school test scores in metro atlanta (Chamblee, Clayton: appointed, low crime, cheap house)

[postprime]

As someone without kids, I'd like to know how parents interpet test scores when looking to buy homes. Are bad scores a deal breaker? Is the opposite true? Wouldn't the Chamblee High district be near the top for desirability in metro Atlanta, based on scores? And for people without kids, are test scores even a factor when looking at neighborhoods?

[plessthanpointohfive]

I never thought about test scores. I went by word of mouth. But then...I moved within the metro area.

[CMMom]

I think that lousy test scores might turn a potential buyer off at a glance. Test scores can be misleading, as anyone who read the article in the AJC today regarding this year's CRCT scores knows, but a lot of people won't take the time to investigate schools beyond the scores that they can easily find on the Internet.

Even if you don't have kids, the reputation of the schools you're zoned for will affect your property values. Just ask the poor folks in Clayton County right now!

[jln69]

In most cases, good schools do reflect property values. We relocate too many times than I'd like based on my husband's job but I do look at test scores.

They don't always mean everything. When you are like our family and have to move quickly and don't know many people in the area to ask that's all you have to go by sometimes.

This move, we did have plenty of time, visited on several occassions, asked many questions and talked with several people. Funny we ended up with the schools that we had selected in the beginning based on scores and our initial research.

[anadyr21]

Yes test scores are a factor. I will not choose a school zone where more than 30% of the kids can't pass basic competencies. I worry that my child would be bored out of his mind if the classes or teachers (I know there's always more at the core of the problem) weren't up to basic standards. That doesn't mean he has to go to the rated school either. I just want to know that he and his peers are AT LEAST learning basic math and english skills. However, test scores are definitely not the only factor. Amenities in the nearby surrounding area, low crime, affordability, and diversity are also major considerations.

[lastminutemom]

Actually, Chamblee is a good example about why you shouldn't just go on test scores. Their test scores reflect the fact that they house the magnet program. Some students have a very different experience if they are in the magnet program vs not. A few years ago, under a previous Super., the broke out the magnet students SAT scores vs the non magnet students -- the non magnet students were among the lowest in the school system.

If you have children who are close to, or are, school age, it is essential that you get into the schools you are considering. I can not tell you the number of families I know that bought a home in the highest performing (based on test scores) school district they could afford, only to be disappointed in the culture/climate of the school or the fact that it is a poor fit for one or all of their children. I know at least a dozen families that use private school for at least one of their kids because of this.

If I didn't have children, and wasn't planning on anytime soon, if I was buying in an area that was appreciating anyway, I think I wouldn't pay a premium for a school that we would never use.

For example, if a community (Smithville for example) as a whole is appreciating and between Jones High and Spring High there is a 15 percent difference in prices, I am not sure that it matters which you buy as long as the community as a whole is appreciating not just one school district.

[postprime]

If you have children who are close to, or are, school age, it is essential that you get into the schools you are considering. I can not tell you the number of families I know that bought a home in the highest performing (based on test scores) school district they could afford, only to be disappointed in the culture/climate of the school or the fact that it is a poor fit for one or all of their children. I know at least a dozen families that use private school for at least one of their kids because of this. /quote


I guess it is easy to say this since I don't have kids myself, but I have always thought that, if I did, I would buy less house and spend the savings on private school, if there were any way possible. I have always been amazed at the number of parents who buy half-million dollar houses and up and send there kids to public school. That isn't to say there are not terrific public schools, but if the top priority is your children's education, wouldn't private schools be the safest bet?

[RainyRainyDay]

Originally Posted by postprime

That isn't to say there are not terrific public schools, but if the top priority is your children's education, wouldn't private schools be the safest bet?

Why? Is there something magical about private school? I'm a product of a public education and I don't feel deprived. My child scores in the 99th percentile on the ITBS (nationally normed test) and is about to enter a metro Atlanta public high school that is a "demonstration school" for AP. What would she get out of attending a private school that would be worth the extra expense? I think the answer to this question is "exposure to more peers from wealthy families and fewer from families of modest financial means". I don't personally set mixing with the moneyed crowd as a high objective for my child's socialization. Others choose differently.

[plessthanpointohfive]

I dont' agree with that, speaking as someone who went to private school but sends her kid to public. I think a good public school, where property values are higher, are as good as private schools. In the end the quality of your kid's education is a result of parental impact. It's just that often there are more involved parents at private schools. I mean, who's going to drop a wad on a private school and NOT get involved?

But, if you're an involved parent and you send your kid to a good public school then (1) your kid isn't in a private school surrounded by nothing but affluent kids and therefore is naive when he/she graduates, (2) your home is a big financial investment and a better neighborhood is always a better investment.

That's how we were thinking....do we keep our cheap house in the burbs and send our kid to Paideia or do we buy a house with a great location, including good schools, and reap the investment in 20 years?

And since we're both smart and educated and involved we decided to put our money towards the financial investment....the location.

[BobKovacs]

Originally Posted by plessthanpointohfive

That's how we were thinking....do we keep our cheap house in the burbs and send our kid to Paideia or do we buy a house with a great location, including good schools, and reap the investment in 20 years?

And since we're both smart and educated and involved we decided to put our money towards the financial investment....the location.

Now that's a bit of a black/white distinction isn't it? Those of us who bought in the burbs have to send our kids to Paideia, and we're not "smart, educated and involved"??? What about those of us who bought a "cheap house" in a burb with excellent schools, which will still create a financial return in 20 years, yet we don't have to spend every spare minute and dollar working on our homes, or having to deal with the inadequacies of a 100 y/o house? Are we "smart and educated" or "dumb and uneducated"? I'm so confused.......