Charlotte Christian, Springfield El., Crestview Middle & Providence H.S. Questions??? (homes, neighborhood) - City-Data Forum

maja · 08-02-2007, 08:26 AM

Does anyone know anything about these schools? Are they good academically? Are they overcrowded? Do you have to be tested to get into Charlotte Christian? Is there a waiting list? What are the kids like at these schools? Any drug problems, etc.? If so, is it less so at Charlotte Christian? Are kids being shifted around at these public schools due to overcrowding, etc. Is there a big turnover with the teachers? Good communication/rapport between staff and parents? Thanks for any info. ! MJ

lovesMountains · 08-02-2007, 10:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by maja

Does anyone know anything about these schools? Are they good academically? Are they overcrowded? Do you have to be tested to get into Charlotte Christian? Is there a waiting list? What are the kids like at these schools? Any drug problems, etc.? If so, is it less so at Charlotte Christian? Are kids being shifted around at these public schools due to overcrowding, etc. Is there a big turnover with the teachers? Good communication/rapport between staff and parents? Thanks for any info. ! MJ

Let me guess, you are buying in a neighborhood with Providence Spring Elementary, Crestdale Middle & Providence H.S. as your assigned schools and you are trying to decide do you stick with public school for all those levels, or go to a private school like Charlotte Christian which is k-12, right?

I would suggest to answer that question you figure out what kind of environment you think your child is most likely to succeed in. No one school is right for every kid

.

That being said, those public schools are all top scoring, very desirable schools. Many people move just to get a Providence High assignment. (Great for your resale by the way!). It is a much larger school then the upper school at Charlotte Christian. Graduating class there is probably 400, whereas the typical CCS graduating class is 80 to 100.

Also of big consideration is the religious aspect. Is it important to you for your child to have a Christian school education or not so important?

maja · 08-03-2007, 12:29 PM

Thanks so much for responding. Yep, thats our situation and thats the kind of information I'm looking for. Test scores are important but they're not everything and bigger is not necessarily better! I think I'd prefer a smaller, more personal school as long as the academics were very good. We are also very interested in good character development. We are coming from L.A. where our school was academically very good but also very large and where the parents tend to push the kids a little too hard and have them growing up too fast (flashy dressing, limos, acting, elementary school dances...) One of the reasons we want to move is to find a spot where our girls can grow up more slowly and be surrounded by better values. Can we find this in the good Charlotte public schools or should we go private? Thanks. MJ

carolina_guy · 08-03-2007, 12:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by maja

Thanks so much for responding. Yep, thats our situation and thats the kind of information I'm looking for. Test scores are important but they're not everything and bigger is not necessarily better! I think I'd prefer a smaller, more personal school as long as the academics were very good. We are also very interested in good character development. We are coming from L.A. where our school was academically very good but also very large and where the parents tend to push the kids a little too hard and have them growing up too fast (flashy dressing, limos, acting, elementary school dances...) One of the reasons we want to move is to find a spot where our girls can grow up more slowly and be surrounded by better values. Can we find this in the good Charlotte public schools or should we go private? Thanks. MJ

IMHO, I think what you're looking for is Charlotte Christian School. If you are looking for character development, I encourage you to not rely on the public school system who is more into indoctrination. Your children will benefit greatly from Charlotte Christian and I highly recommend it. Others will disagree and that's fine, but I will never send my kids to public schools. It's private or home schooling for us.

lovesMountains · 08-03-2007, 12:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by carolina_guy

IMHO, I think what you're looking for is Charlotte Christian School. If you are looking for character development, I encourage you to not rely on the public school system who is more into indoctrination. Your children will benefit greatly from Charlotte Christian and I highly recommend it. Others will disagree and that's fine, but I will never send my kids to public schools. It's private or home schooling for us.

I agree and disagree with you c-g (no surprise there!).

Charlotte Christian School has a great atmosphere, truly a Christian atmosphere. I cannot recommend this school highly enough.

However, I have had experience with the public schools in Char Meck and have had some good experiences there - so I would never say "don't send your kids to public school". Some of them have a lot to offer

carolina_guy · 08-03-2007, 02:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lovesMountains

I agree and disagree with you c-g (no surprise there!).

Charlotte Christian School has a great atmosphere, truly a Christian atmosphere. I cannot recommend this school highly enough.

However, I have had experience with the public schools in Char Meck and have had some good experiences there - so I would never say "don't send your kids to public school". Some of them have a lot to offer

No worries there, LM.

That's why I qualified my post with "others may disagree and that's fine."

For me, it's not just CMS or surrounding counties--it's public schools in general. So I'll admit my opinion is biased.

resident · 08-03-2007, 02:25 PM

I think that for my family we don't get our values from school. Period. They come from home, values/morals are started when they are young, we do public school but have no problem homeschooling if things change. It shouldn't matter what goes on in school, what matters is life and home/family. My kids KNOW very well we do NOT get our values from school, and I have had the pleasure of letting teachers and administrators know that I expect my child to be educated and not parented. Far too many ppl rely on the schools though to 'raise' their kids. I don't have an issue with private schools though either, there are always pros & cons to every school, kids can be successful anywhere as long as they have a supportive and involved family.

taben · 08-03-2007, 05:09 PM

Charlotte Christian has gained a fine reputation in recent years. However, like every school there are some students who do undesirable things (drinking, smoking, etc.). You'll find that everywhere. However, the education is solid and the folks, so I am told, less snobby than some of the more 'elite' schools.

We warned, it is tough to get into here lately. Not in terms of scores they expect (yes, you must be tested) but in terms of sheer number of applicants. A friend of mine was shocked that they were wait listed for middle school. UGh.

Also, as another posted said, don't be afraid of CMS. There are some wonderful teachers, students and programs in these schools. The ones you mention, as well as some magnet programs, are worth the a look.

T

maja · 08-03-2007, 06:49 PM

Thanks so much for all the feedback. Still not certain what we'll end up doing; but feel more confident that whatever we do, will be fine.

Porchguy11 · 08-04-2007, 06:54 PM

Maja,

Lots of good comments... two things not mentioned yet. First, check the Christian average SAT at graduation... it is not overwhelming when compared to to other private schools and it is equally as expensive as quality secular schools like Providence Day. And around the corner is Providence HS, a Newsweek top 100 HS in America, with no admission tests its SAT scores are higher.
Plus- the entire school cluster, Prov Springs, Crestdale and PHS is an excellent one. One of the best, you are probably looking at Providenc e Plantation. A slightly better cluster would be Prov Springs, JM Robinson and PHS or Ardrey Kell, available at Berkeley, Prov Country Club and other nice areas.

And before anyone accuses me of bias, I am speaking from experience, with 4children having attended Christian and 3 of the 4 graduating from Providence, my kids attended both private and public. Moderator cut: tos violation