Median Home Sale Price by High School District in Metro Atlanta - Past 90 Days (Roswell: sales, apartments)

[DoubleZ OTP]

Scroll down for data (in bold). Or start here for more information about this post.

I have collected, compiled, and presented median home sale prices over the past 90 days, broken down by high school district.

By school district, I am referring to the attendance zone of a high school, not the city or county-level school district that oversees multiple schools. For example, the North Atlanta district refers to all homes zoned for North Atlanta High School. "Atlanta Public Schools" or "Fulton County Schools" are not included.

Only high school districts (attendance zones) are included. Elementary and middle school districts are not included because of frequent small sample sizes, as well as the fact that this post would be far too lengthy had I included them.

Home sale prices are median, not mean - this means that half of all homes in a district sold for less than the median price, and half of all homes sold for more. Mean (average) sale prices are often not representative of a district's housing market because data is skewed right. For example, in the North Atlanta High School district (which includes Buckhead), many homes sell for upwards of $1m, meaning the average sale price is much higher than the median sale price. In essence, the median sale price is more characteristic of a typical home in a district.

All median home sale price data was collected using Zillow. Homes sold in the past 3 months, or 90 days, are included (mid-April 2020 to mid-July 2020). All types of homes are included (single-family, condo, etc.) but the rental market is not considered (no apartments). Land or lot sales are not included in the data.

I have also included high school ratings, as determined by GreatSchools, in parentheses next to each high school. The accuracy of GreatSchools' ratings is a topic for another post, but I find their ratings to be fairly accurate. GreatSchools' data is also mostly up to date when compared to other agencies' data.

GreatSchools rates schools on a 1 to 10 scale. Here's how I interpret the ratings:

1-2: Very poor
3: Poor
4-5: Below average
6-7: Above average
8: Good
9-10: Very good

The top 10 most expensive and top 10 least expensive districts are listed first.

After that, the top 10 "best value" schools are listed. Essentially, this unscientific stat is a ranking of districts where a homebuyer gets the most "bang for their buck" or the most "school for the money." This metric is calculated by taking the median home sale price and dividing it by the GreatSchools rating. The number in brackets is the result of this calculation. The lower the number, the more valuable. Only "good" to "very good" (8-10) schools are considered in the ranking.

Finally, I have broken down the results by county. Each county is listed alphabetically and color-coded for easy reading. Within each county, districts are listed from most expensive to least expensive. City schools are included with their county and underlined. For example, Decatur High School is listed with DeKalb County. Fulton County was broken down into three units: Atlanta, Fulton (North), and Fulton (South).

Nearly all Metro Atlanta counties are included (basically all counties with more than one high school).

Below is the correct way to read the entries:

$median home sale price in thousands of dollars, high school name, (GreatSchools rating on a scale of 1-10) without the commas. OR: $___k High School Name (_)

I plan to update this post around October 15th, 2020 with new data to track changes. Given how important schools are to many homebuyers in the Atlanta area, I am especially interested to see what effect, if any, the COVID-19 pandemic will have on home prices in the coming months. Will top school districts in the suburbs lose their luster due to widespread online education? Or will suburban districts, especially those with lots of large single-family homes, experience price increases due to the need for more space for home offices as well as a reduced need for commuting long distances to work? We shall find out soon.

Median Home Sale Price by High School District in Metro Atlanta - Past 90 Days

TOP 10 MOST EXPENSIVE DISTRICTS:
1) $648k Cambridge (9) North Fulton
2) $565k Johns Creek (9) North Fulton
3) $547k Decatur (8) DeKalb
4) $514k Northview (8) North Fulton
5) $500k Lambert (9) Forsyth
6) $499k Milton (8) North Fulton
7) $490k Chamblee (6) DeKalb
8) $470k Riverwood (7) North Fulton
9) $457k Dunwoody (7) DeKalb
10) $455k Walton (9) Cobb

TOP 10 LEAST EXPENSIVE DISTRICTS:
1) $117k Forest Park (2) Clayton
2) $130k Drew (3) Clayton
3) $145k Bowdon (5) Carroll
4) $147k Redan (3) DeKalb
5) $150k Griffin (3) Spalding
6) $155k Cedar Grove (4) DeKalb
7) $157k Riverdale (4) Clayton
8) $159k Mundy's Mill (3) Clayton
T-9) $160k M. L. King (3) DeKalb
T-9) $160k North Clayton (3) Clayton

TOP 10 "BEST VALUE" DISTRICTS:
1) [$33.0k] $297k Brookwood (9) Gwinnett
2) [$33.4k] $267k Parkview (8) Gwinnett
3) [$34.3k] $274k Etowah (8) Cherokee
4) [$36.3k] $290k Grayson (8) Gwinnett
5) [$36.6k] $293k Union Grove (8) Henry
T-6) [$37.2k] $335k Allatoona (9) Cobb
T-6) [$37.2k] $335k Buford (9) Gwinnett
8) [$38.4k] $307k Kennesaw Mountain (8) Cobb
9) [39.2k] $353k Hillgrove (9) Cobb
10) [$39.5k] $316k Wheeler (8) Cobb

Atlanta:
$431k North Atlanta (6)
$425k Maynard Jackson (4)
$374k Grady (6)
$218k Washington (3)
$211k South Atlanta (3)
$206k Mays (2)
$177k Therell (3)
$165k Douglass (1)
[no data] Carver (2)

Barrow:
$224k Apalachee (5)
$220k Winder-Barrow (4)

Bartow:
$227k Cartersville (6)
$203k Woodland (6)
$198k Cass (5)
$183k Adairsville (5)

Carroll:
$198k Mt. Zion (6)
$195k Villa Rica (6)
$186k Temple (6)
$173k Central (6)
$171k Carrollton (7)
$145k Bowdon (5)

Cherokee:
$359k Creekview (8)
$336k Sequoyah (8)
$300k Woodstock (7)
$293k Cherokee (5)
$274k Etowah (8)
$273k River Ridge (7)

Clayton:
$188k Lovejoy (3)
$177k Jonesboro (3)
$176k Morrow (4)
$160k North Clayton (3)
$159k Mundy's Mill (3)
$157k Riverdale (4)
$130k Drew (3)
$117k Forest Park (2)
[no data] Mt. Zion (3)

Cobb:
$455k Walton (9)
$443k Pope (9)
$423k Harrison (9)
$415k Lassiter (10)
$353k Hillgrove (9)
$335k Allatoona (9)
$334k Campbell (5)
$316k Wheeler (8)
$307k Kennesaw Mountain (8)
$291k Marietta (5)
$290k Sprayberry (7)
$260k Kell (7)
$243k North Cobb (7)
$240k Pebblebrook (4)
$238k McEachern (5)
$225k Osborne (4)
$216k South Cobb (5)

Coweta:
$295k Northgate (7)
$270k East Coweta (6)
$210k Newnan (6)

DeKalb:
$547k Decatur (8)
$490k Chamblee (6)
$457k Dunwoody (7)
$379k Lakeside (6)
$356k Druid Hills (5)
$349k Cross Keys (5)
$278k Tucker (4)
$250k McNair (3)
$192k Stephenson (3)
$187k Southwest DeKalb (5)
$186k Columbia (3)
$185k Clarkston (4)
$181k Lithonia (3)
$180k Towers (2)
$174k Stone Mountain (3)
$169k Miller Grove (4)
$160k M. L. King (3)
$155k Cedar Grove (4)
$147k Redan (3)

Douglas:
$232k Chapel Hill (6)
$230k New Manchester (4)
$211k Alexander (6)
$198k Douglas County (5)
$170k Lithia Springs (3)

Fayette:
$400k McIntosh (9)
$366k Starrs Mill (9)
$341k Whitewater (8)
$333k Sandy Creek (7)
$265k Fayette County (7)

Forsyth:
$500k Lambert (9)
$432k South Forsyth (8)
$385k West Forsyth (8)
$317k North Forsyth (8)
$291k Forsyth Central (7)
[no data] Denmark (no data)

Fulton (North):
$648k Cambridge (9)
$565k Johns Creek (9)
$514k Northview (8)
$499k Milton (8)
$470k Riverwood (7)
$445k Roswell (8)
$423k Alpharetta (9)
$405k North Springs (7)
$395k Centennial (7)
$363k Chattahoochee (9)

Fulton (South):
$255k Westlake (6)
$210k Creekside (3)
$210k Langston Hughes (3)
$188k Tri-Cities (2)
$172k Banneker (3)

Gwinnett:
$388k North Gwinnett (9)
$350k Norcross (6)
$335k Buford (9)
$326k Peachtree Ridge (8)
$325k Mill Creek (8)
$297k Brookwood (9)
$294k Duluth (6)
$290k Grayson (8)
$285k Lanier (6)
$282k Archer (7)
$281k Mountain View (6)
$273k Collins Hill (7)
$273k Dacula (7)
$267k Parkview (8)
$250k Central Gwinnett (5)
$240k Discovery (4)
$229k South Gwinnett (4)
$220k Berkmar (4)
$214k Shiloh (4)
$200k Meadowcreek (4)

Hall:
$323k Flowery Branch (7)
$273k Chestatee (5)
$260k North Hall (6)
$255k West Hall (5)
$216k Gainesville (4)
$210k Johnson (6)
$185k East Hall (5)
[no data] Cherokee Bluff (no data)

Henry:
$293k Union Grove (8)
$278k Ola (7)
$239k Eagle's Landing (3)
$231k Dutchtown (5)
$219k Locust Grove (4)
$219k Luella (4)
$200k Woodland (5)
$194k Hampton (4)
$180k Stockbridge (4)
[no data] McDonough (3)

Newton:
$215k Eastside (6)
$210k Newton (4)
$194k Alcovy (4)

Paulding:
$295k North Paulding (6)
$234k East Paulding (5)
$219k South Paulding (5)
$212k Hiram (5)
$176k Paulding County (5)

Rockdale:
$293k Heritage (5)
$200k Salem (4)
$170k Rockdale County (4)

Spalding:
$185k Spalding (4)
$150k Griffin (3)

Walton:
$284k Loganville (7)
$283k Social Circle (4)
$250k Monroe Area (4)
$233k Walnut Grove (6)

[PTC Dad]

Great info! How in the world did you mine all this data? I live in the Starr's Mill district and the census tract I live in has a median price of 600K. It's hard to find much under 400K. Are you sure the 366K is correct? Also the Walton number seems low too. Thanks!

[DoubleZ OTP]

Originally Posted by PTC Dad

I live in the Starr's Mill district and the census tract I live in has a median price of 600K. It's hard to find much under 400K. Are you sure the 366K is correct? Also the Walton number seems low too. Thanks!

The Starrs Mill number of $366k is correct. It appears that homes clustered near Redwine Rd, in the northeastern part of the district, typically sold for between $500k to $1m (I'm guessing you live in this area). Meanwhile, homes near S Peachtree Pkwy, Crosstown Dr, and Braelinn Rd, in the central/western part of the district, typically sold for between $200k and $400k.

As for Walton...the number of $455k is also correct. Walton has lots of older ranch homes (built in the 60s-80s) that typically sold for between 300k to 450k as well as a few condo complexes with units that typically sold for between 150k to 250k along with the sterotypical large single-family estates that come to mind when we think of that part of East Cobb.

[sedimenjerry]

Originally Posted by DoubleZ OTP

TOP 10 "BEST VALUE" DISTRICTS:
1) [$33.0k] $297k Brookwood (9) Gwinnett
2) [$33.4k] $267k Parkview (8) Gwinnett
3) [$34.3k] $274k Etowah (8) Cherokee
4) [$36.3k] $290k Grayson (8) Gwinnett
5) [$36.6k] $293k Union Grove (8) Henry
T-6) [$37.2k] $335k Allatoona (9) Cobb
T-6) [$37.2k] $335k Buford (9) Gwinnett
8) [$38.4k] $307k Kennesaw Mountain (8) Cobb
9) [39.2k] $353k Hillgrove (9) Cobb
10) [$39.5k] $316k Wheeler (8) Cobb

Sheesh I don't even want know how long this took you to put together.

I love seeing my old school sitting there at #1 as the best value. Not surprising Brookwood and Parkview are both at the top. Although honestly I do wonder about the calculation. There's not really a huge difference between an 8 and a 9 imo. But 30k is a pretty big difference for price.

[aries4118]

Originally Posted by sedimenjerry

Sheesh I don't even want know how long this took you to put together.

I love seeing my old school sitting there at #1 as the best value. Not surprising Brookwood and Parkview are both at the top. Although honestly I do wonder about the calculation. There's not really a huge difference between an 8 and a 9 imo. But 30k is a pretty big difference for price.

Agree on all points. I am not surprised that Brookwood and Parkview are at the top for best value. Great schools, great school clusters, beautiful area, etc. - now, one of Metro Atlanta's best kept secrets.


And there is really no difference between an 8 or 9. I think 7 could've been included for best value. If so, Kell High and North Cobb High would have joined the best value list (Sprayberry...another great value...would've just missed the list) .

Also, greatschools is problematic in a lot of ways.


(Be sure to read my post below)

modcut
I adore this. Good job overall. I especially like the best value list - smart...and I hope people pay attention.

The only issues:
1. Greatschools is problematic in so many ways. But that is topic for another thread...
2. Since you are using the metric, I think "7" could've also been included in the "best value" calculations. This would've brought in North Cobb High and Kell High in Cobb County among others (and Sprayberry High would've been so close).



Again, the best value list is phenomenal. Love seeing Brookwood, Parkview, Union Grove, Wheeler, Kennesaw Mountain, Hillgrove, Grayson, and Etowah on the list. All of these school clusters are great values. Pay attention, people.

modcut
Lassiter is the only high school rated a "10" on GreatSchools? Go Trojans, I guess.

[sedimenjerry]

Originally Posted by aries4118

Agree on all points. I am not surprised that Brookwood and Parkview are at the top for best value. Great schools, great school clusters, beautiful area, etc. - now, one of Metro Atlanta's best kept secrets.

I've said before on some other threads but the only thing holding that area back is that it's not convenient to a lot of the major employment areas. If you can stomach a potentially long commute or can wfh, it's a great place to plant some roots. My mom (and myself honestly) still mentions how she misses that house and living over there near Brookwood.




Also, I think the topic of median home price by county came up in another thread. It's interesting to see how narrow the spread is for Gwinnett considering it's the 2nd largest county by population, one of the largest in the metro by area, and has the largest school district (and that excludes Buford). You have some schools that really are to be avoided, and others that are excellent. And yet, only $188k separates the cheapest from the most expensive. Parkview is only 67k more expensive than Meadowcreek which is just crazy.

[Citykid3785]

Great post!

[aries4118]

Originally Posted by sedimenjerry

I've said before on some other threads but the only thing holding that area back is that it's not convenient to a lot of the major employment areas. If you can stomach a potentially long commute or can wfh, it's a great place to plant some roots. My mom (and myself honestly) still mentions how she misses that house and living over there near Brookwood.




Also, I think the topic of median home price by county came up in another thread. It's interesting to see how narrow the spread is for Gwinnett considering it's the 2nd largest county by population, one of the largest in the metro by area, and has the largest school district (and that excludes Buford). You have some schools that really are to be avoided, and others that are excellent. And yet, only $188k separates the cheapest from the most expensive. Parkview is only 67k more expensive than Meadowcreek which is just crazy.

Somewhat (regarding Brookwood and Parkview areas)...

However, they are high-quality areas that are convenient to the following major job centers:

1. Emory/CDC
2. Northlake
3. Peachtree Corners/Norcross/Technology Park
4. I-85 Gwinnett Industrial Corridor
5. Gwinnett Place/Sugarloaf



And not a bad commute to the following major job center:

1. Downtown Atlanta

[cwkimbro]

Originally Posted by aries4118

Somewhat (regarding Brookwood and Parkview areas)...

However, they are high-quality areas that are convenient to the following major job centers:

1. Emory/CDC
2. Northlake
3. Peachtree Corners/Norcross/Technology Park
4. I-85 Gwinnett Industrial Corridor
5. Gwinnett Place/Sugarloaf



And not a bad commute to the following major job center:

1. Downtown Atlanta

And Midtown. The Parkview area use to be an attractive area for a commute down Ponce to get to the Bellsouth and NationsBank/Bank of America Building, but once there it is somewhat easy to drive north toward Colony Square vs. getting there from another East-west route.

Buckhead is reachable with a battle from North Druid Hills, which is easy to reach via US78.

Perimeter isn't great, but people do it and it stays under 50 min or so.

Parkview attracts many people commuting to the Emory/CDC and Northlake area.

Sedimenjerry,

There is one issue I always had with Brookwood over Parkview about location you might not be aware of being your a Bronco, South of Killian Hill Rd has a very easy access to US 78 via Lilburn-Stone Mountain Rd/Hugh Howell that lets us avoid alot of traffic/bottlenecks until you get to I-285. It makes the intown commutes more tolerable

Brookwood's advantage, compared to Parkview, is Ronald Reagan to get to the core of Gwinnett County.

[cwkimbro]

Great Post Overall, especially from a fairly new poster!


Great to have you here.