We're they by the beach or by the baseball field/tennis courts area?

No, but I don't live in Stamford so I'm curious as to crime in Stamford schools that you alluded to as being a problem. Also, no need to downvote me when I'm genuinely asking a question about something you brought up.

You new here?

they sound dramatic. got a great education here.

Recent graduate of stamford high, went to stamford public schools my whole life. 75% of stamford children go to stamford public schools. What this basically means is that the student body mostly consists of "middle class" people from the newfield/springdale/tor areas, "working class" people from the cove/ridgeway/glenbrook areas, and people living in poverty from the east side/west side/south end. The classes/student body are pretty much segregated along these lines. Once you get to high school, the student body is divided into AP/IB kids, honors kids, CP kids, and and kids that go to Stamford Academy. It's really up to your child as to where they want to end up in the larger scheme of things. It's not like private school where they are sheltered off and pretty much guaranteed a cushy upper-middle-class life afterwards. Going to public schools, there are plenty of kids each year that graduate and go to Ivies, plenty that go to state schools, plenty that start work or enlist, and plenty that drop out and start hustling. It's going to be up to your kid with regards to who they associate with, what they do and how they perform, and who they want to be. I wouldn't trade my experience in the school system for anything, but the students deserve a lot more than what the board of ed gives them.

Actually unclear on how this comment ended up here, TBH. I posted it in response to someone else. Thank you for removing the unkind characterization you had originally included. Take care.

I am neither agreeing nor disagreeing with you. Take care.

SPS get a bad rap - I think that the programs are really great and you see a lot of students having successful career paths. The bad reputation is likely because of the mixing of a wider range of SES group compared to the richer towns (New Canaan, Greenwich, Darien). I agree with the other commenters that a rich and diverse community is a huge benefit to the school experience.

magnet schools were well described. I went to AITE for high school and was in their PLTW program for biomed, now I'm in medical school - plenty of other factors contributed to that, but I would say that my high school benefited me immensely in this journey.

https://www.usnews.com/education/k12/elementary-schools/connecticut

The charter school figures in the top 5. No other stamford school is anywhere on that list. Don’t talk demographics, diversity. When one school in the same city which is private run can do it in 7 years of existence not one other school can perform in 10-15 years ? I am not talking about the entire district. This is individual school. I get being a large city and diverse it is unrealistic to expect the entire district to be in the top districts in the states. At the school level no excuses.

What? Was that for me? I wasn’t even talking about the schools in my comment.

Agree but was in response to u/chairsareforbears saying suburban schools = more rich while kids. So you are agreeing with what I said

Great night life scene? If you are 22 maybe…

I went to the king school, it is very expensive but my teachers were all incredible.

No results /s. https://www.stamfordpublicschools.org/about-us/college-list-2021-2022

Choosing Trumbull is an economic decision, IMHO, for anyone who works in Stamford or NYC . It’s an ok town and your money goes far, but that commute will kill you.

Whoops, wrong place for this comment. Relocated it.

Stamford schools are not bad AT ALL. My two kids went through (district, not magnet) and are now quite successful 20-somethings, living in their own apartments, with their own jobs. The thing I always ask parents is this: How good was YOUR elementary school? Do you even know? Do you think it mattered? (Answer: it didn’t. It’s elementary school.) Pick the place you want to live based on the place you want to live. Your kids will become the people they will become based on YOU and your family life, not the place where they learn how to do long division.

Think about the lifestyle you will have if your kids go to your local, district school. My kids walked to elementary, middle, AND high school. Imagine the hours we saved because of that! Their friends could walk home with them and come over after school. I would see their friends’ parents in the supermarket. I didn’t have to drive them everywhere. Stamford High is close enough to downtown that high schoolers can walk to a job after school. Living near a city bus stop or train stop will give your children a welcome taste of independence.

Middling test scores doesn’t mean that YOUR child’s test scores will be middling—any more than going to school with poor children will make your child poor.

Does anyone really think the teachers in Darien and New Canaan are somehow better than the teachers in Stamford? Teachers are teachers—there’s good ones and unfortunately bad ones in every district. There’s no magic to high test scores other than high real estate values. If you like what Stamford has to offer, you’ll be happy in our schools. Welcome!

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Stamford has changed so much from what I grew up with. It has become and is still slowly becoming a yuppie paradise. Not hating, just saying.

Go up north and Trumbull has a very well rated school system and is diverse income wise. A lot of parents that work for the stamford public school system at that government center *live and send their kids to Trumbull schools.

This is so well put.

I went through SPS and would say they are not good. I went to magnet schools for elem. and middle and would say you are spot on with your description. For me to say SPS are not good and that aligning with how they are rated may be a coincidence or may not be but it is ultimately based solely on my opinion having gone through the system.

Stamford schools are fine. A lot of the students attending them don’t try or have at home issues what interfere with their school life in one way or another. There are students that make it to Ivy leagues in every graduating class. What matters is the effort put in by the student.

This! Very similar experience.

The "white flight" ends up with a whole different set of issues that come with the wealthier communities.

Stamford is a city as are other Connecticut cities e.g. Bridgeport, New Haven, Waterbury, Danbury, Norwalk, Hartford, etc. Other places like Greenwich, New Canaan, Wilton, and Westport are towns. Running a City schools system is much different from running a town school system due to many factors e.g. size obviously but also a larger number of schools, more transportation issues, ranges of families' economic status, larger number of non-English speaking families, larger number of families with parents who don't have a college degree etc.

On the plus side, the populations are much more diverse. I referee soccer games ages U12 to U17 and there is definitely a different entitlement attitude with kids from Darien/New Canaan, etc compared to Stamford or Norwalk kids.

My kids went thru the Norwalk school system which has its problems. But with my last now in his senior year of college, I have to say they had a great experience and I wouldn't change anything if given a choice. They are well-rounded kids with humility, got into great colleges and my older two have successfully started their post-college careers. We were involved a lot and we definitely pushed them to be what they can be so in my opinion it's important to be engaged with them and their schools without being overbearing.

One good school? This is based on what info? Way below average? Umm….not at all.