Viewing a single comment thread. View all comments

mikevago t1_iuigr30 wrote

Reply to comment by mooseLimbsCatLicks in To those that have lived in Jersey City or Hoboken AND Queens or Brooklyn, which do you prefer and why? by seeyam14

We have plenty of good public elementary/middle schools, it just depends on your neighorhood (or whether you win a charter school lottery). And we have four of the top 15 high schools in the state (McNair, High Tech*, County Prep, Liberty) — yes, it's difficult to get into those, but it's far easier than the insane competition for Stuy/Bkn Tech/Bx Science.

Also, venue-wise, we have White Eagle Hall, and the Lowe's had music pre-pandemic and will likely have more post-renovation. And venues have been getting priced out of Brooklyn lately.

* Yes, I know High Tech is in Secaucus, but every Jersey City kid can apply there, before the pedants come out of the woodwork.

13

mooseLimbsCatLicks t1_iuihdpp wrote

White eagle is great but they don’t have many shows. The variety and size of the music scene in nyc is just so much larger due to the population of nyc being so much higher.

I’m just saying if I was in my 20s again I would redo the same thing, still be in nyc. And I say this as a jersey born and bred guy who returned to jersey and loves jersey city lol

Jc is 1/10th the size of Brooklyn so it’s really not fair to compare them.

17

burrito__supreme t1_iuisva2 wrote

could you say more about schools? as a recently new resident (2 years) here i was under the impression that jc public schools are all abysmal but would be happy to be proven wrong since schools are the one thing that’s going to force us out when we have a kid.

5

mikevago t1_iuiu8w7 wrote

A lot of that abysmal reputation comes from two things: A) people haven't revised their opinion since 20 years ago, when JC was the poorest city in America. B) people like to complain.

This isn't exactly scientific, but Niche gives the JC school district a B-. Like anywhere, the richer neighborhoods have better schools, so it's generally As downtown, Bs in the Heights, Cs in Greenville, with a few exceptions. And besides the elite high schools, we have a few elite middle schools — Infinity and Academy One. Conti, McAuliffe, and Zampella are all pretty highly rated.

And, of course, there's a lot of school choice. We have some very good community-run charters — LCCS, TECCS, Golden Door, and Explore Middle are all good (and those are just the ones I know well); small class sizes, specialized curriculum that doesn't just teach to the test. And there are a few good private options if you want to go that route. Primary Prep is well-regarded and relatively affordable. (Don't get suckered in by an overpriced school like Stevens!)

14

burrito__supreme t1_iuiws7g wrote

i appreciate this, thank you! i live by LCCS and it seems awesome but the fact that it’s lottery based admission makes it a hopeful option rather than a guarantee. thanks again.

2