Muscogee County Schools question (Columbus: neighborhood, magnet schools, college)

[GABound257]

I don’t mean to start a controversy but i was thinking about moving my family to the local area and despite the Midland area being a solidly middle class/upper middle class neighborhood, why does Shaw High School rank so much worse in overall academics and SAT scores than you’d expect an area of that SES to perform?

The school is ranked a 4/10 on Greatschools and the average New SAT score there is in the 900s.

[JayHey]

There's no controversy. MCSD utilizes magnet schools extensively. A lot of those kids are attending Columbus High or even Northside High and not their district school. Also a lot are attending one of the several private schools.

One thing to keep in mind is that Shaw utilizes AP or Honor classes extensively and most of the good students who aren't in private school or using the magnet program to attend a higher performing school are in higher testing classrooms together, which most of the time are kept separate from the rest of the student body.

I went to Shaw and went to UGA along with half a dozen of my classmates, all who were in those AP classes. And most of us did just as well in college as our CHS friends.

[columbusboy8]

Originally Posted by JayHey

There's no controversy. MCSD utilizes magnet schools extensively. A lot of those kids are attending Columbus High or even Northside High and not their district school. Also a lot are attending one of the several private schools.

One thing to keep in mind is that Shaw utilizes AP or Honor classes extensively and most of the good students who aren't in private school or using the magnet program to attend a higher performing school are in higher testing classrooms together, which most of the time are kept separate from the rest of the student body.

I went to Shaw and went to UGA along with half a dozen of my classmates, all who were in those AP classes. And most of us did just as well in college as our CHS friends.

JayHey, your response to GABound257 is a great summary and puts things in perspective! It also puts Shaw in a much better light. The bottom line is parents, who care about their kids' education, will do whatever it takes for their kids to succeed! Shaw's AP and Honors classes will serve GABound's kids well, I'm sure.

Busing kids across Muscogee County and, indeed, all across the country has made good schools go down in rankings, and not raised the rankings of the schools they've been bused from! Just the reality of the situation.

GABound, you'll like Midland and Columbus! This is for you: www.visitcolumbusga.com If you're in town next week, it's Columbus Restaurant Week with some of our best restaurants offering some great deals!

[GABound257]

Originally Posted by JayHey

There's no controversy. MCSD utilizes magnet schools extensively. A lot of those kids are attending Columbus High or even Northside High and not their district school. Also a lot are attending one of the several private schools.

One thing to keep in mind is that Shaw utilizes AP or Honor classes extensively and most of the good students who aren't in private school or using the magnet program to attend a higher performing school are in higher testing classrooms together, which most of the time are kept separate from the rest of the student body.

I went to Shaw and went to UGA along with half a dozen of my classmates, all who were in those AP classes. And most of us did just as well in college as our CHS friends.

I’ll make sure to keep my options open. Tell me more about the CHS magnet school.

How hard is it for students to gain admission to CHS (even if i have to hire tutors to make sure my kids get the grades and test scores required for admission).

I will be busy with work during the weekdays so does CHS provide bus transportation to the entire county?

[JayHey]

https://www.muscogee.k12.ga.us/Schools/COH

Admission is pretty tight, especially for freshmen. There's a noticeable cycle of "washouts" and "waiting list" students in the 10th grade every year.

There's no out of district bus transportation, so you'd have to figure that out. When I was in high school in the early 2000s, there was a pretty organized carpool in my area for CHS underclassman, ie. juniors and seniors in the neighborhood would give rides to U16 kids, but that was also before the stricter driving laws for U18, so maybe it's done by parents now. I can only imagine a similar system is even easier these days with Facebook.

Columbus High is one of the top high schools in the state because they only admit the highest performing students and kick any underperforming, either academically or behaviorally, students out.

Each of the high schools has a magnet program, though to a much lesser extent than CHS. Shaw's is technology/media and is an attractive option for students interested in that field. This page shows that SHS regularly has some of the county's highest performing students. If your child is in the honors or the magnet program at almost any of the local high schools, they will get an education which more than prepares them for college and life. It's all about keeping them academically separated from the "gen pop".

Here's the list of magnet schools and their specialization: https://muscogee.k12.ga.us/c/Divisio...CharterSchools

[columbusboy8]

Originally Posted by JayHey

https://www.muscogee.k12.ga.us/Schools/COH

Admission is pretty tight, especially for freshmen. There's a noticeable cycle of "washouts" and "waiting list" students in the 10th grade every year.

There's no out of district bus transportation, so you'd have to figure that out. When I was in high school in the early 2000s, there was a pretty organized carpool in my area for CHS underclassman, ie. juniors and seniors in the neighborhood would give rides to U16 kids, but that was also before the stricter driving laws for U18, so maybe it's done by parents now. I can only imagine a similar system is even easier these days with Facebook.

Columbus High is one of the top high schools in the state because they only admit the highest performing students and kick any underperforming, either academically or behaviorally, students out.

Each of the high schools has a magnet program, though to a much lesser extent than CHS. Shaw's is technology/media and is an attractive option for students interested in that field. This page shows that SHS regularly has some of the county's highest performing students. If your child is in the honors or the magnet program at almost any of the local high schools, they will get an education which more than prepares them for college and life. It's all about keeping them academically separated from the "gen pop".

Here's the list of magnet schools and their specialization: https://muscogee.k12.ga.us/c/Divisio...CharterSchools

JayHey, another great response to GABound! You're always thorough and articulate, and I'm sure GABound appreciates it!

[JayHey]

Thanks, man. I appreciate that.

[columbusboy8]

Originally Posted by JayHey

Thanks, man. I appreciate that.

You're most welcome!