Will hipster parents send their kids to Kensington high?

**John Goodman** · 10-03-2012, 09:29 AM

I'm sure everyone has noticed the spike in hipster parents around fishtown/no libs/Kensington

All their kids are too young now but in 10-15 do you think they will send them to Kensington high?

The new school is gorgeous... Is the academics improving? Would hipster parents be willing to try it out? If they all do it at once it would have a big impact on the school

Obviously no one knows for sure but it's fun to guess

**billy ross** · 10-03-2012, 09:31 AM

Originally Posted by John Goodman

I'm sure everyone has noticed the spike in hipster parents around fishtown/no libs/Kensington

All their kids are too young now but in 10-15 do you think they will send them to Kensington high?

The new school is gorgeous... Is the academics improving? Would hipster parents be willing to try it out? If they all do it at once it would have a big impact on the school

Obviously no one knows for sure but it's fun to guess

There are (recently) enough public/charter grammar schools in Philly that are turning out a quality educational product (i.e. qualified 8th graders, soon to be 9th graders) and few enough public/ charter high schools which are worthy of that quality input (the aforesaid 9th graders) that there is now a disconnect. This increasingly large cohort of kids graduating from the newly high quality grammar schools needs a place to land, and one of the neighborhood schools, or maybe a charter school, or maybe a new school sponsored by a university, will at some point become known as 'the spot' to send these academically minded kids, and then there will be a scrum to get into said school, or schools. Yes, it's fun to speculate which school, or schools, this will be. Logic would dictate that the ones with the high quality feeder schools should have a leg up in this race to become the 'anointed' school, but not if the kids from those feeder schools choose to not go to that school (Roxborough High School, for instance). Some smart principal will figure this out, put together a team, and attract a solid base of academically strong kids. Then the word will get out, and it'll all fall into place very quickly, with more and more out of catchment area kids no longer able to transfer in, or a more and more difficult lottery to get in, as demand to go to this school goes through the roof. Then others will copy that school's MO and soak up that excess demand. I'm convinced that there's more than one high school's freshman class worth of high-achieving students that will graduate 8th grade this coming spring from the city's publics and charters and who won't be able to get into the city's magnet schools.

**annie** · 10-03-2012, 09:36 AM

Originally Posted by John Goodman

All their kids are too young now but in 10-15 do you think they will send them to Kensington high?

They're going to kill all of the neighborhood high schools outside of the Northeast long before that. But I bet there's an operator with an eye on that building that the tax payers were so generous to build (West Philly High, too, Audenreid already).

Originally Posted by billy ross

or maybe a new school sponsored by a university

You are so funny.

**Malloy** · 10-03-2012, 10:26 AM

No. They would be back in the burbs by then.

Originally Posted by John Goodman

I'm sure everyone has noticed the spike in hipster parents around fishtown/no libs/Kensington

All their kids are too young now but in 10-15 do you think they will send them to Kensington high?

The new school is gorgeous... Is the academics improving? Would hipster parents be willing to try it out? If they all do it at once it would have a big impact on the school

Obviously no one knows for sure but it's fun to guess

**John Goodman** · 10-03-2012, 10:30 AM

Originally Posted by Malloy

No. They would be back in the burbs by then.

Not too sure about that

I am of the same generation and could never imagine living in the burbs again, I think there is a real shift in preference that isn't going anywhere

**gideon** · 10-03-2012, 10:40 AM

if you want to stay in the city then you'll have to organize and fight for the education system to improve. it will have to threaten political seats and apply enough pressure to all the interests involved to actually fix its many issues, including corruption. i kind of doubt the will is there.

**thoth** · 10-03-2012, 10:52 AM

Originally Posted by Malloy

No. They would be back in the burbs by then.

Do you really believe that? Sounds more like your generation. You really think they'd be able to afford the burbs anyway?

**billy ross** · 10-03-2012, 02:12 PM

Originally Posted by thoth

Do you really believe that? Sounds more like your generation. You really think they'd be able to afford the burbs anyway?

Housing prices in the burbs are becoming more affordable, in certain parts. Essentially the demarcations are getting blurred, with some parts of the city and the burbs quite affordable, and other parts of the city and the burbs having very high bars. Each section of the city has it's own burbs. The parts of the city that are struggling the most, like SW Philly, have crappy burbs, as poverty bleeds over the city line. Similarly, NW Philly has fancier burbs. It's not surprising that with NE Philly struggling Lower Bucks is struggling, too. That mini-region is just getting poorer. I just see the city limits becoming not as meaningful as they used to be and geography coming to the fore instead.

**thoth** · 10-03-2012, 02:37 PM

Originally Posted by billy ross

Housing prices in the burbs are becoming more affordable, in certain parts. Essentially the demarcations are getting blurred, with some parts of the city and the burbs quite affordable, and other parts of the city and the burbs having very high bars. Each section of the city has it's own burbs. The parts of the city that are struggling the most, like SW Philly, have crappy burbs, as poverty bleeds over the city line. Similarly, NW Philly has fancier burbs. It's not surprising that with NE Philly struggling Lower Bucks is struggling, too. That mini-region is just getting poorer. I just see the city limits becoming not as meaningful as they used to be and geography coming to the fore instead.

City limits are definitely fading in importance as demographic change hits the inner burbs and people realize there is no magic barrier against poverty. There's a lot more city to go before you see hipsters colonizing Upper Darby.

**Eastcoast** · 10-03-2012, 05:29 PM

Originally Posted by John Goodman

Not too sure about that

I am of the same generation and could never imagine living in the burbs again, I think there is a real shift in preference that isn't going anywhere

Are you married with kids?

I ask because there will come a time my friend that you will leave the city on a fine Saturday afternoon with the wife and offspring to go visit some old friends who once lived in the city. They now live in a nearby leafy suburb with their kids in a tidy little 3 bedroom, two bath house. You arrive and park out front, the BBQ is already fired up and a few neighbors with their kids are already there, after a few beers and some genuinely interesting conversation you watch your kids chasing fireflies in the failing light.

One look at your wife and you realize that the siren song of the burbs have gotten hold of her. Driving back to the city with the kids asleep in the back you hope like hell you don't have to circle the block for 30 minutes looking for parking.

Don't visit old friends in the suburbs, I almost wound up living in Long Island after one of these events...

**OldMama** · 10-03-2012, 06:18 PM

Originally Posted by gideon

if you want to stay in the city then you'll have to organize and fight for the education system to improve. it will have to threaten political seats and apply enough pressure to all the interests involved to actually fix its many issues, including corruption. i kind of doubt the will is there.

The will was there with every little neighborhood school (think Meredith, Cook-Wissahickon, Dobson, maybe Stanton) that turned around. People have short memories- or they're just too young to know this. NO ONE with an education was sending their child to Meredith 21 years ago when my son's friends' parents decided to do it. Very few educated parents sent their kid to Dobson 10 years ago when I- a teacher in the school- sent my daughter. Now these places have waiting lists. But you are correct- the will needs to be there.

**seanmhair** · 10-03-2012, 07:05 PM

Don't be silly, you can't send dogs to high school!

**daveydoo** · 10-03-2012, 09:47 PM

Originally Posted by Eastcoast

Don't visit old friends in the suburbs, I almost wound up living in Long Island after one of these events...

Did the $20K + property taxes discourage you? I think that goes to Thoth's point about affordability.

One of the biggest mistakes property owners make in the suburbs is any time there is a high density project (mid to highrise) proposed many speak out against it for fear that there will be overcrowding in the schools. It may be a legitimate fear, but what the folks who opposed these projects in the past are now discovering is that they've blocked projects that were the only hope for their kids to have residency where they grew up. A single family detached home is simply out of reach in many of the choice inner ring jurisdictions.

**MariusPontmercy** · 10-03-2012, 10:11 PM

Originally Posted by Eastcoast

Are you married with kids?

I ask because there will come a time my friend that you will leave the city on a fine Saturday afternoon with the wife and offspring to go visit some old friends who once lived in the city. They now live in a nearby leafy suburb with their kids in a tidy little 3 bedroom, two bath house. You arrive and park out front, the BBQ is already fired up and a few neighbors with their kids are already there, after a few beers and some genuinely interesting conversation you watch your kids chasing fireflies in the failing light.

One look at your wife and you realize that the siren song of the burbs have gotten hold of her. Driving back to the city with the kids asleep in the back you hope like hell you don't have to circle the block for 30 minutes looking for parking.

Don't visit old friends in the suburbs, I almost wound up living in Long Island after one of these events...

That is the sappiest thing I've ever heard in my life.

**Brooke** · 10-03-2012, 10:14 PM

Originally Posted by seanmhair

Don't be silly, you can't send dogs to high school!

Very funny.

In response to the OP, yeah, I think it's very possible that the 19125 public schools will improve greatly in the next 10 years. I know of some parents planning to send their kids to Adaire. More involved parents = saving public schools.

**Kent** · 10-04-2012, 09:24 AM

Originally Posted by Eastcoast

Are you married with kids?

I ask because there will come a time my friend that you will leave the city on a fine Saturday afternoon with the wife and offspring to go visit some old friends who once lived in the city. They now live in a nearby leafy suburb with their kids in a tidy little 3 bedroom, two bath house. You arrive and park out front, the BBQ is already fired up and a few neighbors with their kids are already there, after a few beers and some genuinely interesting conversation you watch your kids chasing fireflies in the failing light.

One look at your wife and you realize that the siren song of the burbs have gotten hold of her. Driving back to the city with the kids asleep in the back you hope like hell you don't have to circle the block for 30 minutes looking for parking.

This sounds a lot like our life with two kids in the city, except we don't have to drive back anywhere at the end of the evening.

**thoth** · 10-04-2012, 09:37 AM

haha

Originally Posted by MariusPontmercy

That is the sappiest thing I've ever heard in my life.

**boognish** · 10-04-2012, 09:47 AM

Originally Posted by MariusPontmercy

That is the sappiest thing I've ever heard in my life.

I'd go so far to say that it's patronizing and idiotic to assume that we wouldn't love where we live enough to be so easily dissuaded by a barbeque and a driveway.

I grew up in a beautiful valley in the Appalachians on 15 acres, while my wife grew up in the burbs of Rochester, NY. If we wanted to live in either of scenarios, we could have easily.

**Eastcoast** · 10-04-2012, 10:03 AM

Half of those who protest against the suburbs (usually the loudest) will live there by the time their first child hits middle school.

I have seen it happen over and over again in NYC and in Philadelphia.

It's Ok.

**thoth** · 10-04-2012, 12:47 PM

Sorry your friends are lame, i guess

but everyone i know that bailed for the suburbs was always on the fence about living in the city in the first place.

since you have friends with middle school-aged children you're probably from the previous generation that had more economic opportunities to migrate to the suburbs in the first place, unlike now. Now your average hipster with kids could A) take their chances in the city B) buy into a cheap (read: likely decaying) suburb that probably doesn't have a lot of bougie BBQ garden parties.

Originally Posted by Eastcoast

Half of those who protest against the suburbs (usually the loudest) will live there by the time their first child hits middle school.

I have seen it happen over and over again in NYC and in Philadelphia.

It's Ok.