Dekalb vs Clayton Counties (Atlanta, Dunwoody: appointed, apartments, renting)

[dezhart2]

I have a job offer in Atlanta. I am looking for the best place to stay. I have numbered my search to two counties: DeKalb and Clayton. I have been to both areas frequently so that is no problem. I just really need to know th living conditions. To be more specific, in Clayton I am looking at the Jonesboro and Morrow areas. In DeKalb, I am looking at Stone Mountain, Lithonia, and Tucker to name a few.

Could someone also give me info on douglas county as well.

Thanks in advance, ATL.

[xxman777]

Can I ask why you picked these communities. Tucker is nice and but parts of Stone Mountain, Lithonia and Jonesboro are pretty run down. Personally I'd stay away from Morrow. Douglas County is more rural then the rest of the metro area but give it 10 years and it will be your basic suburban community just like the rest of the metro.

[lastminutemom]

I too have to ask why? If you have children, those two systems are the worst in the state.

[JPD]

I think that's a slight exaggeration.

Worst in the state? Please cite your source.

[lastminutemom]

Let's see...

http://public.doe.k12.ga.us/ayp2006/overview.asp?SchoolID=000-0000-b-1-2-3-4-5-0-0-8-0-10 (broken link)

Perhaps I mispoke out of the 160ish school districts in Georgia, probably 15 had a higher percentage of schools not make AYP - but keep in mind most of these are small (some have only 1 or 2 schools) and poor systems --neither of which describes the fiscal health of Clayton or DeKalb. Many of the systems that have the higher percentage are in communities that are strictly poor -- there are some exceptions -- Clarke county being the most notable.

DeKalb and Clayton have the resources to do better.

[FatElvisForever]

Originally Posted by JPD

I think that's a slight exaggeration.

Worst in the state? Please cite your source.

I'll weigh in... when my family moved from Stone Mountain to Charlotte, I had to repeat 6th grade. Not because I was underachieving, but because the Charlotte/Meck public schools were so far ahead of Dekalb.

And integration has nothing to do with it. At the time, Smoke Rise Elementary was 95% white (unlike today). My school in Charlotte was mixed 50/50 (Charlotte basically "invented" bussing... which has since been abandoned).

It was nice being the tallest kid in 6th grade, but buying beer for all my friends in college was a little strange.

So when I move back to Atlanta later this year... I'll be looking in Cobb (and looking out for private schools I might be able to afford for my two sons).

[jxu66]

To be fair, Dekalb also has some very good schools.

Vanderlyn and Austin elementary schools as good as you can get in Atlanta.

Lakeside, Druid Hill and DeKalb School of the Arts are among the best high schools in Georgia. Also, Chamblee Magnet program is very good.

Overall, I agree with lastminutemom on this point. Dekalb county should definitely have better school system.

here is the SAT scores for all metro schools.

http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/met...satscores.html

[lastminutemom]

Austin is slipping fast due to all the apartments at Perimeter Center. Vanderlyn is close to 1000 students in a building for 500 (a new school is at least 2 years away). Finally, Peachtree Middle and Dunwoody High, while fine for bright kids, leave much to be desired for average kids. Also, in general, kids in DeKalb don't have access to the extras found in Fulton and some Cobb schools. For example, most Fulton schools have significant foreign language programs for the upper elementary students in every school. DeKalb is very hit and miss. Many Fulton schools have an elementary science teacher.

Many people buy homes in Vanderlyn (and other schools across Metro ATlanta with high test scores) only to be disappointed in how much emphasis is placed on testing. I know of at least a half dozen famiilies who have pulled their kids out of schools like Vanderlyn, Mt. Bethel, Sope Creek etc, because the educational experience is not individualized. I just met a woman who is returning to teaching to be able to take her kids with her to a less intense elementary school.

This is why I always say it is so important to visit schools and ask questions before purchasing or renting.

Finally, most N. Fulton schools do something called continous curriculum which allows students to progress at their own pace -- sort of. They are tested and placed in a class with similar levels -- so your third grader can be doing 5th grade math.

DSA and Chamblee Magnet thrive only because they have both admission standards and tha ability to kick kids out. (DSA is only 300 students grades 8 through 12). Lakeside and Druid Hills are struggling with substandard facilities and Lakeside has really struggled with leadership issues. Smart parents beget smart kids so it is no surprise that both those schools have high SATs, but they could be higher with stronger leadership, in my opinion.

Ugh, I am hurting my own property values, so I will stop now. But generally speaking, the schools are not the reason to live in DeKalb.

[jxu66]

There is one thing I don't understand about Dekalb school system. How can they provides such substandard facility for its best schools? In comparsion, Walton high (Cobb) and Northview (North Fulton) have state of art facilities.

Here is ajc blog talks about that situation.
http://www.ajc.com/blogs/content/sha...ic_achiev.html

[JPD]

Originally Posted by jxu66

There is one thing I don't understand about Dekalb school system. How can they provides so substandard facility for its best schools? In comparsion, Walton high (Cobb) and Northview (North Fulton) have state of art facilities.

Here is ajc blog talks about that situation.
http://www.ajc.com/blogs/content/sha...ic_achiev.html

The schools in Dekalb were mostly built in the '50s and '60s. You can't really turn a 50 year old building into a state of the art facility.

Northview opened in 2002.

Walton opened in 1975, and has been updated several times over the years.