sarah smith/morris brandon elementary (Atlanta, Alpharetta: spring break, apartments, rental market)

[sftoatl??]

Sarah Smith and Brandon Elementary was listed as one of the best public elementary schools on greatschools.net. Does anyone know what neighborhood these schools are in? Do you know if they really are good schools? Are they in neighborhoods that you will not be able to rent a home for $1,500 or less?

Any info would be appreciated.

[lastminutemom]

It depends on what type of house. My mother lives in a townhome in that area and her rent is higher, though some of her neighbors is not. (Her unit has been updated, her neighbors have not.) However, this is a small community, so no pool or other amentities.

I think that $1,500 might be tight, but the rental market isn't strong here right now, so you never know.

[jxu66]

From http://reportcard2006.gaosa.org web site, both schools are tested very well. Itt seems that both schools located in Buckhead area, very expensive neighborhood in Atlanta. So I am not sure renting under 1500 is possible.

[Azilegirl]

We were also looking at the Sarah Smith/Brandon Elementary area when we first moved here. These are in the Buckhead community. We did not look at renting but purchasing a home and the homes in the area were definitely on the expensive side. Right now, there is a 2bdrm, 1bath home listed at $349,900 (these homes go fast because of their low price for the area) and that is the cheapest home on the market in the Sarah Smith Elem area. I would not be surprised if renting in this area was also pricey, especially compared to other areas in Atlanta. The Morris Brandon school area is even more expensive.

I have always heard very good things about these schools. I don't know of too many parent who have a child in these schools who have negative comments about them. They have very high test scores and student performance. I know Sarah Smith has a high turnover of teachers. I have a friend who used to teach at Sarah Smith and her daughter also went to school there and she said the curriculum was good but her daughter had trouble with some friends because they were not in quite the same socio-economic class as most of the other students. She also said it was not unusual for parents to bring their lawyers along with them to parent/teacher conference. And, they are very strict when moving children up in grades and a few kids are held back to repeat another year. The rate is not great but I've been told it's higher than average. This might also be why their test scores are so high. Many students leave at the end of 4th or 5th grade for a private school because the junior high is not considered a very good one. I know I have just highlighted more of the negative aspects but I don't think these are very bad schools. They are both consistently in the top 5% of schools in Atlanta. They have many very good programs and they are very committed in their goal of teaching children well. The teachers are considered top notch and they are very desirable schools to send your children to.

If you are just looking for a good school, I would recommend also looking in East Cobb. Specifically, Sope Creek, Tritt and Mt. Bethel Elementary. They are also located in upper income areas and have very good reputations. Mt. Bethel is a charter school and because of that they have funding to offer a lot of wonderful programs. But most of the East Cobb schools are above average and I would recommend most all of them.

Hope this helps!

[buckhead mom]

My daughter and son both attend Sarah Smith. It is a wonderful school with incredible parent involvement. The parents donate incredible amounts of money to the school and it shows. It is in a very pricy area, and as a result, the majority of the kids are very well off. When my daugter came home from Kindergarten one day before spring break, she asked "Mom, are we going to our beach house or our mountain house for spring break?" I had to tell her we did not have either. However, I do not think there is a snob factor...the kids are just kids. The parents are also highly educated and value education. My son's scout troop went to the fire department in first grade. After the tour, the firemen asked the boys whether they wanted to be firemen, and one boy said "No, I want to be a lawyer." Then the rest began to say "doctor, lawyer," and along that line. However I have NEVER heard about a lawyer coming to a parent teacher conference, although I think the parents can be pushy if they feel their child needs something they are not currently getting at the school--but that can be anywhere.

It is an IB school and has a great curriculum. The kids learn about the world and their place in it. They also have a half hour of French every day. The Fifth grade class gets to go to Paris with the teachers for Spring break. (parent must pay) My daughter is now in the fifth grade and can understand French when a neighborhood French family speaks to her (slowly).

The kids are well educated. The gifted program is huge. In some classes, it is not unusual for over half to two thirds of the class to leave to go to the gifted program for the designated hour per day.

So in summary --great school, expensive houses. I think rental rates for a 3 to 4 bedroom house would be closer to 2,300 to 3,500. Apartments will be cheaper.

[bostonbaby]

Please let me know more about this school.
Sounds like a very nice environment and I would love to be close to the city limits!

[iansmommy]

the zip codes for these two schools fall under 3-305 and 30327. Jackson Elemenentary is also good and in Buckhead area.

[pinetreelover]

A good rental option of often an older ranch home that someone may be sitting on as an investment. These can be difficult to locate without just driving around as they are usually not listed through an agency. The going rate seems to be about $500 per bedroom.

[Parsec]

Originally Posted by iansmommy

the zip codes for these two schools fall under 3-305 and 30327. Jackson Elemenentary is also good and in Buckhead area.

Sarah Smith would include 30342 also.

[GF72]

Originally Posted by Azilegirl

If you are just looking for a good school, I would recommend also looking in East Cobb. Specifically, Sope Creek, Tritt and Mt. Bethel Elementary. They are also located in upper income areas and have very good reputations. Mt. Bethel is a charter school and because of that they have funding to offer a lot of wonderful programs. But most of the East Cobb schools are above average and I would recommend most all of them.

The East Cobb elementary schools are very good (you forgot several other EC elementaries though, including Shallowford Falls which posts 100% CRCT test scores for almost every subject).

However, getting into one of the East Cobb elementary schools isn't going to be any easier than the Buckhead ones, maybe even harder for some of them.

Mount Bethel Elementary district, for example, is the easternmost part of zip code 30068. The average new home in that area is over $1 million, older homes are $500,000+, and there are no rental options at all in the area - everyone there is a homeowner. In fact, over 95% of East Cobb is comprised of homeowners. Out of the few rental options they are mostly older houses than are being rented out by their owners - there aren't any apartments in those elementary school districts.

The easier option would be to look at Alpharetta instead of East Cobb - the elementary schools there are excellent and you can actually find affordable rental housing. Of course, Alpharetta is much farther north than either East Cobb or Buckhead....