As I mentioned on your blog, having a long-term view usually yields the best returns in a real estate purchase, but it’s pretty rare nowadays for a family to stay in one home, and for their kids to go to elementary and graduate from high school without moving.  It’s a good premium to have the trifecta, and if it’s financially feasible, I’d recommend it, but many parents won’t end up using all three schools.

I’ve just discovered your site, full of great information! Thanks!

This particular article caught my eye as I am a parent of teenage children, going through the Sunnyvale School System - Cherry Chase Elementary to Sunnyvale Middle School to Homestead High School.

I thought I might add that, although a lot of focus is put onto elementary schools when prospective buyers move into the area with young children, I have several friends who, from that initial purchase, have then moved again when their children hit the high school years, as their choice is between Fremont High School and Homestead High. Although Fremont High School is a very good school and I personally know some of the excellent teachers there, its number of graduates who go on to further study at college is lower than at Homestead’s. This has actually been a factor in some parents’ choice of high school and has forced them to move to an address within Homestead’s school boundary after 8th grade.

As you say, the school boundaries do not coincide with Sunnyvale’s city boundary so it is well worth while letting parents of young kids know where their children will end up in high school, so they can make an informed decision when they first look at purchasing in Sunnyvale.

It may seem a long way off, but they all eventually do grow up into teenagers!

Steve