future kids): It was awesome to literally walk across the street, so I could get up later. It was easy to play in the school playground on the weekends. I got to be a crosswalk monitor because I could get there before the busses did. However, I don't think that nowadays your kid will be able to come home for lunch - that wasn't even allowed when I was in 5th grade in 1995. Also for some reason I could walk TO school on my own, but had to wait for parent volunteers to walk me the literally 10 feet from the school to the crosswalk that led to my house.
Cons (for you): People will try to park in front of your driveway during school events like concerts or PTA meetings. A couple parents even tried to park in our driveway. My parents basically just stood on their lawn and repeatedly told people that they can't park there.
posted by muddgirl at 2:22 PM on September 13, 2011
Pros (mostly for your future kids): It was awesome to literally walk across the street, so I could get up later. It was easy to play in the school playground on the weekends. I got to be a crosswalk monitor because I could get there before the busses did. However, I don't think that nowadays your kid will be able to come home for lunch - that wasn't even allowed when I was in 5th grade in 1995. Also for some reason I could walk TO school on my own, but had to wait for parent volunteers to walk me the literally 10 feet from the school to the crosswalk that led to my house.
Cons (for you): People will try to park in front of your driveway during school events like concerts or PTA meetings. A couple parents even tried to park in our driveway. My parents basically just stood on their lawn and repeatedly told people that they can't park there.
posted by muddgirl at 2:22 PM on September 13, 2011
1. How easy is it to commute in and out of there during dropoff/pickup hours? Find out first-hand.
Please take this into consideration. I hate, loathe, despise going even remotely near my kids' school anywhere near dropoff/pickup hours. It's a freakin' madhouse.
posted by Sassyfras at 2:22 PM on September 13, 2011 [4 favorites]
Please take this into consideration. I hate, loathe, despise going even remotely near my kids' school anywhere near dropoff/pickup hours. It's a freakin' madhouse.
posted by Sassyfras at 2:22 PM on September 13, 2011 [4 favorites]
I grew up across the street from my elementary school and it was awesome. jb pretty well nailed it - all my friends envied me that there was no bus ride, and it was great fun being able to invite a friend or three to come home for lunch with me.
My sister lives across the street from her son's school as well. They hear pretty well nothing inside the house, and her kids love living there as much as we loved living across the street from our school.
posted by empatterson at 2:26 PM on September 13, 2011
My sister lives across the street from her son's school as well. They hear pretty well nothing inside the house, and her kids love living there as much as we loved living across the street from our school.
posted by empatterson at 2:26 PM on September 13, 2011
I used to live a block away from an elementary school. The only thing that was different about it than living anywhere else? Lack of advertisements stuck on my car. I was at the whim of street parking, and when my street filled up, I'd go to the next one over--the street on which the elementary school was located. When I parked on my own street, I got a flag on my car every day for some local business. But they didn't put them on the cars on the school's street. Maybe they had been yelled at in the past for advertising near a school or something? I don't know. But not having crap stuck under my wipers was a nice change.
posted by phunniemee at 2:28 PM on September 13, 2011
posted by phunniemee at 2:28 PM on September 13, 2011
Summers will certainly be plenty quiet, noise wise. Also: schools usually have scheduled recess and you can get a feel for the rhythm of the day and just not schedule calls during that hour.
I think the big thing to consider - as others have mentioned - is to hang out by the house during pick/up and drop/off hours and see what the traffic is like. If you're working from home, it might be plenty easy to just not go in/out during those twenty minutes.
I have a kiddo and would personally LOVE to live within a block or two of his future school. A family I used to nanny for lived right around the corner from the older girl's kindergarten and it was oh so handy in oh so many ways. Not the least of which being able to just run out and pick her up within three minutes if she needed to go home due to illness.
posted by sonika at 2:29 PM on September 13, 2011
I think the big thing to consider - as others have mentioned - is to hang out by the house during pick/up and drop/off hours and see what the traffic is like. If you're working from home, it might be plenty easy to just not go in/out during those twenty minutes.
I have a kiddo and would personally LOVE to live within a block or two of his future school. A family I used to nanny for lived right around the corner from the older girl's kindergarten and it was oh so handy in oh so many ways. Not the least of which being able to just run out and pick her up within three minutes if she needed to go home due to illness.
posted by sonika at 2:29 PM on September 13, 2011
If it were a high school, or possibly even a middle school, I'd say NO--I live behind a high school and we've been targeted for burglary and vandalism by kids at that school (one of whom brought a gun to the school right after he and his pals robbed our house--they were stupid enough to film that on one of OUR digital cameras so identifying him was shockingly easy).
But I think kids at an elementary school aren't up to that kind of thing, so if the noise of kids playing doesn't bother you, I'd say go for it. (What grade level does the school go up to? I'd have more reservations if it were a K-8 than a K-4, like our school system.)
posted by dlugoczaj at 2:35 PM on September 13, 2011
But I think kids at an elementary school aren't up to that kind of thing, so if the noise of kids playing doesn't bother you, I'd say go for it. (What grade level does the school go up to? I'd have more reservations if it were a K-8 than a K-4, like our school system.)
posted by dlugoczaj at 2:35 PM on September 13, 2011
School areas are patrolled more than non school zones so safety is a plus!
The sound of kids playing, laughing etc...will ripple great energy!
posted by gypseefire at 2:36 PM on September 13, 2011
The sound of kids playing, laughing etc...will ripple great energy!
posted by gypseefire at 2:36 PM on September 13, 2011
There are often greater penalties to people who break the law within some radius of school grounds. I have no citation to offer that proves this, but it seems reasonable to expect that this house (and it occupants) would be at less risk from all kinds of crimes, as a result.
Just to be clear, this is false: “Sentencing enhancement zones” don't really work.
posted by dhartung at 2:48 PM on September 13, 2011
Just to be clear, this is false: “Sentencing enhancement zones” don't really work.
posted by dhartung at 2:48 PM on September 13, 2011
Just to be clear, this is false: “Sentencing enhancement zones” don't really work.
In that case, mods: Please feel free to delete my wrong answer.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 2:53 PM on September 13, 2011
In that case, mods: Please feel free to delete my wrong answer.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 2:53 PM on September 13, 2011
I grew up in a house that's across the street from an elementary school, and my parents still live there. Except for the morning drop-off time and afternoon pick-up time, it's perfectly fine... during those times it's just 10-15 minutes when you can't easily leave your driveway (not too hard to work around). Yeah, you hear kids playing at recess... but you also get to watch them march around their block in their Halloween costumes each year.
posted by reptile at 2:55 PM on September 13, 2011
posted by reptile at 2:55 PM on September 13, 2011
We live down the street from our kids' school. It's not a problem, mostly. However:
1. Our city has *extra* penalties for talking on cellphone while driving in a school zone, regardless of time of day. More cops around, in general. We got stopped twice in two days for lights out over our license plate.
2. School zones are obviously going to affect you 9 months a year if you're driving mornings/afternoons.
3. Are you facing the school? Do you have a fence around your yard? Is there a sidewalk? Because kids will walk on your grass, and sometimes, will drop stuff (homework, chip bags, soda cans) too. We have a slight problem with this occasionally.
If none of that is a problem, go for it.
posted by emjaybee at 2:55 PM on September 13, 2011
1. Our city has *extra* penalties for talking on cellphone while driving in a school zone, regardless of time of day. More cops around, in general. We got stopped twice in two days for lights out over our license plate.
2. School zones are obviously going to affect you 9 months a year if you're driving mornings/afternoons.
3. Are you facing the school? Do you have a fence around your yard? Is there a sidewalk? Because kids will walk on your grass, and sometimes, will drop stuff (homework, chip bags, soda cans) too. We have a slight problem with this occasionally.
If none of that is a problem, go for it.
posted by emjaybee at 2:55 PM on September 13, 2011
We live in South Florida, where school pickup and dropoff involves cars idling for half an hour to an hour straight, in a big, exhaust-belching line. The pollutants from that are awful. I have to walk by, and it's terrible ... I can't imagine living next to it, my allergies would run amok.
My friends who lived around the corner from our local elementary school often get the "can you take my kids home" call. Also, kids litter.
I like playground sounds, but the traffic would do me in.
posted by theplotchickens at 3:03 PM on September 13, 2011
My friends who lived around the corner from our local elementary school often get the "can you take my kids home" call. Also, kids litter.
I like playground sounds, but the traffic would do me in.
posted by theplotchickens at 3:03 PM on September 13, 2011
I rented an apartment across from an elementary school and the noise of students wasn't so bad. But every day at 7:45 AM, there was a bell to start school; another to start lunch at 11:30, and one to end it at 12:30; and one at 3 PM to dismiss the school. These weren't a crystalline tinkling, think more like "fire alarm bleat." I lived in the middle of the apartment building, had no windows facing the school, couldn't hear kids playing, but those bells could be heard throughout our whole apartment.
I can deal with M-F bells, but the school couldn't/wouldn't turn them off, ever. Bells 4x day every Saturday, Sunday, and holiday got to be old very quickly.
After that I moved near a middle school (same district) and they could turn off their bells on weekends and holidays-- I had no problems there.
posted by holyrood at 3:29 PM on September 13, 2011
I can deal with M-F bells, but the school couldn't/wouldn't turn them off, ever. Bells 4x day every Saturday, Sunday, and holiday got to be old very quickly.
After that I moved near a middle school (same district) and they could turn off their bells on weekends and holidays-- I had no problems there.
posted by holyrood at 3:29 PM on September 13, 2011
I have lived most of my life across the street from an elementary school with a Jr. High just up the block. My mother taught at the school, I went there, and just had to walk across the street. It is now a school for special needs, but still full of kids. My kids attended the Jr. High and it was great not to have to drive them. There are also ball games on the fields at various times. I like the sound of kids. The special school has lots of little buses picking up the kids, but I have gotten used to it and just don't go out then.
If you have kids, plan to have kids, just like kids and am not a "get off my lawn" type, living by a school is fine.
posted by mermayd at 3:46 PM on September 13, 2011
If you have kids, plan to have kids, just like kids and am not a "get off my lawn" type, living by a school is fine.
posted by mermayd at 3:46 PM on September 13, 2011
Elementary school, fine with me. High school...NO. I lived across from a high school for 9 months, and the noise, the trash, and the Friday night dances were a nightmare. But an elementary school would be fine with me.
posted by rtodd at 4:01 PM on September 13, 2011
posted by rtodd at 4:01 PM on September 13, 2011
I live directly across from an elementary school and a middle school. During pickup, dropoff, school events and community events in the school people routinely park in or across our driveway, as well as on the sidewalk. There's also more garbage on our lawn than I would like. Noise-wise it's fine.
posted by sgrass at 4:03 PM on September 13, 2011
posted by sgrass at 4:03 PM on September 13, 2011
I thought of the "sentencing enforcement zones" too, but in a different way: if you use illegal drugs or have friends who do, you may want to check to see if extra "within X yards of a school" penalties apply in your area.
posted by vorfeed at 4:18 PM on September 13, 2011
posted by vorfeed at 4:18 PM on September 13, 2011
we live near a school- you can't hear kids playing, but we do (if the wind is right) hear "will Billy X please come to the office" "will Billy X please return to his class room" and the music they play at the end of lunch time to let the kids know the bell is about to ring- we also hear the bell.
Kids playing not so much. We also hear concerts, but that's OK. Mostly if you are outside.
The traffic can be mental, but we live near a stretch of a state primary school, a early learning to high school private school, a primary school and a high school, and not too far from the next primary school and Rudolph Steiner school. There are also several kinders near us too.
It's a great family friendly area, so we don't mind. :)
I would think about it, make sure I had double glazing, see if I could hang out at/near the house for a whole day if possible, and buy it.
Of course, it might suffer in resale value, but you want a house, right? not an investment.
posted by titanium_geek at 4:42 PM on September 13, 2011
Kids playing not so much. We also hear concerts, but that's OK. Mostly if you are outside.
The traffic can be mental, but we live near a stretch of a state primary school, a early learning to high school private school, a primary school and a high school, and not too far from the next primary school and Rudolph Steiner school. There are also several kinders near us too.
It's a great family friendly area, so we don't mind. :)
I would think about it, make sure I had double glazing, see if I could hang out at/near the house for a whole day if possible, and buy it.
Of course, it might suffer in resale value, but you want a house, right? not an investment.
posted by titanium_geek at 4:42 PM on September 13, 2011
If it suffers in resale value, keep that in mind when you make your offer. Your offer (and the list price) should already reflect that. As long as you know that, I can't see it would be so bad.
posted by Chaussette and the Pussy Cats at 4:50 PM on September 13, 2011
posted by Chaussette and the Pussy Cats at 4:50 PM on September 13, 2011
There's a school behind my house. It was an elementary school for the first 6 or 7 years I lived here. (It's a high school now.) I worked from home for most of that time. My office window faced the school yard.
I could hear the kids at recess, but I quickly got used to the noise. It turned in to white noise for me -- and happy noise, at that.
The only problems I ever had were a) juice boxes and candy wrappers ended up in my yard with some frequency, and b) local noise ordinances involving leafblowers and/or construction don't apply to city property where I live, so the grounds crew would often be out there at 7 a.m.
Other than that, though, the school has been a great neighbor, and I wouldn't hesitate to move next to another one.
posted by mudpuppie at 4:53 PM on September 13, 2011 [1 favorite]
I could hear the kids at recess, but I quickly got used to the noise. It turned in to white noise for me -- and happy noise, at that.
The only problems I ever had were a) juice boxes and candy wrappers ended up in my yard with some frequency, and b) local noise ordinances involving leafblowers and/or construction don't apply to city property where I live, so the grounds crew would often be out there at 7 a.m.
Other than that, though, the school has been a great neighbor, and I wouldn't hesitate to move next to another one.
posted by mudpuppie at 4:53 PM on September 13, 2011 [1 favorite]
My property abuts an elementary school. I have no problem with it at all (during the week). Both my husband and I work from home and have had no problem with anything related to noise from the students, carpools, busses, etc.
The main issues I have relate to the school's alarm going off in the middle of the night (and me having to call the police to get it shut off), the PTA's annual end-of-the-year outdoor movie event that sounds like it's coming into my bedroom, and the school system laborers one summer who decided to start work re-paving the driveways and parking lots at 4 AM.
The bell at the school behind my house is more of a digital chiming, not a real bell... having lived down the street from my junior high, where you could totally hear the bell and all of the pages, birthday announcements, etc., this is so much more quiet.
Additionally, I am a real estate agent. In my community, living within walking distance of a school is a very good thing. Every community is different, but it is very possible this could be seen as a positive for when it's time to sell. I know it's a plus in my subdivision.
posted by FergieBelle at 4:57 PM on September 13, 2011 [2 favorites]
The main issues I have relate to the school's alarm going off in the middle of the night (and me having to call the police to get it shut off), the PTA's annual end-of-the-year outdoor movie event that sounds like it's coming into my bedroom, and the school system laborers one summer who decided to start work re-paving the driveways and parking lots at 4 AM.
The bell at the school behind my house is more of a digital chiming, not a real bell... having lived down the street from my junior high, where you could totally hear the bell and all of the pages, birthday announcements, etc., this is so much more quiet.
Additionally, I am a real estate agent. In my community, living within walking distance of a school is a very good thing. Every community is different, but it is very possible this could be seen as a positive for when it's time to sell. I know it's a plus in my subdivision.
posted by FergieBelle at 4:57 PM on September 13, 2011 [2 favorites]
I live just down the block from an elementary school, though I confess my bedroom faces away from the street.
I've never heard any bells, announcements, or other noises (including children yelling) at all. It probably helps that the playground is on the opposite side of the school from me, facing towards a lovely park rather than my street. So school noise should be classed as 'location dependent' and it sounds like you have no problem with yours. I also have double-paned windows so if you're good to go during the noisy parts of the day, I'm guessing you're good to go period.
I agree, though, with others about the issue with pick-up/drop-off times. I can barely get out of my driveway when it's drop-off in the morning. I don't seem to notice pick-up, probably because I'm usually still at work. I live in a town safe enough that even elementary school kids actually bike and walk to school during good weather, so that makes the street not just busy but also a bit of an obstacle course (because kids aren't always the best at understanding when it's safe to cross the street).
We have some problems with kids littering on the sidewalks and grass, but honestly this is a neighborhood where kids roam the streets in packs and play baseball and all that great nostalgic stuff which also creates a mess if kids aren't careful.
A street with an elementary school on it tends to (in my experience) attract a lot of families with kids in that age group. That can be a great thing when Junior comes along and you've got a built-in neighborhood crew.
I will note that if you're in a snow-falling kind of climate, you'll probably find that your street is on the high priority list for plowing. There is, after all, a municipal service (the school) right on the street.
posted by librarylis at 4:59 PM on September 13, 2011
I've never heard any bells, announcements, or other noises (including children yelling) at all. It probably helps that the playground is on the opposite side of the school from me, facing towards a lovely park rather than my street. So school noise should be classed as 'location dependent' and it sounds like you have no problem with yours. I also have double-paned windows so if you're good to go during the noisy parts of the day, I'm guessing you're good to go period.
I agree, though, with others about the issue with pick-up/drop-off times. I can barely get out of my driveway when it's drop-off in the morning. I don't seem to notice pick-up, probably because I'm usually still at work. I live in a town safe enough that even elementary school kids actually bike and walk to school during good weather, so that makes the street not just busy but also a bit of an obstacle course (because kids aren't always the best at understanding when it's safe to cross the street).
We have some problems with kids littering on the sidewalks and grass, but honestly this is a neighborhood where kids roam the streets in packs and play baseball and all that great nostalgic stuff which also creates a mess if kids aren't careful.
A street with an elementary school on it tends to (in my experience) attract a lot of families with kids in that age group. That can be a great thing when Junior comes along and you've got a built-in neighborhood crew.
I will note that if you're in a snow-falling kind of climate, you'll probably find that your street is on the high priority list for plowing. There is, after all, a municipal service (the school) right on the street.
posted by librarylis at 4:59 PM on September 13, 2011
My house is across the street from an elementary school and other than some annoyance with traffic in the mornings, and the occasional bit of trash left on my lawn, I don't have any major complaints. Any complaints I have about my house's location are due to it being on a busy street, which would be an issue regardless of whether or not it was across the street from a school.
On the plus side, the big grass play field at the school is fenced in, so it becomes an unofficial neighborhood dog park during the portion of the year when there's daylight in the evenings. I've found that to be a big advantage, since I recently adopted a dog.
posted by zen_spider at 5:15 PM on September 13, 2011
On the plus side, the big grass play field at the school is fenced in, so it becomes an unofficial neighborhood dog park during the portion of the year when there's daylight in the evenings. I've found that to be a big advantage, since I recently adopted a dog.
posted by zen_spider at 5:15 PM on September 13, 2011
Elementary school three doors down from mine. Try to check out the street at drop-off and pick-up times, as that's going to be the downside. We regularly have our driveway blocked by inconsiderate parents who are sitting in line waiting to pull in to the parking lot. Neighbors use yellow cones to block the opening of their driveway, which seems to work well. She also walks out with a camera and takes pictures of license plates on offending cars, then sends them to the school with complaints. This year hasn't been too bad so far, so the school must be taking some kind of action. Other than that, we do enjoy having the school there. We are older and retired, and enjoy the playground sounds.
posted by raisingsand at 5:45 PM on September 13, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by raisingsand at 5:45 PM on September 13, 2011 [1 favorite]
I never lived near an elementary school but lived directly across from the front doors of a high school and wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy. The constant trash in my yard annoyed me the most - mostly cigarette boxes (once I found a piece of lead pipe while mowing), cars racing up the alley behind my house, kids smoking pot behind my garage, kids cutting through my yard, trying to make a left turn across traffic in the morning, having my car broken into twice, having rocks thrown through the windows in my garage, band practice in the evenings, being woken up by morning announcements when I'm off during the week, etc.
It was my first house, I don't have kids and I bought during the summer so the school never really crossed my mind. I can't say the same for potential buyers when I sold though. Occasionally someone considered it a positive (and that the middle school was 2 blocks behind me and an elementary 6 blocks away) but the majority considered it a negative.
Having said that, there's probably a big difference between an elementary and a high school.
posted by thebriguy72 at 6:28 PM on September 13, 2011
It was my first house, I don't have kids and I bought during the summer so the school never really crossed my mind. I can't say the same for potential buyers when I sold though. Occasionally someone considered it a positive (and that the middle school was 2 blocks behind me and an elementary 6 blocks away) but the majority considered it a negative.
Having said that, there's probably a big difference between an elementary and a high school.
posted by thebriguy72 at 6:28 PM on September 13, 2011
My house is directly across from a suburban elementary school. I live on the same side as the drop off loop, the playground is on the other side of the building, and the baseball fields past the building on the other side of the parking lot. When I was house hunting, I was a bit concerned at first but I decided to go with it. In the 3 years I've lived here, it hasn't been a problem and I actually prefer it as it means I only have neighbors on 3 sides of me.
I haven't had any issues with people blocking the driveway. Sometimes the parents doing drop off are in the way (like on the first day of school this year and last year because it was rain) but in the grand scheme of things, it's not horrible. Some minor trash but I would expect that anyway. I usually know in advance thanks to the announcement board whether to expect loads of people on the street after hours. No kids yet but I expect being to walk them over or watch them walk over from the porch will be nice.
My most favorite part about it is rolling out of bed, throwing on clothes and being at my polling place in less than 2 minutes :o)
posted by bluesapphires at 6:31 PM on September 13, 2011
I haven't had any issues with people blocking the driveway. Sometimes the parents doing drop off are in the way (like on the first day of school this year and last year because it was rain) but in the grand scheme of things, it's not horrible. Some minor trash but I would expect that anyway. I usually know in advance thanks to the announcement board whether to expect loads of people on the street after hours. No kids yet but I expect being to walk them over or watch them walk over from the porch will be nice.
My most favorite part about it is rolling out of bed, throwing on clothes and being at my polling place in less than 2 minutes :o)
posted by bluesapphires at 6:31 PM on September 13, 2011
I live directly across the street from a grade 1-5 elementary school. I am home most of the day, both during the school year and during summer.
Here are some pro/con in no particular order:
Pro: There are no neighbours directly across from you, which makes it seem a bit more open.
Pro: It is basically like being near a park after hours (especially in the summer)
Con: Parents rarely seem to understand that people actually live in the houses near the school. Blocking access, using my driveway as an idling spot is not uncommon.
Con: Leaving your house during pickup/dropoff can be a real pain, but it doesn't last that long for my school.
Pro: Ball fields and other play equipment readily accessible.
Pro: Plenty of parking for weekend/evening parties.
Pro: Easy to give directions to your house - "It's the purple house across from JFK elementary"
Con: Litter. I find packaged kid food wrappers on my lawn/driveway almost daily.
Con: Streetlights. Not so bad now they've switched to "star friendly" lighting, but still, it's not dark
Other thoughts that are neither pro nor con, they just are:
Announcements, they don't go crazy with them, but man are they loud.
Events can be crowded, but there are only a few a year.
Delivery trucks, landscaping, maintenance, etc all generate traffic. Even during the summer.
I don't know if this applies to where you are, but be aware of plans to either close or expand the school, this could mean major changes to vibe of the neighborhood.
Recess or gym isn't a problem, as I am in front of the school. You can hear them playing, but generally only if you have the windows open and are listening.
Field trips often return late or depart early (as in 5am). Again, people seem to forget the houses actually have people living in them.
The thing that shocked me the most about living here is just how much traffic there is at the school. I suppose it depends on your area or town, but I was sort of the mind that once school was out, it'd be empty, but that's not really the case.
There is always some over there. Teachers working late gives way to dog walkers which gives way to kids hanging out which gives way to the random people parked in the lot at 3 in the morning.
Also, being a big open space, it attracts fireworks on the 4th of July, R/C cars on Saturday mornings, kids learning to ride bikes Sunday afternoons.
I suppose it depends on your personality, but I've had to chase one too many cars full of teens with booming systems out of the parking lot to want to do it again.
So, to answer your question, Would I buy a house near a school? No, I would not.
posted by madajb at 7:12 PM on September 13, 2011 [1 favorite]
Here are some pro/con in no particular order:
Pro: There are no neighbours directly across from you, which makes it seem a bit more open.
Pro: It is basically like being near a park after hours (especially in the summer)
Con: Parents rarely seem to understand that people actually live in the houses near the school. Blocking access, using my driveway as an idling spot is not uncommon.
Con: Leaving your house during pickup/dropoff can be a real pain, but it doesn't last that long for my school.
Pro: Ball fields and other play equipment readily accessible.
Pro: Plenty of parking for weekend/evening parties.
Pro: Easy to give directions to your house - "It's the purple house across from JFK elementary"
Con: Litter. I find packaged kid food wrappers on my lawn/driveway almost daily.
Con: Streetlights. Not so bad now they've switched to "star friendly" lighting, but still, it's not dark
Other thoughts that are neither pro nor con, they just are:
Announcements, they don't go crazy with them, but man are they loud.
Events can be crowded, but there are only a few a year.
Delivery trucks, landscaping, maintenance, etc all generate traffic. Even during the summer.
I don't know if this applies to where you are, but be aware of plans to either close or expand the school, this could mean major changes to vibe of the neighborhood.
Recess or gym isn't a problem, as I am in front of the school. You can hear them playing, but generally only if you have the windows open and are listening.
Field trips often return late or depart early (as in 5am). Again, people seem to forget the houses actually have people living in them.
The thing that shocked me the most about living here is just how much traffic there is at the school. I suppose it depends on your area or town, but I was sort of the mind that once school was out, it'd be empty, but that's not really the case.
There is always some over there. Teachers working late gives way to dog walkers which gives way to kids hanging out which gives way to the random people parked in the lot at 3 in the morning.
Also, being a big open space, it attracts fireworks on the 4th of July, R/C cars on Saturday mornings, kids learning to ride bikes Sunday afternoons.
I suppose it depends on your personality, but I've had to chase one too many cars full of teens with booming systems out of the parking lot to want to do it again.
So, to answer your question, Would I buy a house near a school? No, I would not.
posted by madajb at 7:12 PM on September 13, 2011 [1 favorite]
In my town, park district programs, like summer baseball and fall soccer, share the school district facilities. This means there is almost no time when there is nothing going on at the local grade school- evenings, weekends, summers. Parking is an abomination. Traffic is not horrible, but it can be frustrating.
I would check on the house (and what you can hear from inside) at various times of day and on different days.
Also, light pollution could be an issue if there are lit ball fields, or parking lots. I can see the lights and hear the announcers from the ball fields behind the junior high, and it's four blocks away.
posted by SuperSquirrel at 8:04 PM on September 13, 2011
I would check on the house (and what you can hear from inside) at various times of day and on different days.
Also, light pollution could be an issue if there are lit ball fields, or parking lots. I can see the lights and hear the announcers from the ball fields behind the junior high, and it's four blocks away.
posted by SuperSquirrel at 8:04 PM on September 13, 2011
Another datapoint. We lived across the street from an elementary school and a daycare centre. The traffic was an issue, but as others have stated, it's often just for very isolated and predictable times of day. To me, the noise of children yelling during play time (which was a long time because the groups took turns in using the playground) became an issue when I was home because of an illness. It made napping during the day quite a bit harder.
posted by Ms. Next at 2:00 AM on September 14, 2011
posted by Ms. Next at 2:00 AM on September 14, 2011
I would research the school. I was looking at homes earlier this year and saw one across from an elementary school. I thought "Oh, great! This will definitely be a safe neighborhood." I work away from the home so I wasn't worried about noise, and I leave early enough that I wasn't worried about traffic. I don't have kids yet, so that wasn't really a consideration.
Then, in speaking to a coworker who does have kids and living in the county, she tipped me off to the fact that this school didn't have the greatest reputation. A bit of research indicated that lots of fights and vandalism happen at this school. Would it spread to my potential yard? Who knows, but that really changed my view.
posted by runnergirl at 5:40 AM on September 14, 2011
Then, in speaking to a coworker who does have kids and living in the county, she tipped me off to the fact that this school didn't have the greatest reputation. A bit of research indicated that lots of fights and vandalism happen at this school. Would it spread to my potential yard? Who knows, but that really changed my view.
posted by runnergirl at 5:40 AM on September 14, 2011
My last house was across from a school. Yes, it was loud. Worse, though, was the parents dropping off kids who'd drive on the sidewalks, block the street for 4 hours every day, honk incessantly for said 4 hours and drop trash everywhere. Then there were the remodeling projects every summer that meant jack hammers and other tools being used from 5 am until after midnight, every day, including weekends, dirt, filth, all parking blocked off and trucks blocking the street for hours at a time.
I nearly cried when I found out the old factory across the street from my current house was going to be made in to a school.
Can you knock on a few doors in the neighbourhood and ask how responsive the school is to fixing issues? The one I lived across from didn't care at all. A few people looking at buying homes on my block did stop me to ask, and I told them how things stood and suggested other blocks where there were homes for sale that had fewer issues.
posted by QIbHom at 11:25 AM on September 14, 2011
I nearly cried when I found out the old factory across the street from my current house was going to be made in to a school.
Can you knock on a few doors in the neighbourhood and ask how responsive the school is to fixing issues? The one I lived across from didn't care at all. A few people looking at buying homes on my block did stop me to ask, and I told them how things stood and suggested other blocks where there were homes for sale that had fewer issues.
posted by QIbHom at 11:25 AM on September 14, 2011
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by jb at 2:12 PM on September 13, 2011 [1 favorite]