Anybody live across the street from a school?

[bananiem]

We're moving back to the town we came from and I've been looking on the internet for houses. I've also driven through the neighborhood in question. According to the plat map on the 'net the big field across the street from this house is labeled "school property" and I've heard rumors that it will be an elementary school. I don't know where the school, playground, and parking lot will be situated yet.
So if you live across the street (it's 2 lanes with a median) would you do it again? Should I bother to look at the house?
Thanks!
Ann

 

[stinkerbelle]

we actually just built and bought a house that has an elementary school in the back yard. (I look out my back windows and see the side of the school where the driveway/parking lot is...fields are off to the left of me (down a big hill) and the playground is on the opposite side of the school.

honestly - you get used to hearing the bell! hehehe It drove me nuts for like 3 hours one day...but then I just phased it out...and I hardly hear it. (but the dog does - and it wakes her up all day. heheh)

I work during the day - so it's never really an issue for me. After school they have soccer/basketball practices there, on Sundays the sunday school is there...but we haven't come across any issues with living THAT close to a school yet. What's nice is that when we have kids it's a short walk to school (heheh - REAL short), and the playground and big hill/field that we can utilize after school hours.

 

[MerryPoppins]

I grew up living across the street from an elementary school. We loved it as kids because we could cross the street and play on the playground evenings and weekends. I've heard that it can increase the resale of your house.

I'd be less inclined to want to live across from a middle school or high school. There can be more issues such as vandalism, kids driving, drugs, etc with those ages. Not that elementary kids can't be destructive, but that's just the way it strikes me.

 

[calypso*a*go-go]

If it is an elementary school, I would go for it. If it's a middle or high school -- run like heck and don't look back!!!

 

[piglet too]

We live across from a Catholic Church that has a school, the Intermediate school (4th and 5th) is down the block and around the corner, and the elementary (K-3) is across the fields. I love living here. There are so many kids for my children to play with . My 4th grader walks to school and that is so nice too. The only time I get annoyed is if I am trying to get someplace during the time school is starting or letting out. I think it is a great thing to live so close to a school, if they are younger grades.

 

[DukeStreetKing]

My K - 5 school was on the other side of my backyard fence. I loved it! The school bell would ring for school to start and I could be out my back door, over the fence and into the hallway before the echo stopped.

Muhammad Ali had nuthin' on me! LOL.

 

[swanmom]

We live directly across (and I mean directly - about 200 yards) from our town middle school. Amazingly, it has rarely been an issue. Sometimes, parking in the neighborhood is a problem when there is a big event at the school -we don't care as we always park around back in the garage anyway and everyone is usually gone in a couple of hours.
Also, we have our own private 'policeman' in the morning in front of our house directing traffic and crossing kids. Getting friendly with the town cop over the years has had its benefits!
Of course, it depends on how sensitive you are to occurances outside your house but I can tell you that we were very worried when we decided to buy the house. It has turned out that in eight years, it's just never been any problem!

 

[Twigs]

I don't live across from a school, but I know I would not want to live across from any of our schools here. As was mentioned above, when there is a school event going on there are cars parked all over, even blocks away. It isn't only when school is on either as the fields behind the schools are used for soccer and baseball leagues so it happens on weekends too (all day long both Sat. and Sun.).

 

[OhMari]

I too, live right next to our public schook K-12.

In the morning it is unbelievable to try to get out of our driveway.

People knock on our door wanting to know if we would sell our house with the location to school.

My daughter came home with some friends from college and she said "see, I told you I live right next to my school." They all laughed and one seriously asked her if she took a short bus to school. They all rode a bus to their schools when they grew up.

 

[minniecarousel]

We lived 4 doors down from the elementary school when my kids were growing up. We really liked it. I can't tell you how many times my kids went to the school yeard to play with friends. Yes, it was a "pain" when three were events at the school, but otherwise it was worth it!
(Right now we live around the corner from a middle school - parents are always parking on our street to pick up their kids, so that can be a problem at 3 o'clock-ish!)

 

[HappyMommy2]

I grew up living across the street from an elementary school and overall it was just fine. There would be cars parked in front of our house for a brief time each afternoon when school let out, but all the parents and kids were very courteous--no one parked in our driveway or walked on our lawn, etc.! Our friends who lived next door to the high school, on the other hand, always had cigarette butts and trash in their lawns from unsupervised kids walking home. I'd avoid a high school!

We loved being able to use the elementary school's playground, jogging track, and ball courts after school hours--so convenient!

The only thing that bugged me sometimes was the school intercom--it would blare to the whole neighborhood, "Mrs. Brown to the office please" or "Attention students; just a reminder that the fundraiser will begin at 9a.m. tomorrow" or whatever. You do get used to that, though, and learn to tune it out.

Hope you find the home of your dreams!

 

[disykat]

We lived on the back corner of our town middle school for 5 years. I loved it and still miss it! The occasional sport event or evening event was nothing compared to all the time we spent outside of school hours playing on the fields, playing wall ball, riding bikes around the school and parking lot etc. Check to see if it has an adequate parking lot - if not I'd pass, but otherwise I wouldn't worry. It was an empty lot when we moved there and we had more problems when it was empty than with the school there.

We had a problem with kids one time in the 5 years it was there. It was Spring Break and about 20 kids were just "hanging out". The neighbors and I were phone calling back and forth about whether we should call the police because it looked like a fight was going to break out. A bunch of them were sitting on my curb. It was a warm day so I had my windows open. I just put my kids' Barney tape on really loud and they left.

 

[FreshTressa]

I live across the street from a middle school and LOVE it.

After work we have access to all of their stuff. I can run on the track, the kids have a baseball diamond, there is a basketball court, a tennis court. It is like living next to a country club.

They do wake us up at 7:30 every weekday when the busses come, but I like it because then we don't need an alarm and it is quiet on weekends.

I the pros for us have outweighed the cons.

One more con is that the kids eat outside and sometimes garbage winds up in our yard.

 

[robsmom]

We faced directly across the street from the elementary school. As a kid, it was great. always a place to play, basketball court, playground, bit school yard for kickball. It was the neighborhood place to congregate which can be really nice. No one has to be invited to play - you just show up and join in.

One downside, parking on the street. there are usually a lot of cars on weekdays. but really not a big problem.

Lisa

 

[TLinden16]

I've lived across the street from a school all my life. It used to be a middle school, and it wasn't to big of an issue. They tore down the middle school and built an elementary school, and now we do have lots of parking issues, and forget about driving down the street around the opening or closing of the school. The difference is that lots of middle schoolers walked too and from school on their own, while most parents of elementary school kids seem to drop off and pick up their kids. We now have a problem with people parking in front of our driveway (once even blocking my brother's car in), and mothers double parking on the street (which isn't wide enough for double parking).

There is some noise from the kids when they are outside for recess, but it's not too bad.

The only other time it's a problem is on the nights when it's parent/teacher night, or they have functions at the school. If we move the car, we can't come back until the function is over if we want to park it.

Karen

 

[Kirby]

We used to live across from the back of an older middle school that was buildt back when the size of the property that it was on could have housed two separate schools. Anyway, it wasn't uncommon to hear gunshots at night from people driving by and shooting at the back side of the school. We also had a lot of cars racing up and down our street.

If I were you I would try and find out for sure what level school is to be buildt before making a final decision.