Marin County Schools Again Rank Among Best In State

I think there are really four big drivers that make people buy real estate in  Marin County: access to outdoor recreation and natural beauty; climate; commute time; and what may be the most important, schools.

The new Standardized Testing and Reporting exams, or STAR scores are out, and once again, Marin schools do incredibly well relative to state averages.

Marin schools obviously benefit from being in the county with the highest per capita income in the state, and the property taxes that come with that. However, there are several other factors that are often overlooked.

1. Parcel taxes. Marin County residents, in almost every good school district, regularly vote to assess themselves special parcel taxes which go to the schools. In the Larkspur School District, for example, it is currently $350 a year. Passing these special taxes require tremendous organization and effort, as they require a two-thirds majority to pass. It is never easy.

2. School foundations. Again, this is rarely talked about in the news outlets, but the shcools raise massive amounts of money through their foundations, most of which comes from the parents. Some of this is in the form of direct donations, where they ask for a set amount per student. The rest comes from a variety of activities, such as annual Auction Dinners and golf tournaments. Again, this is real money we’re talking about. Larkspur Schools typically raise $1.2 Million A YEAR from through the foundation and PTA’s. That’s about 10% of the annual budget!

3. Parent involvement. Parents are everywhere in the Marin schools, volunteering time to do just about anything and everything. Running lunch programs, helping out in the office, volunteering on committees to redesign and rebuild aging facilities, you name it, parents are everywhere. And they make a difference!

It is no accident that there is a strong correlation between housing prices and school districts. There is tremendous value for homeowners there, and parents know it, even in a County where it is estimated that over 20% of the students attend private schools.

Read the Marin Independent Journal article, and feel free to contact us with questiona and more information on specific school districts.

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