Hey, high schooler here. I can't say too much about prices and stuff regarding housing, but I can say something about the safety of the school systems and some of the areas around here.

I'm from the west side - the schools around here are honestly pretty good in terms of academics. As far as the safest school, I'd say Fairview. None of the schools are absolutely massive there, and they don't really have problems like some of the other schools (i.e. Fairview doesn't necessarily have the issues with bullying or teenage substance abuse that some of the other schools have). The technology use at Fairview, especially in the elementary school, is really high - the kids get technology literally really young. Even though I'm still a teenager, there are younger kids who are just worlds apart from me with their computer knowledge. It's crazy. The middle school is attached to the high school, so middle schoolers walk through the high school to some of their classes and get adjusted to the school early on. The high school is super awesome, most of the teachers are pretty laid-back. Fairview also revamped the english department with more specialized classes, which is neat. They also just pooled a massive amount of money into the arts department, buying the orchestra new instruments and whatnot. Fairview gets a lot of stuff said about them ("Dirtview", Rocky River kids chanting at the football games, "one two three four, we are rich and you are poor"), but Fairview does not have the widespread drinking/drug issues like some of the surrounding suburbs. Bullying within the school has gone down significantly, and parents feel much safer letting their kids walk to school these days.

Also, North Olmsted. The schools in N.O. are much bigger, so the sense of community might not be the same due to the large amounts of kids. But, a bigger school provides more course options and more extracurriculars. I'm not sure about the elementary school, but the middle school isn't too bad and the high schoolers seem to like NOHS enough. My friends who attend NOHS complain about some of the details/privileges - like Seniors can't leave campus for lunch, or that every assembly is mandatory and costs $1 (the money goes to charity). The kids seem to like it though, I haven't heard any horror stories about bullies or fights. The kids, generally speaking, are some really good kids; very intelligent and kind, pretty responsible.

Both Fairview and North Olmsted have really good Honors/AP programs and have partnerships with Polaris Career Center, which is a really cool alternative and I recommend it!! I got accepted, but wound up pulling out of the course; I've always regretted it, so if your kids get the option to sign up for Polaris, I'd encourage it. The kids who go to Polaris love it there; they get out of their courses at their high schools and form new friendships with the kids in their job course.

Good Luck!!