School demographics in Richland districts (Forest Acres, Hollywood: rental, homes, neighborhoods)

[8t9vt]

Ok, give it to me straight. How is it that the schools that serve the Forest Acres/Heathwood/Lake Katherine area have such a low white population when those areas are predominately white? We are interested in that area but don't want to move to a neighborhood where all the kids are going to private school, not to the same school as our kids. Any insights?

[deibu]

Those particular neighborhoods might be mostly "white", but the schools you're referring to serve nearby neighborhoods who aren't so "white" as well. The school zones are drawn to ensure that some kind of balance is achieved. Segregation and its legacy is such a recent part of our past - so I think "busing" is necessary.

That being said... You want a straight answer to your question probably... A lot of mostly "white" parents send their kids to private school in those areas . Not all of them do, but many do - I have family that pay the $$$ to send their kids to private school.

The public schools are excellent. Ignore the statistics - the schools in the area are top-notch - look them up online.

[waccamatt]

I grew up in Forest Acres in the Lake Katharine area. A lot of people do send their kids to private school, but I went to public school and the public schools in that area are fine. Personally, I didn't associate much with kids who went to private school (or maybe they didn't associate with me; most likely a combination of both) because I felt they were kind of stuck up. If you want your kids to live in a nice area where most of the kids go to public school, look into Shandon, Melrose Heights, Hollywood Hills and Rosewood - it is a much different group of people than in Forest Acres, on average.

[8t9vt]

I love Melrose Heights and Shandon, but think Forest Acres, primarily Sandwood Hills and Arcadia Lakes are closer to the pricing we can afford.

[waccamatt]

Originally Posted by 8t9vt

I love Melrose Heights and Shandon, but think Forest Acres, primarily Sandwood Hills and Arcadia Lakes are closer to the pricing we can afford.

Arcadia Lakes is pretty expensive - I'm sure you could find something in Melrose Heights, but maybe not Shandon.

[8t9vt]

Thanks for your input. We did more research and really were impressed with the schools that feed from Melrose Heights and that general area. We absolutely adore older homes so are hoping we can find an affordable rental there. We plan on choosing an area that we will also be able to afford to buy in when the time comes.