Hello Trdrwp,
I live in the Plano/Frisco area and with 3 children we have loved the Frisco school system. The area will depend on your needs and wants to include price. I would love to send you some information.

You are welcome to visit my website for more information or email me at gwen@gwensnider.com

972-679-1567
Gwen Snider
http://gwensnider.com

I happen to be bias of course to our house. It's one of a kind in our area does sound perfect for you & a growing family as we need to downsize. We have some of the best schools in Frisco ALL just blocks away from all of them. K - 12. We bought a premium, oversized corner lot across from a great park for kids. Many of the neighbors in "Stonelake Estates West" have children that age including our neighbors. We built our homein 04" however it wasn't ready to occupy until the middle of Jan. 05'. It has 5 yrs. warranty left & a 30 yr. roof vs. many 10. We added many extras ie. surround sound, better lighting, fans, knewell posts w/ cat walk to a seperate bed rm. etc. Our front yard has a perrenial stone garden, 3 car (tandem) garage that has one bay for a shop w/ cabinets & it's own designated elec. or would make a great storage instead of renting a unit & still put a 3rd. car or rec. vehicle. The front door is solid Mahogany w/ a beautiful oval, beveled glass window vs. many steel doors w/ woodgrain paint that fades. There are 2 gates to the back yard that is just as big as the front w/ a 3' - 6' pool that has a freeze protecter, there are bouy's to divide the deep from shallow. We have an alarm that goes off if the children open the back french doors for safety. Colorado river rock / slate waterfall, more perrenials, gas hook up for cookouts, large patio & mature trees for shade. We had an appraisal done a year ago that came in at $311,000. It is listed at $295,000 & we are negotiable to reasonable offers. ie you'd prefer wood in areas vs. carpet we'll work w/ you. This home is definitely an investment as we had to pay much extra for the type of lot & a custom plan called for architect fees & our fence is a second one w/ a few yrs. left in it but, when it was put in we upgraded to steel posts. That way the day you were to get a knew one you won't have that to pay for We enlarged the kitchen, added an island w/ elec. & the eating area has a window box that overlooks the pool. Our master down has a huge walk-in closet, corner oversized tub that can easily be jetted & a large window in it for natural lighting. All 3 other rooms have walk-in closets as well as 3 of the 4 bed rms.have their own full bath's! It has cheerful views of the park or pool. I can't say enough about our home. My mother moved in w/us 3 yrs. ago & she will be 83 w/ severe arthritis & the stairs are becoming very difficult for her. The photos of the inside don't show 2 bed rms. nor the game & media rm., butler's pantry... The pictures don't do it justice! It's a great area close to stores or any type of rest. 10 min. E. of Dallas North Tollway or 10 min.W. is 75 & 5 min. from 121. I have the permission of our listing agent to show our home. If you are interested in taking a look, my name is Jeanne & my # is... 972-322-2114 If you'd like to see it, give me a call or our listing agent. All the Best, Jeanne

Coppell, Plano, Frisco, Flower Mound probably have good rankings.... Remember these rankings are relative....and school boundries can change. Go to overall good system, but don't depend on every school to be and remain a 10. For example some school systems may mainline children with disabilities or the gifted while some school systems may separate them. That can cause a difference in test scores and therefore rankings, but perhaps not the overall education of your children. Some schools have music, arts, and athletics while some don't and that doesn't always show up in the rankings. Some of the websites also rank the happiness of the parent feedback and I personally think that is a horrible and statistically inacurrate way to rank schools. I think most parents seem to think highly of the school their kids are in, but I've also seen parent complaints that were more individualized on what I thought were otherwise great schools. For example I think it is vital that our kids are exposed to other cultures, but many of school systems limit or decline to allow exchange students....for the schools that limit or prohibit exchange students I would personally rank them low because that is important to me and my family, but that is something you may not care about or value. I also think highly of some of the school systems who teach Chinese, Japanese and Arabic, while some people protest this idea. All that is just to say rankings by one website or another or one system or another are not always all they are cracked up to be....and perhaps just a starting point or a guideline.

There are so many great areas in Plano and frisco. Where will you be working? After raising 8 children, easy access to Elementary and Middle Schools were real important. I liked schools that were walkable, so that they new their neighborhood, and basically grew up with children in the neighborhood. Dallas is great, however most people in Dallas County put there children in private school. Where are you moving from? If you email me your address and information? I would be happy to set you up with searches.
Barbara@Powerteamtexas.com or feel free to go to our website at Powerteamtexas.com We have a great power page

Definitely consider your commute. I live and work in Plano, but previously, I commuted what seemed like a short distance. The traffic can really stack up, so give that a great deal of consideration. My husband drives an hour, one-way, to work every day. We miss having more time together and are planning on moving somewhere in between to give us both more time at home.

As far as the schools go, don't just look at the ratings, look at the class sizes, too. I attended school in Plano from elementary school to high school. At first, it was still a small town, and we all knew each other. Then the housing boom hit in the late 70's and early 80's. After that, it was easy to get lost in the shuffle, my class in particular. I graduated with 1390 kids, the largest class in Texas at the time. Things are better now, but Frisco and other districts are almost as large. A city like Prosper might offer more opportunities for your kids.

I also agree with much that has already been written. Dallas and Irving are not necessarily noted for their schools. Other areas, such as Plano, Frisco, Prosper and Coppell are noted for their school systems. Two other areas close to areas you've listed with excellent schools are Grapevine-Colleyville and Southlake. One of the determining factors is definitely going to be the price range and features of the home you will be looking to purchase and the commute time the work location(s).

As also previously stated, there are too many questions that need to be answered by both parties than can be asked in a forum like this.

Gerald Dostal
RE/MAX DFW Associates
O - 972-402-4124
M - 972-989-6999
gerald@realtydfw.com

All of the cities you noted have merit, and many others not noted. If you are considering Frisco, you should consider Prosper, too. Prosper has exemplary rated schools from elementary, middle, and high school. I moved my own family to Prosper in 2006 on the reputation of the schools, and my son got commended scores on his science TAKS test the very first year. I was, and am still, blown away by the teachers and staff we encounter at Prosper ISD.

DFW is so large, even if you pick a general region in which to focus, you really need to do a full buyer interview so your real needs and desires can be put on paper to establish your home buying criteria. There are more questions to ask you than I can sit here and type into a response online. That buyer interview is best handled by phone in about 15-20 minutes. I am available 7am-7pm CST at 972-816-4369 if you would like to do that.

Have a blessed day!

Ronda


Ronda Allen-Realtor and Certified Purchasing Manager
CEO of comingsoonhomes.com
RE/MAX Dallas Suburbs
#1 Office for RE/MAX in the North Texas Region at mid-year 2009!
Follow me on twitter: http://www.twitter.com/comingsoonhomes http://www.rondaallen.remax-texas.com

There are certainly areas in each of these cities with exemplary schools. Have you gotten pre-qualified to determine how much house you can afford? This will narrow down the selection process in those cities. Please let me know if you need assistance in locating a mortgage company and then your new home!

There are a lot of factors that go into finding your home. Your comute for business purposes can be huge.

But, if we only look at the criteria you listed regarding schools, Frisco is going to be a great area for you.

I just found a couple with 2 children under 5 a new home. Their concerns were very similar to yours. It was important that their children be able to go through their entire school "career" and not have to change schools. They are building a new home in West Frisco.

I have lots of information regarding all of the school districts that can help you make a decision. You are welcome to call me or send me an email and I will pass that info along to you. I can also share some new information regarding a few of my clients experiences with Frisco & Plano schools. With Frisco school system in an expansion state, there is lots of movement and change, but that does seem to be leveling out which could be great for kids just starting school.

These are averages and it really does vary from school to school (this info is taken from Texas Education Agency) It is based on a scale to 3. Many of Frisco's schools are new and still awaiting their scores.
Dallas ISD Academically Acceptable 1.55
Frisco ISD Recognized 2.62
Irving ISD Academically Acceptable 1.53
Plano ISD Academically Acceptable 2.23

Regarding a home as an investment. I understand that you plan to live in your next home for quite a while, but it certainly never hurts to get the most "bang for your buck".

Also, taxes can vary greatly on property from city to city, especially in the areas you listed.
For example: on a home that is appraised at $250,000 , the taxes would be approx
Dallas $6269
Plano $5431
Irving $6856
Frisco (east) $5372
Frisco (west) $5125

Let me know if you have additional questions or specific info regarding more specific areas of the cities you are looking at.

Sheila
Sheila Goff
Keller Williams
SheilaGoff@kw.com
214-908-5878