Yes — for a specific buyer. Glenside is one of the most transit-rich communities in eastern Montgomery County at a price point below Jenkintown’s, with two SEPTA Regional Rail lines and a walkable village commercial corridor on Easton Road. It suits buyers who want genuine transit access and walkable daily life without paying the Jenkintown borough premium. There is one complexity buyers must understand before searching in Glenside: school district assignment varies by address. The community spans multiple township boundaries, which means neighboring streets can be assigned to different school systems. That requires confirmation on every specific property, not an assumption based on the community name.
Two SEPTA lines
Glenside’s most distinctive asset is its transit configuration. The SEPTA Lansdale/Doylestown Line stops at Glenside Station, and the Fox Chase Line provides service through the community as well. Two lines from the same area means service frequency that most single-line communities cannot match — and if one line has delays, service on the other remains available from stations within reasonable proximity.
Center City Philadelphia service from Glenside runs approximately 30 to 40 minutes, positioning Glenside as a competitive commuter community for buyers who need daily rail access. For buyers comparing Glenside to Jenkintown — the most direct comparison for transit-oriented buyers in eastern Montgomery County — the transit configuration is comparable. Jenkintown has three converging lines at a single station; Glenside has two lines with overlapping service. The practical difference is real but smaller than the price gap between the two communities.
Easton Road and walkable character
Easton Road through Glenside functions as a genuine village commercial corridor. Independent restaurants, coffee, personal services, and small retail generate consistent foot traffic throughout the week. Residents walk to Easton Road from residential streets without needing a car for those trips.
The scale is more modest than Jenkintown’s Old York Road or Ambler’s Main Street. But the character is genuine — this is a walkable village corridor that serves the community rather than a strip mall with a few amenities. For buyers who value daily-life walkability as a priority and are not specifically paying for the most animated commercial district in eastern Montgomery County, Glenside delivers it at a lower price.
School district: the critical variable
This is the most important thing to know about buying in Glenside: the community is not defined by a single school district. Glenside spans sections of Cheltenham Township, Abington Township, and Springfield Township, which means properties in Glenside can be assigned to Cheltenham School District, Abington School District, or Springfield Township School District depending on the specific address.
Each of these districts has its own character:
Cheltenham School District: Above state average, diverse community character, performing arts presence. Serves Cheltenham Township, which includes Elkins Park and Wyncote as well as Glenside sections.
Abington School District: Consistently top 30 in Pennsylvania, nationally recognized performing arts program at Abington Senior High School. Well-funded, broad programs.
Springfield Township School District: Smaller, less widely known, serves a more limited geography.
Buyers who have a specific school district as a requirement must confirm the assignment of any individual Glenside property before proceeding. Karen confirms district assignment on every Glenside transaction because the community name is not a reliable indicator.
Price range
Glenside home values range from approximately $350,000 to $700,000. The range reflects the variety of housing stock and the variation in school district designation — Abington SD properties carry a modest premium over Cheltenham SD properties at comparable size and condition, reflecting the relative rankings of those districts. The lower floor compared to Jenkintown represents the trade-off: two SEPTA lines instead of three, a less celebrated school district, and a somewhat less animated commercial corridor — at a meaningfully lower entry price.
Who Glenside is right for
Glenside suits buyers who want two SEPTA lines and walkable village character at a price point below Jenkintown, who have confirmed the school district assignment of the specific property they are purchasing, and who are comfortable with a community character that is more varied and less borough-defined than Jenkintown or Narberth. It is particularly right for transit-dependent buyers who have priced out Jenkintown and want the next closest equivalent.
Who Glenside is not right for
Buyers who need a specific, confirmed top-ranked school district (and are not willing to research assignment property by property), buyers who want Jenkintown’s multi-line redundancy at a single station, and buyers who want the most animated borough commercial district in the area should look at Jenkintown, Narberth, or Ambler instead.
Working with Karen
Karen Langsfeld is a REALTOR® and Pricing Strategy Advisor (P.S.A.) with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Fox & Roach in Blue Bell. She covers Glenside alongside Jenkintown, Abington, and eastern Montgomery County and confirms school district assignment on every property in this market.
For buyers comparing Glenside to Jenkintown directly, Is Jenkintown, PA a good place to live? covers the three-line transit configuration, small district character, and price comparison in detail.
Contact Karen at (215) 495-2914 or through the contact page.