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PMG1 wrote:

Hi there

We are considering the option of moving to Costa Mesa with my husbands job, but before we make this big decision we need to get some clarity on a few thinks. We have 2 children, a 6 year old who is year 1 of the UK schools system and a 4 year old who is starting the UK school system in September. As I understand it they would have to move back a year and therefore this would have an impact on when/if we did move back to the UK. So I need to find a school  possibly a private international school…this will probably dictate where we live. Any advice on the US school system and advice on schools would be so welcome.

Secondly, recommendations on area in which we would live, with a reasonable 30 minute commute to work ( is traffic bad) we would probably live in corporate or short rental for the first 3/6 months to get a sense of the area but once again advice on areas and rental prices. Always had this notion of living by the sea …is this completely out of scope or is Irvine a much better choice.

We are pretty outdoorsy and the children love golf, football, swimming, so would love if there were similar type clubs for them to get involved in and meet some new friends. I would really appreciate some help on this or advice if anyone has been in a similar situation as Im nervous on how this move will impact the kids.
Thanks again.

Costa Mesa experts must be on vacation.   Good luck.

Irvine is a much, much better choice: lower crime rate, better schools, but very, very expensive housing.
Costa Mesa is also expensive and has a moderate to high crime rate depending on exact location. Costa Mesa, IN MY OPINION FROM VISITING MY RELATIVES THERE, is more multicultural and integrated than Irvine which has a wealthier base, but I could be wrong on this.

There are many outdoor activities in both areas. Great for children too.

The traffic is high anywhere in California.

Hi PMG1, firstly let me tell you its a great idea moving to California, I live in San Diego.

I can truly mention that we are such a nice people . Wish I had information about school systems in Costa Mesa, but I haven't, although, you can search different schools according to your needs privateschoolreview.com/california, already chose the California State, and this a really good source. I'll like to know the area of your work to see any place that could work. I can tell there are some good neighborhoods to live, I've only been in Eastside Costa Mesa, close to the beach and to the Upper Newport Bay Nature Preserve, and its a beautiful neighborhood.

For transportation, been using private transport for almost 2 years, Uber its a good option if you don't care about the driver, for me, most of they are kinda conceited. Last year me and my friends went to L.A and booked our ride with this company then we found out that they take you to others points of the city, not only shuttle to LAX. We were 5 and shared a van, it was nice and the driver knew aaaaaaall in L.A. like he had made the maps of the streets. Maybe they also have a part-time rental service.

For a place to visit I only know Kitsch Bar,  it is well-hidden, unpretentious ambiance & handcrafted cocktails, I liked it. Hope this work for you, I'll be glad to hear if you like California.

Best,

Just an FYI public education starts at 5 (kindergarten). If you want your 4 year old in school in September you would be paying for preschool.

Not sure of schools in Costa Mesa but definitely do a google search all districts are online with school rankings typically as well. Since the academics are so different (year 1 in UK like grade 2 in US) you could ask for your child to test to another grade level (though would be a lot younger than classmates) or you could look at charter schools.

Many thanks, I am visiting quite a number of schools next week. So I am hoping to get an idea of what the US curriculum is like and how it compares to the UK, so this will be useful in placing my son. Not sure if I want him to be the youngest in the class as he is one of the oldest and he is rather proud of the fact  .

Work is in Cosa Mesa, so will be looking somewhere within 20 minutes drive.