Want to move to Memphis....... (Knoxville, Germantown: homes, neighborhoods, best schools)

[magicstorm]

Hi. Im a 33 year old white female. I have an 11yr old daughter and am considering moving to the memphis area. I dont know much about it except that i visited it there before. what are good areas to move and good schools for my daughter? I am from new jersey and am sick of it however, i guess the schools are pretty good here and the area im at is pretty safe but im looking for some help for the memphis area and any challenges that we might have. Could someone help me with this?? everyone seemed sooo nice and friendly when i was there. thanks, sharon

[tennreb]

The good public schools are in the suburban areas. Arlington, Germantown, Collierville, and Desoto County (Miss.) have good public schools and are safe communities. Germantown and Collierville are the nicest and have the best schools, but they are the most expensive.

[Pearlbob]

Memphis city schools are overall very bad. There of course are some good ones here and there, but they are hard to get into. The majority of middle to upper class people in the city send their children to private schools.

Outside in the county schools, they are much better for the most part. As mentioned above, any of those school districts are leaps and bounds better than the city schools.

[laurin867]

hi! white station is the best public school in memphis, hands down. it has an optional program(don't know if you're familiar with this) but basically your child takes a test (which is a very reasonable judge of knowledge) and she'll be in a kind of honors program (this just assures that she'll be receiving a higher level of education, whereas the "standard" students, as they're called go at a slower pace and tend to be FAR less driven) its a fantastic school, and they just built a brand new middle school. the high school receives national recognition (it was voted as one of the top 1000 schools in the nation by Newsweek) a safe bet as far as neighborhoods go is East Memphis... its safe, tons of kids, friendly neighbors, etc.,etc. you get the safety of suburbia with the convenience of city-life. the average price in my neighborhood is about 170,000. check it out, and see what you find. hope this helps!

[laurin867]

just as a side note because i just read the above posts.... mississippi schools in general is just a BAD idea. i've gone to a school in mississippi and i can attest to their lack of academic excellence. i had a larger vocabulary than my 9th grade english teacher... and i'm not exaggerating. arlington, no. it is true that memphis city schools dont have a great reputation, but white station has remained consistent throughout. in recent years, germantown has attracted some "not so attractive" groups if you get what i'm trying to say. it's not the school it used to be. i just praise white station so much for its academics and diverse student body... and because i go there, and its been the best years of my life. and in all honesty, facts don't lie. its # 353 by the way.

[strumpeace]

You guys take those rankings quite seriously, eh? I wouldn't put much stock into a ranking by Newsweek if I were you. Perhaps 353 is shortchanging White Station.

Just out of curiosity -- Are the students in the optional program and the 'regular' students in the same building all day? Is the optional program physically separated somehow?

Thanks.

[xtapdancinghobo]

Hey Lauren, White Station isn't number 353 by the way...it's number 931.
I think you were looking at the 2003 statistic. There's been a drop now. Also, only White Station High School and Cordova High School (#1187) from Memphis made it on there this year.

The 1,200 Top U.S. Schools - Newsweek America's Best High Schools - MSNBC.com (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12532678/site/newsweek/ - broken link)

[kdmartin]

I agree with TENNREB and PearlBOB. As they say I was born and raised there. Lived in the area 51 years, Collierville, Memphis, and Desoto County Mississippi, near the city of Olive Branch. I am so glad I am out. All my family are still there in the Desoto County area, one sister is a teacher there. If I had to go back with a child in school I would go to the Hernando area, its growing now, depending on your income Olive Branch has some lower end priced homes. Southaven is way to busy/crowded, Memphis seems to be flowing over in that direction. You are correct in stating they are friendly, southerners are just that way, its what I miss most. Check out other cities in Tennessee, see the web site Great Schools.net, some of Tennessees best schools are north between Nashville and Knoxville. My step daughter loves Nashville, she's your age.
I've heard rumors that Memphis is having major financial problems
Best Wishes

[tennreb]

Originally Posted by kdmartin

I agree with TENNREB and PearlBOB. As they say I was born and raised there. Lived in the area 51 years, Collierville, Memphis, and Desoto County Mississippi, near the city of Olive Branch. I am so glad I am out. All my family are still there in the Desoto County area, one sister is a teacher there. If I had to go back with a child in school I would go to the Hernando area, its growing now, depending on your income Olive Branch has some lower end priced homes. Southaven is way to busy/crowded, Memphis seems to be flowing over in that direction. You are correct in stating they are friendly, southerners are just that way, its what I miss most. Check out other cities in Tennessee, see the web site Great Schools.net, some of Tennessees best schools are north between Nashville and Knoxville. My step daughter loves Nashville, she's your age.
I've heard rumors that Memphis is having major financial problems
Best Wishes

White Station's optional program is easily the best public school in the area. Many say it is the best in the state. Memphis isn't having financial problems as they recently achieved a high bond rating and had a budget surplus. As an outsider, I would probably choose Nashville over Memphis.

[magicstorm]

so are u saying that olive branch is ok to live in or no? and hernando area is good,right?

i kinda wanted to stay on the memphis side rather than nashville.....are there any other good areas around there affordable? hahha....i guess u guys have told me them all. sorry.hahah