rethinking our move due to schools (Chattanooga, Signal Mountain: middle-class, homes, magnet schools)

[Mrsdean4]

Hello everyone, I am scheduled to be in town for a househunting trip this weekend, but I am really very discouraged by the school system in Chattanooga. From what I understand, the only decent high school is Signal Mountain. The magnet/charter schools aren't open to families that are new to the area, is that correct? It doesn't seem like this is a good option for our family if we lose any gain from the cost of living difference of our move because we'd have 50k for private school tuition annually.

What do normal folks who care about their kid's education do?? Surely not everyone who doesn't live in Signal Mountain can afford to pay more for high school education than college? If my understanding is accurate, the education system in Chattanooga is in a terrible situation. They didn't put THAT in my recruitment packet.

Would love to hear from locals about this. From what I've read in my research, Signal Mountain is better than the rest of Hamilton County, but when you consider that 9 of the 16 schools in the district are considered so poor that they are facing being taken over by the state, "better than" doesn't sound quite good enough.

[keithps]

Originally Posted by Mrsdean4

Hello everyone, I am scheduled to be in town for a househunting trip this weekend, but I am really very discouraged by the school system in Chattanooga. From what I understand, the only decent high school is Signal Mountain. The magnet/charter schools aren't open to families that are new to the area, is that correct? It doesn't seem like this is a good option for our family if we lose any gain from the cost of living difference of our move because we'd have 50k for private school tuition annually.

What do normal folks who care about their kid's education do?? Surely not everyone who doesn't live in Signal Mountain can afford to pay more for high school education than college? If my understanding is accurate, the education system in Chattanooga is in a terrible situation. They didn't put THAT in my recruitment packet.

Would love to hear from locals about this. From what I've read in my research, Signal Mountain is better than the rest of Hamilton County, but when you consider that 9 of the 16 schools in the district are considered so poor that they are facing being taken over by the state, "better than" doesn't sound quite good enough.

Most of the inner city schools struggle, that's a common theme everywhere you go. Ultimately, school is what you make of it. If you're an attentive parent who cares if their child learns, then most of the "mediocre" schools are going to be just fine. Ultimately, that is why Signal Mountain is so highly rated. It's sort of an enclave of primarily high income families. It is unique in that aspect, because most other schools are either inner city or have a lot of low income families , or are rural and again, have a lot of low income families. I went to a school in Hamilton County (not Signal) and I think I turned out just fine, like thousands of other kids have. if you need your kids to go to the best top-rated school, you'll put them in private school.

[lluvia]

Two words. Home school.

[Umbeerfg]

Per KeithPS's comment, If you are an attentive parent, your kids will do fine in Ooltewah, East Hamilton, North Chattanooga, or Soddy Daisy. Magnet schools use a lottery system, so you will have to wait a year because of the application process. FYI, the Magnet schools require parents to "donate time" to school activities. There is a strong Home School community in Chattanooga so that is an option. Otherwise Signal Mountain\Walden, if you want acreage and good schools. Make sure you do not go over to Sequatchie county, then you are not in Signal Mountain school anymore. You will notice you get double the home and land when you cross the county line.

[mSooner]

Originally Posted by Mrsdean4

Would love to hear from locals about this. From what I've read in my research, Signal Mountain is better than the rest of Hamilton County, but when you consider that 9 of the 16 schools in the district are considered so poor that they are facing being taken over by the state, "better than" doesn't sound quite good enough.

We care a lot about good public schools as we are considering a move and coming from an excellent district in Texas. Comparing scores, they come out about even. Given the demographics, I'm not surprised.

I wasn't quite as impressed with Ooltewah & others, but there seemed to be some "ok" places above the many "heck no" options.

[An Einnseanair]

Originally Posted by Mrsdean4

Would love to hear from locals about this. From what I've read in my research, Signal Mountain is better than the rest of Hamilton County, but when you consider that 9 of the 16 schools in the district are considered so poor that they are facing being taken over by the state, "better than" doesn't sound quite good enough.

First and foremost, the part in bold is completely wrong. I think you misread the headline here: https://www.timesfreepress.com/news/...-worst/479584/

Nine schools are in trouble, but that's out of seventy nine total schools. The number 16 you read (actually 17, because K-12 CSAS actually counts as 2) is the number of schools in Hamilton County that are among the top performers in the entire state.

I think you can only get into a magnet school at the beginning of an age group. I.e., you have to start at the beginning of Elementary, Middle, or High school depending on the school. The deadline was Jan. 31st.

All public schools in Hamilton County, regular or magnet, city or county, are administered by HCDE. The same administrators, same teacher pool, etc. Other than the specialized education at Magnet schools, the primary difference between the basic public schools are the students and their parents.

Not surprisingly, the nine schools in trouble are located in lower income areas. In general, middle-class or higher parents recognize the value of a good education and are usually more willing to push their kids to perform better. In general, the higher the average income of an area, the better the local schools will perform. Signal Mt. is one of the higher income areas, and the school performs accordingly.

Current school zone maps are here: https://www.hcde.org/about_us/depart...hool_zone_maps

[RPetal]

Stay away from Chattanooga if you care about education. The schools are even more horrific than you realize. We moved there for a job relocation (2010-2016) and had to live on Signal. Even Thrasher was managed kind of like a country school in the 1950s. The curriculum was a mess. They would send home general memos to parents that had been typed on an actual typewriter in the 90s and never updated. Look into how rapes and school bus accidents have been handled. The people who run the community have their kids at the private schools (which pale in comparison to my public schools in SC) and they very much look down on anyone who lets their kids go to public schools. And yes, it is rooted in racism — they love Trump. Good luck!

[An Einnseanair]

The above comments are totally different from my experience.

The private school thing is true, and Chattanooga has three top-tier "prep" schools to serve the elites. Where the rich politicians have the ability to send their kids to an elite school, the public schools generally suffer.

None of the following has anything to do with HCDE, and don't show it if you have a thin skin. Just adding it because of the "they love Trump" comment:

Spoiler

As for "they love Trump", that depends on where you are. Signal Mt. is a strange mix of demographics. There are the "2%" along the brow and golf courses. These are the rich people who can't quite afford the Old Money homes up on nearby Lookout Mt. These high-end areas are surrounded by low-income and somewhat backwoods rural areas. It's kinda surprising how fast you go from gated subdivisions to shacks complete with a '79 Camaro up blocks in the driveway.

Both demographics went for Trump, but for totally different reasons. The rich wanted to protect their wealth, the poor believed the voices coming from the magic box. You'll find similar demographics all along Walden Ridge, of which Signal Mt. is the end, and in the outskirt towns such as Soddy Daisy, home of my least favorite District 1 school board member. These areas carried the county for Trump.

Down in the valley (A.K.A. the "ditch") it's more diverse with plenty of Democrats. Personally I'm a moderate who leans conservative, but I despise liars and couldn't get past facts in the last election.

I will say that my HCDE public school kids are getting an education far FAR better than the one I had access to in rural Mississippi in the 80's. My oldest is about to leave 8th grade, and in a few subjects has already exceeded what I knew when I graduated high-school. He will most definitely be college-ready when he graduates.

In conclusion, opinions on the internet are free, and you get what you pay for.