As much as I am a booster for living in NYC, if you have 4 kids in high school, this will be really hard to organize in terms of getting them all into good schools. The high school selection process is a nightmare! I am going through it right now for just my oldest child, I can t imagine doing this for 4 all at the same time! But the good news is, it really doesn t matter where you live. Very few areas have zoned high schools anymore. The one area I might suggest (just for convenience) is the area around Midwood High School. That school has a zoned program for kids who live in the neighborhood. It is an excellent school (if a bit big) particularly in the sciences. They produce a number of intel scholarship finalists every year! The neighborhood is nice, but a bit boring, and you will be able to find a large enough house there for your large family. But it is not a very urban place. However, given the school issues, it might be a good choice for you. All you have to do, if you do move into the Midwood High School zone, is have your children put Midwood High somewhere on their high school application and they are guaranteed a spot at Midwood.There are two websites I strongly suggest you check out. The first is for the Dept. of Education:Schools.nyc.govThe second is for a non-profit group that helps people understand the NYC school system. They have great webpages on how to apply to high school and great reviews of schools. They are called:Insideschools.orgHope this all helps!
I suggest moving to Brooklyn. As a family of 6, you will have more space for the money you would pay in Manhattan. A house in brooklyn would be good. As for High Schools, I agree with the person above me, *Midwood is a nice area. I also suggest *Park Slope, It s near Prospect Park, the people are wonderful, and it s a great area. You wouldn t regret it, it s a short ride to Tribeca. There are good high schools there too. *Bay Ridge is a nice area as well. It s near the shore and Fort Hamilton high school is a good school. You can take a train to work anywhere from brooklyn pretty much. I take the train from brooklyn to tribeca almost everyday, and I don t hate it.