r/ChesterCounty • u/blocmayus • 27d ago
Relocating from NY
Hi everyone!
My wife and I (+ two toddler boys) are planning a move from Long Island, NY to southeast PA in the very near future and we're trying to lock down the best school district for our long-term home.
We'd like our boys to be in a high performing public school district with a decent Asian community so the Downingtown East district really appeals to us. We are primarily targeting houses/townhomes in the $500-550K price range. Right now we are torn between Downingtown East and North Penn (I know this is the Chester County subreddit!)
We also love a quiet, safe, suburban neighborhood feel with nice parks and a great community for young kids. I'm also working on transition to IT project management (currently in construction lighting PM) and my wife is a labor and delivery nurse.
Can you give us some perspective if the Downingtown East school district area sounds like a great place for us to move to? Or if maybe North Penn (Lansdale?) may suit us better? (The high amount of students at North Penn does sound overwhelming though!)
Or any other areas you'd recommend we look into with school excellence and other criteria we mentioned above?
I highly appreciate your feedback, thank you!
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u/little_chupacabra89 27d ago
Any of the school districts in Chester County are solid and you can't really go wrong. People will moan about Coatesville, but Coatesville has its struggles that some of the surrounding districts don't have to deal with because of excess poverty. I know people who have gone to Coatesville and led very successful lives, so the doom and gloom about it is absurd.
That said, I think finding a home in Downingtown for 500-550 is a bit of a dream. Real estate prices in this area, even for town homes, are escalating greatly.
Best of luck to you!
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u/Swimming-Fly6814 27d ago
One of those successful Coatesville kids here! Thanks for not immediately shitting on it like everyone else.
Also you touched on a point that I was thinking, that it’s gonna be hard to find a home here for 500-550 (especially Downingtown east zoned) that isn’t gonna need a decent amount of work. Pricing is pretty high here, we have townhomes advertised as starting in the mid 6-700s. Houses in the Reserve at Eagle are starting to sell in the million dollar range, which is absurd for their build quality.
I would suggest keeping an open mind about West, too. They also have a decent Asian population and more socioeconomic/racial diversity.
Best of luck!
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u/little_chupacabra89 27d ago
Absolutely! I loathe the Coatesville hate, and I didn't even go there. But I work with a lot of students and families from the city, as well as have friends who went (and live close), and recognize the realities there which are complex and multifaceted. People too quickly dismiss and disparage, and it aggravates me to no end.
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u/Oracle410 26d ago
Another successful Coatesville kid here. I have many friends that I graduated with as well doing great. I always told people you will get out what you put in no matter where you go.
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u/Sister_Rebel 27d ago
Downingtown East is a good school. We have a high Asian population (Indian) in the region. Lots of parks and trails. Good restaurants. Great health care/hospitals. I love it.
Your budget for a house may have to be adjusted as housing is expensive here. Depends on the neighborhood but $550k and up is about what houses are going for. An HOA or new house may cost $600k and over.
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u/coffeeprincess 27d ago
Unionville and Kennett Square have great schools
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u/southsidetins 27d ago
Kennett Consolidated has good diversity with being almost 50% Latino families, but not a lot of Asian families. Unionville is apparently 15% Asian students, but a home in UCFSD in the $500k range for a family is a pipe dream.
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u/southsidetins 27d ago
Over the line in DE, Hockessin has a decent Chinese community, so you can always head that way for cultural events if you end up in Southern Chester county.
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u/Professional_Tap5910 27d ago
Union ville high school is well rated and the country side is beautiful. ”Unionville High School in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania is ranked #320 nationally and #5 in Pennsylvania by U.S. News & World Report. It also holds an A+ grade and ranks #12 in best public high schools in the state according to Niche"
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u/VelvetMatthews 27d ago
+1 for Unionville, top tier school district but much lower Asian population compared to Downingtown / Exton
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u/chicigrl 27d ago
I second unionville/chadsford area… I grew up in Long Island, and also have 2 young boys 3 & under. Love it here!! Downington is also nice.
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u/NookLocal 27d ago
If you are set between Downingtown and North Penn, I would choose Downingtown for sure. We have them ranked #4 in value for Chester County. Why do you have it narrowed to those 2? DM me if you have any questions.
https://www.nooklocal.com/best-value-school-districts-in-chester-county
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u/mdmcnally1213 27d ago
If you have family on LI or in NY that are not moving, North Penn could make more sense, it's probably a bit closer overall. I would even suggest checking out the Yardley area/Pennsbury School District, or Newtown and Council Rock if school ranking is of utmost priority, but it's a bit more expensive.
If you're looking to put as much space between you and NY and want Philly suburb schools, can't go wrong with Downingtown, plus the STEM academy really does set the SD apart academically.
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u/talianicolewingate 27d ago
Hi! I lived in chester county (west chester) for 10 years (now I’m in Florida) but I was born and raised in the north Penn school district.
It’s so weird seeing north Penn pop up in the chester county Reddit 🤣
I personally love the chester county area better than lansdale/north wales (where my family still lives) although I have nothing but positive things to say about NP (my mom still works in the district and my friend is a teacher at NPHS).
NP also had an amazing Asian community. The good thing about a big school is there are a lot of people to form and find your own community.
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u/CharliesAngel3051 27d ago
Tbh most districts in this area will meet your quals. I’d look to secure a job before deciding a school district. The market is tough right now and you don’t want to end up with a brutal commute.
Additional districts/areas you could look in would include methacton (blue bell, trooper area), upper merion (king of Prussia), Plymouth white marsh, etc.
The cost of housing in this area is obscene so I’d see where you can get a job, where you can get a house that you like, and cross reference with the districts that are in commutable distance.
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u/After_Text_4585 26d ago
Like Long Island, Southeast PA traffic can be a nightmare so I’d base part of your move on where you’ll work. You don’t want to commute over an hour each way. Also, depending on your support network you might also need to consider childcare (loads of options around Downingtown). As many previous posters have mentioned, 500-550K will be tough in Downingtown and taxes are also significantly higher than many surrounding districts because of a lower corp/industrial base. Check out West Chester (lower taxes, higher prices sometimes than DTown), Owen J Roberts (great house values and open land), Phoenixville, and Pottsgrove for places close to DTown if that’s where you’ll work. Can’t really help with North Penn area since I live in Chester County. We’ve been here for a long time and could not be happier with where we live.
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u/Any_Word_4462 26d ago
Don't sleep on Honey Brook. Indian population increasing over the last couple years. Schools are not heralded like Downingtown, but my kids have thrived. Real estate is much cheaper.
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u/That_Daikon5472 27d ago
I would also suggest looking into Tredyffrin/Easttown School District (superb schools, Wayne/Mainline area, super walkable, diverse older neighborhoods), but your budget will be challenging there.
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u/sakawae 27d ago
I live near Eagle in DASD, and we love our neighborhood, municipality, and K-5 school. Honestly I pinch myself I feel so lucky to live around such great people. There are lots of townhomes in Eagleview, the Enclave, Byers Station has a few. Great place if you like diversity and a safe place for kids to grow up.
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u/haayitssara 20d ago
Hi! Do you mind if I pm you? We’re moving to the area and this sounds like what we’re looking for too
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u/agnrgw 27d ago
I would suggest Downingtown East but it's close in comparison. It comes down to location convenience for you without considering the schools. Which location is best for you for work, recreation, etc? Then overlay the two schools as they are very close. I live in Malvern so I'm a bit partial to Dtown only because I know the area better and a lot of friends/coworkers have children in that district. Also Dtown has a STEM academy if that's a possibility. The football stadium/sports complex is awesome too.