Mary

My wife and I are out here in CA considering relocating/purchasing in the Pasadena or Sierra Madre area. We have found a home we like very much in the San Rafael Hills area (off of Evergreen up in the hills), it appears to be a nice area but.....? One problem is we haven't been able to find out anything about the schoold district (Pasadena Unified). I would appreciate any information regarding what are the better areas within Pasadena, also what areas may have better schools. Is Sierra Madre a better area? Thanks so much! Mary

Mary

Oops...I meant to say "my husband and I"...I must be getting stressed! Mary

kam

Lived in South Pasadena for 7 years though am in the Bay area now. The San Rafael area is lovely. I don't really care too much for Sierra Madre. Pasadena public schools are pretty grim---all of them. We went the independent private school route and bit the bullet to do so. S. Pasadena H.S. is considered Ok and San Marino HS is quite good. There are a number of private K-8s as well as parochial schools. Independent privates would be Polytechnic or Flintridge Academy. Either are good and not snooty. I loved being in Pasadena and would return except my husband's job is here now. Good luck.

Pasadena

The San Rafael area is far nicer than many areas. I wouldn't personally choose South Pasadena - too many minorities and old apt. buildings (and the neighborhoods surround South Pas are NOT good). Yes, South Pas is cheaper, but you get what you pay for in housing. Check online for school test scores and then drive by the schools at the end of the school day and take a look at the kids to give you an idea of the area. Where are you relocating from? Can you afford private school?

Mary

Thanks for your remarks, I really do appreciate them.

Kam, out of curiosity....what area in the Bay area do you live? I'm familiar with that area and if you can give me a community up North that might be somewhat comprable to the San Rafael Hills (SW Pasadena) area I would have a good basis of comparison. I'm mostly interested in the elementary schools in the San Rafael Hills area. What are the negative aspects of San Rafael Hills and Pasadena? South towards the 110 Freeway doesn't seem too nice, quite hit and miss. As you go North though towards the 210 Freeway, it appears very nice. Is Pasadena kind of hit or miss as a whole? Thanks again for any feedback. Mary

Mary

topping for Kam, if you're still out there....?

beeper

I'm a product of South Pasadena schools, k-12, with parents still in So. Pas and brothers/sisters and kids in Pasadena and Sierra Madre. Here's what you might consider:

Sierra Madre is part of the Pasadena Unified School District. It has a small local elementary school and then feeds in the larger district for middle and high schools. Pasadena, being the big suburb that it is, has a substantial inner-city population and all the educational issues that go with it. Several outlying suburbs of Pasadena include La Canada-Flintridge, Arcadia, South Pasadena and San Marino. San Marino is an extremely wealthy community with estate homes and a commensurate lifestyle as well as more modest homes priced in the 700-800K range. South Pasadena is an upper-middle class suburb although again home prices are astronomical, and there are some very large homes for sale there. La Canada-Flintridge and Arcadia are similar, with big pockets of affluence. "Too many minorities" is an interesting comment regarding South Pasadena schools; both South Pasadena and San Marino have a large Asian population drawn primarily by the quality of the school districts. In South Pasadena, San Marino, and La Canada there is only one high shool and one middle school, meaning that at some point all the children in public school in the city are together, which is a wonderful thing for community building. Sierra Madre has less of this advantage because Pasadena has a number of high schools and there's a certain jockeying for positions in the better high schools. The San Gabriel Valley in general is a nice place to live. Look around a little more before you zero in on a particular community.

beeper

To draw comparisons for you Mary, if Pasadena is Berkeley with three high schools instead of one, then San Marino is Piedmont and South Pasadena is Albany. Multiply all the populations in the Bay Area cities by two and you have the idea pretty comparably. San Rafael Hills is like being in a ritzy home in the Oakland District. Pasadena public schools are worse than Berkeley's but better than Oakland's. Does this give you some idea for comparison?

Mary

Thanks so much for the analogies.

The schools that would affect the home we're considering are: San Rafael Elementary, Elliot Middle School and Muir High School. If the private schools are bulging, won't they need to improve the public school system? Are there a lot of non/very limited English speaking students at these schools which "slow" everything down for the English speaking students? I'm kind of distrustful when they represent SAT scores etc. because maybe only 5% (the cream of the cream) of the entire high school even took the SAT test! Again, I appreciate you all. Mary

beeper

According to the Pasadena Unified School District demographic information, the district is about 50% Hispanic, 30% African-American, 15% Caucasian, 5% Asian. ESL programs are found throughout the district. Go to the district website for more info.

concerned

I was very surprised at the demographical breakdown of the schools. I've always loved Pasadena, but that would scare away any parent who is concerned with education.

Why would a public school district care if the private schools are bulging? It's not like the public school is out to make big profits. Most people on the school boards have their own agendas and are rarely concerned about the overall welfare of the kids.

kam

I lived in So. Pas on a wonderfully affluent street called Milan, two blocks from San Marino. Many of my friends and children's friend lived up in the San Rafael Hills. I kow live in a nice house in Palo Alto. We don't live grand, but life land, trees, and prefer old homes (which we really don't have here.) I wouldn't want to live in Manhattan or Chicago or La, but appreciate being able to get in to see what's going on pretty easily.The biggest drawback is the public schools of Pasadena. In Southern CA you tend to get a little more land for your money but not necessarily house, schools and traffic are awful in each. A very easy way to judge a school district is to ask for a list of where their last year's graduated are going to college. It becomes very telling.

kam

Mary--didn't give you what you actually asked for! I would compared Pasadena to San Jose only a bit smaller--has great area, fun area and then there's East San Jose which is similar to East Pasadena. San Rafael is more like Willow Springs, Los Gatos etc.

Jeanne

"wonderfully affluent"

Besides snobbery and braggadocio, what is that term intended to convey? "Really nice neighborhood" is what I might have used.

jbj

I've heard that the school system in La Canada (nearby) is very good.

Evan

Are we just a wee bit JEALOUS, Jeanne? I think so! If YOU can't afford to live in a "wonderfully affluent" neighborhood, then too bad!!!

Mary

Again, thanks for the help! I'm concerned about all the remarks about the Pasadena Unified School system (but certainly do appreciate the honesty!) I'm especially concerned about Muir High School....it doesn't sound good!! Such decisions!! Thanks again, any further comments....please keep 'em coming. Mary

Bill

What's the rush? Why do you have to buy the first home you found? If you can pay the big bucks to live in Pasadena, then you need to also fork over the big bucks for private schools. A friend of mine is ready to send his son off to Stanford, which will wind up being cheaper than the tuiton and costs of his private high school in that area.

arcadia

i grew up in arcadia, which is about five or ten minutes from pasadena.
arcadia has very large, expensive homes and up in the foothills you get more land.
prices in arcadia are around 600,000 for a home.
it's a great area with excellent homes.
when i graduated from arcadsia high a few years ago... about 97% went to college.

Todd

Yes, but when you come DOWN from the hills of Arcadia, what do you see? Not much!! That's what I DON'T like about the suburban neighborhoods out here--they're INCONSISTENT in many ways, unlike the East Coast which has much more conformity!