Best Elementary Schools (Public)- Oak Ridge vs. Knox County.? (Knoxville: appointed, credit)

[awh2010]

Of course, the quality of graduates/test scores are the easiest to judge a community by. However, with my child starting kindergarten in the next couple of years, I am more concerned about elementary schools.

I'm looking for more insight into the following:
Farragut- this area is rumored to have the top schools in the county (along with OR) by US News High School rankings. Some of the threads on here reported crowded class size and so-so parent ratings. Do the teachers and support staff care and treat the kids entrusted to them kindly? Are those who fall behind helped and those who excel encouraged to to do so? Do teachers communicate personally with the parents?

What about Hardin Valley, Lotts, and Rocky Hill? (A friend whose children went to Hardin Valley briefly before moving back to middle TN was disappointed. Another friend is pleased with Rocky Hill.)

Oak Ridge schools are spoken highly of, but we drove through the area and frankly, I was not impressed by the community from what I saw. The mall area is falling apart and practically vacant. The mountains were pretty, but homes seemed either very expensive or very modest, not much in between... except with a great view of one of the industrial facilities.

Of course, the housing in Farragut is higher than the other Knox county schools... Where we've lived in the past, there has been direct correlation between the cost of homes and the quality of education. Is it really worth the stretch into the 300K's to get into that school zone? Please don't feed me the "curriculum is the same" line. A good teacher will use curriculum as a guide to meet objectives and facilitate learning, helping the child reach their potential. A bad (or struggling) teacher will use a curriculum as a crutch and teach what they have to, failing to attempt to teach to different learning styles. Some schools seem to attract better teachers, period. Where are the best teachers in the area?

The West Knox/Farragut area is beautiful. I loved the lakes and greenways.... the lakes up in Oak Ridge looked murkier, even if the hills were closer. The commute up to OR is still less than half what we have now.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts...

[pbetb]

We have been very pleased with Farragut Primary. It is large (16+) classes per grade, but class size remains around 20 which is better than where we moved from. Both my daughter's 1st and 2nd grade teachers have been fantastic and I have been impressed with the level of learning taking place. I visited many elementary schools talking with parents, principals, etc. I also liked Lotts and Rocky Hill. The problem with Rocky Hill and Sequoyah (which I loved) is the Middle school that they feed into. At Sequoyah in particular, many parents switch to private schools after elementary. Many Middle Schools are not as strong as Farragut and some others. That was a big factor in us deciding where to live bec. we do think we will be here for a long time.

We did not look in OR so I can't help there. I thought I got a feeling about how each school was run after visiting (sometimes 2 or 3 times like I did Farragut) and was able to make a better choice for my particular children. Having been a teacher, I think you can get a feeling for the school by just visiting. That might help you. I have heard some people being unhappy with Farragut when they have a child that struggles with academics. Not a problem for us at this point and I like that my child is challenged even though she is a strong student.

[mahavisnu]

The best teachers are spread across the country probably more equally than you realize. As for high-performing students, that's the variable that isn't quite the same, largely for socioeconomic reasons.

But you sound like someone who would prefer West Knoxville, which is a good, albeit bland (imo as someone who grew up there) place to raise a family. I think you'd probably be happy with most of the elementary schools in that area. The Hardin Valley area has largely suburbanized in recent years, and the elementary school is likely better than it once was. Elementary schools in West Knox are all very similar, though some are in newer and larger buildings than others. The ones you mention are good schools (I was a student at Lotts when it opened in 1993). You also have Bluegrass and Cedar Bluff to look at.

Some in West Knoxville have concern about sending their kids to Bearden Middle and West High school based not so much on the quality of the schools as some of the areas zoned for them (West View, bits of Mechanicsville, the seemier side of Sutherland). I personally think this is a bit silly, as the education is still just as good, and the idea of sheltering kids from "the other side" is misguided at best and downright prejudiced at worst. Especially considering that these areas are really not even bad compared to other parts of the city, which are still not as bad as in most cities as big as Knoxville, and these areas aren't particularly large either. This is one man's opinion.

Bearden High School (which is not associated with Bearden Middle School or in the Bearden area for that matter) is pretty much the same thing as Farragut. There is very little difference between those two schools, though you may be able to get a better deal in an area zoned for Bearden due to slightly decreased snob appeal. It's the high school of the suburbs, basically, lots of sprawl, strip malls, and ticky tacky houses. I should know, I went there.

[awh2010]

Thanks for both of your responses. I appreciate the input from a parent who has been in a similar situation as well as someone who grew up there.

[awh2010]

The goal... trying to get a 4BR plus bonus for under $320, great schools, between 1/2-1 acre lot.. HOA, if present must be reasonable (not snooty, ridiculous, must-get-approval for every new flower bed or vegetable garden types).

I'm open to suggestions for areas to look within easy commute (15-20 min) from Oak Ridge in addition to Farragut/Lotts...

[charz]

Originally Posted by awh2010

Of course, the housing in Farragut is higher than the other Knox county schools... Where we've lived in the past, there has been direct correlation between the cost of homes and the quality of education. Is it really worth the stretch into the 300K's to get into that school zone? Please don't feed me the "curriculum is the same" line. A good teacher will use curriculum as a guide to meet objectives and facilitate learning, helping the child reach their potential. A bad (or struggling) teacher will use a curriculum as a crutch and teach what they have to, failing to attempt to teach to different learning styles. Some schools seem to attract better teachers, period. Where are the best teachers in the area?

There is a correlation between test scores and higher income homes but it isn't the cost of the home itself or that better teachers are attracted to schools with higher income families. Parents with higher incomes are typically college-educated, so they place a higher emphasis on education. I teach at Fulton High School and my children attend Inskip Elementary--both lower income schools--teachers at both of those schools are excellent. Every career has your good and your bad employees. There are bad teachers; however, I contend that bad teachers can be at good schools and have good test scores, simply because of the families that those children come from.

[hiknapster]

Absolutely. And as I said on another thread, there are just as many bad teachers at "good" schools and vice versa. It is common for excellent teachers in the schools where the students have less parental support just because they are drawn to and up for the challenge.

[JMT]

Originally Posted by charz

There is a correlation between test scores and higher income homes but it isn't the cost of the home itself or that better teachers are attracted to schools with higher income families. Parents with higher incomes are typically college-educated, so they place a higher emphasis on education. I teach at Fulton High School and my children attend Inskip Elementary--both lower income schools--teachers at both of those schools are excellent. Every career has your good and your bad employees. There are bad teachers; however, I contend that bad teachers can be at good schools and have good test scores, simply because of the families that those children come from.

VERY true. And a plug for Fulton HS:

Friends of mine have a son who is a freshman this year. He's zoned for Fulton, but they tried their darndest to get him to a "good" school, Halls. They missed the deadline, and the school board would absolutely not grant permission to have their son sent to Halls. So he went to Fulton HS, very begrudgingly.

Well, he absolutely LOVES Fulton. He loves going to school, he's got great teachers, he's made good friends, and he's participating in extracurricular activities.

And I will say that every single student I have ever met who went to Fulton (I live near Fulton) has been exceptionally well mannered and bright.

So for all those who insist that the best schools in Knox County exist only in the wealthy suburbs, they're way off.

[awh2010]

Originally Posted by charz

There is a correlation between test scores and higher income homes but it isn't the cost of the home itself or that better teachers are attracted to schools with higher income families. Parents with higher incomes are typically college-educated, so they place a higher emphasis on education. I teach at Fulton High School and my children attend Inskip Elementary--both lower income schools--teachers at both of those schools are excellent. Every career has your good and your bad employees. There are bad teachers; however, I contend that bad teachers can be at good schools and have good test scores, simply because of the families that those children come from.

charz- Absolutely- can't disagree with you there. Teaching is a calling, period. Or should be. All kids deserve good teachers. Once upon a time, I taught kids in a supposedly good, almost brand new, suburban school whose parents failed miserably at following up when I attempted to contact them with concerns about their students.

Test scores and statistics are not the only factors, but a move from several hours away makes them a necessary starting point to look at.

[UTVols98]

I personally went to every single Farragut school (Primary, Intermediate, Middle, and High) from 1998-2011 and I LOVED all the schools. There are tons of Honors, AP, and duel-enrollment at the HS level. Every single teacher I had from K-5 was spectacular. From 6-12 the set up is obviously different and one has many more teacher, which brings me to charz's point that there are obviously good and bad teachers no matter what situation. The guidance office is also on point. With all these programs I graduated High School with 22 college credit hours already and made it into UT first round. My final comment on the subject is: don't move to Farragut for the school, even though its good. If you truly want to move there do it because you want to move somewhere that's got the perfect mix of small-town and big-city. And because the lakes, cliffs, beautiful houses, rolling hills, and pristine view of the mountains is what TN is all about.