Originally Posted by Eastbay1K

There are many many school districts in the Bay Area, and you can go from some of the best to some of the worst in a matter of blocks. For instance, if you want to live East Bay close-in (Bay side of the hills), you'll find that people want to live in the Albany, Berkeley and Piedmont districts, and housing prices are reflected accordingly. You'll generally want to stay away from the Oakland schools as well as the West Contra Costa schools, or budget for private school.