There are kids who get to school in some dangerous and remarkable ways. (To see what I mean, click here!) Don’t worry; the Main Line doesn’t require anything quite so extreme. Other than foot, bicycle, scooter, skateboard, bus and car, (and maybe the odd pogo stick, here and there), there is no need to get wildly creative as far as transportation methods. Before determining how your child will travel to and from school, though, you’ll want to be sure to understand which school he or she will attend.
How do I know which district a specific house is in?
If you are planning to take advantage of the Main Line’s very highly rated public schools, you ‘ll need to understand which school is associated with a given address. Our school district boundaries are different here than in most areas. In many places, the town you live in dictates the school you attend. Here, it is the township. And several towns straddle multiple townships. For example, a Bryn Mawr address could mean either Lower Merion SD, Haverford SD or Radnor SD. Similarly, while one home in Wayne could be districted to T-E SD (Tredyffrin-Easttown), others would be attached to Radnor SD or Upper Merion SD. For more information, click here to see two different school boundary maps (one of which is interactive). To learn about the different school districts, scroll down past the maps for more information and links. For a more detailed post about the boundaries, please click here. For another slant on this topic click here. Learn what factors are important when evaluating school districts ahead of a relocation. Finally, if you’re ready to get into the nitty-gritty of choosing a school in this area, click here.
Do I have a choice?
People often ask which Main Line school within my district will my children attend and do I have a choice? Each district has a school district boundary map which should allow you to see which addresses are districted to which schools. While, if the school you are districted to is overenrolled, you will be assigned a different one, it happens very rarely. Beyond that, you generally don’t have a choice to go to a school other than the one you are districted to.
If you live in Lower Merion SD, however, there are some exceptions: if your property is districted to Harriton High School, but in the walk zone for Lower Merion High School, you have a choice of either high school. Also, Harriton is an option for all Lower Merion School District students. An important change to note if you are in Lower Merion SD: As of September 2022, there will be a new middle school, and to ease crowding, the 6 elementary schools will now only go to 4th grade. Middle will be 5-8. To find out what school your address is districted to, click here: https://www.lmsd.org/departments/operations/transportation/maps]
How will my kids get to school?
As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, your child won’t have to climb rope ladders or scale steep cliffs in order to arrive at school. Many parents ask: Will my children be bused? I get this question often as, it seems, in other areas, busing is not always offered. In most local districts, if the school is under a mile away (¾ of a mile for elementary students) AND there are sidewalks the entire journey (very rare), busing is not available. However, because it is unusual to have a continuous, safe path with sidewalks for more than half a mile or so in most places on the Main Line, the majority of kids are bused. If your location does not allow for busing, you can drive your child or walking/bicycling may be an option. A second, unusual perk of our busing system is that even students attending private schools are eligible for free busing by the school district. These children often transfer at a central location, but they do qualify for busing.
So many school choices
The decision of where to send your child to school is one most parents take very seriously. The Main Line has very highly rated public schools as well as an incredible number of private schools with different focuses. There are schools that specialize in supporting students with auditory processing struggles, students who are gifted and students who need smaller class sizes to succeed. There are single-sex schools, schools that strongly emphasize the arts and schools that focus on community service. So there is still research to be done and choices to be made. However, I hope that some of the logistical questions about school on the Main Line have been answered above.
If you are relocating to the Philadelphia/Main Line area, please go to my blog page and search for posts using the relocation tag. Contact me to discuss your Philadelphia area relocation! jen@jenniferlebow.com/610 308-5973
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