Williamson vs Other Counties (Murfreesboro, Franklin: homes, movie theater, middle school)

[RelocatingToNC2012]

Can someone plese DM me and explain how I can start a new thread? I am going crazy trying to find it on here. Thank you

[El Passeaux]

i am glad this was brought up. It sounds like the OP is not from the Brookline, Weston, Newton area so with that being said, I would say where he is coming from, most of the above choices are going to be an upgrade of schools for their kids. The advantage of Tennessee in your case is now you can move into a better school district than you are in now because you can afford a better neighborhood.

[septimus]

Originally Posted by El Passeaux

i am glad this was brought up. It sounds like the OP is not from the Brookline, Weston, Newton area so with that being said, I would say where he is coming from, most of the above choices are going to be an upgrade of schools for their kids. The advantage of Tennessee in your case is now you can move into a better school district than you are in now because you can afford a better neighborhood.

I agree. I think he said Taunton in an earlier post. I mentioned the budget cuts because I have a friend that teaches in a district near Taunton and every year for the last 3 years she's been given a pink slip at the end of the year because they don't know if they're going to have to cut her because of the budget (she teaches a "special")

[seanf12]

Originally Posted by nashvols

I hope you don't take this the wrong way, but if you want your kids to not be exposed to the behaviors and attitudes of some of the less fortunate kids, then you probably should just consider a private school.

No taken the wrong way at all...we're just trying to diminish the exposure sort to speak. We live in Taunton, MA and that sort of environment is what you will find in 90% of the city\schools. We'd like to significantly improve on that number

Taunton is the exact opposite of a Brookline\Newton\Sudbury etc. We actually live in one of the few decent neighborhoods in Taunton, but the problem is that all of the other not-so-good neighborhods all feed across the entire school system. Our only option is to leave Taunton altogether from that perspective.

It sounds like at the end of the day, no matter where we choose, it will be decent upgrade over where we are today, which is our main goal.

We're visiting the area for a week starting July 14, and we plan to explore all of these areas and start setting some appts. for house showings.

Thanks everyone for your input! These boards are awesome and have become invaluable to our move. Please keep the opinions coming!

[seanf12]

Originally Posted by septimus

I agree. I think he said Taunton in an earlier post. I mentioned the budget cuts because I have a friend that teaches in a district near Taunton and every year for the last 3 years she's been given a pink slip at the end of the year because they don't know if they're going to have to cut her because of the budget (she teaches a "special")

Yep, taunton has gone through the same thing the past few years. This year, because of a one-time "settlement" with the union in order to settle grievances from last year's layoffs, they agreed to no layoffs. But next year the teacher's contract needs to be renewed so all bets are off as to what happens. I have zero confidence that the kids interested will be protected during the contract negotiation

[El Passeaux]

Tauton gets an overall grade of 4 on great schools
Hendersonville gets a 9
Mt Juliet a 9
Smyrna an 8
Not sure how the grades are calculated but that should give you an idea you are moving into a better area.

[vivelafrance]

I think one of the biggest differences is that Williamson is heavily suburbanized whereas with Wilson and Sumner you have upscale suburban areas near the Nashville border but then the rest of those counties is mostly rural/small town. I think that schools in Wilson and Sumner that zone to the high schools of Beech, Hendersonville, Station Camp, Mt Juliet, And Wilson Central are perfectly comparable to Williamson schools.

Summer County also has a k-12 magnet school that was recently ranked as the 3rd best school in the state ahead of the Williamson schools and will add an IB program at Beech HS in the 2013-2014 school year.

[S4F]

Sounds like no matter where you land it's going to be an upgrade. I think you also find the friendlessness of the community also translates into overall better schools in this area regardless of which county you choose.

Someone referred to social strata in being somewhat of a determinate in the making of "good" schools. I think that has some merit. I seem to find that when I go to a sporting event my enjoyment is somewhat determined by the price of the seats. Not because the more costly seats are closer to the action or have a better view, but because of those who are enjoying the event around me. I think to some extent the same could be said for schools and the surrounding community.

I don't think you would be disappointed in any of the schools in the Mt. Juliet area.

[El Passeaux]

Think of it locally as you get to move to say Stoughton when you move down here if you choose Mt Juliet or Hendersonville. Franklin would be even one level above that.

[williamsonprospers]

Check out school rankings, and the TN DOE report card here - Education – Williamson Prospers - if you're looking for the best schools.