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Noisy Neighbors? | Pros and Cons of Living Next to a School

Highland School in Edmonton, Alberta

Admittedly, schools come with a variety of issues, in terms of being neighbors. For some, especially non-parents, theprospect of living next to a school might be a bit, well, bothersome, but for others it’s ideal. Here’s this humble Navutcontributor’s overview of the good, the bad, and the ugly in terms of schoolyard neighbors.

The Cons

A school bus in downtown Toronto, which might cause traffic

The most obvious issue of living next to any school is the noise, as children seem only to fluctuate between eerily quiet orear-shattering decibel levels as they play in the school yard. Alternately, in the case of a high school, it’s quite possiblethat some of the more rambunctious teenagers might cause a ruckus or two. Kids will be kids after all. On that similarnote, some locals might have to deal with the risk of light vandalism or loitering in the general vicinity, and heck, maybeMs. Jefferson has had her tulips trampled once or twice during the feverish 3pm race for freedom. There’s also the twicedaily occurrence of bus traffic clogging up the streets, which can happen even in the most rural of neighborhoods, alongwith despicably low, “I-could-jog-faster” school zone speed limits in the area. Indeed, if this humble blog contributor is tobe honest, living next to a school for these reasons alone would constitute a veritable nightmare the likes of which certainblack and red stripe-wearing horror movie fiends would be proud.

However, this is because of my personal circumstance: I often work at home, don’t have any kids, and to be frank, can’tafford air conditioning in the summer, resulting in my windows being open to noise most of the time. But my intoleranceof head-splitting cacophony and my lack of sweet, wonderful, conditioned air ladies and gentlemen, is hardly the school’sfault. Like many things in life, living next to a school is a personal choice and a matter of preference, and it takes a certainexamination of one’s personal context to determine if it’s a good or a bad thing.

The Pros

A typical Canadian school yard in Spring

While it’s definitely a stretch of the imagination for me, for others, living next to a school is a veritable paradise and it’seasy to understand why. The most obvious pros go for those with children, but there are some benefits even for thosewithout:

The kids can get up a bit later resulting in better mornings for all;

The commute is non existent; no stressful cramming of Betty and Bobby into the back seat 10 minutes before thebell rings;

For stay-at-home parents, lunch is easy because the kids can walk home for a bite to eat;

If anything happens at school, they’re close to home and can get there safely;

Your last-minute parking spot for any PTA meeting is your own driveway;

Access to the school yard outside school hours can be a great place for a family outing, as many have jungle gymsand green space to play in, or even walk the dog;

School areas usually come with a strong police presence, resulting in a generally safer neighborhood;

Schools establish a greater sense of community involvement for all as many activities happen onsite;

Schools can be a great source of employment at all levels, from blue to white collar jobs.

In terms of living next to a school, there’s no clear answer, as it truly depends on what you’re looking for in a home, and

more importantly, in a neighborhood. If you’re noise-sensitive then maybe school-zone life isn’t the best idea for you.However, if you’re a parent wanting to make every day life more convenient for your school-aged children, or if you’resomeone seeking a safe neighborhood, then it’s definitely a great option to consider.

Tools like Navut’s Neighborhood Finder can help you establish where your perfectneighborhood is terms of school proximity, so be sure to check it out if you’re thinkingof moving to an “academic” neighborhood!