Need Help Choosing Cobb County Schools-Hillgrove, Harrision, Allatoona, KMHS (Atlanta: 2013, house)

[cdsec]

Hi,

I'm moving back to Atlanta from St. Louis, and I know the area well enough to have decided on West Cobb, but I'm having trouble deciding on the best schools for my daughter. I've already looked up performance ratings. She's entering the 6th grade, and she's going to be pretty overwhelmed by the move. I'm a single parent, so from my experience it might take a bit more work for us to meet people and make new friends.

She is very bright, but also a little shy, anxious, and loves visual arts, writing, drama and choir. She is involved in track, but not particularly athletic. She really has little interest in other sports, and I just don't see her ever interested in following school sports, football games, etc. She's probably better suited to a smaller, private school environment. However that's not in our budget right now if we want to be able to afford a house there.

I know there's no perfect school, and she'll just have to find her tribe, but what schools do you think she might adjust to best given her personality? She would be OK with me saying she's a bit of nerd. I know many schools have a heavy emphasis on athletics, but do any of them emphasize the arts, science, community service, or have a more tolerant and accepting school culture the others? A great principal? She loves everyone, and just wants people to get along with each other. She is not going to do well in a school with problems with intolerance or bullying.

Should I consider East Cobb again? Its further from family and I wouldn't like the traffic situation there, though I won't have a daily commute.

Thanks for your help!

[cdsec]

I should have added that I would like opinions on the middle schools too, but I'm looking ahead at high school for house hunting.

[Born 2 Roll]

Originally Posted by cdsec

Hi,

I'm moving back to Atlanta from St. Louis, and I know the area well enough to have decided on West Cobb, but I'm having trouble deciding on the best schools for my daughter. I've already looked up performance ratings. She's entering the 6th grade, and she's going to be pretty overwhelmed by the move. I'm a single parent, so from my experience it might take a bit more work for us to meet people and make new friends.

She is very bright, but also a little shy, anxious, and loves visual arts, writing, drama and choir. She is involved in track, but not particularly athletic. She really has little interest in other sports, and I just don't see her ever interested in following school sports, football games, etc. She's probably better suited to a smaller, private school environment. However that's not in our budget right now if we want to be able to afford a house there.

I know there's no perfect school, and she'll just have to find her tribe, but what schools do you think she might adjust to best given her personality? She would be OK with me saying she's a bit of nerd. I know many schools have a heavy emphasis on athletics, but do any of them emphasize the arts, science, community service, or have a more tolerant and accepting school culture the others? A great principal? She loves everyone, and just wants people to get along with each other. She is not going to do well in a school with problems with intolerance or bullying.

Should I consider East Cobb again? Its further from family and I wouldn't like the traffic situation there, though I won't have a daily commute.

Thanks for your help!

All four of the West Cobb high schools you named are really good choices, though of the four, Harrison High School is the most established school with the most reputational heft for college preparedness that probably would be the absolute best fit for your daughter.

Harrison and Hillgrove are on par with the quality of the schools in the East Cobb clusters of schools anchored by Walton, Pope, Lassiter and Wheeler high schools.

Hillgrove and its cluster schools have maintained (and even elevated to) an exceptionally high level of school quality even during a time of significant demographic change within its attendance zone which appears to be heading towards 'majority-minority' status within the next decade.

Kennesaw Mountain High School has also experienced much demographic change in recent years and appears to be headed towards 'majority-minority' status within the next decade. Though KHMS (while being of an extremely high quality in its own right) appears to be just a notch below Harrison and Hillgrove.

Allatoona is also a very high-quality school, though of the four schools you named, Allatoona probably is the most sports-focused school... Though all four schools have highly-competitive athletic programs that attract much community support in a college prep and high school sports-crazed Atlanta metro area and state of Georgia.

Also, if you want to meet people, become active and involved in the PTSA (Parents-Teachers-Students Association) at your daughter's school. Becoming active with the football booster club at the high school that your daughter will attend is also an excellent way to meet lots of new people and make lots of new friends because of the cross-section of the community (from white-collar professionals; to retired professional athletes; to powerful local, state and congressional politicians; to teachers and administrators) that is active with high school booster programs in a football-crazed state like Georgia.

The local PTSA chapter and high school booster club can be an excellent way to meet people, make friends and even network with high-powered contacts after moving into a very highly transient metro area like Atlanta.

[aries4118]

Originally Posted by cdsec

Hi,

I'm moving back to Atlanta from St. Louis, and I know the area well enough to have decided on West Cobb, but I'm having trouble deciding on the best schools for my daughter. I've already looked up performance ratings. She's entering the 6th grade, and she's going to be pretty overwhelmed by the move. I'm a single parent, so from my experience it might take a bit more work for us to meet people and make new friends.

She is very bright, but also a little shy, anxious, and loves visual arts, writing, drama and choir. She is involved in track, but not particularly athletic. She really has little interest in other sports, and I just don't see her ever interested in following school sports, football games, etc. She's probably better suited to a smaller, private school environment. However that's not in our budget right now if we want to be able to afford a house there.

I know there's no perfect school, and she'll just have to find her tribe, but what schools do you think she might adjust to best given her personality? She would be OK with me saying she's a bit of nerd. I know many schools have a heavy emphasis on athletics, but do any of them emphasize the arts, science, community service, or have a more tolerant and accepting school culture the others? A great principal? She loves everyone, and just wants people to get along with each other. She is not going to do well in a school with problems with intolerance or bullying.

Should I consider East Cobb again? Its further from family and I wouldn't like the traffic situation there, though I won't have a daily commute.

Thanks for your help!

Based on what you listed here, I recommend that you look at the smaller schools of the options listed above. They will better meet your family's needs.

The smaller options are: Allatoona and Harrison.

I also recommend that you look in two districts that are in the "western" part of East Cobb. They have everything you desire, they are also smaller, and they are very close to West Cobb. These two schools are: Kell and Sprayberry.


So, my recommendations for you are:

Allatoona
Kell
Sprayberry
Harrison



I can give you more details later if you'd like. Also, the middle schools that feed into each of the high schools listed are excellent:

Allatoon feeder middle schools: Durham, McClure, Awtrey
Kell feeder middle schools: McCleskey, Palmer
Sprayberry feeder middle schools: Simpson, Daniell, McCleskey
Harrison feeder middle schools: Lost Mountain, McClure, Durham

[lethalhipster9]

I'd recommend KMHS. I graduated from there in 2013 and i had a great time there. Feel free to message me if you have any questions about the school.

[aries4118]

Originally Posted by lethalhipster9

I'd recommend KMHS. I graduated from there in 2013 and i had a great time there. Feel free to message me if you have any questions about the school.

Yes, Kennesaw Mountain is a stellar high school.

Kennesaw Mountain, Harrison, and Hillgrove are all pretty much on par with the East Cobb high schools. Allatoona as well.

For the OP’s purposes and criteria though, I think one of the smaller high schools is best.

[cdsec]

Thanks for the advice so far! Do any of you know anything about McClure, Lost Mountain, and Durham? We visited them all briefly, and really didn't get enough time to form an opinion. I took another look at Hillgrove online, and it looks like a great school, but it has over 2400 students now, so I think I'm going to rule that one out.

Kell was worth a second look, but I think that's just too far away. I have to find a good route to College Park, where my family lives. Taking some of the highways outside of 285 was the best way when I tested it. 75 seems to be a parking lot most of the time.

[aries4118]

Originally Posted by cdsec

Thanks for the advice so far! Do any of you know anything about McClure, Lost Mountain, and Durham? We visited them all briefly, and really didn't get enough time to form an opinion. I took another look at Hillgrove online, and it looks like a great school, but it has over 2400 students now, so I think I'm going to rule that one out.

Kell was worth a second look, but I think that's just too far away. I have to find a good route to College Park, where my family lives. Taking some of the highways outside of 285 was the best way when I tested it. 75 seems to be a parking lot most of the time.

Hmmmm...where do you work, where is your job?

[Born 2 Roll]

Originally Posted by aries4118

Hmmmm...where do you work, where is your job?

The OP wrote that they would not have a daily commute, so that does not seem to be a concern at this time.

[aries4118]

Originally Posted by cdsec

Thanks for the advice so far! Do any of you know anything about McClure, Lost Mountain, and Durham? We visited them all briefly, and really didn't get enough time to form an opinion. I took another look at Hillgrove online, and it looks like a great school, but it has over 2400 students now, so I think I'm going to rule that one out.

Kell was worth a second look, but I think that's just too far away. I have to find a good route to College Park, where my family lives. Taking some of the highways outside of 285 was the best way when I tested it. 75 seems to be a parking lot most of the time.

Originally Posted by aries4118

Hmmmm...where do you work, where is your job?

Originally Posted by Born 2 Roll

The OP wrote that they would not have a daily commute, so that does not seem to be a concern at this time.

Well ok then.


So if you are looking for the best connection to College Park from East Cobb or West Cobb...and considering your education criteria, then your options become more limited. Hillgrove is the farthest south in West Cobb, but it is a large school. If you are set on West Cobb, then your best option is Harrison. For East Cobb, Sprayberry could be good, since it is farther down I-75 than Kell.

However, if you want areas that are similar to West Cobb or East Cobb--with easy access to College Park and smaller, yet stellar high schools...I recommend that you look in Fayette County or Coweta County instead.

Based on your criteria (good, smaller high schools for your daughter; good access to College Park; something like West Cobb/East Cobb), I recommend the following high schools:

Northgate High in Coweta County
Whitewater High in Fayette County
Sandy Creek High in Fayette County
McIntosh High in Fayette County
Starr's Mill High in Fayette County
Fayette County High in Fayette County

All of the high schools in Fayette County are on the smaller side. Northgate High is smaller high school in Coweta County. All of the areas in the list offer good access to College Park and all of the schools are excellent. Fayette County Schools are well-known for being stellar across the board. Northgate, also stellar, is the highest rated school in Coweta County.