# Moving a school age child from the UK to near Boston - any advice v appreciated!



## carial (Nov 27, 2011)

Hi,

We have a 6 yr old and a 3 yr old, and are very likely to be moving to Massachusetts in February (OH has a job lined up in Waltham, we've yet to decide on area to live). I'd really appreciate any thoughts and experience on moving a school age child to the US. We know that the schools are generally very good in the area and we'll choose (rented) accommodation near as good a school as we can afford. But obviously there will be some time where he'll be without a school - do we try to do some studying in that time? We will likely be in temporary accommodation for the first couple of months at least and I don't know whether it'd be a good idea to find a local school with the possibility of having to move him again, or try to do what we can at home while also looking after the 3 yr old. Are there any big differences between the education systems hat we might need to do something about? 

Thank you in advance for any advice given


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## Bevdeforges (Nov 16, 2007)

One suggestion: make use of the various real estate agency websites. Just for fun, I went to the Century 21 website and looked for rentals in Waltham, Mass. Each of the listings have details about the schools in the area, both public and private - as well as all sorts of demographic information. It is sometimes tricky to find the "rentals" section on the real estate agency sites, but if it isn't obvious, try the "advanced" search features and generally you'll find the box to indicate that you're looking to rent rather than buy.

You can also take a look at a site like Zillow or Trulia, both of which I think also have some information about the schools. 

I'm from that area originally - but a LONG time ago. As you say, the schools are generally pretty good, but I hear there are a bunch of sites online that rate the individual schools and may include parents' comments about the schools, too. But overall, that's a lovely area - close to Boston, but far enough outside that you don't have to cope with "big city" living if you don't want to.
Cheers,
Bev


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

carial said:


> Hi,
> 
> We have a 6 yr old and a 3 yr old, and are very likely to be moving to Massachusetts in February (OH has a job lined up in Waltham, we've yet to decide on area to live). I'd really appreciate any thoughts and experience on moving a school age child to the US. We know that the schools are generally very good in the area and we'll choose (rented) accommodation near as good a school as we can afford. But obviously there will be some time where he'll be without a school - do we try to do some studying in that time? We will likely be in temporary accommodation for the first couple of months at least and I don't know whether it'd be a good idea to find a local school with the possibility of having to move him again, or try to do what we can at home while also looking after the 3 yr old. Are there any big differences between the education systems hat we might need to do something about?
> 
> Thank you in advance for any advice given


My then 6 year old went from school in Bedfordshire to school in Florida. The main difference was the sheer size of the school! There were more children in her year in Florida than in her entire school in Bedfordshire. 

She had no problems at all with the transition (apart from asking for a rubber  ) and the school put her in the age-appropriate year, although on testing & after a couple of terms they said she was more than a year ahead of her classmates. If we had stayed there, she would have skipped a year. Although she was (is) bright, she isn't a genius, but she had already done a lot of the work they were doing. 

This was at an A+ school, although more than 10 years ago now.


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## kdsb (May 3, 2015)

I live in the Boston area with kids and work in schools. Most towns west of Boston have neighborhood schools so where you live will determine your school assignment. You can enroll your 6 year old in the local school when you move in February. If you move to a new home a few months later, you may have to change schools, although some towns will let you stay with a current school assignment if you move within the town (but perhaps would not provide transportation). If you planned your second move for over the summer, your child would be able to start with a new class in September. Young kids are usually adaptable enough to handle this transition, though if you like the first school and want to stay there, you can search for more permanent housing within that school assignment zone.

Pretty much any school district will be fine. You can look at test scores, etc., but from having worked in schools I think this tells you far less about the quality of education, since it is mostly based on the socio economic status of the families enrolled. So the richer towns have better school performance, but not necessarily better teachers.

Most towns do not have public preschool options so you can look into private preschools or day care for your 3-year-old, or just wait until the fall to enroll when you have a more permanent location. Education for a 3-year-old is not mandatory but it is for a 6-year-old. If your 6-year-old turned 6 after 9/1/15 he would be in Kindergarten this year which is not required, so you would have the option of keeping him home, but everyone here sends their kids to Kindergarten even though it is not mandatory. If he was 6 before 9/1/15 he would be in 1st grade and keeping him home would require registering for homeschooling, which I imagine is a complicated process.

I couldn't send you a PM since you are a new member but I'm happy to answer other questions.


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## Dagger_c (Apr 8, 2015)

Hi - we are a family of 4 (two children 6 +3) and there is a strong possibility of us moving to Boston this summer. I am also interested in schools and any advise out there.

Best of luck with your move!


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