White Oaks Elementary

We are considering moving to San Carlos. We have a daughte and son who will be elementary school age in about two years. We have heard a lot about the White Oaks School. When we checked the APIs online it seemed like the other schools in San Carlos were very close to the White Oaks API. Why does White Oaks seem to have an edge? We have also heard that White Oaks is impacted. Is this true?

Your research is accurate in terms of the APIs. The information supplied below is from the California Department of Education, Base API Reports for 2005 and 2006:
White Oaks Elementary: 2005 Score: 900, 2006 Score: 893
Brittan Acres: 2005 Score: 878, 2006 Score: 882
Arundel School: 2005 Score: 856, 2006 Score: 895
Heather School: 2005 Score: 845, 2006 Score: 846
As you can see from the above information, the four elementary schools in San Carlos are extremely close, in terms of API scores. In fact, Arundel is posting the highest API for 2006. All four of the schools have gain an outstanding reputation and it is tough to go wrong at any of them. White Oaks was the first of the four to start hitting very high API numbers, thus the reason for its legacy. However, based solely on numbers, it appears that the other three schools have caught up.
Of course, there are other sides to all of the schools that fall outside the numbers such as parental involvement, teacher satisfaction, PTA relationships, facilities, etc. Having lived in San Carlos for a very long time and knowing parents at all four of the elementary schools I can tell you that, for the most part, they are all equally pleased with their respective schools in these areas.
Finally, with regard to White Oaks being impacted I would refer you to the San Carlos School District, since they are the only ones who are in a position to give you a concrete answer. They can be reached at (650) 508-7333. They are also on the web at http://www.sancarlos.k12.ca.us/
Hope this helps.
Bob Bredel

I would concur with Bob’s statement above. As a former teacher in the district I can assure you that all schools in the SCSD share a high quality of teachers, teacher training, and parent involvement. As a teacher, I urge you not to base school quality solely on one form of data (API). It is true that the San Carlos school’s scores are very comparable, to one another and when the 2007 scores are released on Aug 31 I am sure you will see more of the same. The most authentic way to judge a school is to visit it, take a tour, talk to currents parents, attend a PTA meeting and investigate what the school’s vision is. If you are planning on a move to San Carlos, you can’t go wrong when it comes to education!

I recently bought in White Oaks and am considering whether earthquake insurance is prudent or not. Any advice or info on fault lines etc. for someone struggling with the decision to buy earthquake insurance? The premium is pricey…

Hi David,
Its a good question. It all comes down to your comfort level with risk. For starters, the overwhelming majority of people in San Carlos do not carry earthquake insurance. According to the California Department of Insurance, only 12% of property owners in California carry earthquake insurance. If you take people who are not directly on top of a major fault line out of the equation that number falls drastically. Living in White Oaks you are not directly above any major known fault line. The San Andreas Fault is the closest known major fault line which runs under Crystal Springs, close to Highway 280. Normally people do not take on earthquake insurance unless they are directly on top of a fault or have a home on landfill such as parts of Redwood Shores or Foster City. Nothing is a guarantee, it just comes back to your comfort with risk.