Inman Middle versus Private Middle (Atlanta: neighborhood, middle school, statistics)

[TravelEasy]

Hi All - We are new to Atlanta and have a daughter entering 5th grade in the fall. We love our new neighborhood, Candler Park, and are excited about Mary Lin. It appears from this forum that many people opt private for middle school? We are strong believers in public school and are unsure of how the overcrowding of Inman will affect that experience. I wanted to hear from folks who have gone from public to private or private to public (particularly Inman) who could give some personal experience comparisons. We are trying to decide if we should enter the private school labyrinth and start the application process in the fall. We don't want to, but want to know if we need to. Our concerns are general lack of oversight of students (due to overcrowding), high student teacher ratio, lack of extracurricular/resources due to lack of space, lack of outdoor space - what else? Should we be concerned?

[aries4118]

Originally Posted by TravelEasy

Hi All - We are new to Atlanta and have a daughter entering 5th grade in the fall. We love our new neighborhood, Candler Park, and are excited about Mary Lin. It appears from this forum that many people opt private for middle school? We are strong believers in public school and are unsure of how the overcrowding of Inman will affect that experience. I wanted to hear from folks who have gone from public to private or private to public (particularly Inman) who could give some personal experience comparisons. We are trying to decide if we should enter the private school labyrinth and start the application process in the fall. We don't want to, but want to know if we need to. Our concerns are general lack of oversight of students (due to overcrowding), high student teacher ratio, lack of extracurricular/resources due to lack of space, lack of outdoor space - what else? Should we be concerned?

Overcrowding is a sign that families are happy with the school.

I expect the overcrowding will be addressed in the next few years since the popularity of the school will most likely continue.

[arjay57]

Our grandkids had a terrific experience at Inman. Excellent school.

[AtlJan]

Here is a link to a recent thread started by a parent with a similar question. She is deciding b/n private school or Inman.

Does every applicant get accepted to Woodward? How different is it compared to Inman?

[TravelEasy]

Thank you @AtlJan for the link to the other informative thread. I have seen the statistics about Inman here:

Inman Middle School in Atlanta GA - SchoolDigger.com

Can anyone who has kids at Inman say what their children's student teacher ratios are? I understand that advanced classes have a lower ratios. So are some classes 30:1 and others 15:1? Does this vary based on subject or just based on whether the class is advanced. How many advanced classes can a student take and are they extremely challenging?

Also, what Math program does Inman use - Everyday Math or Singapore or something else?

[AnsleyPark]

TravelEasy - I have a child at a private and one at Inman. Both are receiving a very good education. I don't think you could go wrong at Inman, but I do think that you could wrong at a private and wind up paying lots for a sub par experience. It really all depends on the child.

[jeoff]

Originally Posted by TravelEasy

Thank you @AtlJan for the link to the other informative thread. I have seen the statistics about Inman here:

Inman Middle School in Atlanta GA - SchoolDigger.com

Can anyone who has kids at Inman say what their children's student teacher ratios are? I understand that advanced classes have a lower ratios. So are some classes 30:1 and others 15:1? Does this vary based on subject or just based on whether the class is advanced. How many advanced classes can a student take and are they extremely challenging?

Also, what Math program does Inman use - Everyday Math or Singapore or something else?

My son says his classes range from 20 students (math) to 30 students (social studies).

[TravelEasy]

Thank you @jeoff. This is along the lines I expected. Where would SchoolDigger get the number 15.6 students per teacher average? It's hard to trust anything that is not from someone's direct experience when researching both public and private schools. I am still pretty confused about how high achievers get into advanced classes at Inman. It seems a bit of a secret or at least is not obvious from online material.

[aries4118]

Originally Posted by TravelEasy

Thank you @jeoff. This is along the lines I expected. Where would SchoolDigger get the number 15.6 students per teacher average?

...

Special Education support classes are quite small.

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by TravelEasy

Thank you @jeoff. This is along the lines I expected. Where would SchoolDigger get the number 15.6 students per teacher average? It's hard to trust anything that is not from someone's direct experience when researching both public and private schools. I am still pretty confused about how high achievers get into advanced classes at Inman. It seems a bit of a secret or at least is not obvious from online material.

I don't have much confidence in things like School Digger, etc.

Best to get the official statistics and/or visit the school and talk to people who have kids there.

You may get a very different picture from what these websites indicate.