Today we officially submitted all the necessary paperwork to choice Julia into an Academy District 20 elementary school. For those of you not familiar with the process, the entire city has a choice program, meaning you can choose to attend whatever public school you want as long as they have space and you are willing to make the commute. I very much agree with the concept because it introduces competition into the "marketplace" in terms of school performance.
We live near the crossroads of three major districts in town. So, although we would have to make the 10 minute drive to school every day, it's not a very far commute. The school we are looking at for Julia is on my way to and from work, as well as next to places we run errands and the YMCA, so it shouldn't add much driving to our day. Our first choice was Chinook Trail Elementary. It's a relatively new school and located in a newer, higher-end neighborhood.
We took a tour of our neighborhood school and Chinook Trail. Although our neighborhood school was OK, there was a pretty obvious difference between the two. The District 20 office and school staff were more responsive, the facility and environment was better, the other children that attended the school seemed happier and more well-adjusted - basically everything appeared to be better and a better environment for Julia. It's not surprising that test scores for the school are as high as any other elementary school in the state. Additionally, other factors like reviews online and feedback from a former teacher confirmed this as our top choice.
Now would be a good time to say that we're not "those type" of parents. We're not psychos about getting Julia into the best school possible or that we're in competition with others. It's really about getting Julia into the right environment for her to learn and grow. If there is a great school a few blocks away (and free), why wouldn't we choose to send her there? We also want her somewhere that will allow her to realize her potential and challenge her, not stifle her. We think this school will be a better fit for her.
We'll find out by April 1st if she was accepted. We feel confident given the numbers we know that she'll make it in. If not, we'll probably keep her at the school she's attending now at least for another year and try again.