CURRENT Cordova/Shelby County (Memphis, Bartlett: foreclosures, work, special needs)

[worried4kids]

I'm so confused and scared to death after reading all these things here. My husband and I are looking to moving to the Cordova area. How do we stay in the Shelby schools? And are those better? What's wrong with Cordova High school? we have 2 kids. One is 11 with high functioning autism. The other is 16 with a learning disability. My son currently attends a private special ed school in Illinois. It's as awesome as you can possibly get. My daughter attends an "ok" high school, and I'm getting a Master's in teaching. I've had to fight for their educations before, and I'm willing to do it again, but what am I up against? I know there's a ton of private schools, but my son's school is paid for by our school district here in Illinois. We're not broke or anything, but are we going to be defeating the purpose of moving with high tuition costs?

And what's bad about Cordova? Is there a lot of crime? Is there a Cordova or is it considered Memphis? How does this all work? SOMEONE PLEASE HELP. I'm so confused!!!

[tippster]

Cordova was annexed by Memphis. People don't like living in Memphis so they are selling their homes for nothing to get out of there. The general concensus is, if you live in an area annexed by Memphis, taxes and crime go up. If you live in Cordova, you're going to be sending your kids to Memphis City Schools.

With that being said, please do not send your kids to Cordova High School. There are a lot of problems at that school. I've known teachers and administrators that were threatened daily at that school (by students). Needless to say, they got out of there as fast as they could. I would suggest one or two things. Move to another area of town, Germantown, Collierville or Bartlett. Those are areas that cannot be annexed by Memphis and you would be sending your kids to Shelby County schools. Or if you insist on living in Cordova, I would put your kids in private school.

[Jillyp]

Hi there - just wondered why you are focusing on Cordova rather than some of the other really great suburban areas like Collierville and Germantown with great school districts - we are currently living in Collierville (for the last 6 years ) and love it - we couldn't be happier with the elementary school system in Shelby Cty - we are moving soon to Raleigh NC due to hubby's work but we will miss it .....

[Pearlbob]

Most of Cordova is considered Memphis City Schools. Not really a way to get around that. If you want county schools, consider moving to a county district. Cordova would not be the way to go. Schools will only get worse there.

[worried4kids]

Originally Posted by Jillyp

Hi there - just wondered why you are focusing on Cordova rather than some of the other really great suburban areas like Collierville and Germantown with great school districts - we are currently living in Collierville (for the last 6 years ) and love it - we couldn't be happier with the elementary school system in Shelby Cty - we are moving soon to Raleigh NC due to hubby's work but we will miss it .....

well, my husband has formed a friendship, and this friend told him that Cordova was great for him and his family. (he's right by the mall) So, we went with it and really the prices attracted us. Collierville and Germantown seem out of our range, but maybe that will be what we have to do. My daughter has one more year in HS (after this upcoming one) and I've now heard from everyone that Cordova HS is awful. She's in special education as well, and is a bit naive at times. A school like that will be detrimental to her success!

The private schools wont work for her, because she needs the special education services. A private special ed school wouldn't probably be best for her either as she needs that feeling of being around others. My son can go to a private special education school. The trick will be finding one that works for him.

Thanks everyone!!

[Pearlbob]

Cordova can be a great place to live, but if your #1 priority is a good high school, it might be best to live elsewhere. The prices in Cordova are low because people don't want to like there now - it's Memphis City. It might take some work, but I'm sure you could find something in your range in Bartlett, Germantown, or Collierville. Even Arlington, or go into MS into Southaven.

[strumpeace]

If by 'right by the mall', you mean Countrywood, I would strongly recommend against moving there. An quick overview of housing stats will show you that Countrywood is the next Hickory Hill (albeit a smaller version). In fact, iirc, foreclosures in Countrywood are currently even with Hickory Hill. Scary thought.

BTW, not all of Cordova has been annexed.

[Pearlbob]

I would also suggest reading the viewpoints on here, and talking to many other residents as well. While I respect your friend's opinion, he is just one person. What one person loves about a neighborhood may not be what the majority likes or what you will like. Cordova may be great for him and his family, but I (along with some others who have posted) are quick to point out Cordova would NOT be great for our families. So it's all a matter of preference.

[mzloolue]

Any of the Shelby County HS would be good.

There are areas of Bartlett that are not far from parts of Cordova and are in excellent school districts. For example, the Cherry Valley area is very near the mall and has moderately priced homes in a good school district. There are moderately priced areas in Ellendale which is also not far from the area you are talking about. If you are looking at more expensive homes, look at the Davieshire and Brunswick areas.

You could call the Shelby County Schools Main Office and ask to speak to a secondary special ed supervisor. I'm sure that they could help you find out exactly what programs are available in each school. You could also probably arrange to speak with someone in special ed at the particular school that you are interested in.
It would also be a good way to get to know some of the staff people before school starts.
And when you have special needs kids you have to learn how to be a squeaky wheel and stay closely involved with the school, in a positive way, you know.

[worried4kids]

Originally Posted by mzloolue

Any of the Shelby County HS would be good.

There are areas of Bartlett that are not far from parts of Cordova and are in excellent school districts. For example, the Cherry Valley area is very near the mall and has moderately priced homes in a good school district. There are moderately priced areas in Ellendale which is also not far from the area you are talking about. If you are looking at more expensive homes, look at the Davieshire and Brunswick areas.

You could call the Shelby County Schools Main Office and ask to speak to a secondary special ed supervisor. I'm sure that they could help you find out exactly what programs are available in each school. You could also probably arrange to speak with someone in special ed at the particular school that you are interested in.
It would also be a good way to get to know some of the staff people before school starts.
And when you have special needs kids you have to learn how to be a squeaky wheel and stay closely involved with the school, in a positive way, you know.

Thanks! I actually did call shelby county special education and have yet to receive a phone call back! I've been the squeaky wheel for many, many years in Illinois. I've had to go as far as filing complaints with our state board of education. I just really don't want it to come to that, but I'll do it if needed. I'll go to due process, and all of that. I advocate for all special needs kids, the ones I tutor and my own.

After reading everything here, and talking to some mom's on an autism support group, we decided against Cordova. Even his friend's kids both go to private schools. But even so, I'm not interested in being scared to go to sleep at night. We're leaning towards Bartlett or Atoka and have found some wonderful homes. My son will drown in a school with anything more than a couple hundred kids. So, he'll be private, and we've found a couple options.

But my daughter will love and will flourish in a larger high school, so I guess that Bartlett High will be it for her. Every single house we look at, I do a Zone search for schools and make sure it's not Cordova or Memphis City schools. I've been fortunate so far.

All this information is great. Thank you and if anyone else has anything, I would appreciate it!