Moving sucks.

August 21, 2012 11:42 AM

Possibly moving to Denver from out of state. How do I find a school for my small children?

I might be moving sometime in the next year or so. I have two kids who will be in elementary school, and I have no idea how to find a school (and therefore convenient living arrangements) in another state. I don't know anyone with kids in the area. How do people do this? Alternatively, know any good schools in Denver? Public or private okay.

posted by LittleMissCranky to Education (6 answers total)

This article from 5280 Magazine might be a good place to start. There are some complicated rules about choicing into public schools that aren't in your neighborhood, and from what I hear chances are slim that you'll win a lottery spot in your public school of choice. If there's a public school that you have your heart set on, your best bet is to try to find a home within that school's neighborhood border. Of course, home prices around the best schools (Bromwell Elementary is a prime example) are very high.

Outside of Denver County, Cherry Creek school district is known for having a good reputation for quality schools.
posted by shornco at 12:03 PM on August 21, 2012

When we had this issue, we researched schools online as much as possible, but then decided the best we could do was to rent for a year while we figured it out when we got there. our kid wasn't in elementary school yet, so we could send her to daycare without too much trouble and worry about switching her. But if you can't get a good sense of what school will work best for you long term, try not to commit to long term housing until you get it figured.
posted by dpx.mfx at 12:38 PM on August 21, 2012

I live in Denver and have worked in education. Like most places the schools in the suburbs tend to have a better reputation. For the schools in the city of Denver the ones in the wealthier neighborhoods tend to be better (I doubt any of this is surprising). You can look up the different schools on the Colorado dept of education website and see the schools report cards. That might be a good place to start. Where are you thinking of moving to? Denver Metro is a big area. The main expensive private schools have a good reputation: Grayland, Regis, Kent, Colorado Academy, etc. I don't know which of these have elementary schools other than Grayland.
posted by fieldtrip at 12:51 PM on August 21, 2012

Here's a handy school performance map for Colorado.
posted by u2604ab at 1:16 PM on August 21, 2012

I've found City-Data to be a good resource for local information and opinions.
posted by cat_link at 2:29 PM on August 21, 2012

Greatschools.org is a good resource for comparing how different school districts and schools rank, along with comments from parents.

As shornco said, Cherry Creek School district has some fantastic schools. Memail me if you want the name of one of the top schools in the city.
posted by theobserver at 10:58 PM on August 21, 2012