We are looking at houses in the Downers Grove / Woodridge / Bolingbrook area and have realized you can get alot more for your money in Bolingbrook. However, I don't know much about Bolingbrook public schools except for test scores. Anyone have any personal stories to recommend or not recommend public schools there? Other private (perhaps even Christian) schools in the area?
I don't know much about the schools, but I have lived in Bolingbrook for 3 1/2 years now and love it. The Park District is Fanstastic, you are so close to everything. I really hope you come on out to Bolingbrook. There is St. Dominick's which is the Catholic school here in Bolingbrook. We are in Plainfield School District. You can also get Naperville school district in Bolingbrook.
The grade schools are pretty fine. They have lots of problems with gang activity and violence at many of the middle schools and the high school just had a stabbing incident there a few weeks ago. My step kids go to school in bolingbrook and due to the violence, my step-son, a sophomore at BHS, and a teacher there have started the SAVE program at the school. Safety is a significant issue there.
C., I have lived in BB for over 8 years now. My children are 3 & 4 and we live 3 blocks away from the young boy who got stabbed. While speaking to his neighbor, who has kids in 7th grade, 4 and 2nd grade, I learned a lot. For instance, once the kids go to middle school. There is a tremendous amount of racial tension. So much so that her son's friends (blacks and Mexicans) have no problem coming over to their house and hanging out with her son. But once they are in school, no one acknowledges him what so ever. He had issues with his team mates as well when playing a game. This year, he opted not to rejoin the team and the coach approached him and his parents for the answer. When he was told that no one passes the ball and it was just too racial, the coach admitted to knowing it's a problem, but then said there is little he can do.
Anyway, from what I just learned, there is no intermingling within the different races. Something I find very scary. I've already discussed the option of moving and like others have suggested, we are will be looking into Downers Grove and Woodridge. Our neighborhood is awesome and our neighbors are a mix and I can't believe once the kids enter school - even 6th grade, there would be a problem, but I really don't want to stick around and see that. Whites are a minority and I have no problem with that, (I had gone to a predominately black high school had had no problems what so ever) but I do have a problem with the fact that parents aren't educated enough to stress the importance of having friends outside your own race.
The east side does get a lot of flack, but keep in mind, the west side has a lot of bad things that happen as well, but the mayor of Bolingbrook just doesn't allow the crimes that happen on the west side public knowledge. They have more break-ins on the west side, yet it's never ever mentioned in the Bolingbrook SUN (newspaper).
C.,
We have friends who are trying to sell their house in Bolingbrook--they currently rent a home in Downers Grove specifically for the schools. They absolutely did not want to send their child to school in Bolingbrook. I recommend googling Bolingbrook Schools and see what comes up. Here is an example of what I found in just a few minutes of looking:
http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/heraldnews/news/184560...
Good luck with your decision!
I have a family member who recently retired from Bolingbrook High School after teaching there for quite a long time. Although the building is new, the quality of the school has deteriorated signficantly over the past 10 years. I suggest you look at one of the other suburbs you mentioned or perhaps Lisle. The schools in south Glen Ellyn are excellent and there is affordable housing in the area, depending on how much space you need. Some of east Wheaton also attends Glenbard South HS. Best of luck to you!
I live in Woodridge, for the simple fact that you can get more for your money there than in Downers. I know there are certain areas of Bolingbrook that go to Plainfield schools, that may be your best bet! I also heard there are new homes going up in Lombard (pretty reasonably priced) and they will attend Glen Ellyn schools!
That is why you get more for your $$ there. The schools are not good. We live in a small house in Naperville because of the schools. We could have a huge house in BBrook, but there is NO WAY I would send my kids to school there. Woodridge and Downers Grove are way better options. Good Luck. PS - I am also a real estate appraiser, and ALOT of the homes for sale in BBrook are foreclosures/short sales. That is also why the prices are so low.
I can only tell you about the high school, and like the last reader posted it is pretty rough. My friend is a teacher there and they have their fair share of issues. We just bought in DG on the Woodridge line. We could get more house for our money there. So far it seems to be a good choice for our family.
We almost built a house in Bolingbrook, but upon driving around the neighborhood we changed our minds. My best friends brother lives there,and his house got broken into twice. My husband is a teacher and he said there is a lot of violence and gang activity in the high school.We live in unincorporated Downers Grove-school dist.66 (Darien grade schools,and DGS HS). I love our neighborhood and schools.
We too live in Bolingbrook, but are in the Plainfield school district. The north-west side of Bolingbrook is in Plainfield schools, which I've heard are actually better then the Bolingbrook schools. Good luck!
