Santa Clara High Schools Get Top Grades

Santa Clara County High Schools Score High in US News and World Report "Best High Schools in the US"

Santa Clara County has some wonderful high schools, and many of them have received sterling accolades--including national rankings in US News and World Report's annual list of the country's best. This year, 10 of Santa Clara County's high schools were among the highest rated schools in the nation. 

Gold medal winners include Monte Vista High (which ranked a 73--this list considers schools from all fifty states), Gunn High (74), and Saratoga High (80). The 7 silver medal winners (which were schools that fell between 101 and 200 on the rankings list) include Palo Alto High, Evergreen High, Lynbrook High, Los Gatos High, Leland High, Homestead High, and Mountain View High. 

Congratulations to all the students, teachers, families, and staff that have worked so hard to make Santa Clara County's schools among the best in the country.  Their hard work and the achievement of these schools is just another reason to take pride in this area! 

With all the amazing options around, it can sometimes be difficult to decide which school district is right for your children. If you're looking for real estate in the area and have any questions, I can help. 

Silicon Valley Survives, Foreclosure-Free Zone

On Yahoo News an article was posted a few days ago about the relative strength of the real estate market in Silicon Valley. Link--In Silicon Valley, Real Estate Remains Strong

Most of the article discusses the technology powerhouses behind the market's strength (Oracle, Google). Big web company employees get massive paychecks, and most of those employees live in Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties. 

While the rest of the country was chewed up and spit out by foreclosures, Silicon Valley dodged major damage thanks to job growth in the tech sector and the area's high average salaries. Subprime issues are only really hitting parts of San Jose and the fringes of the Valley. The areas with the best schools (see? schools have a lot to do with the value of your home, check out some other posts for more info on this topic) have the most thriving markets (Palo Alto, Woodside, Los Altos, etc).

The market here has definitely slowed, but plenty of listings still attract multiple offers. Teardowns are still happening too, another indicator of the market's strength. Teardowns are when a buyer purchases a house solely to knock it down and build another in its place. The real gold in Silicon Valley is the land--undeveloped land is going for high prices because investment potential for buildable plots is sky-high. 

  

Ten Reasons To Love Menlo Park

• 1. Schools, Schools, Schools! Menlo Park, like Palo Alto and Mountain View, has some really outstanding schools. Students in this district are consistently high performers and many gain admission to top universities after high school.  Public schools include Menlo Park and Las Lomitas, and private schools in the area include Trinity, Phillips Booth, St. Raymonds, St. Joseph, Sacred Heart, and Peninsula School.

• 2. Burgess Park. Located next the Civic Center, this park features a little league baseball field, a regulation baseball field, an open play field, lighted tennis courts, a soccer field, picnic areas, and children's playgrounds. The Burgess pool, rec center, sports center, and skate park are adjacent to the main park area. There's also a lovely and relaxing duck pond here that's a great place to relax and read a book. 

• 3. Huge Library. Menlo's library (a quick walk from Burgess Park) is one of the town's focal points, especially for children and families. My two sons always enjoyed the Summer Reading Programs, and Storytimes are another free, entertaining, educational, and kid-approved favorite. Professional storytellers spin their magic at scheduled times throughout the week. On certain days, the stories cater to younger or older kids. The online live homework help program is one of the library's new services. It's totally free, and many of the tutors also speak Spanish. 

• 4. Annual Connoisseurs' Marketplace. This is the summer festival for summer festival lovers--and one of the best events in the area. There's hardly anything more enjoyable than wandering a tree-lined street while local bands play during this popular festival of visual, performing, and culinary arts. It's always the third weekend of July on Santa Cruz Avenue. This year, Organic Alley will highlight samplings of the finest organic food the area offers. Old favorites like the cooking demos and the kid's fun zone will be up and running. The festival is always as eco-friendly as possible, and it embodies community values and the sense of civic responsibility cherished in Menlo Park and the Bay Area. 

• 5. The Guild. This independent movie theatre is the place for real film lovers. Hard-to find independent and foreign films play here, and the space itself has art-deco touches everywhere and velvet curtains surrounding the movie screens. Plus, it's free refills on Mighty Leaf Tea AND all you can drink coffee. Two great touches that make movie-going a lot less draining on your wallet and more pleasurable. This is not your basic space-age blockbuster twelve screen Cinemax, and sometimes you have to put up with crackly sound or finicky seats. Nevertheless I've never had a bad experience here--the movies are always thought provoking, and sometimes the manager thanks you personally for coming. 

• 6. Santa Cruz Avenue. This is the main drag of Menlo Park, where great shopping and world-class restaurants are crammed in side by side. You have endless options here--craft shops, clothing boutiques, interior design stores, bistros--literally anything you need. During lunch time it's crawling with business professionals eating at sidewalk tables, and there are always shoppers resting on benches or teenagers hanging out in the coffee shops. 

• 7. Every Kind of Home. Wonderful housing options here as well.  New homes, green homes on Willow, ranch homes on huge lots, condos, town homes, and tons of rentals near downtown ensure you'll find exactly what you're looking for in Menlo Park when it comes to your living needs. 

• 8. Caltrain Station. You can get anywhere from here! You can also get here from anywhere on Santa Cruz Avenue, which is the biggest plus of all. This station is literally steps from Cafe Barrone and Kepler's Books, so if you arrive a little early you can always grab a magazine or a cup of coffee to ease your wait. 

• 9. Kepler's Books. When the final Harry Potter book came out last summer, Kepler's threw the bash of the century to celebrate. There was a brass band, tents selling magic charms and Hogwart's culinary staples, and a sorting hat. Kids of all ages wandered around in robes with magic wands tucked under their arms, and it seemed like everyone from the Bay Area decided Kepler's was the place to snag the seventh wonder. My favorite touch was the keepsake ticket handed out at the beginning. You paid for the ticket, and traded the ticket in for the book. The line of Potter fans snaked out the door and around the corner, and the Kepler's staff did everything possible to make sure the night went smoothly. This place has a great history, and is one of the last independent bookstores standing in the Menlo Park/Palo Alto area. If they don't have something in stock, they're always happy to order it for you. 

• 10. Menlo Medical Clinic. The staff here is friendly and accommodating, and the clinic gives off a good we actually care about your health vibe instead of that sterile, impersonal feeling. The lab staff is well trained, and it's very clean. The doctors in this group are among the best in their fields, and everyone in the facility is professional and helpful. MMC is affiliated with Stanford Hospital, so coming here with any illness or ailment guarantees you'll receive the best medical attention possible. 

Ten Reasons to Love Mountain View

1. Schools, Schools, Schools! Like Palo Alto, Mountain View has excellent schools. The Whisman School District is renowned for challenging academics that encourage students to reach their highest potential. Several magnet programs are offered throughout the district, including opportunities for dual language immersion. All schools are equipped with cutting-edge technology. Students consistently achieve some of the highest average test scores in the nation. Making the choice to raise your child in Mountain View guarantees a they'll get a good education, and it also reinforces the property value of your home--houses in good school districts are always better investments.
2. Castro Street. This downtown Mountain View centerpiece was designed with leisure in mind--the street is clean and well-lit, with thriving trees everywhere and wide stone benches perfect for quick shopping breaks or enjoying an outdoor lunch. There are a number of bookstores and high-end clothing stores, but the essence of Castro Street is really in the food. Indian-Chinese Fusion, healthy (really!) pizza, Greek, Japanese, Mexican--nearly every cuisine imaginable is represented within six blocks.  I had the best mulligtawny of my life at Godavri, a small Indian gem with intensely flavorful food and great service. Lovely small town feel that's especially romantic at night, when the restaurants prop open their doors and the white lights strung through the trees turn on. 
3. The Best Tennis Courts in Santa Clara County-- Cuesta Park is a giant neighborhood park in Mountain View, with 16 tennis courts and great family bike trails. The courts stay open until 11PM and feature spectator areas and high judge's seats. Everything in the park is well-maintained, and there are bocce ball courts and play areas for kids. Patrolling security guards ensure a family atmosphere, and catching a free concert here in the summertime is a must. 
4. Center for the Performing Arts.  The place to go for dance performances, TheatreWorks productions, children's theatre, and other cultural events. The center is cleverly designed and features state of the art technology. Local artists display their works in the Center's lobby.  
5. Caltrain Station and Light Rail-- Great for commuters and anyone looking to get to nearby San Jose, Palo Alto, or Sunnyvale in a flash. The station has tons of amenities--bicycle lockers and shelters, pay phones, station building with meeting room, and newspaper racks. It's also right in the heart of downtown Mountain View. 
6. San Antonio Shopping Center. Functional plaza with a variety of stores. Target, Craft, Sears, The Milk Pail, Albertson's, Payless, WalMart, a 24 hour gym, and best of all--Trader Joe's. It's the only Trader Joe's around and it's a good-sized store, chocked full of reasonably priced food and wine and Trader Joe's unique products. I love their cookie dough and blueberry museli. The pre-made wraps and sandwiches in the cooler are also a yummy lunchtime option.
7. Diverse Housing Styles and Options. Walking through the residential streets in Mountain View is a visual pleasure--the houses are stylistically interesting, and there are many new homes, cottages, and contemporary style homes. It's also a nice area for buyers looking for alternative housing options. There are a lot of rentals, condos, and town homes in the area. 
8. Bridge School Benefit and Other Concerts at Shoreline Ampitheatre-- The annual Bridge School Benefit is organized by Neil Young and his wife Pegi. Every year I look forward to this one. All the proceeds from the concert go toward the Bridge School, which aids children with physical impairments. The line-ups of musician are always good and varied--last October I saw Tom Waits give a riveting performance with the Kronos Quartet, and there are always some fresh faces from the music scene kicking off the night. The Shoreline Ampitheatre is perfect for this event and other concerts--if you arrive early enough you can get close the stage, and if you come late the deal is almost better. Just spread out a blanket on the grass, uncork a bottle of wine, and enjoy the show. 
9. Doggie Heaven at Shoreline Dog Park-- Two areas--one for big dogs and one for small dogs, and shaded picnic tables for people too! Outside of each area you'll find purel hand sanitizer, paper towels, and poop bags. Water fountains for dogs and people, and close walking distance to downtown. This place is always crowded, so you and your dog will leave with a few new friends.  The owners who take their dogs here are respectful, and if you go in the morning you'll see rake marks in the sandy dog areas--they're cleaned nightly.  
10. Popcorn! Movies! Popcorn! Century Cinemas 16 is a big commercial movie theater that usually plays 13 or so movies at a time. They always run the latest blockbusters and keep some well-reviewed movies around for a while--handy if you miss the opening weekend rush. There's a Starbucks stand inside and every theater has those comfy wide chairs that lean back. But my favorite thing about Century 16 is the popcorn. It comes from the same standard glass case with the popping thing inside, but it's exceptionally good. Even if I'm full from dinner I always cave in to the popcorn when I catch a movie here. 
    

Why do you love Mountain View? It doesn't matter if you live here or just can't stop visiting, I want your comments! Fill me on the neighborhood's best and brightest. Post a comment! 

Top Ten Reasons to Love Palo Alto

1. Schools, Schools, Schools! Palo Alto has some of the greatest schools in the country. Whether your kid is seven or seventeen, going to school in Palo Alto guarantees access to incredible academic resources and enrichment programs. Gunn High School is renowned for its competitive academics (and award-winning robotics team!)--they send over twenty graduates a year to college right around the corner at Stanford University. Palo Alto Children's Theatre sponsors outreach programs in district elementary, middle, and high schools. First-rate music programs are available at every turn, and choice programs like teacher-directed learning at Hoover, conceptual learning at Ohlone, and Connections at JLS are always options for parents interested in exploring a wide range of learning possibilities for their children.
2. Rolling Foothills, Open Spaces, Artfully Landscaped Public Gardens, Jasmine Flowers---Palo Alto is a community that treasures its trees and open spaces. The city is classified as an urban forest, and Palo Alto stays true to that description with 34 city parks and almost 4,000 acres of wildlife preserves. A local commitment to keeping businesses "green" ensures a healthy environment, as does a requirement forcing all new buildings to adhere to strict environmental codes. There's also a Zero Waste Initiative and a dedication to alternative transportation.
   
3. Calling All Bookworms! Libraries in Palo Alto are truly exemplary--creativity blossoms during the interactive story-telling programs at the Children's Library, and annual summer reading programs keep pages turning. Visits from famous writers dot the library's schedule. Online programs offer opportunities to learn a new language or to survey newspapers from other countries. Libraries here are a community hallmark and a great enrichment resource.
   
4. Nationally Acclaimed Theatres-- Catch the world premiere of an original play or a Shakespeare staple at TheatreWorks, the best repertory theatre in the Bay Area. The current season includes the Pulitzer-Prize winning drama Doubt, August Wilson's Radio Golf, and beloved musical Grey Gardens. Local theatre company the Palo Alto Players mount yearly productions in case you exhaust the shows at TheatreWorks. The Palo Alto Children's Theatre gives kids a place to test their acting chops.
5. Easy Access to San Francisco and San Jose--Two nearby CalTrain stops make getting to San Francisco, San Jose, and other Northern California locations a snap.
   
6. Red Mango Yogurt!!!! Enough said. If you've never tasted Red Mango's creamy froyo perfection laced with your choice of mango, kiwi, strawberry, blueberry, coconut, blackberry, raspberry, chocolate chips, almonds, or basically any other delicious topping imaginable--that's reason enough to move to Palo Alto. Or at least visit.
   
7. University and California Avenues--Both avenues embody Palo Alto's quaint downtown appeal--personalized local shops and restaurants are nestled next to the Apple Store on University, and at night the thriving bar scene makes this area a prime destination for coeds and graduates. Word-class Indian, Chinese, Thai, Mediterranean, and Italian restaurants are among the many dining choices.
   
8. Architecture. Diverse housing styles make Palo Alto visually appealing. New homes with cutting-edge design line blocks alongside cottages, ranch homes, Eichlers, Tudors, and Spanish Style houses.
   
9. The Baylands. The largest tract of undistrubed marshland remaining in the San Francisco Bay is hemmed in by Mountain View and East Palo Alto. The Baylands encompass 1940 acres of unique tidal and freshwater habitats. The best bird watching in the world is done right here. Wildlife observation platforms and picnic areas with barbecues make this spot a family favorite.
   
10. Locally Sustained Farmers Markets. From mid-May through mid-December farmers markets downtown and on California Avenue are open every Saturday from 8AM to 12PM. Local vendors offer a wide array of fresh produce and specialty items like grass-fed beef, artisan cheese, Bay Area wines, California-grown bananas, mangoes, and avocados. Local musicians provide a relaxing atmosphere for browsing samplings from nearby ranches and farms. Non-Profit.

Schools Power Real Estate Demand

According to statistics, 80%+ people consider the quality of local school districts their number one concern when looking at residential home locations. 

And some of these people don't even have kids. When an area boasts an excellent school system, the benefits of that system really bump up housing values. Housing prices don't fall as badly during a downturn, and they skyrocket back up quickly during an upturn. Buyers considering investment homes use schools as the most reliable criteria for determining where to build or buy. In places like Cupertino, where there's plenty of land available, developers bring properties which in turn bring children. These kids flood the school systems, and developers are encouraged to "give back" to the schools so they have ample resources to accommodate the influx of kids. 

This creates a mutually beneficial cycle---good schools up land value, which brings developers, who help finance schools, which creates better schools, and so on. 

Good schools are also at the core of a community's civic pride and sense of prestige. Think of Ann Arbor and the University of Michigan, or Princeton and the town of Princeton, New Jersey. Think of Palo Alto and Stanford.  And it goes a lot farther than colleges. Communities with nationally ranked public high schools and access to first-rate private schools are just as proud--and their houses are worth more. Living in a community where people are proud of their schools is attractive for buyers and young families looking for a place to raise their kids. 

The California Department of Education awards the California Distinguished Schools award to "exemplary and inspiring" schools across the state. Only 5% of schools achieve this title, which lasts for four years and is a pretty iron-clad guarantee of a school's quality and respectability. 

In 2007, twenty-one Silicon Valley schools (11 from San Mateo County and 10 from Santa Clara County) were awarded this distinction. 

Three of these schools are in the Fremont Union High School District (South Bay) which includes Cupertino, Sunnyvale, Los Altos, Saratoga, and San Jose. 2007 marked the third time Cupertino High has won the CDS award. Three more are in the Sequoia Union High School District (Peninsula), which serves Atherton, Belmont, East Palo Alto, Menlo Park, Portola Valley, Redwood City, San Carlos and Woodside. The Campbell Union High School District had two winners, as did the San Mateo Union School District.