Public Schools Roswell/Alpharetta - any good? (Atlanta: house, neighborhood)

[SBD]

Hello,

We are planning a move to either Roswell or Alpharetta once we can sell our home in the Chicago suburbs (yes, I have a job when I move there. However, time and again, people keep saying that everyone in the Atlanta area sends their kids to private school because the public ones are horrible. We have been responding by saying that Roswell and Alpharetta both have very good public schoools and even some nationally recognized ones. I think it is misleading to characterize all public schools in Atlanta area as being bad - so my questions are specifically realted to Roswell and Alpharetta...

Are the public schools in these two cities good? What do parents think? Any one who relocated from excellent schools to Roswell/Alpharetta have thoughts? Are they safe? I assume so. We are just concerned hearing all of this Atlanta school bashing - especially when we live in a nationally recognized district ourselves in the Chicago 'burbs. All feedback is much appreciated.

Thanks

[Go Blue 99]

You won't see anything as good as New Trier, if that's what you're asking.

[SBD]

Originally Posted by Go Blue 99

You won't see anything as good as New Trier, if that's what you're asking.

We're not in New Trier district - but actually in Stevenson, which generally competes with New trier for the top spot in the state. My kids are also young, so I am equally concerned about the elementary schools. Sprague Elementary is nationally recognized and parents are absolutely amazed at how terrific the school is. While I doubt that the elementary schools in Roswell or Alpharetta can compete with Sprague, I wonder if I am cheating my kids by giving them a significantly lower education. Its extremely difficult to tell until you are part of the system, which is why I am trying to get any info possible from people who are already involved with the schools down there.

Thanks

[Mattie]

We moved from NJ-FL-GA. Our schools in NJ were excellent. In FL, we felt the need to put the kids in private school. In GA, they went back to public. We are in Milton, smack between Roswell and Alpharetta. The schools systems in No Fulton are all comparable. My youngest is now doing dual enrollment with GA Tech. We were not here for their elementary years, but I know from friends they are all happy with the school system, and parental involvement is high. Many, if not most, of the people in this area have moved here from out of state. I haven't heard any complaints about the schools not measuring up to those in the north. Actually, so many of the schools are much newer than what we had in NJ, and the facilities are top-notch.

[TheseGoTo11]

I went to a "nationally recognized" school growing up in New England, and that term was really just a lot of hype repeated by anxious parents. Being recognized by some distant education bureaucrats did little to stop the cocaine trafficking, uninspiring teachers, and rote teaching methods. My nephew is now in a school that is not recognized for anything other than being filled with ESL students from Central America, and knows a lot more in 5th grade than I did at my elite school.

You'll be fine in North Fulton, but watch out for Cobb. They put "evolution is a theory" stickers on biology textbooks.

[TheseGoTo11]

Originally Posted by Go Blue 99

You won't see anything as good as New Trier, if that's what you're asking.

I went to college with a lot of kids from New Trier. Biggest coke-heads this side of Choate.

It's funny to see all the anxious parents panic over school systems. I went to an Ivy League college and have done well, but the President of the company I work for went to a state school in the midwest. Personal characteristics are far more important than where you go to school. I'm in my mid-30s and can introduce you to plenty of classmates who are sitting on fancy degrees aimlessly wondering through life.

Develop character in your kids, and stop fretting that their grade school won't adequately prepare them for Harvard.

[BobKovacs]

I agree with the poster above- you don't have to worry about "giving your kids a significantly lower education". I came from NJ, where the schools are supposedly second to none (at least according to the folks in NJ), and heard all of the "you're going to put your kids in those horrible southern schools??" comments. I've got nephews in two of NJ's top districts who are one grade ahead of my girls, and my girls are doing work that's similar to what they're doing one grade up in NJ. They've also got better, more modern facilities to work with here.

If you're an involved parent and your kids are intelligent, they'll excel here, just like they would in Chicago- especially in Roswell or Alpharetta.

[roxyrn]

I agree with the above posts whole-heartedly. I have had five children in four different outstanding schools (public and private) in three states and I often think that going to a very wealthy, "recognized" school can often be harmful. Kids get everything handed to them by parents and drug and alcohol abuse is rampant, along with the attitude that they are entitled.

My experience has been that your children will not be "cheated" out of a great education if you are an involved parent. If you want change in schools, parents are the best and greatest force, no matter what school you go to.

[frances125]

Yep, I know of several elite prep school/Duke grads who at age 40 are waiting tables or working as secretaries (not that there's anything wrong with that - it's just a lot of money to pay). I have a neighbor whose kid graduated from Emory four years ago and has yet to move out of the house or get a job in anything other than construction.

My neighbor on the other side went to a public school in a lower middle class neighborhood, graduated from GA State University and GA State Law School and is a senior partner in one of the best law firms in Atlanta. She makes about 400K in a good year.

I went to an elite private school and the drug problems there were horrific. We even had a one teacher who smoked pot with the kids behind the gym and another who bought us beer on a school trip. If the kids in our local public school wanted good drugs (more than just pot)... they sought out the kids from my private school. As a result of my experience I have my kids in a nice middle class school district in a middle class area where kids are not so pampered and entitled. We do hear of the occasional beer party but there is relatively little involvement with drugs compared with what I experienced.

Where you go to school just doesn't define you once you are out in the real world.

[Tresninas]

There are plenty of great public schools in the area you're looking into. But don't take our word for it, come visit, tour the school, and talk to the teachers and parents yourself. You'll very likely be pleased with what you find.