Main Line?
My husband & kids (5 & 6 yo) are moving to Philly for my husband’s job. Great schools is our priority. Can anyone tell me where the great schools are on the Main Line? Where would progressive, liberal transplanted Brooklynians feel at home (or hom-ish if that is the best we can do) on the…
My husband & kids (5 & 6 yo) are moving to Philly for my husband’s job. Great schools is our priority. Can anyone tell me where the great schools are on the Main Line? Where would progressive, liberal transplanted Brooklynians feel at home (or hom-ish if that is the best we can do) on the Main Line? TIA
I moved from Park Slope to Chestnut Hill in’01. I lasted two years before going crazy. We moved to Bella Vista and the living is much more like we were used to in Brooklyn. Schools will be a challenge for us in a few years, but we’ll figure things out. In Chestnut Hill, as well as Mt Airy, you get some of the advantages and disadvantages of the suburbs, but certainly not the schools. If you are okay with yard living, I think the Nrberth / Lower Merion school district suggestions are good ones. Close to the city, can’t beat the school district. Welcome to town and I hope you enjoy it here!
I’ve lived in Brooklyn (loved it!) and now I live in Narberth. It’s in the Lower Merion School District, but Narberth is it’s own Borough, so taxes are a bit lower. A lot of people compare it to the mythical Mayberry, and it’s a bit like a smaller version of Chestnut Hill. It’s a small town with it’s own character, great old houses, and a great community (and really close to the city, too).
I wouldn’t rule of Philadelphia’s better magnet schools just yet. I went to GFS myself, but I had many friends (from Mt. Airy and Chestnut Hill) who went to Masterman and Central, and for the most part they were happy with the education they received–at the very least, they did well with college placement. I got the impression that Central’s honors program is quite comparable in intensity to the college-preparatory classes that GFS is known for.
Hopefully there are Central or Masterman alums/parents on this board who can speak more knowledgeably than I; just wanted you to know that there are scores of families in Northwest Philly that send their kids to the magnets.
I’m a philadelphian, but I traveled to the Shipley school out in Bryn Mawr and I absolutely loved it. It is not like the rest of the uber preppy schools located in the area. Small school, great focus on the students, and one of the best art programs in all of PA. Its a hands down reccomendation. I would watch out for Lower Merion schools, they have been known to spy on their students as of lately. Narberth is also a very cool little town not too far away from Bryn Mawr and also located right next to the R5 train line into the city.
i grew up in lower merion. some of the best public schools in pennsylvania are there (merion elementary, cynwyd elementary, bala middle, lower merion high). 26 national merit scholars in my graduating class.
we recently moved back down here from brooklyn and bought in university city, one of the few areas in the city limits with a great K-8 school (penn/alexander). rumors of a penn/alexander high school coming along too. if you’re interested in more of an urban feel and a real sense of community, i couldn’t recommend it more. much more of a brooklyn feel than the suburbs….
My brother moved to PA from Houston several years ago w/ 3 kids. They picked Radnor because of the public schools. It’s a cute town, as are the others in the vicinity.
Agreed with all of the above, but if your’re REALLY liberal, check out Phoenixville. A longer commute, but better home prices and there’s a Kimberton/Waldorf school.
Swarthmore. Liberal, beautiful homes, and great school district. High taxes though, but the homes are generally reasonably priced.
As a Main Liner, I’ll admit based on your self-description you’d feel more at home in Mt Airy or Chestnut Hill. You’ll fall in love with GFS or Penn Charter faster than you will with the more button-downed private schools out here. If you’re committed to public schools, however, forget the city. You’ll dig village-like Narberth or Wayne. You’ll be in Lower Merion/Radnor school districts. Both of which are top, top tier.