The quality of school districts is one of the most important factors homebuyers between the ages of 37 and 51 consider when making a decision, according to the National Association of Realtors. If you’re moving to Chicago and on the hunt for a home near quality schools, you’re in luck. The Chicago Public School (CPS) system is the third largest in the country, and it has made some impressive strides over the years. Right now, CPS has a graduation rate of 77.3 percent, and research has shown its students are learning faster than 96 percent of other U.S. school districts, according to U.S. News & World Report. So which neighborhoods offer easy access to some of those top-performing schools?

Chatham

Chatham neighborhood of Chicago

Chatham is a South Side neighborhood populated mostly by single-family homes. If you’re home shopping here, you’ll find a median sale price of $124,000, according to Neighborhoods.com data. The neighborhood has two schools that made Chicago Magazine’s 2018 list of the top elementary schools in the city.

Arthur Dixon Elementary School is ranked No. 7 on the list. The school teaches pre-K through eighth grade students and has a total enrollment of 578 students, according to Chicago Magazine. Lenart Elementary Regional Gifted Center, ranked as No. 20 on the list, is located in West Chatham. This CPS, selective enrollment school teaches kids from pre-K to eighth grade as well. Lenart Elementary has a smaller enrollment with just 283 students. GreatSchools ranks Arthur Dixon Elementary School as a seven out of 10 and Lenart Elementary as 10 out of 10.

Lakeview

Lakeview neighborhood of Chicago

Lakeview is one those big Chicago neighborhoods that includes smaller sub-communities (in this case Wrigleyville and Boystown). Given how much area it covers, it comes as no surprise that the neighborhood has a wide range of home prices. The median sale price is $405,000, but you’ll find current prices between $33,000 and $3,999,000.

The neighborhood’s schools demand quite a bit of recognition. Two made Chicago Magazine’s list of top schools—Hawthorne Scholastic Academy is ranked no. 16 on the list of top elementary schools and Albert G. Lane Technical High School is ranked no. 5 on the list of top high schools. Hawthorne Scholastic Academy teaches K-8 and has enrollment of 575 students, according to the report. The neighborhood’s top high school, more commonly referred to as Lane Tech, has 4,195 students, according to the report. GreatSchools ranks both the elementary school and high school as 10 out of 10. The neighborhood also has Burley School, a Chicago Public School with a nine out of 10 ranking on GreatSchools.

Near West Side

Near West Side neighborhood of Chicago

The Near West Side, located just outside of the Loop, has a convenient location near downtown with more reasonable home prices. The median sale price in the neighborhood is $367,500, but current prices range from as low as $168,900 to well over $1 million. The neighborhood’s schools dominated on Chicago Magazine’s 2018 rankings. Mark T. Skinner West Elementary School (enrollment 1,058) took the no. 3 slot on the list of top elementary schools. Phoenix Military Academy (enrollment 540) snagged the top ranking on the list of top high schools, while Whitney M. Young Magnet High School (enrollment 2,114) came in at No. 4. Noble – UIC College Preparatory High School (enrollment 904) took the top spot on the ranking of charter high schools, while Noble – Chicago Bulls College Preparatory High School (enrollment 1,142) came in at No. 5.

GreatSchools gives Skinner Elementary, Phoenix Military Academy High School, Young Magnet High School, and Chicago Bulls College Prep 10 out of 10 rankings, while UIC College Prep gets a nine out of 10.

North Park

North Park neighborhood of Chicago

North Park, located on the far North Side of the city, is known for its tendency toward open space. The neighborhood has a reasonable median sale price of $290,000 and plenty of schools to make it an attractive academic center. 

Two North Park high schools make the Chicago Magazine list of the top high schools. Northside College Preparatory High School (enrollment 1,069) is ranked no. 2, while Von Steuben Metropolitan Science Center (enrollment 1,734) is ranked no. 14. GreatSchools ranks Northside College Prep at 10 out 10 and Von Steuben Metro Science Center as nine out of 10. If you’re looking for higher education, the neighborhood is also home to North Park University.