How do you get your child enrolled at a school you're not zoned for? (Huntsville: apartment, lease)

[Charles]

Originally Posted by vanllabean81

Okay, now I'm confused. Are you saying I could have a Madison address, but really live in Huntsville?

Zip code zones and city limits aren't necessarily the same. I live in Huntsville but my zip code zone maps to Owens Crossroads. It's fun when I order stuff online and I enter Huntsville for city and 35763 and I get the big nasty, condescending red block letters: "Invalid zip code and city combination".

It's only a matter of time before you realize how the streets change names around here:

Here's five quick minutes worth of searching using Google Maps. Most of these are major streets. This is amazing. What the funk is up?

James Record/Martin
Four Mile Post/Cecil Ashburn/Sutton/Old Highway 431
Caldwell/Miller
Wall Triana/Sullivan
Portal/Mill
Pratt/University
Whitesburg/Madison
Jordan/Patton
Jan Davis/Diamond
Capshaw/Old Monrovia
Sparkman/Lee Highway
Dan Tibbs/Stringfield
Blake Bottom/Mt. Zion
Brock/Brownsboro/Maysville
Plummer/Mastin Lake
Jeff/Slaughter
Bradford/Holmes
Johnson/Airport/Carl T Jones/Bailey Cove
Lily Flagg/Logan

[Elizabeth_G]

You are correct in having a Madison mailing address, but zoned for HSV schools. Weird, but true. Madison typically does NOT allow any students that are not zoned for their schools. I'd call the school board to verify.

When we lived in Nashville, my daughters school had the same dress codes. Sounds identical. The kids HAD to wear a belt, and shirts tucked in...It was a hassle at first, but we got used to it. They did not want any "sagging" or inappropriate attire.

[mm42]

Originally Posted by Charles

Johnson/Airport/Carl T Jones/Bailey Cove

If you stay on Bailey Cove, it turns into Green Cove, then Buxton, then Dodd.

[LCTMadison]

The Madison City line (south of Old Madison Pike) ends at Morning Vista, which is the east entrance to Windstone. That is the last neighborhood zoned for Madison City Schools. Arch Street is in the city of Huntsville.
Unfortunately, Madison City Schools are pretty strict and will not allow a child to be enrolled that lives outside the city limits unless they meet specific criteria (someone posted them above). Also, why they have Discovery Middle listed on their website I don't know. They cannot be zoned for HSV City for elementary then Madison city for middle school...Providence is a K-8 school then they move into Columbia High.
There are many areas that have "Madison" addresses but are not in the city of Madison...this simply means that the main Madison post office processes their mail delivery. There are many neighborhoods in Huntsville City that actually have Madison addresses. It can be absolutely confusing!
As for Providence, they have had some "issues" over the past couple of years. What is happening in the schools has actually affected their property values (from the time Providence was opened) especially in the Village. Providence schools used to be a huge selling feature. Not anymore.
Huntsville City is also not that accomodating in allowing you to move schools within the system. I had clients several years ago, he worked at HSV City Schools central office and she taught in HSV city and they had to move into the school zone to get their daughter in the HSV city middle school they wanted her in.

[vanllabean81]

Well, thanks for all of your input. It was informative. Unfortunately, I'm truly annoyed with the stupidity of having an address that does not reflect my actual city. What kind of backward bull is that? Whatever. It's late, and I'm cranky. It looks like, this year, my son is going to stay in Providence. Next year, we may buy a house, in which case I will make DAMN sure it's in the city it says its in, although I know the way zoning is, and that could change at any time, apparently. In the meantime, at least all the little hoodlums are friendly. Just kidding.

[Charles]

Originally Posted by vanllabean81

Well, thanks for all of your input. It was informative. Unfortunately, I'm truly annoyed with the stupidity of having an address that does not reflect my actual city. What kind of backward bull is that? Whatever. It's late, and I'm cranky. It looks like, this year, my son is going to stay in Providence. Next year, we may buy a house, in which case I will make DAMN sure it's in the city it says its in, although I know the way zoning is, and that could change at any time, apparently. In the meantime, at least all the little hoodlums are friendly. Just kidding.

Is this one of your neighbors?

http://www.city-data.com/forum/hunts...what-mess.html

[vanllabean81]

Originally Posted by Charles

Is this one of your neighbors?

http://www.city-data.com/forum/hunts...what-mess.html

No. Sorry. I'm talking about the kids at my son's school. He calls them "street." Lol. He thinks they're cool, I think. But they've been nice to him so far, so I should stop being such a beyatch.

[Charles]

Originally Posted by vanllabean81

No. Sorry. I'm talking about the kids at my son's school. He calls them "street." Lol. He thinks they're cool, I think. But they've been nice to him so far, so I should stop being such a beyatch.

Seems like the person in the thread I referenced had exactly the same problem.

[Southlander]

Huntsville City Schools are under a federal desegregation court order (and have been for some 30 years; lawyers are dragging this out to fund their retirements). Because of this, they are required to be strict about school attendance zones.

In Decatur (which is also under federal court order), if you don't want to attend city schools, you can apply to attend Morgan County schools...which must be a particular set of schools...IF there is room. The county schools are often not nearly as good as the city schools. Not sure if it's the same in Huntsville/Madison/Madison County.

SO...don't blame the local school systems. Blame the fed. And the post offices dictates zip codes and zones, and they don't necessarily follow city/county limits. You can have a Danville address, for instance, but live in Lawrence County.

[Charles]

Originally Posted by Southlander

SO...don't blame the local school systems. Blame the fed.

Why not blame the school system?

I am still asking why Huntsville City Schools is under the deseg order when many other school districts have successfully fought the order and have been removed. I understand the fight itself is very expensive.

In fact, if the deseg order was lifted, I think many of the imbalance problems in Huntsville City Schools could be remedied. For example, Johnson and Butler are at something like 40% to 60% of capacity and Grissom and Huntsville are at something like 100% to 110% of capacity.

What is Huntsville waiting for? | flashpoint


"Question: Why can’t all students choose the schools they
wish to attend?

Answer: The Federal Desegregation Court Order prohibits system-wide choice."

from

Huntsville City School - Town Hall Meeting