Baldwin county school opinions....

[seeled]

Thanks for that information. So would you consider Robertsdale interior county? That is the area is we are looking at now.
Every school will have it's ups and down's. I hate to base it soley on test scores since I know how they can be misleading. I teach and HATE HATE HATE state wide testing. I would rather have locals opinions.
We are planning on visiting the area again(3rd time this year) over Thanksgiving. Then we plan on being back no later than mid-March to hopefully find a house.

[downtowndoll]

Originally Posted by seeled

Thanks for that information. So would you consider Robertsdale interior county? That is the area is we are looking at now.
Every school will have it's ups and down's. I hate to base it soley on test scores since I know how they can be misleading. I teach and HATE HATE HATE state wide testing. I would rather have locals opinions.
We are planning on visiting the area again(3rd time this year) over Thanksgiving. Then we plan on being back no later than mid-March to hopefully find a house.

I consider Robertsdale interior county and wouldn't send my children there. That doesn't mean it's a "bad" school. Just unfashionable, if that makes sense. In other words, if you tell Mobilians or someone from Fairhope you are going to Robertsdale, they are going to be thinking to themselves, "What?!?" Just like when one of our friends in Midtown decides to move and we are shocked to find that they didn't move to where everyone goes: Midtown or Springhill, the Rivers, the Bay, over the Baybut instead moved to West Mobile! LOL!!!
Believe me,the locals aren't making decisions based on test scores.... I bet none of the parents at UMS-Wright or St. Paul's has a CLUE what the scores are!!!

My opinions probably get on a lot of people's nerves, but I think if you are smart enough to read city-data, then you deserve to see the whole picture. I've been in this area for 15 years and I wish someone had sat me down and just been "real". Like" Don't live in that area- I know it seems fine but it is not" or whatever.

The people I know are not even going to the MOST popular public schools of Daphne,Spanish Fort, Fairhope; they are sending their children to private: Bayside. There is a lot of overcrowding over there, from what I hear. Probably most of the decision of going private (to Bayside ) is trying to control who your children are around & who is influencing them.


Really, when you look at the scoring, even 80th percentile is decent. I don't know why people talk about how bad any of the schools are. 15 years ago, scores were really low in both Alabama & Mississippi. And you are right, scores aren't everything. Know a great inner city school in Mobile that has crazy high scores(98th percentile), well-behaved students, but I don't think I would want mine there. There are still some kids from some rough families there. And middle school- high school is when the problems begin. And that's where schools are known as "good" or not. They are talking about who goes there.

Robertsdale is fine, I'm sure. It's hard to tell with the public schools because there can be an upswing, then 5 years later, a downswing in the school. You will just need to ask the principal if she/he can show you around. If you see a lot of unkempt, scruffy kids- even half of the kids, run! If 80% of them are all cute, seem well-taken care of, happy.....sign them up! But do actually try to check out the areas and check out the actual students. Some people don't care about what school is in fashion, etc. and that's great- wish the world could be like that. But later, you may wish you had sent them to one of the fashionable schools. Just sayin'! It's one of the things I don't like about this area (that where you go to school is such an "issue"), but it is, like it or not.

[BeachMom1970]

I have children at Orange Beach Elementary and at Gulf Shores High School. We have been nothing but pleased with all the island schools. Teacher to student ratio is small and therefore the students seem to receive more attention. I am originally from Montgomery, so I know what a bad school system is like. Schools were one of the main reasons I moved to Orange Beach. Hope this helps and good luck.
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[seeled]

I know to a teenager, being with the "in crowd" is important. What is important to me is our kids can get an education where they can get into a college without taking remedial classes. I also want them to feel safe.We all know there are school who are more prone to drugs, weapons, racial issues, being made fun of for not having the "right" clothes, etc. I would rather deal with this a little as possible. Don't get me wrong, our kids are spoiled and pretty much have the "right" clothes. (what brand is the "right clothes there?) I would like the teachers/administration to be supportive of the kids also. They all say that, but which ones actually do it? It would also be nice if the school had afterschool tutoring if needed. Thanks again!

[downtowndoll]

Originally Posted by seeled

I know to a teenager, being with the "in crowd" is important. What is important to me is our kids can get an education where they can get into a college without taking remedial classes. I also want them to feel safe.We all know there are school who are more prone to drugs, weapons, racial issues, being made fun of for not having the "right" clothes, etc. I would rather deal with this a little as possible. Don't get me wrong, our kids are spoiled and pretty much have the "right" clothes. (what brand is the "right clothes there?) I would like the teachers/administration to be supportive of the kids also. They all say that, but which ones actually do it? It would also be nice if the school had afterschool tutoring if needed. Thanks again!

I'm sure there is tutoring somewhere, but in general, people tend to contract tutors on their own time. It's not usually provided by the school or the teachers. Some of the private schools will offer it. Then they stop offering it, so I don't want to even say who because they probably changed it yesterday!

At most of the public high schools, you are not going to have a problem getting into college provided the school has a full curriculum of AP (Advanced Placement) classes. Usually, they do. Daphne, Fairhope Highs will. They are even working on getting International Baccalaureate (even more advanced than the American-based AP courses) courses, like Murphy High in Midtown Mobile(average ACT score of these IB Murphy students is a 31!) . IB didn't seem to make a big difference in making my son appeal to selective schools like I thought it would. I think we would have been better off doing AP classes and making all a's. But IB gave him a GREAT education.

Check those interior county schools, but they probably have all of them. I'd still check that because it goes back to the demand of what the students want. Rural communities may have less people wanting to do that. There's also a lot of migrant workers over that way. That all may or may not affect the interior high schools.

Daphne, Spanish Fort, & Fairhope students will have a lot of students wanting to take advanced classes. Same with Gulf Shores High- you know, the wealthier demographic there. Therefore, they will have the most AP or IB course selections. Taking less than AP is usually not an option for middle to upper middle class(quite a bit of Daphne and Fairhope people), unless your child has some learning problems.

Exceptions will be inner city schools in dangerous sections of Mobile, like Williamson High School. I know that they don't have full AP courses and a church had to pay for more so they could at least have it available if a student wanted to try to get into a selective college. The problem was VAST majority there didn't want to take those kind of courses. SAD. It was hard to offer that to just 3 students.

Right brand of clothes? Wow, depends on school. Abercrombie & Fitch and American Eagle for my son's public high school. It is completely different at the private schools: Vineyard Vines, Lacoste, etc. LOL! Target is popular at both, oddly enough! Not sure about shoes. Mine aren't into that.

[seeled]

[quote=downtowndoll;6407224]I'm sure there is tutoring somewhere, but in general, people tend to contract tutors on their own time. It's not usually provided by the school or the teachers. Some of the private schools will offer it. Then they stop offering it, so I don't want to even say who because they probably changed it yesterday!

This seems odd to me considering that almost every school that I know of in Arkansas offers afterschool tutoring to any child that wants it. Some even offer to pay to go to Sylvan. Maybe I can get a second job tutoring...haha

Of course, with all the financial trouble it seems AL has by not even being able to pay there teachers, it shouldn't surprise me. We were at Gulf Shores over Thanksgiving. We visited every town in the county. It looked as if everyone of them was getting new schools! How can they afford new schools but not to pay the teachers!?!

Since AL is having trouble paying the schools, are they not paying the people that work at the prisons also?

[cricket36580]

Baldwin county doesn't have any problem paying their teachers. It's the richest county in the state by a long shot. (it's also the largest populated county east of the Mississippi River.) Also, those new buildings have been in the works and the budget for several years. The biggest project I believe is Robertsdale elementary...that school was on the verge of being condemned. The building was so old and had so many issues, it was either build a new one or ship all of those kids to another school. Summerdale just opened it's new gym this year. Since that school's inception, kids have had to play sports and have gym classes in what amounted to a chapel.

Both of my children go to Summerdale. One of them is in middle school and the other one is in elementary. I've been very happy with this school. It's smaller, the kids get individual attention, it's not cliquey, clean, and the teachers really care about the students. The principal knows all of the students by name. It's a wonderful school. It may not be the richest in money but it's certainly got other things going for it. Now, Summerdale the community is another story...I don't really like the town but...

Before S'dale, both of my kids went to Silverhill Elementary. I cried when we had to leave that school. You want private school? This one might as well be. Cathy runs a very tight ship but it's FABULOUS.

Before the 2 who are in school now, the 2 older kids went to Robertsdale and Fairhope. Of those 2 schools, I wouldn't put my kids through Fairhope if someone paid me a million dollars to do it. I yanked him out of there before the first 6 weeks was over and ended up homeschooling him. The drugs are absolutely out of control in that school. Robertsdale High is really a very good school. Yes, it's a little "rougher" - God, I love the euphamism - meaning the majority of the students in this school are from agricultural background or they aren't exactly wealthy. Again, teachers and administrative staff all know the students, they really do care about them as individuals, and despite the "rough" exterior - try to teach a higher amibition than a triple wide on a acre of land. Robertsdale is becoming much more diverse due to the housing costs in other parts of the county so keep that in mind.

As for Bayside, I would no more put my kids in that school than I would eat glass. If I wanted them to know how to own and manage a meth lab, that would be one thing. I don't so I won't. And if my child EVER acted like those kids they wouldn't be able to sit down for a month. Both of my kids play sports and I am constantly appalled at both the parents and the kids from that school. Maybe it's supposed to be ok to act like that if you're paying $3k a month tuition, I don't know.

I can't speak from experience about any of the other schools. I know kids in Daphne (both high and elementary) and they seem to really like it there. The only experience I have with Spanish Fort is their football team and we whip them every time we play them.

[downtowndoll]

Originally Posted by cricket36580

Baldwin county doesn't have any problem paying their teachers. It's the richest county in the state by a long shot. (it's also the largest populated county east of the Mississippi River.) Also, those new buildings have been in the works and the budget for several years. The biggest project I believe is Robertsdale elementary...that school was on the verge of being condemned. The building was so old and had so many issues, it was either build a new one or ship all of those kids to another school. Summerdale just opened it's new gym this year. Since that school's inception, kids have had to play sports and have gym classes in what amounted to a chapel.

Both of my children go to Summerdale. One of them is in middle school and the other one is in elementary. I've been very happy with this school. It's smaller, the kids get individual attention, it's not cliquey, clean, and the teachers really care about the students. The principal knows all of the students by name. It's a wonderful school. It may not be the richest in money but it's certainly got other things going for it. Now, Summerdale the community is another story...I don't really like the town but...

Before S'dale, both of my kids went to Silverhill Elementary. I cried when we had to leave that school. You want private school? This one might as well be. Cathy runs a very tight ship but it's FABULOUS.

Before the 2 who are in school now, the 2 older kids went to Robertsdale and Fairhope. Of those 2 schools, I wouldn't put my kids through Fairhope if someone paid me a million dollars to do it. I yanked him out of there before the first 6 weeks was over and ended up homeschooling him. The drugs are absolutely out of control in that school. Robertsdale High is really a very good school. Yes, it's a little "rougher" - God, I love the euphamism - meaning the majority of the students in this school are from agricultural background or they aren't exactly wealthy. Again, teachers and administrative staff all know the students, they really do care about them as individuals, and despite the "rough" exterior - try to teach a higher amibition than a triple wide on a acre of land. Robertsdale is becoming much more diverse due to the housing costs in other parts of the county so keep that in mind.

As for Bayside, I would no more put my kids in that school than I would eat glass. If I wanted them to know how to own and manage a meth lab, that would be one thing. I don't so I won't. And if my child EVER acted like those kids they wouldn't be able to sit down for a month. Both of my kids play sports and I am constantly appalled at both the parents and the kids from that school. Maybe it's supposed to be ok to act like that if you're paying $3k a month tuition, I don't know.

I can't speak from experience about any of the other schools. I know kids in Daphne (both high and elementary) and they seem to really like it there. The only experience I have with Spanish Fort is their football team and we whip them every time we play them.

Great post! This is exactly what the original poster needs to know.
Ha!
But when I say "rougher", I'm not talking about "not wealthy" or "from an agricultural background" -

I'm talking about truly rough kids who run around cussing and hitting each other. I'm not talking about having some typical fun. Like I said in an earlier post, I volunteer and see children from both counties. When a school comes that is noticeably "bad", you can't help BUT notice!

I'm sure many of those type of kids can be avoided if your child is able to take advanced classes. But what if they aren't? Then you need to make sure your child is in the safest place. That's all I'm trying to say.

On the other hand, as a former teacher, I personally know that private schools will try to cover up bad situations. You won't hear about their stuff on the news, believe me. Which is not fair, and I think there should be a law requiring them to go public with their assaults, petty crime, etc. records just like public has to. Public schools are required to report that type of stuff.

My friends who live over there live in Spanish Fort, Daphne, or Fairhope. They have kids only in elementary in either public or at Bayside. The Spanish Fort ones are really happy, it seems. The Bayside ones are happy. The Fairhope ones, not so much. (But one of them has bad kids, frankly.) One of theirs is a middle school-aged child. They are in some small private school now, not Bayside.

Middle school and high school are bad years no matter where you are!!