White Oak Hills neighborhood (Atlanta, Decatur: 2009, house, neighborhoods)

[sterling75]

Hi all:
My husband and I are currently house hunting and have found some nice properties in the White Oak Hills area (zip 30032). We are fairly new to the greater Atlanta area (moved to Decatur from Chicago almost 1 year ago) and were wondering about White Oak Hills. Is it safe? Is there a neighborhood/community feel? How diverse is it? We have two small children (a 5 year old and a 4 month old), so schools are also a big concern for us. What are the schools like in this area? Any info you can give us about White Oak Hills would be great.

Thanks in advance!

[LovinDecatur]

Originally Posted by sterling75

Hi all:
My husband and I are currently house hunting and have found some nice properties in the White Oak Hills area (zip 30032). We are fairly new to the greater Atlanta area (moved to Decatur from Chicago almost 1 year ago) and were wondering about White Oak Hills. Is it safe? Is there a neighborhood/community feel? How diverse is it? We have two small children (a 5 year old and a 4 month old), so schools are also a big concern for us. What are the schools like in this area? Any info you can give us about White Oak Hills would be great.

Thanks in advance!

If this is true, then 30032 would be a concern for me.

[sterling75]

Hi, yes everything here is true. Why is the area a concern for you? We are trying to gather as much info as possible...

[LovinDecatur]

Originally Posted by sterling75

Hi, yes everything here is true. Why is the area a concern for you? We are trying to gather as much info as possible...

While the area is coming around, the schools in that neighborhood have a long way to go, not to mention that schools in unincorporated DeKalb is having some serious issues anyway (budget, management). Is the elementary school where you're looking Hooper Alexander? You should check out the Schools thread at the top of this forum page.

[sterling75]

Originally Posted by LovinDecatur

While the area is coming around, the schools in that neighborhood have a long way to go, not to mention that schools in unincorporated DeKalb is having some serious issues anyway (budget, management). Is the elementary school where you're looking Hooper Alexander? You should check out the Schools thread at the top of this forum page.

I believe the school for this area is Knollwood...I will check out the schools thread. Thanks for the info.

[lastminutemom]

Knollwood would be a no go for me.

Sorry. but it has some of the lowest test scores in the metro area. This doesn't mean that some children aren't being educated there, but it does mean that the vast majority of students are at the lower end of academic achievement for whatever reason. In order to pass state tests, the focus will have to be on the lowest group of students (which is alot of the population anyway. (In 2008-2009, 99 percent of students qualified for free and reduced lunch. It doesn't seem like the area around Knollwood is changing yet.)

By the way, Hooper Alexander is closing but for the last few years it wasn't a neighborhood school anyway -- it housed the DeKalb Elementary School of the Arts magnet programs.

If you are looking in DeKalb, you need to proceed very cautiously if schools are important. There are many very low performing (and for decades, not just recently) schools in parts of unincorporated Decatur and Clarkston.

[LovinDecatur]

Originally Posted by lastminutemom

Knollwood would be a no go for me.

Sorry. but it has some of the lowest test scores in the metro area. This doesn't mean that some children aren't being educated there, but it does mean that the vast majority of students are at the lower end of academic achievement for whatever reason. In order to pass state tests, the focus will have to be on the lowest group of students (which is alot of the population anyway. (In 2008-2009, 99 percent of students qualified for free and reduced lunch. It doesn't seem like the area around Knollwood is changing yet.)

By the way, Hooper Alexander is closing but for the last few years it wasn't a neighborhood school anyway -- it housed the DeKalb Elementary School of the Arts magnet programs.

If you are looking in DeKalb, you need to proceed very cautiously if schools are important. There are many very low performing (and for decades, not just recently) schools in parts of unincorporated Decatur and Clarkston.

Oh yeah; I forget how old my kids are now and how many years have passed. Signed, Granny.

Seriously, if a community feel and good schools is what you want, why not Decatur city (30030)? There are so many neighborhoods there that would give you that. If 30030 is too rich for your blood but you want proximity to downtown Decatur and environs, then Decatur 30033 would be my pick...more house for the $$$ there. There are several elem schools there that are pretty good to quite good...check these out on the Schools thread:

Medlock
Laurel Ridge
Oak Grove
Sagamore
Briarlake
Briarvista