Sequatchie Co schools vs. Soddy Daisy (Dunlap: low income, home, school districts)

[boilermakers]

Our family is looking at moving to Dunlap/Sequatchie County, TN. Although we are looking for a good quality high school educationally, more importantly we would also like a high school where the students have few issues with fights, drugs, discipline issues or drugs and poverty in the home (we're dealing with enough of that where we're moving from). We like the idea of living in the country but don't want "redneck". How does the rural Sequatchie County schools compare with a bit more suburban Soddy Daisy schools?

[keithps]

The quality of education will be pretty similar between the two. The downside to Sequatchie County is that there is only 1 elementary, middle and high school. That means, depending on where you live, it could be a pretty long bus ride or car drive for your kids to get to school and back home. Sequatchie county will have less overall students, but I imagine class sizes are similar. Sequatchie county will probably be way more "redneck" and have more kids in the poverty level. That said, "redneck" is very derogatory and often used to describe what I would consider "country" or rural.

Soddy Daisy is a fairly large school (it had a bit over 1800 students when I went there). As such, there will be more issues with drugs, fights, ect, just as a factor of having more students. There is also a population of students bussed in from the downtown low income areas. That probably amounts to less than 100 students. On the upside, there is a large student base so that gives your kids exposure to a better variety of people. It is less poor and less "redneck". Also, your kids will have better access to things like AP and dual enrollment classes since the student base is large enough to support them.

[boilermakers]

keithps,
Thanks so much for the info! I have nothing against rural, but I think of "redneck" as lazy, violent, biogeted, uneducated, sloppy, etc and that's what we want to steer clear of. Let me ask your opinion...We are looking for acreage 10 to 100 in a smaller town (less than 12,000) with good schools where the kids will have good morals/standards and less poverty/drug problems. My husband will be working in Dunlap and is willing to drive up to 40 minutes to commute. What area(s) do you think we should look at? Any help would be greatly appreciated!!

[keithps]

Originally Posted by boilermakers

keithps,
Thanks so much for the info! I have nothing against rural, but I think of "redneck" as lazy, violent, biogeted, uneducated, sloppy, etc and that's what we want to steer clear of. Let me ask your opinion...We are looking for acreage 10 to 100 in a smaller town (less than 12,000) with good schools where the kids will have good morals/standards and less poverty/drug problems. My husband will be working in Dunlap and is willing to drive up to 40 minutes to commute. What area(s) do you think we should look at? Any help would be greatly appreciated!!

More than likely, you won't find the acreage you're looking for in Hamilton County (the county Soddy Daisy is in). You will have to look at Bledsoe and Sequatchie counties, which will of course, put you in their respective school districts. The entirety of Bledsoe county is about 12,000 people, and Sequatchie county is about 14,000 in the whole county. The only exception is to look on either Mowbray or Flat Top mountains in Hamilton County. They might have the acreage you are looking for. Both areas are about 20 minute from Soddy Daisy and 20 minutes from Dunlap.