North Attleboro vs Franklin vs Wrentham Schools (Boston, Tewksbury: relocation, house)

[Demetra]

Hi! I'd really appreciate hearing how the schools in North Attleboro, Franklin and Wrentham compare to each other. I really haven't heard too much about North Attleboro. It's the closest town to a potential job offer in Rhode Island. I'm interested in both the middle schools and the high schools. Thank you!

[CaseyB]

Wrentham Middle and High School students are part of the King Philip School District along with the smaller towns of Norfolk and Plainville. The high school is in Wrentham and the middle school is in Norfolk. So if you were looking to buy in Wrentham you might want to look into Plainville too since the school is the same.

I would personally choose King Philip or Franklin High over North Attleborough High.

[findingmesomeday]

I don't know about N. Attleboro or Frankin HS but I've heard K.P. has its share of problems.

[Demetra]

NChomesomeday can you please elaborate on the problems you know about at K.P. High School?

CaseyB thanks for the info on Plainville and Norfolk. It was helpful.

[aomething]

We just moved from N. A to Tewksbury, hubby 's job transferred. We didn't have a bad thing to say about the NA school district. As a matter of fact, 2 of my neighbors had their kids all attend NA High and they all turned out just fine. 2 were on the football team and 4 of them were honor students.

Good luck with your options. I loved living in NA, but had to move, so it wasn't anything bad about the schools.

[findingmesomeday]

Demetra, most of what I've heard has come from parents in Norfolk and Wrentham, whose kids play hockey with my son. There are several regional high school districts in the Boston suburbs but there are more than just 2-3 towns involved in K.P. The school is very large and many parents feel that the supervisory committee or school board is disjointed, having to represent so many towns. There have been reports of bullying (probably is bullying at every school but I've heard more complaints from parents of K.P. students). The school scores are not the best, the teachers are inconsistent (again, I'm reporting what the parents are saying).

Many families I know in Norfolk and Wrentham were pleased with the elementary level but pulled their kids either before middle or high school or after the first year or two at KP and put them in Catholic school or private school.

[CaseyB]

Wow, some real misinformation here.

First of all, there is not "more than just 2-3 towns involved in KP". There are 3; Norfolk, Plainville and Wrentham. Norfolk and Plainville were once part of Wrentham, so there is a historic link there. There are NO other towns involved.

As far as the size goes, KP and North Attleborough have approximately the same number of students, KP about 1200 and North about 1250. Franklin, on the other hand is a much larger school - at least 1600 kids go there.

Regarding the MCAS scores, Franklin has the best, followed by KP and then North Attleborough. If the district decided to jettison the town of Plainville and only include Norfolk and Wrentham students, then you might see different results, but that won't happen and it wouldn't be fair.

I haven't heard of any recent accounts of bullying in any of these schools

I don't know if you have boys or girls or what their interests are but North Attleborough is a powerhouse in sports, especially football. Franklin has good sports teams, but not to the same degree. KP in comparison, doesn't have a strong sports programs. They do have a wonderful music program and the marching band has won several national awards, but if I had a kid who wanted to play for a strong hockey team, or even football, I would no doubt be taking a look at other options for high school.

[findingmesomeday]

Franklin is in the Hockomock league. VERY competitive. I also hear they are a good LAX town. Don't know about hockey but would expect they have a good team.

My info in KP came from talking with parents at the ice rink. Thanks for correcting the erroneous info. I tried to state several times that what I was passing along were comments from parents of KP students, not my own experience.

[Moving_Mama]

We too are considering a relocation. The job would be in Pawtucket and I am wondering if there are any other communities (besides the 3 previously discussed) in MA we should consider? Other options are in RI but I have read that the taxes are so much higher - sales, income, property so we are leaning toward MA. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. We are moving from the #1 school district in California so finding great schools is very important to us. Thanks!

[lorilou]

Originally Posted by Demetra

Hi! I'd really appreciate hearing how the schools in North Attleboro, Franklin and Wrentham compare to each other. I really haven't heard too much about North Attleboro. It's the closest town to a potential job offer in Rhode Island. I'm interested in both the middle schools and the high schools. Thank you!

Hello Demetra,
we moved to Franklin from TX one year ago, and the transition has been favorable. Franklin, as others have mentioned, is a rather friendly and welcoming town. My family (including two teenagers) had adjusted quite well over the past year. However, what's the old saying?..."if I only knew then what I know now..." Depending upon where you are relocating from, Franklin high school is something you need to consider. There are very good elementary & jr. high schools; several to choose from that are good. BUT, I now have regrets about sending my kids to FHS. I would like to send them both to private now, but both have protested that then they would have to start all over again...which is not easy at their age (in fact, it's hell). There are definitely some good kids in Franklin, but there is certainly another segment that is a force to be reckoned with. If your kids are good students, keep them in honors classes, put them in music & sports programs, and that helps. On the other hand, I also see one positive angle, which is that in "real life" our kids will need to cope with all segments of society...so on that score, this is a good thing. I don't want to represent FHS as an awful school...it's better than many! Just know that there are issues. Feel free to message me in private if you would like further details.