Moving to Los Angeles...Q's about schools
#1
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Joined: Apr 2015
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Moving to Los Angeles...Q's about schools
Hi everyone,
I'm certain that people have posted these questions previously - forgive me, I can't find a relevant thread.
My husband has been offered a position in Burbank, CA. We are looking to move with our two daughters aged 5 & 7 this summer. I'm really struggling to find out about how we go about find the right school and enrolling in a new school. I have a list of the schools in the area that we are looking to live in from the great schools.org website but then it becomes gobbledygook! Any advice gratefully received, especially on:
- The grades the girls will enter into, I'm concerned about my 5 year old doing another stint in reception. She's 6 in September and I think she'll be bored!
- specific school you'd recommend in Burbank or Glendale or close by
- how to apply - do we have to be physically in a house in that schools catchment to apply?
- how many schools to visit and how to arrange? None of the schools appear to have email addresses.
Again, apologies for repetition but and help you can offer would be great.
Sarah x
I'm certain that people have posted these questions previously - forgive me, I can't find a relevant thread.
My husband has been offered a position in Burbank, CA. We are looking to move with our two daughters aged 5 & 7 this summer. I'm really struggling to find out about how we go about find the right school and enrolling in a new school. I have a list of the schools in the area that we are looking to live in from the great schools.org website but then it becomes gobbledygook! Any advice gratefully received, especially on:
- The grades the girls will enter into, I'm concerned about my 5 year old doing another stint in reception. She's 6 in September and I think she'll be bored!
- specific school you'd recommend in Burbank or Glendale or close by
- how to apply - do we have to be physically in a house in that schools catchment to apply?
- how many schools to visit and how to arrange? None of the schools appear to have email addresses.
Again, apologies for repetition but and help you can offer would be great.
Sarah x
#2
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 41,518
Re: Moving to Los Angeles...Q's about schools
Yes it goes on where you live although sometimes where you work. Here is the boundary map for Burbank
Attendance Boundaries - School Locator • Page - Burbank Unified School District
You could phone the district to check but I think you do need to be living at an address to apply and they may well ask for proof.
5 will be kindergarten I think but they usually move kids as necessary.
Attendance Boundaries - School Locator • Page - Burbank Unified School District
You could phone the district to check but I think you do need to be living at an address to apply and they may well ask for proof.
5 will be kindergarten I think but they usually move kids as necessary.
#3
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Joined: Feb 2010
Location: Temecula, CA
Posts: 4,759
Re: Moving to Los Angeles...Q's about schools
Where you live mostly determines which school(s) the kids go to, so try to find that out first. There can be lotteries to get into a different school district but DS's previous school, there was a something like 1 in 10 chance of actually "winning" a place so not good odds. As to comparable grades, "repeating" Kindergarten/Reception is not an issue as such. It's not like 1st grade in the US is exactly equivalent to Year 1 in the UK, far from it. Different curriculums, different strategies, different everything really.
Can't remember the schedule exactly but California (? or is it LA?) schools are in transition at the moment. It used to be a December cut off for ages, but it's moving back a month each year for 3-4 years, which creates an age gap where a child falls neither in K or in 1st grade. If your child happens to fall in the 1 month transition gap then they end up in a transition class... sounds weird and TBH I'm not exactly sure what happens after T but I'm sure it all sorts itself out in the end. Our son was a Dec 2007 baby and was in K for the 2013-2014 year, currently in grade 1.
Schools in the LA USD vary a LOT. Greatschools is ok but look at the dates of the reviews. Our son's current school - he's not in LA USD any more but the principle still applies - has a 9/10 rating but it turns out that is a couple of years out of date. Possibly a 7-8 by now.
Can't remember the schedule exactly but California (? or is it LA?) schools are in transition at the moment. It used to be a December cut off for ages, but it's moving back a month each year for 3-4 years, which creates an age gap where a child falls neither in K or in 1st grade. If your child happens to fall in the 1 month transition gap then they end up in a transition class... sounds weird and TBH I'm not exactly sure what happens after T but I'm sure it all sorts itself out in the end. Our son was a Dec 2007 baby and was in K for the 2013-2014 year, currently in grade 1.
Schools in the LA USD vary a LOT. Greatschools is ok but look at the dates of the reviews. Our son's current school - he's not in LA USD any more but the principle still applies - has a 9/10 rating but it turns out that is a couple of years out of date. Possibly a 7-8 by now.
#4
Re: Moving to Los Angeles...Q's about schools
Education: What do I need to enroll the kids in school? : British Expat Wiki
http://britishexpats.com/forum/loung...school-643985/
I'm in Hong Kong now with a child in an American-system and his friend, same age, in a British school. They are the same age but one is in Year 2 and the other Grade 1. Academically--it's basically identical. They are doing the same thing more or less, sometimes even the same homework. As you will see in the thread listed above kindergarten (age 5) is generally the same as year 1 so don't necessarily think of it as repeating reception.
#5
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Joined: Apr 2015
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Re: Moving to Los Angeles...Q's about schools
Guys thank you so much. This is all super helpful. Really appreciate it!