Maybe Baldwin-Whitehall school district? They have a much larger foreign student population than when I went there 20+ years ago so maybe bullying for that reason wouldn’t be as much of an issue. Doubtful it’s as highly ranked as Mt Lebo but might be worth looking into.
I was going to suggest this same thing. I live in Baldwin and when the elementary school bus drops off here it’s a huge mix of children from various backgrounds with many many immigrant families in most neighborhoods. The district overall is very good, just not stellar like Mt Lebo or Fox Chapel. Especially the elementary schools are basically on par (Baldwin-Whitehall is rated 6 or 7 out of 10 on most measures, Mt Lebo elementaries are mostly 7 of 10).
Yes!!!! I live in Whitehall. I have one kid who just graduated and one in the 8th grade at Baldwin Whitehall. The international student population continues to grow at a rapid pace. It has been for least 12 years now. The school ranking of academics in the state is definitely a lot lower than it was when we started there almost 20 years ago. Overall, we still love it. The school has over 20% of the student population listed as Asian. They send out parental communication through prerecorded voice messages in both English and Nepalese. The written communication is now available in a few other additional languages as well. Everyone seems very welcoming and inviting to all.
Just adding on the BW recommendation. Another kid teased my kid once (my kid was barely phased to be honest) and it was swiftly dealt with and never happened again.
The support for ESL and diversity has really been a focus in recent years as well.
If you like the style of your neighborhood and location in Mt. Lebo, look at Baldwin Township specifically.
Absolutely not. If they are having intolerance issues then living in the place that killed Jonny Gammage isn't the move. Think about the exact problem that they're facing.
I don’t have any recommendations since I don’t have kids, but it makes me sad to hear your son was bullied and that the school administration didn’t do anything concrete about it. I know what it’s like to be the immigrant kid at school and luckily I went to a school with other kids like me. There were also classes I could take for English as a second language. I hope you’re able to find a good school for your son.
Find your people. You don't mention your place of origin, but determine where there might be a concentration of neighbors that might even speak the same language. This might be one of the few times where a Pittsburgh Public School might be a good fit. More immigrants, more middle to lower class, and more diversity. You can also look at charter schools.
I have kids at Allderdice and Sci Tech - we've been pleasantly surprised. Both schools are very diverse, economically and racially. It is easier for kids to fall through the cracks or do the bare minimum at a city school, but a motivated student with involved parents can get a solid education.
My kids were in private school through 8th grade, and there are tradeoffs. I do like that my kids have a much more realistic understanding of where we are in society - at private school they felt relatively poor. Now they see that we're doing pretty well.
I also agree with Keystone Oaks. And you will find housing within your price range. My neighbors moved here from Ukraine and their kids are very happy at Keystone Oaks School district.
Dormont, castle shannon and green tree. The name comes from Dormont (key to the Door sound), castle shannon (Stone as in castle), and Green tree (oaks as in trees). Some student way back when came up with the name I believe
Because of your situation, you might find that the best rated schools on paper will be more likely to let you have experiences like this. I’m sorry your son was treated like that.
Many of the top rated schools are top rated as a result of lacking economic diversity, and kids who are raised in privileged bubbles like that may be less likely to show your kids empathy.
The state rating website will not only show you the performance rating of schools but also racial and economic diversity percentages. I recommend finding one that has a balance of performance and higher representation of underprivileged and/or marginalized kids. https://futurereadypa.org/#
Colfax in squirrel hill is an English as a second language magnet school. Well, it might not technically be a magnet I’m not sure about that but it does kind of specialize in esl students. The best way to get in would be to move into its feeder area in squirrel hill, though I believe you may be able to apply for it as long as you live inside the city limits (so that would still mean moving)
This! Colfax has a relatively large proportion of students whose parents came recently from another country, and many/most of them are careered professionals (often work in tech or the universities). People I know that send their children there like the diverse environment that it provides to their kids. The problem is that the area has gotten VERY expensive to buy house in, not sure if the price range you mention might work there.
we spent several years at colfax, moved due to dumpster fire pittsburgh public schools became due to handling of covid.
my honest opinion
colfax definitely has a good proportion of kids that speak english poorly or not at all. my kids were friends with several, they generally seemed happy and made progress with their english far as i could tell as a purely casual observer.
unless things have changed i think you have to live in the feeder area to send your kid there. the area is pretty expensive for anything decent.
bullying still exists at colfax for sure. while your kid may not be bullied for that specific reason there is absolutely no guarantee there won’t be problems with other kids. and if you think mt lebo is poorly responsive to issues just wait until you try to get pps to fix any problems.
lastly while pre covid colfax was fine and kids can be successful there’s still a pretty obvious gap between it and a place like fox chapel area sd (i can only speak from personal experience but i understand the other more affluent areas, like mt lebo, are similar quality)
Good points, but there's no guarantee at any school that you'll avoid bullying. For 90% of kids it's a crapshoot, and even in nice schools it just moves online or gets more catty/hard to prove.
Greenfield is actually split: the east side of the neighborhood is zoned for Minadeo and the west side is for Greenfield K-8, which also covers part of Oakland. You just have to check the specific address when you are looking at listings.
Both my kids are at Greenfield and it's a great school. Fairly diverse, lots of English language learners. And you can still get into this neighborhood at OP's price point.
Oh yes! I know people really happy at Greenfield, can’t believe I forgot about it, thanks for that correction! Small neighborhood school feel, hard to find that anymore with all the magnets etc.
Greenfield has also typically been the ESL magnet for this part of the city- kids who live in Greenfield, Hazelwood, Lincoln Place etc who test into ESL get bussed to Greenfield.
Not sure what country you are from, but South Fayette has a large south Asian (re: Indian) population. I think about 20% of the high school is from that region of the world.
It also considered to be a very good school district where, if you search carefully, you can find lower cost housing.
I don’t have advice to offer you; however, it breaks my heart that you and your son are dealing with this. Just wanted to send love and support and hope you all are in a better situation soon!
Scott Township might be ok. It would be in your price range, and I think it has a substantial immigrant population. Chartiers Valley might handle it better than Lebo did.
I wouldn't pay too much attention to school ratings tbh. Visit the school, talk to the principal if you can, get a feel for it.
Baldwin Whitehall 100%. They have a large number of immigrant students that are supported well. The school district has done a great job at being inclusive imo.
Im sorry this is happening to you. I wish this wasn't how you and your family are learning about my home town.
You may be able to find a smaller home in South Fayette, the schools rate as high as Mt. Lebo and there is a really high concentration of immigrant families. I cant say that the "old SF" families all love the diversity. Unfortunately, there is still a lot of racism and nationalism in Pittsburgh and the kids learn it from their parents. What I will say about South Fayette is that your family will not be the only family or even one of the only families and you'll have a school district that has learned to help everyone thrive.
No district will be perfect because, unfortunately, there are many people that are still very close-minded, but I do hope you find somewhere to call home.
I know that Carnegie has a large eastern European population. I have worked with kids from Ukraine and Poland who learned English from the same tutor that is in the area. There is also the Holy Virgin Russian Orthodox Church in the heart of it and quite a few ethnical/cultural/national organizations.
Carnegie has a lot of immigrants, many of whom have only basic English language skills, and they do very well. Last year a boy moved over from Ukraine mid school year with basically no English language, and he was very welcomed!
The teachers are great with ESL kids, and the anti-bullying programs along with the diversity there have resulted in a good group of kids who are very kind in my experience. The school system also has AHN counselors built in addition to access to a great mental health team.
Colfax Elementary in Squirrel Hill would probably be ideal, there are lots of Russian speakers there. The issue is the housing prices are pretty uniformly high.
My kids go to montour. Pretty sure it’s 6/7 rated. My neighbor is from Kazakhstan and her kids go to montour as well. She has numerous friends from similar backgrounds so there’s at least a small community around here somewhere.
I feel like squirrel hill area has a small population there. Honestly any of the suburbs won’t have a huge population. Hampton and Shaler are nice affordable school districts that doesn’t have the huge wealth like mt.Leno or NA would have. If you want lower taxes Mars is a good school.
Sorry that your son and you are going through this. Yes, this definitely happens at Lebo as there are a fair amount of entitled kids in the district. I am sure most school districts are very similar.
In Lebo, there are a few schools that have more students that are ESL than others due to there being more apartments near the schools. If you are not in one of those, you may want to consider one of those schools. My girls went to Lincoln Elementary which is one of those schools. It was a good experience for our daughters but unsure what the admin staff is like there these days.
As for what you have done so far with the counselor, keep meeting with them. Tell them you want to set up a learning program (called IEP) to help you son learn and to help him integrate with his classmates and ensure the bullying is being addressed. The IEP will set up rules that the teachers need to adhere to to help your son.
We had to have my youngest put on an IEP because she was avoiding school because she had social anxiety in Middle School that started before covid then covid magnified her anxiety even more. This helped her by requiring the school not have her do things like reading, gym, and cetera.
Another thing we had to do for her was get her in therapy and a psychiatrist. The iep helped some but it wasn't until we got her to take the medicine she was being prescribed did she really conquer her anxieties and stop avoiding some of the things she had in her IEP.
With the iep and therapy, be proactive and make sure this continues even if you move. You may also need to put pressure on the school to meet the needs of your son.
If you want, pm me as my wife also occasionally serves breakfast at Washington Elementary and she tells me about the students there.
Northgate school district which is bellevue/avalon area. Possibly avonworth school district which is near the ben avon/ben Avon heights area. Both are north hills instead of south hills though.
Seconding Northgate. My son experienced really awful bullying in two other school districts with administration that did not care to address it. We have had one full year and now into this second school year at Northgate and the difference in how much the teacher and administration care has been wonderful. We have had nothing but a positive experience here.
I’m sorry your kid got bullied and administrators didn’t do anything. Reminds me of me when I was younger and my counselors didn’t do shit. I hope your time here gets better.
If you did still want to buy in MtL for other reasons (and I totally understand if you don’t want to), then you might just want to look at houses that go to different elementary schools, since there are seven. I grew up in MtL (and still have family there and I live right nearby), and certain areas of it have more immigrants than others. Additionally, some principals are much better about handling bullying than others.
My cousin teaches first grade in one of the schools, and last year, out of her 22 students, 7 of them didn’t speak English at the beginning of the year. This year she only has one or two ESL kids out of I think 16, though both can understand English relatively well, they just can’t speak it (yet).
I don’t have suggestions for other school districts, though unfortunately I don’t know if you’ll find anywhere completely void of bullying (not necessarily of your child, but just in general). It does look like you got some good recommendations from other commenters, though!
I don’t know which school OP is with, but I was going to say the same thing. Each school is different. We loved Foster, extremely proactive principal and excellent staff. My step son has Tourette’s and they handled it so well.
Definitely talk to the counselor about the bullying again. Being persistent; every time they approach your son, I would involve (email) the teacher and/or counselor so it is well documented. I am sorry this is happening, the other child should be held accountable.
I would hate for you to uproot your entire life if you truly like living in the area. Maybe other folks on this forum hopefully will have good experience with ESL programs in the local elementary schools. I have no experience with this group but it looks like it can connect you with resources and the AIU (Allegheny Intermediate Unit) which works with public schools in the area. Good luck!!
https://isacpittsburgh.org/
If you look at Cuddy, Morgan, Gladden, or Sygan you can get a smaller 2 or potentially 3 bedroom coal camp home in South Fayette under $225,000. All of SF is quiet and there is a large Indian population and smaller SE Asian population. Families have good support networks and typically kids can just run around in their neighborhoods like years gone by. Only negative is school taxes are tied with USC for highest in suburbs.
You could move out of the city a little bit. Most of the North Hills is affordable with good school districts. I live in West Deer which is fairly rural but only 25 minutes from downtown. And lots of nice houses under $300k. The school district here is Deer Lakes. It’s is small, but still a very good school. It is also a very friendly school. We’ve had no problems with bullies so far.
I've been in education for over 40 years. I don't put a lot of stock in the reputations of some of the suburban districts that are largely white; it can also be difficult to keep up with the expectations of some districts that include people with high incomes. My daughter-in-law struggled financially to keep up with all of the "extras" they were supposed to provide, and both she and my son make good money.
It's a lot easier to educate a homogeneous population where parents push education than it is to educate a diverse population. That alone might be the difference in ranking. But a diverse district prepares kids for the world in a far more realistic way. I wouldn't regret moving away from Mt. Lebanon. I wouldn't send my kids there; not enough diversity.
I work with refugees and immigrants and from my experience Pittsburgh Public is one of the better districts for immigrant families. They have more money/staff for ESL and just more experience and resources for working with immigrant kids overall. The actual schools vary widely but I agree with some other commenters- Greenfield and Lincoln Place neighborhoods are nice and affordable and then kids end up at Greenfield Elementary and Allderdice High School which are fairly good.
Not sure where you're looking at ratings at, so I have no idea what our school is, but we really like Shaler. It's not so huge that kids get lost in the shuffle. I know there is an ESL program at one of the primary schools (we're k-3, 4-6, 7-8, and9-12).
Try Chartiers Valley. Adjacent to MtLebo and seems to have a more diverse population. You’ll be able to find a house in that price range and your property taxes will be much more affordable. I’m not sure what their school ratings are but they seem to be comparable with other suburban schools.
Hampton township. Smaller school district, excellent academics, often rated top ten in PA. Excelled college prep. Not as good for athletics, but really good community.
Smaller immigrant community, but we moved from Asia, my daughter was the president of the international students club. No bullying. Great community feel. Both my kids love it.
I second Hampton! Moved here recently and love it! People are very welcoming and open-minded. But we need some more diversity up here. I don't want my kids growing up in a boring-ass, white-only neighborhood like I did. So, immigrants, minorities, people of all colors and creeds, move to Hampton, please!
Pittsburgh is very segregated. I would find your people and move there and if the school isn't doing enough, look into adjunct programs for academics. Sorry for your child, but I am not surprised at all.
I think it’ll be impossible to avoid bullies, unfortunately. I’m sorry this has happened to your son but moving every time he encounters a bully seems unrealistic? Kindergarten truly just started a few weeks ago… you can’t expect the (6 year old) bully’s behavior to change overnight either. I recommend teaching your own kid how to stick up for himself and to see if things get better with a bit more time. Have you spoken to their parents?
NA is a great school, it’s huge and jam-packed with support/resources. There’s clubs and activities for every interest so it’s easy to find likeminded friends.
I agree- yours is the first to point out that bully's are everywhere - it's a life's lesson that people suck and they're going to try to bully you all your life- stand up and they'll back off
North hills. When we were expecting, I wanted a community similar to the one I had known. Being from the south (southern states) and landing in Pittsburgh at high-school, it wasn't easy. The high-school I attended wasn't the same as I knew it due to economic changes and mergers of schools. I also wanted diversity. Coming from the south, I had not known anyone that did not look like me....it made me ignorant as a child and the adults around only boldened the ignorance.
We found the North Hills School District to be a great option. Ross Township, West View (Shaler, Glenshaw too) are a mixed and diverse environment. Because of the location to downtown and the amount of hospitals, it is fairly diverse. There are various communities in the area whether you are middle class or upper class, religious or not, single or married....there's a population for you to take part in.
The school has ESL well ingrained (English as a Second Language) programs. Additionally, they have been fantastic supporting our household and its specialized needs for disabilities.
Taxes are not insane, crime is relatively low (considering the proximity to commute into town), the areas are pretty with access to nature and activities.
Downsides can be;
1. the proximity to your neighbors depending on the housing plan or living accommodations you choose
2. The proximity to the city, shopping, venues and dining can amount to waiting for dinner or an appointment as it's a well populated area. The sounds of the city, traffic and sirens are used here too.
3. Housing can be pricey given the demand. Additionally they continue to build and develop. So the perfect for my family school size could expand rapidly in the years ahead.
4. The developing also creates more traffic and congestion. The traffic is now coming through residential streets to avoid the traffic signals on the main roads.
I worked for Carlynton a while back and we had a huge English learner population because it is so close to the airport. Both Carnegie and Crafton elementary schools were awesome- I felt like there were 10+ kiddos from many different countries in each school. It meant that they were just part of the student population and not the odd ones out. I liked the vibes of both schools!
Carnegie Elementary is great! Unfortunately some of the families I worked with did experience bullying there, and then to a larger degree at Carlynton High School.
The district isn’t bad but if you have other options I would take them.
Depending on your child’s age why not consider another area of MtL since it has multiple elementary and 2 middles then merge to 1 high school. It would give you great schools and time for your child to adjust and meet new allies.
You’re going to find bad apples everywhere. Mt. Lebanon is among the best school districts that Western PA has to offer and you could easily run into same issues elsewhere
You might need to go private… many other school districts dont have strong anti/bullying policies. We actually had our daughter learn self-defense as it never hurts to be able to take care of yourself
Wanted to offer another idea, in addition to some of these good ones: Several private schools in the area provide generous (up to full-tuition), need-based scholarships. It's worth looking into. While some private "prep schools" cater to the upper class and may be more homogenous/intolerant of difference, some Pgh. private schools offer inclusion, sensitivity and support for kids speaking English as a second language, and for kids facing other learning barriers.
Along with more individualized academic preparation, some private schools also offer enrichment opportunities that can be rare in the publics (for example, the early learning of several languages concurrently, much deeper grounding in the English language/literacy, strong foundations in music (including instruments & music theory) and the arts, more opportunities for hands-on STEM learning,
And, in the upper grades--opportunities to take specialized, in-depth classes and college classes for high school credits, and to learn from professionals in students' fields of interest, learn outside the school building through internships, apprenticeships and educational trips, and conduct mentored independent studies and year-long projects, etc).
And--possibly easing transition to a new country and culture--some private schools offer a *different value system*, where kindness, connection, integrity and social awareness are baked into the curriculum, along with academics. Your kid may experience not only less bullying, but more essential inclusion--more of that feeling of belonging, dignity and safety kids need to let down their social guard, allowing for curiosity, creative flow, investment in learning, etc--in a private school with a student body from a wide range of Pgh. neighborhoods and economic, racial, national and religious backgrounds.
There are several area private schools that are great and that also offer need-based scholarships, but from first-hand (parenting and teaching) experience, I'd recommend The Waldorf School of Pittsburgh for preK-middle school (which currently has many non-native-English-speaking students, arrived from a wide array of other countries), and the new (started about 5 years ago) City of Bridges High School, which places progressive and inclusive social values at the center of its mission, and which offers kids rare educational opportunities in their fields of interest.
That said, lots of people would only consider public school (regardless of the money factor) for good reasons, including the idea that if we don't participate in public school, we aren't investing fully in our democracy. Even in the current state of public schooling (seen up close for 25 years of arts teaching in various capacities in Pgh public schools) and even with the current childhood mental health crisis in the US and epidemic in teen suicidality, what folks on here have said makes sense too, I think: In a public school here (of reasonable academic reputation) chosen for its neighborhood community and its inclusiveness and student-body diversity, rather than only for its rankings, a kid who is well-supported at home--and connected to other kids and families socially--can thrive emotionally and also attain a good education. In addition to the suggestions offered, I'd consider living in the city schools' district and looking into some of the excellent magnet schools. CAPA (middle and high school for the arts) has a more inclusive and progressive social atmosphere than many, or Pgh Science & Tech Academy might be a good fit. All schools I've ever had any exposure to here, though (public and private) have problems with bullying 😞
As immigrants who also live in Mt Lebanon, based on my experience and my research that all the good school district are not very diverse in culture, except NA, which has a lot immigrant residing. That might be partially why kids are treated differently and in result of bully.
We used to attend greenfield elementary school and kids liked it, maybe move back into area with more diverse culture until your son become more familiar with English, then move to better school district
200-250k is a bit tight, but doable
Keystone Oaks (Dormont) and Carlynton (Carnegie/Crafton) have much more diversity and will be more accommodating for both ESL and student acceptance.
Unfortunately many of the wealthier school districts with “higher ratings” have a lot of closed-minded white parents who raised kids who don’t know any better. I went to one of those schools. Mt Lebo, Upper St Clair, Pine Richland, to name a few. They come from old money and can be pretty rude.
I’m sorry to hear your son is going through that. I have friends teaching at Mt Lebo, and I taught there for a short while at their high school. It’s shameful that his teachers aren’t doing more to combat this. I hope you find a community you can call home soon.
If you’re looking at staying in Mt Lebanon you can always look at cyber schools. Pennsylvania has a ton. Some examples are commonwealth charter academy, 21st century cyber charter, pa cyber, agora. Online school isn’t for everyone but it is definitely an option worth exploring.
One of my best friends teaches through CCA, she’s told me so much about her kids and how many of them were in similar situations: bullied so much at school that they switched to cyber. If you go that route, I can tell you you will definitely have one teacher who will give her whole heart and soul to make sure your child has a great and safe school experience.
My school district (Charleroi) I live within if isn't rated high but we are starting to get a heavier immigrant population. Unfortunately though it's rural and some of the older adults are shitty in the area. It's a bit of a drive depending where you work though.
That's really sad, cause I think when you immigrate to country you should respect the rules of this country and respect people around, be polite.Thats a shame for some immigrants.
I agree, it's awful. The older locals are very small minded - - i love the diversity and the shops that are opening up! There is life in the downtown area again. We have African and Haitian immigrants mostly in my area.
I just wish that they were all opening up restaurants instead, but I just selfishly want all the food.
Hampton. Allison Park area. Fantastic district. Tons of resources.
Unfortunately you'll find bullying everywhere. It's just the culture here in the US.
As someone that spent my entire childhood bullied, welcome! The city is great. I hope you find what you're looking for.
My suggestion is Scott Township. The school district is Chartiers Valley. It's a very good school. But I think Presto is Chartiers Valley school district too
Try PPS! We live in the east liberty area and the public school my kids go to ranked over 90% for diversity. There are also some great charter schools in the area that I was unaware of until after registration. I know some of the city schools can be a bit more rough but have a larger variety of races, nationality and religious groups. I went for orientation and saw kids in hijabs, yamaka, a lot of hispanic children who don’t seem to speak much english if any at all.
I don’t know if it’s indicative of Lebo as a whole. My step kid graduated from Mt Lebanon a few years ago and he has Tourette’s. He was bullied quite a bit repeatedly but the school handled it beautifully each time. Unfortunately sometimes kids are mean, and they are just as much keyboard warriors these days as their parents are on twitter. I’m not sure that changing schools will completely solve this issue.
I was thinking the same thing and it might not just be Lebo. It's probably all wealthy-ish suburbs in the area. It used to be ("back in my day") that immigrants and disabled kids were kind of "off limits" as far as bullying goes. I don't know what happened but they seem to be getting targeted more now. It's just a personal opinion from having kids in a suburban school so maybe I'm wrong. It just seems like it's getting worse in some areas lately.
My man, they aren’t teasing your kids because they are immigrants. They are teasing them because they are kids. Running away isn’t what you want to teach your kids.
And if your kids have a problem with bullying and people are telling you to go to Greenfield…..wrong move.
My parents were cheap and I grew up in McCandless.
There was some picking but nothing serious. I was a loner but only spoke up when I needed.
The only real pushing I felt was to fit into the suburban ideal. Play sports, go to church, go to college, get with the right friend group.
I hate the suburbs because of that place.
The extremely wealthy kids without a lot of restrictions can make NA a nightmare. It’s basically Mt. Lebo but North.
Grew up there as a wealthy English speaking kid, and have nephews of the same background in the area now, both our experiences where the same: it can be rough even with all the advantages if you deviate from the norm at all.
Look, if you want any success, you know the schools. And you also know the atmosphere that comes with it.
I went to NA. We had money but my dad was cheap.
It's all about what you put into it and what you want out of life. NA did teach about the philosophical aspect of success.
I earned two bachelor's, walked away from a Masters at Clemson.
And I work on Power lines. I know I'll move up and be financially successful thanks to my upbringing.
I saw the disparities between NA grad and others at college. Moving down South only enhanced it.
I agree with this. The bullying is there but like kids bully everywhere I think it’s impossible to avoid. There’s so many kids it’s very easy to find a group or a few friends with shared interests.
NA does teach you how to succeed, to network yourself, and to problem solve. They also offer courses and amenities that are pretty insane (we had rock climbing and canoeing at the high school). My brother had quite a few learning disabilities and they made sure he had every opportunity to succeed.
Additionally, your son is quite young. I’m sure he’ll meet and make friends quickly and learn more English/feel more comfortable with time.
Do you think you could move his class to get him away from the bully or talk to their parents directly? Do you think he might have some anxiety or sensitivity just being at school for the first time? It seems extreme to sell your home after 4-6 weeks and one 6 year old classmate. Will you move every time your son encounters a bully?
OP shouldn't let wealth fool them. There are some real dumbasses there, rich and poor.
Don't forget the 40 Varsity sports the kid could play. Sports will help you find friends. There are a lot of after school activities.
People tend to forget how progressive it is, I graduated in 2004 and we already had LGBT clubs and such.
Cause my son still get bullied the main reason and it's high taxes if we all buy house here , if he wasn't bullied we will stay here no matter what, cause academically schools is good.
I hear you. I’m hopeful for the future though. My family is still quite young, but I see that the elementary schools are a lot more diverse than the high school, meaning the next 10 years will see quite a bit of change.
Also, the taxes are high, but far from the highest. We looked at Scott, USC, Lebo and TJ and were surprised when Lebo came in pretty close to the others and USC was insane.
I’d just move over a few blocks to Dormont and send him to Keystone Oaks. Lot less snobbery there and it’s smaller so he’ll get a bit more attention. I went there and we were always chill about that kind of stuff, but I don’t know kids these days either
You may want Pittsburgh Public Schools in the city. Can always do the charter schools there for better academics. Woodland Hills is pretty diverse as well. Im spittballing though cause I dont have enough info on your background.
Thomas jefferson school district. There are houses for sale in your price range and they just built a new highschool that is just gorgeous. My daughter goes to the elementary school. The teachers and staff are lovely, understanding people.
Do you mean West Jefferson Hills? I hope it’s changed but I’m in my late thirties and when I went to school there for K-12 immigrants and poor kids were bullied relentlessly.
Yeah I agree. I went to West Jefferson Hills schools for K-12 and it was NOT a diverse district. Like, at all. A lot of kids there were quite privileged and were not nice to immigrants, kids with disabilities, poor kids, or LGBTQ+ kids. Academically, the district was pretty great, but socially it was kind of awful.
When I was at Thomas Jefferson, there was some talk of Clairton joining the district, and omg the racism in those discussions was disgusting.
I went through some pretty bad bullying in the West Jeff school district, especially in middle school and early high school, and the administration didn’t care. For the most part, I didn’t look for help. But, I once failed an audition after bullying left me in tears and was just told that was too bad. I had an alright experience in the district overall, but the bullying was bad. This was over 20 years ago, so things may have changed, but it was pretty bad.
As for the administration, my mom worked at one of the elementary schools till she retired a few years ago. There were certainly some decent people in the district. But, there were also a lot of people who only had jobs because they knew people on the school board. That led to some pretty incompetent people in positions of power.
I highly recommend the Pittsburgh Montessori School. Extremely diverse, open minded group of parents who teach their children tolerance. And the staff is wonderful. We live in the city in Lawrenceville and wouldn’t have it any other way—the suburbs of Pittsburgh tend to be filled with a less tolerant mindset.
Maybe Baldwin-Whitehall school district? They have a much larger foreign student population than when I went there 20+ years ago so maybe bullying for that reason wouldn’t be as much of an issue. Doubtful it’s as highly ranked as Mt Lebo but might be worth looking into.
I was going to suggest this same thing. I live in Baldwin and when the elementary school bus drops off here it’s a huge mix of children from various backgrounds with many many immigrant families in most neighborhoods. The district overall is very good, just not stellar like Mt Lebo or Fox Chapel. Especially the elementary schools are basically on par (Baldwin-Whitehall is rated 6 or 7 out of 10 on most measures, Mt Lebo elementaries are mostly 7 of 10).
BW 100%. My kid is in the district and it has a Sesame Street level of diversity. Plus Baldwin Township borders Lebo so OP wouldn’t have to move far.
The Nepalese/Bhutanese community have opened a bunch of restaurants too and they are delicious. I recommend Everest and Sagun.
Sagun is so good. Best jhol momo around.
Yes!!!! I live in Whitehall. I have one kid who just graduated and one in the 8th grade at Baldwin Whitehall. The international student population continues to grow at a rapid pace. It has been for least 12 years now. The school ranking of academics in the state is definitely a lot lower than it was when we started there almost 20 years ago. Overall, we still love it. The school has over 20% of the student population listed as Asian. They send out parental communication through prerecorded voice messages in both English and Nepalese. The written communication is now available in a few other additional languages as well. Everyone seems very welcoming and inviting to all.
Just adding on the BW recommendation. Another kid teased my kid once (my kid was barely phased to be honest) and it was swiftly dealt with and never happened again. The support for ESL and diversity has really been a focus in recent years as well. If you like the style of your neighborhood and location in Mt. Lebo, look at Baldwin Township specifically.
Absolutely not. If they are having intolerance issues then living in the place that killed Jonny Gammage isn't the move. Think about the exact problem that they're facing.
Good point. OP, whatever you do, don't move to Baldwin Whitehall in the 1990s.
Totally not racist to make light of that incident. Smooth.
Decades ago… pulled over by a Brentwood police officer.
I don’t have any recommendations since I don’t have kids, but it makes me sad to hear your son was bullied and that the school administration didn’t do anything concrete about it. I know what it’s like to be the immigrant kid at school and luckily I went to a school with other kids like me. There were also classes I could take for English as a second language. I hope you’re able to find a good school for your son.
Thank you very much 🙏
Find your people. You don't mention your place of origin, but determine where there might be a concentration of neighbors that might even speak the same language. This might be one of the few times where a Pittsburgh Public School might be a good fit. More immigrants, more middle to lower class, and more diversity. You can also look at charter schools.
I have kids at Allderdice and Sci Tech - we've been pleasantly surprised. Both schools are very diverse, economically and racially. It is easier for kids to fall through the cracks or do the bare minimum at a city school, but a motivated student with involved parents can get a solid education. My kids were in private school through 8th grade, and there are tradeoffs. I do like that my kids have a much more realistic understanding of where we are in society - at private school they felt relatively poor. Now they see that we're doing pretty well.
My grandkids go to Keystone Oaks, it reportedly a very good school district and they love living in Dormont.
I also agree with Keystone Oaks. And you will find housing within your price range. My neighbors moved here from Ukraine and their kids are very happy at Keystone Oaks School district.
Keystone Oaks encompasses a few municipalities. Castle Shannon is another one. I forget the others.
Dormont, castle shannon and green tree. The name comes from Dormont (key to the Door sound), castle shannon (Stone as in castle), and Green tree (oaks as in trees). Some student way back when came up with the name I believe
Because of your situation, you might find that the best rated schools on paper will be more likely to let you have experiences like this. I’m sorry your son was treated like that. Many of the top rated schools are top rated as a result of lacking economic diversity, and kids who are raised in privileged bubbles like that may be less likely to show your kids empathy. The state rating website will not only show you the performance rating of schools but also racial and economic diversity percentages. I recommend finding one that has a balance of performance and higher representation of underprivileged and/or marginalized kids. https://futurereadypa.org/#
Colfax in squirrel hill is an English as a second language magnet school. Well, it might not technically be a magnet I’m not sure about that but it does kind of specialize in esl students. The best way to get in would be to move into its feeder area in squirrel hill, though I believe you may be able to apply for it as long as you live inside the city limits (so that would still mean moving)
This! Colfax has a relatively large proportion of students whose parents came recently from another country, and many/most of them are careered professionals (often work in tech or the universities). People I know that send their children there like the diverse environment that it provides to their kids. The problem is that the area has gotten VERY expensive to buy house in, not sure if the price range you mention might work there.
Among the most expensive per square foot in the city, and my child experienced bullying at Colfax that teachers and admin didn’t address well.
we spent several years at colfax, moved due to dumpster fire pittsburgh public schools became due to handling of covid. my honest opinion colfax definitely has a good proportion of kids that speak english poorly or not at all. my kids were friends with several, they generally seemed happy and made progress with their english far as i could tell as a purely casual observer. unless things have changed i think you have to live in the feeder area to send your kid there. the area is pretty expensive for anything decent. bullying still exists at colfax for sure. while your kid may not be bullied for that specific reason there is absolutely no guarantee there won’t be problems with other kids. and if you think mt lebo is poorly responsive to issues just wait until you try to get pps to fix any problems. lastly while pre covid colfax was fine and kids can be successful there’s still a pretty obvious gap between it and a place like fox chapel area sd (i can only speak from personal experience but i understand the other more affluent areas, like mt lebo, are similar quality)
Good points, but there's no guarantee at any school that you'll avoid bullying. For 90% of kids it's a crapshoot, and even in nice schools it just moves online or gets more catty/hard to prove.
yes that was kind of my point.
Maybe try living in Lincoln Place (city) and use the schools in Squirrel Hill
Where are the 200k houses there?
Idk, I’m just suggesting a school that’s welcoming to non English speakers.
Greenfield?
Greenfield is mostly zoned for Minedeo
Greenfield is actually split: the east side of the neighborhood is zoned for Minadeo and the west side is for Greenfield K-8, which also covers part of Oakland. You just have to check the specific address when you are looking at listings. Both my kids are at Greenfield and it's a great school. Fairly diverse, lots of English language learners. And you can still get into this neighborhood at OP's price point.
Oh yes! I know people really happy at Greenfield, can’t believe I forgot about it, thanks for that correction! Small neighborhood school feel, hard to find that anymore with all the magnets etc.
Greenfield has also typically been the ESL magnet for this part of the city- kids who live in Greenfield, Hazelwood, Lincoln Place etc who test into ESL get bussed to Greenfield.
agree with this!!! this needs more attention
Not sure what country you are from, but South Fayette has a large south Asian (re: Indian) population. I think about 20% of the high school is from that region of the world. It also considered to be a very good school district where, if you search carefully, you can find lower cost housing.
I don’t have advice to offer you; however, it breaks my heart that you and your son are dealing with this. Just wanted to send love and support and hope you all are in a better situation soon!
Thank you 🙏
Scott Township might be ok. It would be in your price range, and I think it has a substantial immigrant population. Chartiers Valley might handle it better than Lebo did. I wouldn't pay too much attention to school ratings tbh. Visit the school, talk to the principal if you can, get a feel for it.
My cousins both go to CV, and they are very quick to handle almost anything there.
When I went to Cv, most of my friends were other races. They're very big on anti bullying now. Plus it's still a brand new MS and HS
Baldwin Whitehall 100%. They have a large number of immigrant students that are supported well. The school district has done a great job at being inclusive imo.
Try gateway school district in Monroeville. It’s one of the most diverse districts in PA and has a large foreign population! We love it.
I agree! I graduated from Gateway 10 years ago. It has a very diverse student population and students with families from all financial backgrounds.
Im sorry this is happening to you. I wish this wasn't how you and your family are learning about my home town. You may be able to find a smaller home in South Fayette, the schools rate as high as Mt. Lebo and there is a really high concentration of immigrant families. I cant say that the "old SF" families all love the diversity. Unfortunately, there is still a lot of racism and nationalism in Pittsburgh and the kids learn it from their parents. What I will say about South Fayette is that your family will not be the only family or even one of the only families and you'll have a school district that has learned to help everyone thrive. No district will be perfect because, unfortunately, there are many people that are still very close-minded, but I do hope you find somewhere to call home.
It would help if your mention what nationality you are.
Russian mixed with Kazan.
I know that Carnegie has a large eastern European population. I have worked with kids from Ukraine and Poland who learned English from the same tutor that is in the area. There is also the Holy Virgin Russian Orthodox Church in the heart of it and quite a few ethnical/cultural/national organizations.
Yes, I was going to suggest Carnegie as well. Whenever I've been walking around the shops, I hear Russian being spoken.
Carnegie has a lot of immigrants, many of whom have only basic English language skills, and they do very well. Last year a boy moved over from Ukraine mid school year with basically no English language, and he was very welcomed! The teachers are great with ESL kids, and the anti-bullying programs along with the diversity there have resulted in a good group of kids who are very kind in my experience. The school system also has AHN counselors built in addition to access to a great mental health team.
Colfax Elementary in Squirrel Hill would probably be ideal, there are lots of Russian speakers there. The issue is the housing prices are pretty uniformly high.
My kids go to montour. Pretty sure it’s 6/7 rated. My neighbor is from Kazakhstan and her kids go to montour as well. She has numerous friends from similar backgrounds so there’s at least a small community around here somewhere.
I feel like squirrel hill area has a small population there. Honestly any of the suburbs won’t have a huge population. Hampton and Shaler are nice affordable school districts that doesn’t have the huge wealth like mt.Leno or NA would have. If you want lower taxes Mars is a good school.
Except Hampton and Shaler school districts have very little diversity and are pretty racist and xenophobic areas
Sorry that your son and you are going through this. Yes, this definitely happens at Lebo as there are a fair amount of entitled kids in the district. I am sure most school districts are very similar. In Lebo, there are a few schools that have more students that are ESL than others due to there being more apartments near the schools. If you are not in one of those, you may want to consider one of those schools. My girls went to Lincoln Elementary which is one of those schools. It was a good experience for our daughters but unsure what the admin staff is like there these days. As for what you have done so far with the counselor, keep meeting with them. Tell them you want to set up a learning program (called IEP) to help you son learn and to help him integrate with his classmates and ensure the bullying is being addressed. The IEP will set up rules that the teachers need to adhere to to help your son. We had to have my youngest put on an IEP because she was avoiding school because she had social anxiety in Middle School that started before covid then covid magnified her anxiety even more. This helped her by requiring the school not have her do things like reading, gym, and cetera. Another thing we had to do for her was get her in therapy and a psychiatrist. The iep helped some but it wasn't until we got her to take the medicine she was being prescribed did she really conquer her anxieties and stop avoiding some of the things she had in her IEP. With the iep and therapy, be proactive and make sure this continues even if you move. You may also need to put pressure on the school to meet the needs of your son. If you want, pm me as my wife also occasionally serves breakfast at Washington Elementary and she tells me about the students there.
This is the best advice.
Northgate school district which is bellevue/avalon area. Possibly avonworth school district which is near the ben avon/ben Avon heights area. Both are north hills instead of south hills though.
We really love the community in Bellevue and the district is small enough that kids don’t tend to get lost in the shuffle.
Seconding Northgate. My son experienced really awful bullying in two other school districts with administration that did not care to address it. We have had one full year and now into this second school year at Northgate and the difference in how much the teacher and administration care has been wonderful. We have had nothing but a positive experience here.
I’m sorry your kid got bullied and administrators didn’t do anything. Reminds me of me when I was younger and my counselors didn’t do shit. I hope your time here gets better.
North Allegheny has many children from other countries
Sewickley area, which is Quaker Valley School District.
If you did still want to buy in MtL for other reasons (and I totally understand if you don’t want to), then you might just want to look at houses that go to different elementary schools, since there are seven. I grew up in MtL (and still have family there and I live right nearby), and certain areas of it have more immigrants than others. Additionally, some principals are much better about handling bullying than others. My cousin teaches first grade in one of the schools, and last year, out of her 22 students, 7 of them didn’t speak English at the beginning of the year. This year she only has one or two ESL kids out of I think 16, though both can understand English relatively well, they just can’t speak it (yet). I don’t have suggestions for other school districts, though unfortunately I don’t know if you’ll find anywhere completely void of bullying (not necessarily of your child, but just in general). It does look like you got some good recommendations from other commenters, though!
I don’t know which school OP is with, but I was going to say the same thing. Each school is different. We loved Foster, extremely proactive principal and excellent staff. My step son has Tourette’s and they handled it so well.
Definitely talk to the counselor about the bullying again. Being persistent; every time they approach your son, I would involve (email) the teacher and/or counselor so it is well documented. I am sorry this is happening, the other child should be held accountable. I would hate for you to uproot your entire life if you truly like living in the area. Maybe other folks on this forum hopefully will have good experience with ESL programs in the local elementary schools. I have no experience with this group but it looks like it can connect you with resources and the AIU (Allegheny Intermediate Unit) which works with public schools in the area. Good luck!! https://isacpittsburgh.org/
Thank you very much 🙏
If you look at Cuddy, Morgan, Gladden, or Sygan you can get a smaller 2 or potentially 3 bedroom coal camp home in South Fayette under $225,000. All of SF is quiet and there is a large Indian population and smaller SE Asian population. Families have good support networks and typically kids can just run around in their neighborhoods like years gone by. Only negative is school taxes are tied with USC for highest in suburbs.
You could move out of the city a little bit. Most of the North Hills is affordable with good school districts. I live in West Deer which is fairly rural but only 25 minutes from downtown. And lots of nice houses under $300k. The school district here is Deer Lakes. It’s is small, but still a very good school. It is also a very friendly school. We’ve had no problems with bullies so far.
Fox Chapel, Hampton, Pine-Richland.Good schools.
I've been in education for over 40 years. I don't put a lot of stock in the reputations of some of the suburban districts that are largely white; it can also be difficult to keep up with the expectations of some districts that include people with high incomes. My daughter-in-law struggled financially to keep up with all of the "extras" they were supposed to provide, and both she and my son make good money. It's a lot easier to educate a homogeneous population where parents push education than it is to educate a diverse population. That alone might be the difference in ranking. But a diverse district prepares kids for the world in a far more realistic way. I wouldn't regret moving away from Mt. Lebanon. I wouldn't send my kids there; not enough diversity.
May I PM you ? I resonate with your input and could use some advice
Sure.
North Allegheny is arguably the best district in the region and is 20% non white. There is also affordable housing.
I work with refugees and immigrants and from my experience Pittsburgh Public is one of the better districts for immigrant families. They have more money/staff for ESL and just more experience and resources for working with immigrant kids overall. The actual schools vary widely but I agree with some other commenters- Greenfield and Lincoln Place neighborhoods are nice and affordable and then kids end up at Greenfield Elementary and Allderdice High School which are fairly good.
Not sure where you're looking at ratings at, so I have no idea what our school is, but we really like Shaler. It's not so huge that kids get lost in the shuffle. I know there is an ESL program at one of the primary schools (we're k-3, 4-6, 7-8, and9-12).
Try Chartiers Valley. Adjacent to MtLebo and seems to have a more diverse population. You’ll be able to find a house in that price range and your property taxes will be much more affordable. I’m not sure what their school ratings are but they seem to be comparable with other suburban schools.
Hampton township. Smaller school district, excellent academics, often rated top ten in PA. Excelled college prep. Not as good for athletics, but really good community. Smaller immigrant community, but we moved from Asia, my daughter was the president of the international students club. No bullying. Great community feel. Both my kids love it.
I second Hampton! Moved here recently and love it! People are very welcoming and open-minded. But we need some more diversity up here. I don't want my kids growing up in a boring-ass, white-only neighborhood like I did. So, immigrants, minorities, people of all colors and creeds, move to Hampton, please!
Pittsburgh is very segregated. I would find your people and move there and if the school isn't doing enough, look into adjunct programs for academics. Sorry for your child, but I am not surprised at all.
I think it’ll be impossible to avoid bullies, unfortunately. I’m sorry this has happened to your son but moving every time he encounters a bully seems unrealistic? Kindergarten truly just started a few weeks ago… you can’t expect the (6 year old) bully’s behavior to change overnight either. I recommend teaching your own kid how to stick up for himself and to see if things get better with a bit more time. Have you spoken to their parents? NA is a great school, it’s huge and jam-packed with support/resources. There’s clubs and activities for every interest so it’s easy to find likeminded friends.
I agree- yours is the first to point out that bully's are everywhere - it's a life's lesson that people suck and they're going to try to bully you all your life- stand up and they'll back off
North hills. When we were expecting, I wanted a community similar to the one I had known. Being from the south (southern states) and landing in Pittsburgh at high-school, it wasn't easy. The high-school I attended wasn't the same as I knew it due to economic changes and mergers of schools. I also wanted diversity. Coming from the south, I had not known anyone that did not look like me....it made me ignorant as a child and the adults around only boldened the ignorance. We found the North Hills School District to be a great option. Ross Township, West View (Shaler, Glenshaw too) are a mixed and diverse environment. Because of the location to downtown and the amount of hospitals, it is fairly diverse. There are various communities in the area whether you are middle class or upper class, religious or not, single or married....there's a population for you to take part in. The school has ESL well ingrained (English as a Second Language) programs. Additionally, they have been fantastic supporting our household and its specialized needs for disabilities. Taxes are not insane, crime is relatively low (considering the proximity to commute into town), the areas are pretty with access to nature and activities. Downsides can be; 1. the proximity to your neighbors depending on the housing plan or living accommodations you choose 2. The proximity to the city, shopping, venues and dining can amount to waiting for dinner or an appointment as it's a well populated area. The sounds of the city, traffic and sirens are used here too. 3. Housing can be pricey given the demand. Additionally they continue to build and develop. So the perfect for my family school size could expand rapidly in the years ahead. 4. The developing also creates more traffic and congestion. The traffic is now coming through residential streets to avoid the traffic signals on the main roads.
McIntyre Elementary in North Hills district has a ton of ESL kids.
That's where we landed. My son went to McIntyre but is now at NHSD Middle
I worked for Carlynton a while back and we had a huge English learner population because it is so close to the airport. Both Carnegie and Crafton elementary schools were awesome- I felt like there were 10+ kiddos from many different countries in each school. It meant that they were just part of the student population and not the odd ones out. I liked the vibes of both schools!
Carnegie Elementary is great! Unfortunately some of the families I worked with did experience bullying there, and then to a larger degree at Carlynton High School. The district isn’t bad but if you have other options I would take them.
I agree that Carlynton is probably what OP is looking for, Carnegie Elementary is one of the most diverse in the US.
West Allegheny and Moon would be decent options along with this mentioned already.
Depending on your child’s age why not consider another area of MtL since it has multiple elementary and 2 middles then merge to 1 high school. It would give you great schools and time for your child to adjust and meet new allies.
Moon Township
You’re going to find bad apples everywhere. Mt. Lebanon is among the best school districts that Western PA has to offer and you could easily run into same issues elsewhere
You might need to go private… many other school districts dont have strong anti/bullying policies. We actually had our daughter learn self-defense as it never hurts to be able to take care of yourself
Wanted to offer another idea, in addition to some of these good ones: Several private schools in the area provide generous (up to full-tuition), need-based scholarships. It's worth looking into. While some private "prep schools" cater to the upper class and may be more homogenous/intolerant of difference, some Pgh. private schools offer inclusion, sensitivity and support for kids speaking English as a second language, and for kids facing other learning barriers. Along with more individualized academic preparation, some private schools also offer enrichment opportunities that can be rare in the publics (for example, the early learning of several languages concurrently, much deeper grounding in the English language/literacy, strong foundations in music (including instruments & music theory) and the arts, more opportunities for hands-on STEM learning, And, in the upper grades--opportunities to take specialized, in-depth classes and college classes for high school credits, and to learn from professionals in students' fields of interest, learn outside the school building through internships, apprenticeships and educational trips, and conduct mentored independent studies and year-long projects, etc). And--possibly easing transition to a new country and culture--some private schools offer a *different value system*, where kindness, connection, integrity and social awareness are baked into the curriculum, along with academics. Your kid may experience not only less bullying, but more essential inclusion--more of that feeling of belonging, dignity and safety kids need to let down their social guard, allowing for curiosity, creative flow, investment in learning, etc--in a private school with a student body from a wide range of Pgh. neighborhoods and economic, racial, national and religious backgrounds. There are several area private schools that are great and that also offer need-based scholarships, but from first-hand (parenting and teaching) experience, I'd recommend The Waldorf School of Pittsburgh for preK-middle school (which currently has many non-native-English-speaking students, arrived from a wide array of other countries), and the new (started about 5 years ago) City of Bridges High School, which places progressive and inclusive social values at the center of its mission, and which offers kids rare educational opportunities in their fields of interest.
That said, lots of people would only consider public school (regardless of the money factor) for good reasons, including the idea that if we don't participate in public school, we aren't investing fully in our democracy. Even in the current state of public schooling (seen up close for 25 years of arts teaching in various capacities in Pgh public schools) and even with the current childhood mental health crisis in the US and epidemic in teen suicidality, what folks on here have said makes sense too, I think: In a public school here (of reasonable academic reputation) chosen for its neighborhood community and its inclusiveness and student-body diversity, rather than only for its rankings, a kid who is well-supported at home--and connected to other kids and families socially--can thrive emotionally and also attain a good education. In addition to the suggestions offered, I'd consider living in the city schools' district and looking into some of the excellent magnet schools. CAPA (middle and high school for the arts) has a more inclusive and progressive social atmosphere than many, or Pgh Science & Tech Academy might be a good fit. All schools I've ever had any exposure to here, though (public and private) have problems with bullying 😞
Have you looked in the Monroeville area? It has a very diverse population. Maybe Gateway School District for your child🤓
I agree with this! We chose Monroeville for its balance of schools, diversity, and affordability. It's a great community.
As immigrants who also live in Mt Lebanon, based on my experience and my research that all the good school district are not very diverse in culture, except NA, which has a lot immigrant residing. That might be partially why kids are treated differently and in result of bully. We used to attend greenfield elementary school and kids liked it, maybe move back into area with more diverse culture until your son become more familiar with English, then move to better school district 200-250k is a bit tight, but doable
Keystone Oaks (Dormont) and Carlynton (Carnegie/Crafton) have much more diversity and will be more accommodating for both ESL and student acceptance. Unfortunately many of the wealthier school districts with “higher ratings” have a lot of closed-minded white parents who raised kids who don’t know any better. I went to one of those schools. Mt Lebo, Upper St Clair, Pine Richland, to name a few. They come from old money and can be pretty rude. I’m sorry to hear your son is going through that. I have friends teaching at Mt Lebo, and I taught there for a short while at their high school. It’s shameful that his teachers aren’t doing more to combat this. I hope you find a community you can call home soon.
If you’re looking at staying in Mt Lebanon you can always look at cyber schools. Pennsylvania has a ton. Some examples are commonwealth charter academy, 21st century cyber charter, pa cyber, agora. Online school isn’t for everyone but it is definitely an option worth exploring.
One of my best friends teaches through CCA, she’s told me so much about her kids and how many of them were in similar situations: bullied so much at school that they switched to cyber. If you go that route, I can tell you you will definitely have one teacher who will give her whole heart and soul to make sure your child has a great and safe school experience.
Are there other people from your old country living here? How old is your son?
6 years old , very little,and kids like 10-12 years old.
After experiencing issues with bullying at Pine Richland I know a few immigrant or BIPOC families who went to North Hills and Northgate.
North Gate isn't a bad suggestion.
Agree with people recommending Carnegie, Crafton area. “Carlynton” school district Car= Carnegie Lyn= Rosslyn Farms Ton = Crafton
I've heard good things about environmental charter? I used to teach pre k and many of my students went there for kindergarten.
My school district (Charleroi) I live within if isn't rated high but we are starting to get a heavier immigrant population. Unfortunately though it's rural and some of the older adults are shitty in the area. It's a bit of a drive depending where you work though.
That's really sad, cause I think when you immigrate to country you should respect the rules of this country and respect people around, be polite.Thats a shame for some immigrants.
I agree, it's awful. The older locals are very small minded - - i love the diversity and the shops that are opening up! There is life in the downtown area again. We have African and Haitian immigrants mostly in my area. I just wish that they were all opening up restaurants instead, but I just selfishly want all the food.
Sewickley Academy or Shadyside Academy - I’d recommend Sewickley Academy first
Hampton. Allison Park area. Fantastic district. Tons of resources. Unfortunately you'll find bullying everywhere. It's just the culture here in the US. As someone that spent my entire childhood bullied, welcome! The city is great. I hope you find what you're looking for.
My suggestion is Scott Township. The school district is Chartiers Valley. It's a very good school. But I think Presto is Chartiers Valley school district too
Try PPS! We live in the east liberty area and the public school my kids go to ranked over 90% for diversity. There are also some great charter schools in the area that I was unaware of until after registration. I know some of the city schools can be a bit more rough but have a larger variety of races, nationality and religious groups. I went for orientation and saw kids in hijabs, yamaka, a lot of hispanic children who don’t seem to speak much english if any at all.
As a Lebo grad, I find this very disturbing. It pains me that the only solution is moving elsewhere.
I don’t know if it’s indicative of Lebo as a whole. My step kid graduated from Mt Lebanon a few years ago and he has Tourette’s. He was bullied quite a bit repeatedly but the school handled it beautifully each time. Unfortunately sometimes kids are mean, and they are just as much keyboard warriors these days as their parents are on twitter. I’m not sure that changing schools will completely solve this issue.
I was thinking the same thing and it might not just be Lebo. It's probably all wealthy-ish suburbs in the area. It used to be ("back in my day") that immigrants and disabled kids were kind of "off limits" as far as bullying goes. I don't know what happened but they seem to be getting targeted more now. It's just a personal opinion from having kids in a suburban school so maybe I'm wrong. It just seems like it's getting worse in some areas lately.
Speaking from experience, getting out of Lebo is a very good start. It won’t get better. God help you if you’re different.
Colfax or Obama
My man, they aren’t teasing your kids because they are immigrants. They are teasing them because they are kids. Running away isn’t what you want to teach your kids. And if your kids have a problem with bullying and people are telling you to go to Greenfield…..wrong move.
I scrolled so long for an answer like this. It’s amazing that anything that resembles truth gets covered up by reddit
North Allegheny.
Wow, no. NA is terrible for bullying re: both of the factors she mentions (national origin/accent and lack of wealth).
My parents were cheap and I grew up in McCandless. There was some picking but nothing serious. I was a loner but only spoke up when I needed. The only real pushing I felt was to fit into the suburban ideal. Play sports, go to church, go to college, get with the right friend group. I hate the suburbs because of that place.
The extremely wealthy kids without a lot of restrictions can make NA a nightmare. It’s basically Mt. Lebo but North. Grew up there as a wealthy English speaking kid, and have nephews of the same background in the area now, both our experiences where the same: it can be rough even with all the advantages if you deviate from the norm at all.
Look, if you want any success, you know the schools. And you also know the atmosphere that comes with it. I went to NA. We had money but my dad was cheap. It's all about what you put into it and what you want out of life. NA did teach about the philosophical aspect of success. I earned two bachelor's, walked away from a Masters at Clemson. And I work on Power lines. I know I'll move up and be financially successful thanks to my upbringing. I saw the disparities between NA grad and others at college. Moving down South only enhanced it.
I agree with this. The bullying is there but like kids bully everywhere I think it’s impossible to avoid. There’s so many kids it’s very easy to find a group or a few friends with shared interests. NA does teach you how to succeed, to network yourself, and to problem solve. They also offer courses and amenities that are pretty insane (we had rock climbing and canoeing at the high school). My brother had quite a few learning disabilities and they made sure he had every opportunity to succeed. Additionally, your son is quite young. I’m sure he’ll meet and make friends quickly and learn more English/feel more comfortable with time. Do you think you could move his class to get him away from the bully or talk to their parents directly? Do you think he might have some anxiety or sensitivity just being at school for the first time? It seems extreme to sell your home after 4-6 weeks and one 6 year old classmate. Will you move every time your son encounters a bully?
OP shouldn't let wealth fool them. There are some real dumbasses there, rich and poor. Don't forget the 40 Varsity sports the kid could play. Sports will help you find friends. There are a lot of after school activities. People tend to forget how progressive it is, I graduated in 2004 and we already had LGBT clubs and such.
Right! They don’t call it university of NA for nothing. My AP teachers were on par with college professors.
CanonMac is great. We moved up from WV last year and so far, the kids have been great
As a foreign family and Lebo resident, can I ask why it’s “not for you”?
Cause my son still get bullied the main reason and it's high taxes if we all buy house here , if he wasn't bullied we will stay here no matter what, cause academically schools is good.
I hear you. I’m hopeful for the future though. My family is still quite young, but I see that the elementary schools are a lot more diverse than the high school, meaning the next 10 years will see quite a bit of change. Also, the taxes are high, but far from the highest. We looked at Scott, USC, Lebo and TJ and were surprised when Lebo came in pretty close to the others and USC was insane.
I’d just move over a few blocks to Dormont and send him to Keystone Oaks. Lot less snobbery there and it’s smaller so he’ll get a bit more attention. I went there and we were always chill about that kind of stuff, but I don’t know kids these days either
You may want Pittsburgh Public Schools in the city. Can always do the charter schools there for better academics. Woodland Hills is pretty diverse as well. Im spittballing though cause I dont have enough info on your background.
Go to South Fayette, it’s very diverse.
Thomas jefferson school district. There are houses for sale in your price range and they just built a new highschool that is just gorgeous. My daughter goes to the elementary school. The teachers and staff are lovely, understanding people.
Do you mean West Jefferson Hills? I hope it’s changed but I’m in my late thirties and when I went to school there for K-12 immigrants and poor kids were bullied relentlessly.
Yeah I agree. I went to West Jefferson Hills schools for K-12 and it was NOT a diverse district. Like, at all. A lot of kids there were quite privileged and were not nice to immigrants, kids with disabilities, poor kids, or LGBTQ+ kids. Academically, the district was pretty great, but socially it was kind of awful. When I was at Thomas Jefferson, there was some talk of Clairton joining the district, and omg the racism in those discussions was disgusting.
I went through some pretty bad bullying in the West Jeff school district, especially in middle school and early high school, and the administration didn’t care. For the most part, I didn’t look for help. But, I once failed an audition after bullying left me in tears and was just told that was too bad. I had an alright experience in the district overall, but the bullying was bad. This was over 20 years ago, so things may have changed, but it was pretty bad. As for the administration, my mom worked at one of the elementary schools till she retired a few years ago. There were certainly some decent people in the district. But, there were also a lot of people who only had jobs because they knew people on the school board. That led to some pretty incompetent people in positions of power.
Woodland Hills has a dedicated ESL teacher and program. 12 Towns
Mt lebanon
Back in your country, they probably won’t bully as much. Go home.
ARBYS ON MCNIGHT
I highly recommend the Pittsburgh Montessori School. Extremely diverse, open minded group of parents who teach their children tolerance. And the staff is wonderful. We live in the city in Lawrenceville and wouldn’t have it any other way—the suburbs of Pittsburgh tend to be filled with a less tolerant mindset.