Parents, teachers and staff in the Saratoga Union School District have always said that their schools are the best in the area. Now the real estate blog Trulia confirms that claim.
Trulia combed through the 2010 Census data and found that the Saratoga district is the “most attractive” in the country to families with school-age children.
The bloggers came to that decision after looking at the number of elementary school children (ages 5 to 9) compared to the number of preschool children (ages 0 to 4) in the district’s area. If families do not move, then the ratio is close to 1.0. The national average is 1.01, according to the blog.
“Children don’t just magically vanish after age 4; nor does the stork drop 5-year-olds from the sky,” the blog reads. “Therefore, a ratio below 1 indicates that more families are moving out of an area than are moving in as children reach school age. And vice versa: A ratio above 1 indicates that more families are moving in than moving out.
“The higher the ratio, the more ‘attractive’ the school district is, because it literally attracts more families with school-age kids.”
The most attractive school district turned out to be SUSD, with 2.38 school-age children to every preschooler. The district includes Argonaut, Foothill and Saratoga elementary schools, as well as Redwood Middle School.
“It’s an affluent and expensive area, with a median price per square foot of $607, but clearly families with school-age kids think that district is worth it,” the blog states. The blog reported that the Los Gatos Union School District has a 1.52 ratio and the Cupertino Union School District has a 1.44.
SUSD school board president Patty Buchanan said she was “extremely proud” to read that the district had been named the most attractive school district in the country.
“We are fortunate to live in a place that puts children first and values education,” she said. “It takes the work of an entire community to make a great school district. Our citizens voted for a parcel tax this spring to benefit SUSD, parents provide funds and volunteer hours to make each school a great place for children, and teachers and staff work tirelessly to provide an engaging and well-rounded educational experience for students.”
Buchanan said her family moved to Saratoga 12 years ago after hearing about the great schools. Three of her four children have gone on to college and were well prepared for the academic challenges, social setting and maturity needed to act and think independently, she said.
Her youngest is a senior at Saratoga High and will be heading to college next year.
“Our district laid the foundation and prepared them for success–academic as well as personal and social,” she said.
Superintendent Lane Weiss said he was surprised by the information and found Trulia’s methodology “interesting.” He said more information and data would better inform people about what qualities are important to making a district attractive to families.
SUSD is special because of its small size, high-quality teachers, strong parent/community support, caring and curious students, a focus on balanced educational experiences and strong leadership from the school board, Weiss said.
The district needs to focus on getting better and staying relevant to its students, he added.
“We need to clearly define what success means in SUSD and deliver that to our students, staff, parents and the community,” Weiss said. “We need to support each of our students’ potential, talents and gifts by offering engaging learning in all of our classrooms.
“Our support for the arts and physical education, as well as literacy, science and math, needs to be focused and strong. We must never lose sight of our students’ needs and the importance of joyful learning in all our schools.”
For more information, visit http://trends.truliablog.com/2012/08/school-districts-people-flock-to-and-flee-from.
