For many families, choosing a new home is a process often decided based on educational opportunities available to schoolchildren. Great communities are known to have great schools, and this is certainly the case in Irvine, where public schools are unified in a single district committed to excellence and where they face strong competition from private academies. Education has always been a strong focus in Irvine. After all, this is a planned city originally designed to accommodate a research campus for the University of California. If you’re looking at Irvine houses for sale and schools are an important concern, consider neighborhoods close to the schools listed below. They stand out for their high scores in the U.S. News and World Report ranking of California academic institutions, and they’ve also received positive reviews from parents on online platforms such as Yelp.

University High School

Thanks to its proximity and close relationship to UCI, this high school has a great reputation for its college readiness curriculum and advanced placement classes.

Northwood Montessori School

Many private academies follow the acclaimed Montessori method in Irvine, and Northwood tends to get many positive reviews from parents of students who are in kindergarten and first grade. The student-to-teacher ratio at this school is a little high for Montessori standards, but this doesn’t seem to get in the way of delivering a curriculum focused on cognitive and behavioral development.

Tarbut V’Torah Community Day School

Also known as TVT, this private religious academy runs programs ranging from kindergarten to high school, and it attracts Jewish students from across Orange County. The student-to-teacher ratio is one of the best in California, and the school assigns aides to children with special needs. TVT offers a varsity athletics program as well as concentrations in engineering, film, and mathematics.

Lakeside Middle School

This smaller public school holds the distinction of consistently scoring high on standardized math tests at the state level. Another area in which Lakeside Middle shines is dedication to student diversity and community outreach. Out of more than 2,400 middle schools in California, Lakeside ranks 60th in terms of standard testing.

Northwood High School

According to the ranking criteria of the U.S. News and World Report, this gold-medal school has one of the highest graduation rates in the country, at 98 percent. Similar to University High School, Northwood is a feeder for UCI, and it manages to send more than half of its graduates to college.

New Horizon Elementary School

This private religious school is located in an upscale district of Irvine, and it offers a Muslim education for children from preschool to sixth grade. New Horizon has a diverse student body plus a low student-to-teacher ratio. This academy is a magnet for many students from various parts of Orange County, and its tuition rates are reasonable compared to other private schools in Southern California.

If you’re moving to the Irvine area and want to buy a home in a neighborhood with a great school, make sure to find a real estate agent in Irvine with in-depth knowledge about the educational opportunities throughout the area. At Irvine Residential Living, our agents have years of experience in buying and selling homes in every part of Irvine, and we can give you sound advice on all the important details because we know the area so well. Give us a call today at 714-454-6304 to schedule an appointment.