How different is your quality of life now that you live in atlanta? (Suwanee: transplants, condo)

[aries4118]

Originally Posted by BobKovacs

Call BS all you like- I'm stating fact based on my experiences with particular school districts. As RRD said, you get one story when you compare state-to-state- you get another when you compare on a limited basis. You say that GA's SAT scores are lower- could that be because virtually every student in GA takes the SAT, whereas in NJ only those planning to go to college take it? I'd say that has an effect on the average score, wouldn't you?

That's the exact reason, Bobby...

and the fact that NJ is more affluent state overall...

[vsmoove]

Originally Posted by neil0311

Ditto, and speaking for my experience in Massachusetts, the very affluent towns with higher average home values tended to have better funded schools, while the smaller systems in most MA towns tended to be less stellar. MA relies on a system of a bunch of small town school systems, which has a very negative impact on funding and economies of scale. Doing things like fixing the high school roof or buying new textbooks or computers made major headlines as the school board and voters fought and argued over the need to spend money. My children had to use photocopied textbooks for some of their subjects and band and other "extracurricular" activities were paid for by the student's families, not the school. We had no advanced classes, as the political correctness in MA declared that no group of students is better than any other. We also had to pay the town an annual fee for our kids to ride the bus, and this was on top of all the state and local taxes.

Here we have SPLOST and technology in the classrooms, with advanced and magnet programs, and a larger school system with economies of scale not seen in most northeastern systems. As for test scores, the average SAT scores at our old high school is no better than at my daughter's current HS here in Cobb. The academic quality is just as good or better, and they have opportunities for more science, math, as well as sports and music programs. On top of that, my taxes are lower overall.

Outside of a handful of districts here in the ATL area (Cobb, North Fulton, etc.), I would pick Northeastern schools over GA schools any day... and I think the best of the Northeast is better than the best of GA... that is not to say GA doesn't have good schools... they do. But I think on average, they are not as good. As with everything else, it's all about location. The one thing GA has going for it is that their schools tend to be newer so the classrooms and schools are much, much nicer. However, talking to my friends who have moved down and have school-aged kids, the average school appears to be 1-2 grades behind what their kids were learning up top.

[vsmoove]

Originally Posted by BobKovacs

Call BS all you like- I'm stating fact based on my experiences with particular school districts. As RRD said, you get one story when you compare state-to-state- you get another when you compare on a limited basis. You say that GA's SAT scores are lower- could that be because virtually every student in GA takes the SAT, whereas in NJ only those planning to go to college take it? I'd say that has an effect on the average score, wouldn't you?

Why would every student take the SAT?

[neil0311]

Originally Posted by vsmoove

I think the best of the Northeast is better than the best of GA...

Well no doubt. Take places like Fairfield County, CT or Weston, MA and of course you'll have better schools. I'm discussing average places in the northeast where middle to upper middle class towns didn't have these spectacular schools. They were adequate but not great. Saying that the best of the northeast beats the best of GA isn't saying anything new, especially since those districts are where the millionaires and hated rich all live, although many of their kids are going to exclusive prep schools.

What amazes me is that you have people with real children who lived up north, and we're telling you the truth, but there seems to be this need to hear how great the schools are up north and the need to not believe that Georgia could have comparable or better schools in some districts.

[kayrob]

Originally Posted by RainyRainyDay

You must be comparing statewide figures. On a state-to-state comparison, Georgia fares badly. However, no kid attends a composite of all schools in a state. They attend one particular elementary, middle or high school. Atlanta's middle class suburbs have many excellent public schools which really do have better numbers on those criteria you mention, than many schools in other states with better statewide-average scores than Georgia.

You may well be correct in what you say in your last sentence, but the comparison was made between those two states only. And of course if you compare the schools in Alpharetta or Suwannee with those in Newark or Camden its going to be a landslide. But I'm talking about NJ towns like Basking Ridge, Hillsborough, Bridgewater, Livingston, Essex Fells, Montclair, Rumson-Fair Haven, East Windsor, Cresskill, Summit, Westfield, Randolph, Montville, Princeton etc. Now of course these are towns that I'm sure you've never heard of but they abound and are reknowned for their top-notch schools and I would say take a back seat to none with similar socio-economics. That's all I'm saying really. Now they are a few reasons we chose to move and schools were not one of them. And we have no major regrets in spite of this area having its good points and downsides. But nor did it have anything to do with just wanting to leave NJ in spite of it having the same. This is where I live but that is home and I'll always look at it that way. Now for my 2 year old that might be a different story.

[RainyRainyDay]

Originally Posted by kayrob

You may well be correct in what you say in your last sentence, but the comparison was made between those two states only. And of course if you compare the schools in Alpharetta or Suwannee with those in Newark or Camden its going to be a landslide. But I'm talking about NJ towns like Basking Ridge, Hillsborough, Bridgewater, Livingston, Essex Fells, Montclair, Rumson-Fair Haven, East Windsor, Cresskill, Summit, Westfield, Randolph, Montville, Princeton etc. Now of course these are towns that I'm sure you've never heard of but they abound and are reknowned for their top-notch schools and I would say take a back seat to none with similar socio-economics. That's all I'm saying really. Now they are a few reasons we chose to move and schools were not one of them. And we have no major regrets in spite of this area having its good points and downsides. But nor did it have anything to do with just wanting to leave NJ in spite of it having the same. This is where I live but that is home and I'll always look at it that way. Now for my 2 year old that might be a different story.

Even up in Canada, where I'm from, folks have heard of Princeton, kayrob. Some of your other towns, not so much, of course.

I sympathize with your emotions about your move to Georgia. I'm here because of a job transfer myself, and while there are some good things about living here, of course, it's certainly not "home" to my spouse and me,and our long term plan is to move back to BC or the Pacific northwest.

My child has spent third through ninth grades in East Cobb public schools and it is clear to me that she's been getting a better education than her former schoolmates and cousins back up north. In my case, "up north" is Canada - a country that usually does significantly better than the US on international rankings of teen proficiency in math and science. Like Bob and Neil, I find it aggravating that posters like yourself regularly disparage the school quality down here. Our families' direct experience is very different.

If your two year old is your oldest child, I recommend you hold off from completely forming your opinion of metro Atlanta schools until he or she is actually in school.

[DeaconJ]

Originally Posted by vsmoove

Outside of a handful of districts here in the ATL area (Cobb, North Fulton, etc.), I would pick Northeastern schools over GA schools any day... and I think the best of the Northeast is better than the best of GA... that is not to say GA doesn't have good schools... they do. But I think on average, they are not as good. As with everything else, it's all about location. The one thing GA has going for it is that their schools tend to be newer so the classrooms and schools are much, much nicer. However, talking to my friends who have moved down and have school-aged kids, the average school appears to be 1-2 grades behind what their kids were learning up top.

Totally false...all you have to do is look at the state curriculum for each grade to find out what kids are being taught each year. Compare any two state curriculums and you'll find that they aren't very different at all - but I know people love to make that assertion when they move south...it's just not true. There is no way that the 5th grade curriculum in any northeastern state is the same as the 7th grade curriculum in Georgia.

[neil0311]

Originally Posted by DeaconJ

There is no way that the 5th grade curriculum in any northeastern state is the same as the 7th grade curriculum in Georgia.

Yeah, I hear this kind of stuff and just shake my head. Someone "heard it" from a friend or a neighbor. I'm telling you based on first hand experience with 3 kids that it wasn't true in our experience.

[BobKovacs]

Originally Posted by kayrob

You may well be correct in what you say in your last sentence, but the comparison was made between those two states only. And of course if you compare the schools in Alpharetta or Suwannee with those in Newark or Camden its going to be a landslide. But I'm talking about NJ towns like Basking Ridge, Hillsborough, Bridgewater, Livingston, Essex Fells, Montclair, Rumson-Fair Haven, East Windsor, Cresskill, Summit, Westfield, Randolph, Montville, Princeton etc. Now of course these are towns that I'm sure you've never heard of but they abound and are reknowned for their top-notch schools and I would say take a back seat to none with similar socio-economics. That's all I'm saying really. Now they are a few reasons we chose to move and schools were not one of them. And we have no major regrets in spite of this area having its good points and downsides. But nor did it have anything to do with just wanting to leave NJ in spite of it having the same. This is where I live but that is home and I'll always look at it that way. Now for my 2 year old that might be a different story.

Very convenient that all of the towns you listed are the high-dollar towns in NJ, most of which have homes that start in the $500k range, and taxes in the 5-figures. Given that, of course they'd be expected to have excellent schools. I've got family who live in several of those towns, and we compare notes on what their kids and ours are learning at the same grade levels, and our kids are on par with theirs, and even slightly ahead in some areas.

Now, take it down a notch into the type of town that I lived in (Woodbridge), which isn't at the Camden/Newark level that you threw out there, but also isn't in the same class as towns you listed, and our schools down here perform at the same level or above in test scores, etc. The vast majority of the school districts in NJ are more on par with Woodbridge than they are with the higher socio-economic level towns that you listed, and most of the areas down here are as well, so you're comparing apples and mangos.

[nikongirl24]

Originally Posted by vsmoove

Why would every student take the SAT?

I have never heard of being required to take the SAT. Here (in WV) you have the OPTION to take the SAT, but you don't have too. I took the ACT and scored very high on it, and most people here do the same. SAT is what our teachers only tell you to take if you want into an "Ivy League School".

Do all colleges require the SAT? All the schools I applied to (years ago) and the school I ended up going to didn't require it, they just said ACT /Or/ SAT scores.