Yea, he's talking about Appleton inner city. Nothing like Milw, Chicago, etc. Maybe a better way to put it is Appleton North has a lot of upper middle class, so does Neenah. East is more "regular" middle class, West is more diverse. I know plenty of kids who went to West, and it's a good school, they really liked it there. Don't get the impression it's a crime-ridden crap hole with poor academics. Just not true. All of that is really overblown, in my opinion. With open enrollment, that is gradually changing and North is seeing some of the same issues with drugs, etc. Just a sign of the times, no escaping that anywhere. Honestly, with your oldest in pre-school I really wouldn't worry about HS yet. Find an area you would like to live. More rural, suburban, or in the "city." Elementary school far more important than HS at this stage. Maybe your kids won't want to even play sports by the time they're HS age, and whatever school is string in athletics could change by then- we're talking 10 years away.