Any opinions on Bailey Station Elementary or other Collierville/Germantown schools?

[ColliervilleMom]

thanks for the link, Bailey Station is blank. I guess it's because it's a new school, I'm still curious where the original poster got the data about the academic rating of Bailey Station. Like I said, I have heard good things about it, but not academic ratings.

[mkim]

consideringamovetomemphis- I'm not sure what kind of data you are looking for, but like I mentioned, I look at GreatSchools.net and you can find all the public school test scores on there, which also includes student ethnicity, parent comments and a couple other things. Not lots of detail but it gives you a basic idea. Hope that helps.

[GENETTA76]

Originally Posted by mkim

Pearlbob- I didn't even think there may be that discrepancy btwn Shelby Co and the option programs in Memphis. I guess because it sounds so competitive to get into. So I do feel somewhat better about Bailey Station but the school year will tell us more of course. If I have to I'll go private but don't want to as a first choice.

Tigergal- Thanx for the links to the info. Its definitely good to know.

I'M A MOTHER OF FOUR TWO OF MY CHILDREN GOES TO COLLIERVILLE MIDDLE SCHOOL AND THE OTHER TWO TARA OAKS ELEM AND THERE IS A VERY BIG DIFFERENCE IN THE COUNTY AND THE CITY SCHOOL MY OLDEST WENT TO A CTY SCHOOL BEFORE AND IT WAS SUPPOSE TO BE AN ACCELERATED SCHOOL I THINK NOT I WOULD NOT CHANGE THE SCHOOL SYSTEM FOR NOTHING IN THE WORLD AS FAR AS THE COUNTY AND THE CITY COUNTY SCHOOL SYSTEM HAS MY VOTE ALL HANDS DOWN.

[ansley73]

I personally would not ever send any of my children to any Memphis CITY School - big thumbs down. If you are moving to the Memphis area and would like to send your children to a public school, Collierville or the Germantown area are your best options.
Also, you should be aware that not all Shelby County schools rank the same. Collierville schools rank top in the nation. I have personally had experience with my son in Collierville schools. He has gone to Crosswind, Collierville Elementary and now Bailey Station. Out of the three, Bailey Station ranks highest with our family. Crosswind is next, then Collierville Elementary (the original elementary school in Collierville) Bailey Station and Crosswind both seem to be ahead of CES. I have a family member in Riverdale Elementary (in Germantown) and they love it as much as we do our school.
The only thing about Collierville is that they have changed zones so many times with the growing population, we have had to change schools several times. But the overall outcome far surpasses any Memphis city school. If you were to move within Memphis City limits, I would only suggest a private school if academics and safety are important to your family. Of course these are my opinions, and seems there are a few that do agree here about the Memphis city school system. Bottom line is, I would definitely want to be in the Shelby County district. Again, do be aware that not all shelby county schools are equal, there are some rough spots. Some areas are far better than others. We would definitely send our son to a private school if we did not live in Collierville.
Good luck with your move, and welcome to the Memphis area : )

Ansley

[DubbleT]

mkim,
It's been a few years since elementary school age, but my kids went through the MCS optional programs, including WSMS and WSHS, so I might be able to clear a few things up.

The first thing I want to try to clear up is the confusion that is caused by the optional programs that are set up as a "school within a school". Please do not think that because these schools show up as deficient on the state "report card" that the optional programs are not good. The optional students share the school with more tradtional students, and the state ranks all the students in the school together. It can be very misleading since there are students of wildly differing academic abilities all lumped together in the report card. They don't differentiate the programs in their reports. You might be able to contact the optional schools office at the MCS board of education and get a more accurate assesment on the test scores of the optional students, or perhaps contact the principal of one of the schools. WSHS optional program turns out students that can hold their own with the best students in the state, they pull in tons of academic scholarships, and many go on to top tier colleges.

On a side note, these schools tend to have a diverse student body with kids from all races and socio econmic backgrounds, and it does make some parents uncomfortable. Your child will be sharing the same cafeteria, the same playground, library, music program, ect. with all the other students. It does not detract from the very good education to be had. The optional students have their own classrooms and their own teachers and are on a completely different academic track than the traditional students.
Most cities tend to have magnet schools where the whole school is on accelerated academics, and I've always thought it a bit odd that MCS chooses to use the "school within a school" idea.

Now, if you're still interested...
To get into the optional program you can apply anytime after first grade (which btw is when teachers make student recommendations for the programs). You can live anywhere in the city limits and apply to any optional program your child meets the requirements for. Application is in January or February I think. All optional programs are not created equal, make sure you enroll in the one thats meets your needs. The board of education used to have a booklet that explained the many different programs, and there was a "fair" where parents could talk to staff from the schools. Most of this info is on their website.
Qualifying students living in district get accepted over students living out of district. Once all the qualifying in district students are accepted the remaining slots are assigned on a first come basis. White Station and it's feeder elementarys are the most sought after programs and you will probably have to jump through a few hoops during the initial sign up. There used to be some awful application process where parents had to take numbers and show up for roll call every so often in order to keep their number, I don't know if they still do that though. The good news is that it's only a one time ordeal, once you've been accepted you simply renew your application each year.
Most parents wanting to go the WSMS /WSHS route start their kids out at Richland or sometimes Grahamwood or even Snowden Elementary school. The requirements for the optional programs differ from school to school, but if your child places at the 85th percentile on standardized testing (TCAP/Terra Nova) and has good conduct and attendance she should qualify. Most students applying for the optional programs get in, especially at the elementary level.
Getting into the C.L.U.E. program (gifted and talented) requires an IQ test and a portfolio. When my son was tested they used one of the WISC IQ tests. His portfolio consisted of school work, examples of creativity, and anecdotes that showed his abilty to use abstract reasoning. It'll be different for each child, depending on their particular strengths. If you want your child in CLUE it would be easiest to send her to a school that offers it. MCS will provide CLUE to a student whose school doesn't offer it onsite, but they make it a royal PITA to accomplish.

Feel free to ask if you have any questions, as you can see this is one of my favorite soapbox subjects.