A Blue Ribbon for Redwood

For parents with students who attend or will attend Redwood High School, there is another reason for celebration.  It was the only school in Marin County and one of only 32 in California to receive the Blue Ribbon national recognition by the U.S. Dept of Education.

It comes at a time when Redwood is celebrating its 50th anniversary and is the only high school in Marin that has received this award.  Only elementary, middle and junior high schools in Marin have received this award in the past for being either a high achieving or dramatically improving school.  Redwood is the high achieving category – take a look at the stats noted by the Marin IJ:

•  80.2% of students scored at proficient or above in English on the state Standardized Testing And Reporting exam in 2007-08 – compared with 66.7 percent of students in Marin and 45.8 percent of students statewide.
• 98%  of Redwood sophomores passed the math portion of the California High School Exit Exam in 2007-08, and 99 percent passed English.

According to the Tamalpais Union High School District, which oversees the 3 main high schools in Southern Marin (Tam, Redwood and Drake) the areas that feed to Redwood include:

• Belvedere (94920) 
• Corte Madera (94925)
• Greenbrae & Kentfield (94904)
• Larkspur (94939)
• Ross (94957)
• Tiburon (94920)

Not surprisingly, these are also the more pricey neighborhoods and communities in Marin.  But, just think about the private school tution you save over the 4 years of grades 9-12 education (per child). 

Current sample of listings in Redwood High School areas (note the median listing price in all these neighborhoods hover around the million dollar mark):

208 Via La Cumbre, Greenbrae - 4 beds, 3 baths – $1,049,000:  Per square foot, this is one of the lower priced homes in Greenbrae.  At $389 per SF, this is house is 2,700 SF and sits on a 9,401 SF lot.  Up higher in the hills of Greenbrae, there is a nice bay view that comes with this home.

992 Meadowsweet Dr, Corte Madera - 3 beds, 3 baths – $875,000:  This is a good find since it is below the median list price of a single family home in Corte Madera.  at $456 per square foot, this is below the $600+ per square foot the average Corte Madera home sells and lists for.  It really is a 2 bedroom, 2 bath house with a 1 bed, 1 bath legal unit underneath.  Great way to get some assistance with the mortgage payment initially and possibly convert down the road when the kids are bigger.

41 Piedmont Ct, Larkspur - 3 beds, 2 bath – $1,215,000:  This one seems a bit pricey, but again a sample of what you get in Larkspur.  Walking distance to downtown, this 1,732 square foot home breaks the $700 per square foot barrier.  The lot isn’t relatively huge, only 3,354 square feet.  The current owner paid $1,115,000 in May of 2007 and probably needs to price it around that same price since it’s been on the market for over 70 days.

14 Cypress Ave, Kentfield – 5 beds, 2.5 baths – $2,295,000:  Yep, Kentfield is one of the more expensive zip codes.  Many of the homes here sit on large lots and are large in general, like this one.  On almost one third of an acre, this has plenty of room for your teenage children and the birthday pool parties you will be throwing.

More info on Redwood High School