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I'm moving to James Island this summer and like the areas nearest to Folly. However, I've been told to "stay away" from James Island Elementary. Can anybody tell me why? The only thing I can find in my research is that it has 'good' ratings in the school report card vs. 'excellent' ratings for the other two elementary schools. That doesn't really scare me, so is there something else I should be aware of?
Who told you to stay away? Can't believe all things you hear. My daughter goes there to Pre-kindergarten. It is a good school, and is a newer school with many new accessories and a fishing pond the kids can use. Harbor view and Stiles point may be rated higher, but I think James Island Elem is fine. Many newer neighborhoods will have JI elementary as the zoned school for their kids: Freeman's point , all of Seaside Plantation, and Stonebridge.
To be honest it is a 'good' school that suffers a common fate in Charleston. People get so caught up in competitiveness and comparisons that they become desperate to be in either a top school or one of the privates as a means of validating their child or their parenting.
Also- you can apply to Murray Lasaine Montessori as a magnate now but it traditionally has been the poorer performing school on the island. St Andrews Math & Science in West Ashley right over the bridge is a partial magnate meaning they let people apply to the seats not used by the kids zoned for it.
If you visit and feel good about the school I would not worry too much. A large part of school rankings is going to be determined by what the student body of a school is. When you get into more homogenous & upper middle class settings like some of James Island and much of Mt Pleasant the schools naturally will rate higher. Plenty of the 'good' schools still have excellent students they are just sharing a school with average and sometimes lower level students. There is also the little acknowledge phenomenon of children actually being good or average instead of exceptional. I have two friends who moved their kid from a private school to the one Mt P elementary that has an average rating and they rave about all his progress & how he is doing great. Truth be told he simply ranks higher in a less competitive setting.
To be fair -- it's not just a Charleston phenomena We had the same situation in Georgia. You really have to visit the school and talk to someone about your child and their needs. You'll know.
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