We moved from Ahwatukee, and I had my two kids in an Ahwatukee school for 3 years before moving to Maricopa. This is their second year in MUSD, they go to Santa Cruz. I honestly like MUSD better than the Ahwatukee school. My kids have made honor roll and/or principals list with every quarter in MUSD. They are excelling. My 5 year old has been able to skip a grade and is reading chapter books at a second grade level. This never happened in Ahwatukee, my kids got lost in the shuffle a lot. The Ahwatukee teacher wanted to hold him back because of his size (he's a little shorter than others, but he'll catch up). If I kept him in that district, he'd be still learning ABCs and Shapes right now, that he has known since he was 3. And now he's reading chapter books! Huge improvement and I owe this to MUSD and his amazing teacher. Class sizes were not so different in Ahwatukee as they are here. And I can only imagine they are worse, now that they are taking Ahwatukee residents as well as other cities - not just Maricopa, but Chandler, Tempe, anyone who chooses it is an open district. Right now, my youngest has 26 kids in his class, and my oldest has 27. Not much difference at all from the Ahwatukee school. Also, everything was run down over there. The schools and equipment are old. The books were ripped and torn. The computers were so outdated at their Ahwatukee school. The bathrooms were dirty. Here, everything is brand new. The computers, the books, everything. Instead of hard to read copies from one workbook that the whole class had to share, my kids come home with glossy brand new notebooks, not photocopies, but each kid gets their own workbook. MUSD kids are very privileged and a lot of people don't see that this is a goldmine. Why would you bus your kids down the 347 each day when you have everything here just the same? Yes, the curriculum is a different style, but it does depend on how your kid learns. Here is some information on the curriculum MUSD is using: http://www.hmco.com/products/products_elementary.html And here is some info. about the Ahwatukee school's curriculum (part of Kyrene district): http://www.kyrene.org/curriculum/ My kids are doing great with it the MUSD curriculum. In my opinion, the Ahwatukee curriculum seemed a little babyish for them. The one thing they really missed when coming here was the Arts program, but take them to a museum and enjoy learning about the arts with them! Do crafts with them! When MUSD growing pains settle down, well have an Arts program soon enough. I supplement my kids with a ton of knowledge at home, books, computer, educational games, you name it. Knowledge is power and they know it. If they were bussed on the 347 to an Ahwatukee school from Maricopa, they would never have time for the extra activities and enrichment they get at home. It would be, dinner, bath, bed. Nice seeing you kids for a couple of hours. And I don't do this because I have too, they get plenty of enrichment at MUSD. I do this because a child's mind is like a sponge and they love learning. Oh, one more thing. Last year and this year, my kids got teachers in the MUSD who have moved here from Ahwatukee due to the cheap housing. Many of the teachers here at MUSD have taught in the Kyrene district for years. They are bringing the Kyrene teaching styles into the classrooms at MUSD, so you can truly have the best of both worlds because the teachers (for the most part) are great. And my experience is based on elementary schools. I am currently researching the middle schools. I am excited they are building a brand new middle school around the corner from my house. The high school, I have my reservations. But if your kids are elementary age, my own personal opinion is that they'll have it better here at MUSD than they would in Ahwatukee. Well, I just figured as a parent that has had her kids in both districts, I would provide a little insight, I hope you find it useful and find what works best for you and your family. |