Buying a House: Does School District Matter?

As you're checking out different properties for sale and meeting with your real estate agent, you're probably coming up with a host of questions. Some of them involve the importance of the school district. The quality of the school district can matter, depending upon your specific needs and perspectives.

Children in the Equation
When you plan to have children, conducting some research into the school district is important. Even if you are not concerned about test scores and graduation rates, you want to see what types of services the schools have. For example, you may want to know what the special education program is like and if gifted programs are available. Parents who already have children may know their kids' specific needs and look for a district that matches them.

Area Safety
Whether or not you have kids or are planning to have them, you likely are concerned about the level of crime in the community. While this connection does not always exist, school districts often tell you something about crime in the area. When the test scores and graduation rates are low, the areas often struggle with higher levels of crime. The reasons for this connection are manifold. Therefore, if you see a school district with poor scores, you may want to check into safety in the community. Keep in mind that this connection may not exist in your particular community.

Public and Private
If you want to send your kids to public school, then you need to know what the district is like. However, many parents choose to send their children to private school instead, so if that is your perspective, then you would likely have more options. Of course, you still want to see how far away the schools are from your house and if the public school district provides buses. On top of that, you must conduct research into how the private schools in the area are.

Your Personal Emphasis on Education
You may want your children to have a chance to attend an Ivy League school; therefore, you want to choose a school that prepares your children in this manner. On the other hand, you may feel that you would prefer if your children have well-rounded interests in school, the arts, athletics and other pursuits. That doesn't mean that you don't care about your children's education; it means that you see school as one part of a larger whole. Then, you may be fine moving to an area that has schools with average reputations.

School district can play a large role in your decision to purchase a home in a certain area. Whether or not it should depends upon the needs of your family. Talk to a real estate agent like Slavens RealEstate to learn more.