Special congratulations are due to the faculty, staff, students and families of Prairie Vista Elementary School and St. Pius X Catholic School for winning 2015 National Blue Ribbon Schools Awards for overall excellence in academic achievement. This is the second time Prairie Vista, our local public elementary school, has won the prestigious award.

 

These awards give us the opportunity to be reminded that our outstanding school options are a driving force in housing values.

 

In 2013, Redfin, a national realty brokerage, released
a study that put hard numbers on the pricing differential. Using a large database of nearly 407,000 home sales and approximately 11,000 elementary school districts in 57 metropolitan markets, the study concluded that, on average, buyers pay $50 more per square foot for homes in top-rated school districts compared with homes served by average-rated schools.  [Note: other factors affect home values, too.]

 

So, it behooves all of us to do what we can to support our local schools. Participate in school fundraisers. Clip Box Tops 4 Education coupons and give them to a child on your street. Schools earn thousands of dollars through these programs. Sign up for Martin’s Advantages for Education program and have the rewards go to a local school. There’s no cost to you. Advocate for adequate school funding. Volunteer.

 

Reprinted from QRHA Fall 2015 Newsletter