Atlanta Schools - Public vs Private Assistance & Educational Consultant Advice (real estate market, rent)

[dpusa]

All

My wife and I are new to the Atlanta area and we have read these forums and others and are looking for advice for our childs elementary school and possibly beyond. We are in the Hawthorne Elementary school district which is in the 300s in terms of rank. We have heard and read good things about Westminster, Lovett, Paces etc however the tuition is manageable (just about as we have 2 kids) but add in aftercare and summer care and its almost $60k a year.

So a few questions...

1. Are there other private elementary schools that are in town or north of midtown or perimeter area that are worth considering that are cheaper?
2. Our other option is moving to East Cobb and considering Mount Bethel or even Heards Ferry in Northsides - thoughts on pros and cons?
3. Finally, do the folks have recommendations on good Educational Consultants who can help us figure this out and their estimated costs?

Thanks
Dylan

[lastminutemom]

Dylan

Hawthorne Elementary serves a significant number of special ed students which impacts their test scores.

Have you visited? I think many families are pleased. Do you own or rent right now? Where are your jobs?

That said, it is almost always cheaper to move than pay private school tuition for 13+ years per child.

[aries4118]

Hawthorne Elementary is a great little school:


Hawthorne Elementary School

DCSS: Hawthorne Elementary DeKalb County Schools



...and it feeds into the high-flying Lakeside High and Henderson Middle school districts.


Definitely take a look. You live in a good location.

[dpusa]

Apologies too many schools in my head. We are inHenderson Mill Elementary school district. Does that change people's thoughts? We visited once and it seemed really really poor.

[aries4118]

Originally Posted by dpusa

Apologies too many schools in my head. We are inHenderson Mill Elementary school district. Does that change people's thoughts? We visited once and it seemed really really poor.

Poor in which way?




Still a good little school--

http://www.dekalb.k12.ga.us/hendersonmill/

http://www.dekalb.k12.ga.us/schools/...hendersonmill/



The Embry Hills community attends Henderson Mill. Lots of support, lots of interest. And...Henderson Mill feeds to Lakeside High and Henderson Middle just like Hawthorne.


Read these reviews:

http://www.greatschools.org/school/p...d=787&state=GA

[pinetreelover]

Originally Posted by dpusa

So a few questions...

1. Are there other private elementary schools that are in town or north of midtown or perimeter area that are worth considering that are cheaper?
2. Our other option is moving to East Cobb and considering Mount Bethel or even Heards Ferry in Northsides - thoughts on pros and cons?
3. Finally, do the folks have recommendations on good Educational Consultants who can help us figure this out and their estimated costs?

Dylan,
The tuition at most private schools is very comparable. In spite of the fact that Westminster, Pace.... provide an extraordinary education, the tuition is not really more than at many other metro-Atlanta private schools. This isn't really a "get what you pay for" situation. The schools (Westminster, Pace, Lovett, Holy Innocents, Mt. Vernon, Weslyan....) all seem to charge just about (give or take a few hundred dollars) the same amount.

Where you might find significant decrease in tuition is at Catholic schools or much smaller Christian schools. It is worth looking in to if private school is clearly the way that you want to go.

All that said, more and more families are mixing private and public schools for their kids. Many parents choose a home in a district that has excellent public elementary (Sarah Smith, Morris Brandon...) with the plan in mind to switch to private school at the middle school level. Other families choose private elementary and middle (Holy Innocents) with the plan to switch back to their local public high school (Riverwood) at a later date. So - lots of options....

[lastminutemom]

Do you own or rent?

[dpusa]

Lastminmom. We currently own but are open to moving

[magny13]

Catholic schools cost between 6K-7K at the kindergarten - 8th grade level so they are significantly cheaper than the private schools mentioned. I am not sure if any are considered more academic than the others though or if they are interchangeable. Would like to know that myself.

[lastminutemom]

In this real estate market, I would not try and sell my house. I know many who are happy at Henderson Mill Elementary. They have a very strong principal.

If you find that it doesn't meet your expectations then move.

In Metro Atlanta, at least historically, it has been nearly impossible for non-Catholics to get into the strong Catholic schools because of limited space. The growth in the Catholic community has far outpaced the growth of Catholic schools. The schools are definitely not interchangeable and for the most part, have much larger class sizes than almost all private schools and public schools up until grade 4.