Good High School inside Perimeter (Atlanta, North Atlanta: buying, elementary schools, living)

[CityFan]

Originally Posted by jmstrk

Let me know if you have any questions. I have "teacher friends" all over Atlanta.

What about IB program at North Atlanta High? How valuable is it as to getting in Ivy Leagues? Do Ivy Leagues recognize it? Thanks.

[lizsmom]

Wow. A year ago I used this forum to aid my family in our relocation effort from Los Angeles to Atlanta. If I had followed the advice of many here, I would be living way the heck out in some cookie cutter suburb where my children would never see people that looked like them and on top of it all my husband would have a horrible commute to get intown where he works. Instead, we took the advice of a native here in Atlanta, and found SEVERAL great schools for our daughters.

I am so surprised that no one has mentioned Grady High School on this thread. Middle schools such as Inman and Sutton are also noteable and our principal says to keep a close eye on Walden Middle which should see drastic changes in the near future. All of these schools are intown) and my children are getting a TOP notch education right here within APS. Somewhere along the line folks started to equate "good" with "economics" and "race," but Atlanta is one place where those things do not go hand in hand. Dr. Hall recently gave the state of schools address and ALL of the elementary schools met or exceeded their targets this past school year...they are all thriving and becoming better each year.

"Good" is so much bigger than test scores these days....there are so many other factors. I now work for the Atlanta PUblic Schools (something I would have never thought to do by reading all of the posts. Our family can afford private at any school intown, and we can afford to live in most of the prestigious areas around town, however we CHOOSE to support our phenomenal APS public schools, especially our current elementary school, which is giving us an education superior to any private school we researched.

I wonder what would happen if parents took half or even a quarter of their private school tuition and invested it into their local neighborhood school? Trust and believe that schools and neighborhoods follow one another. A good public school leads to higher property value....and who doesn't want that!

[aries4118]

Originally Posted by lizsmom

Wow. A year ago I used this forum to aid my family in our relocation effort from Los Angeles to Atlanta. If I had followed the advice of many here, I would be living way the heck out in some cookie cutter suburb where my children would never see people that looked like them and on top of it all my husband would have a horrible commute to get intown where he works. Instead, we took the advice of a native here in Atlanta, and found SEVERAL great schools for our daughters.

I am so surprised that no one has mentioned Grady High School on this thread. Middle schools such as Inman and Sutton are also noteable and our principal says to keep a close eye on Walden Middle which should see drastic changes in the near future. All of these schools are intown) and my children are getting a TOP notch education right here within APS. Somewhere along the line folks started to equate "good" with "economics" and "race," but Atlanta is one place where those things do not go hand in hand. Dr. Hall recently gave the state of schools address and ALL of the elementary schools met or exceeded their targets this past school year...they are all thriving and becoming better each year.

"Good" is so much bigger than test scores these days....there are so many other factors. I now work for the Atlanta PUblic Schools (something I would have never thought to do by reading all of the posts. Our family can afford private at any school intown, and we can afford to live in most of the prestigious areas around town, however we CHOOSE to support our phenomenal APS public schools, especially our current elementary school, which is giving us an education superior to any private school we researched.

I wonder what would happen if parents took half or even a quarter of their private school tuition and invested it into their local neighborhood school? Trust and believe that schools and neighborhoods follow one another. A good public school leads to higher property value....and who doesn't want that!

lizsmom, I couldn't have said it better myself. Oh, I'm a teacher, by the way. Keep doing what you do.

[backfist]

Have to agree with Chamblee.

What about Riverwood; is that inside the perimeter?

[cmtiger]

What about Decatur High? City Schools of Decatur has its own school system (separate from DeKalb) had the 4th highest system-wide SATs in the state and an 89.3% grad rate. Decatur High is also a very small high school (772 kids) with a very high gifted population (over 25%). I believe that they are about half the population of Chamblee, Grady and Lakeside. DHS is working on becoming an International Baccalaureate school - though that is about 4 years to completion. Decatur High is very safe. I haven't heard of any serious incidents since we moved here 10 years ago. They are very strict about behavior and have an in house alternative program for unruly students.

Plus, most of the kids in Decatur walk to their high school... They walk to their middle and elementary schools too for that matter. As a matter of fact... most Decaturites walk or bike a great deal of the time. Nothing is far in a town of four square miles.

Lakeside, Grady and Chamblee are also excellent though and are small by Atlanta standards. With Chamblee and Grady, my understanding is that it is important to be in the magnet program to get the best services.

Don't listen to the suburbanites... they know nothing about intown living and intown schools. There are good schools in the burbs, but they are often huge and you are buying yourself a freakish commute with $3.00 or more gas... not something I would want. We spent a good bit of time researching and visiting schools.

If I was you, I would take the time to tour the intown high schools that have been mentioned on this string to see which one feels right.

[aries4118]

Originally Posted by backfist

Have to agree with Chamblee.

What about Riverwood; is that inside the perimeter?

Actually, the Riverwood campus is right next to the Perimeter (just to the north and outside of it...look for it on your right when you are traveling westbound on I-285 between Roswell Rd. and Riverside Dr.).

Over half of the Riverwood High School district is inside the Perimeter.

[aries4118]

Originally Posted by CityFan

What about IB program at North Atlanta High? How valuable is it as to getting in Ivy Leagues? Do Ivy Leagues recognize it? Thanks.

The IB program at North Atlanta is top-notch. Of course the Ivy Leagues recognize it.

North Atlanta in general is a great high school. The Buckhead public schools are getting more and more support from the local community. It started at the elementary level, it has now taken over Sutton Middle School (stellar!) and tide is starting to sweep over North Atlanta.

North Atlanta also has a world-renowned Performing Arts program. Alumni include RuPaul and Jasmine Guy (and an actress from the movie Romy and Michelle's High School Reunion...can't remember her name! There are many other famous alumni as well!)

[George Chong]

Lakeside is still a very good high school. Yes - a lot of rich families live in this DeKalb County neighborhood.

Dectur High School: City of Decatur - Don't forget that the City of Decatur has it's own school system and many families move to the City of Decatur because of that.

[janet6420]

If I live in the City of Atlanta and do not want to attend North Atlanta, is there any way i can go to Riverwood High School?

[plessthanpointohfive]

Another vote for Grady. When we were looking for a good intown neighborhood we started with the list of good high schools and then worked from there. In the end we went with Grady for the award winning journalism program they have there and for it's location in Midtown (ie, heart of the city).

In the neighborhood we live I can honestly say that every parent I know plans to send their child to Grady. And my neighborhood is a nice, middle-class neighborhood. Some people say it's affluent but it's not REALLY affluent...just maybe on the upside of middle....a lot of secondary degrees, etc...but not a lot of "rich" doctors, if you get my drift.