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We are leaving in March, I am sure things will be better. The Midlands area just seems to be going to ____ in a handbasket the last few years.Like I said the above situations didn't happen directly to me but to people that I know or from parents who have had kids in Lexington1 school district in different schools.
The sheer number of "officials" in different communities that have been convicted of crimes is surprising. I mean domestic violence,hit and run,drugs,drinking and driving. I know other places have issues as well but it just seems the Midlands has just really began to shine with crime and dirty "officials".
As far as school district go I was just told the other day about a situation in Richland County where a teacher was in trouble, when the student asked about why their religious holidays from their culture wasn't observed the teacher respond something to the nature that those holidays were just made up and not real holidays. I don't know if that is totally true because it was second hand but I do know there is a big problem in Lexington 1 where if something a culture observes isn't on the federal calander they don't want to excuse a child that is that culture if they miss that day of school to observe. I thought that was against the law but I have heard this happen to 3 different families.
It's been awhile since I've been in school (Richland District 1), but I don't remember it ever being an issue when I missed school on Yom Kippur or Rosh Hashanah. Like others have said, sometimes the media blows things out of proportion, but if this did happen, the situation needs o be remedied.
I hope it isn't true either. I would hate to think about a teacher thinking that someone elses religion or culture isn't important just because it isn't on some calendar.
We had a teacher that was in our school who was prejudice against white kids and she had many meetings with officials,nice to see she didn't last long. She would make a big deal out of a certain event in her culture and tell the kids that for other holidays they couldn't have a special snack or she would put up very limited decorations during that time. But when her special time came around it was a huge deal and the kids had like 4 projects to do during the celebration.
I do have a relative that has kids in one of the Richland school districts and she doesn't have near the issues that we have experienced in Lexington 1.
Hi - We're a military family who just moved to Columbia this summer. First, if you will be working out of Fort Jackson, you probably don't want to live in the Irmo or Lexington areas, because of the daily commute/traffic. I would recommend the NE Columbia area or Forest Acres. The NE Columbia area has a good reputation (Richland 2) for public schools, although some are better than others. Lake Carolina, Bookman Rd, & Polo Rd (Elementary) all come recommended by friends. In Forest Acres we have several friends with kids attending Satchel Ford Elementary and like it very much. High Schools in both these areas are also well thought of (Spring Valley & AC Flora). I also have friends who recommend the Catholic schools St John Neumann, St Joseph, and Cardinal Newmann HS.
However, when we came house hunting in Columbia, we only had a week or so to find a place, and didn't know the area well or the reputations of the various schools. We resolved this problem by sending our kids to a small private school, Timmerman, which is in Forest Acres not far from Ft Jackson. We have been very pleased - you will find many military families there also. In fact, on the webpage there is an essay written by a "military brat" about the school which won the Governor's Writing Award. If you want, just give the school a call and ask for Mrs Jordan, the school principal.
Hello Wild flower,
I am being relocated to CAE from Southern California (my Son is a Ssgt deployed in Iraq from Ft. Lewis, WA, originally from Ft. Jackson)...however, I have been to CAE at least five times and know what the area looks like, I must be relocated by 4/15/08 and read your advice to another poster on the forum, I have two possible leads lined up in Forest Acres as I am familiar with the area, please tell me what your thoughts are...
I am a commercial pilot that needs to be 15-20 minutes from CAE Airport and will be away quite often and I want to feel comfortable about leaving my family home alone...I live in Irvine, CA where it is overly safe.
We ended up buying a house in Wildewood. It's great that it's right off Interstate 20, so we can zip into Forest Acres and Ft Jackson easily. We also love having the shopping areas in the Northeast Area so near - being an Army family we've been stationed out in the middle of nowhere sometimes, so we really love being near nice restaurants and stores.
Airflores - yes, I would consider Forest Acres a nice, established, safe neighborhood. As a military wife who is often left alone, I understand your concerns. I think Forest Acres draws together younger families and older residents who have lived there for years. There is a good amount of diversity. Of course, just like all areas, some pockets may be more desireable than others, but on a whole I would feel very safe there, and can recommend the area for your family. I haven't actually made the drive from FA to the airport, but I would guess 20-25 minutes or so. The airport is toward the Lexington side of town, so that may also be a possibility with about the same drive time, depending on if you prefer the newer construction/suburban type area or the older tree lined area of Forest Acres. Welcome!
We ended up buying a house in Wildewood. It's great that it's right off Interstate 20, so we can zip into Forest Acres and Ft Jackson easily. We also love having the shopping areas in the Northeast Area so near - being an Army family we've been stationed out in the middle of nowhere sometimes, so we really love being near nice restaurants and stores.
Airflores - yes, I would consider Forest Acres a nice, established, safe neighborhood. As a military wife who is often left alone, I understand your concerns. I think Forest Acres draws together younger families and older residents who have lived there for years. There is a good amount of diversity. Of course, just like all areas, some pockets may be more desireable than others, but on a whole I would feel very safe there, and can recommend the area for your family. I haven't actually made the drive from FA to the airport, but I would guess 20-25 minutes or so. The airport is toward the Lexington side of town, so that may also be a possibility with about the same drive time, depending on if you prefer the newer construction/suburban type area or the older tree lined area of Forest Acres. Welcome!
Thank you so much for responding Wildflower, I sure appreciate the advice, I will update the thread once I make my move. God speed to you and yours and please convey my deepest appreciation to your Soldier for taking care of our country, my Son graduated from Ft. Jackson in 2005 and is deployed right now at Camp Aztec with the 2nd Calvary out of Vilseck, Germany.
We are moving to the Columbia area in April 2008. We are military (so we don't have a choice where we go.), but we are looking forward to the move as that our "hometown" is not too far away. I am very concerned with what I have found on the internet about the school systems "report card". Most of the school districts in SC received a below average on most if not all categories. From what I have found so far, it seems that Lexington schools seem to be the best. Is this true? If not could definitely use some advise. Also, it seems to be that areas with the best schools are also the best communities to live in. Is Lexington a nice place to live?
I am also so very concerned about the school my daughter attends. We are relocating from Southern California where we are in a great school district. My husband will be starting a residency program at Ft. Jackson that will last only a year, and then we will be transferred, so we don't think that buying is a great option for us. It seems that some of the elementary schools in Lex 5 are so great. It's scary because we are going out there for just a week to find a place to live, and don't have much time to get a feel for the different areas. I've heard good things about Lake Carolina, too. My question is this:
I've been researching on schooldigger.com and it seems that two elementary schools within a 5 mile radius have VERY different ratings - is there a good chance of us getting into the school we live closest to? Here in South Pasadena, we live closest to the school with the highest test scores, and so it is the most in demand and we did not make it in for this year. Luckily, their scores are very close and we've been happy with her school.
I've been researching on schooldigger.com and it seems that two elementary schools within a 5 mile radius have VERY different ratings - is there a good chance of us getting into the school we live closest to? Here in South Pasadena, we live closest to the school with the highest test scores, and so it is the most in demand and we did not make it in for this year.
I recommend greatschools.net, I feel it is more user-friendly for school comparison.
The property owner where you rent or the school district should be able to tell you for certain which elementary school your location feeds into. In our real estate search, we have not come across competition like you speak of- if you live in an area districted for a certain elementary school, that is where your children will go, as far as I know. Hopefully I'm right, because that would change our real estate search for sure. Anyways, our agent has not mentioned anything about that.
We ended up buying a house in Wildewood. It's great that it's right off Interstate 20, so we can zip into Forest Acres and Ft Jackson easily. We also love having the shopping areas in the Northeast Area so near - being an Army family we've been stationed out in the middle of nowhere sometimes, so we really love being near nice restaurants and stores.
I grew up mostly in Wildewood! We moved there when I was 8 in 1984, and my parents moved from there in 2000 (nothing against the neighborhood, they just wanted to move in-town since they grew up here and us kids were gone). It's a great neighborhood - good choice!
We have now found a place in Irmo, Dutch Fork Schools. On Great schools.net the schools there have good ratings. As far as those who have replied about the commute to Ft. Jackson, acording to mapquest it is only 25 to 30 minutes. I know that rush hour changes things, (we are coming from the land of endless traffic, Ft. Lewis/Tacoma WA), but my husband is going on drill sgt. duty and his drive time will not be affected by rush hour due to his hours. As one previous poster said about getting your landlord to help you, that is a great idea. I really lucked up on one who has been great with helping us. I think he does have other homes to rent, if still interested, maybe I could get you intouch with him. Best of Luck with finding a good school. I certainly know on a first hand basis how stressful it is!!
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