Naperville 203/204 Elementary Schools - Need Advice (per square foot, price, stats)

[divakat]

*Generally* district 203 is considered a better school district. I am also looking to buy in Naperville, though I've been renting for a few years now. We have focused our search only on houses in district 203 because not only of the schools, but the proximity to downtown Naperville, as well as much closer to the highways, train, etc. It's interesting to see in my search that for the price I'm paying to be in North Naperville (district 203) I could get a much newer and larger house in district 204 for that same price point. But the reason people spend 500k on an older, smaller home in North Naperville vs. 500k to get a new, huge home in South Naperville is location, location, location....and schools.

[Jvj2012]

for the kindergarten, 203 provides 2.5 hours per day only, while 204 provide full day kindergarten.

That can be a factor to consider.

But i heard 203 plan to change to full day kindergarten, but not next year (

[whakru]

I live in Naperville and my children (7 and 10) attend school in D203. We purposely chose D203 and I have been more than impressed with the education that they are receiving at their grade school.

The downside that I found to D204 is higher taxes (we live on the border of D203 and D204 and the houses that are similar to ours are almost 2000 more in D204), and shifting of school population. I also just didn't care for many of the neighborhoods in D204....most are just too new and sterile for my taste. It also feels like your kids can get lost in the system over there since it is so large. Not that D203 is tiny by any means, but it has more of a small town feel to it.

Having said that....D204 has an excellent reputation and mine is a personal preference. I just think that my children will enjoy school more and we get more bang for the buck in D203.

Good luck with your house hunting and if you ever want more detailed information feel free to DM me.

[pop77]

my brother works in 203 and his wife in 204. They dont agree on much, but they do insist there is ZERO difference in the two districts.

[smiles_chicago]

Love love love Owen dust 204!! Wonderful staff and involved community!!

[chicagodesi]

Originally Posted by chet everett

It is not accurate to say that all the schools in D203 or D204 are excellent -- there are a wide range of schools that are part of both those disticts. Many people that live in one part of the area served by those districts will be able to cite EXACTLY what makes things more or less desirable. The simplest rankings clearly show that while there are no schools in either districts that would put them in the "abysmal" place that too many schools in Illinois fall into , yet there are a number of schools that are not stellar. Most folks would agree that the same factors seen in pulling down the achievement of other students is in evidence -- areas with a great number of rental units tend to have higher than average mobility; lower income areas generally perform less well than higher income areas; students with less preparation do not perform as well as those with solid backgrounds stretching back to kindergarten.

Take a look at the data: http://iirc.niu.edu/SearchResult.aspx?type=CITY&searchText=$NAPERVILLE $

The average selling price of homes is a little bit of a "chicken & egg" way of looking at things, but regardless of whether the desirability comes first or the performance come first there is no disputing that the schools that serve the area with the lowest percentage of rentals / higher median selling prices tend to have the schools that most consistently set the bar for academic performance...

The OP specifically asking about "avoiding" particular schools, a decidedly more controversial route to take, yet one that can legitimately be asked by concerned parents. My advice would be straightforward: aim for the pricest attendance area you can afford. If that means that you might have to settle for a older smaller home to get the best odds of having access to the most academically successful environment that is fair trade off in any area.

Great advice!

[Joel67]

This thread is ancient.

[chicagodesi]

Any updated advice?

[chicagodesi]

Any update from the OP after a LONG time?

[Chicagoisthebest]

Naperville is OVERRATED!