Schools/Areas ...any feedback from natives or new arrivals? (Franklin: job market, middle school)

[Tiffany Thom]

Planning to move to Nashville next summer and starting to look for schools and housing.
My kids are very bright, my daughter vocally talented. Seems franklin is most realistic area.
Are any of the schools artsier or more geared for gifted students? IB appears to be open enrollment
If able to get in but most things I've read caution that it's too rigorous to permit a fun/normal high school experience. I'm actually open to living a little more rurally outside of Nashville in a quirkier setting but want a real Sense of community and definitely need a school That will challenge and offer the best to my two super smart kiddos ( who will be entering 8/9 next year) I'm artsy and grew up partly in New Orleans and partly on a cotton farm so am open to more rural setting but want culture too. Used to have family in Nashville ( my uncle was a songwriter) always loved it. Widowed and ready for a change and I've always wanted to live there and hear it's great place for schools, kids and I love the creative seemingly robust job market. Ready to charge into my second half ...anyone out there have thoughtful response to my ramble? If anyone has moved indecent years, what did you choose? Are you happy there? Grateful for any thoughts as I'm planning a trip there in January and would like to have more specifics to investigate when I come...

[septimus]

The two open zoned schools with IB programs that I'm aware of are Franklin High School in Williamson County and Hillsboro High School in metro. However I think you still have to apply to the IB program.

Gifted is considered special ed in Tennessee. To qualify you have to have a certain number of points on the rubric. the Rubric includes academic achievement, IQ score, regional and national awards and creativity (there is a test they give).

We used to be in Williamson county schools and the gifted program in our elementary school met our needs but middle school wasn't great. We had been told for years in elementary that when they get to middle/high it is better because they are ability grouped and tracked but then we got to middle and apparently because the kids could figure out which classes were the "smart" kids and which were not they decided to mix them all up. My son was bored, didn't have peers and didn't have to do any work.

[monkeyjo]

East Nashville or Hip Donelson may be for you. Metro has an Encore program for gifted learner's. McGavock HS is a choice for Band students, Stratford has academies. Lots of scholarship money available to Stratford grads. Both schools have made improvements but still have a ways to go. NSA is audition only. Academic Magnets are lottery, so good luck with that. And then there is Charter (Republic) which is extremely regimented. Honestly, if you can afford private or qualify for subsidy or tuition scholarship, I would recommend St. Cecilia, MBA, Father Ryan, JPII.

[NashNative]

I agree with monkeyjo. If you can afford private school, that would be the direction I would go. My daughter is in the "gifted" range, and this is the direction we have gone for middle school and high school. This is coming from an 18-year public educator as well. I truly feel she is getting a better education in a private school setting with smaller classes and more academic freedom. There are many fabulous private schools in Nashville. The school that jumps to mind when you say artsy and super smart is University School of Nashville.

[Tiffany Thom]

Thanks for taking the time to respond and to ground me in terms
Of my expectations of the public school system. One reason I am
Looking to move is to find alternatives to expensive private schools.
As a single parent with 2 children it makes it quite difficult financially.
I have never felt my public school options here were either good learning
environments nor ones that would adequately challenge my children
Academically. Nashville is appealing on other fronts and the job market
There seems varied and robust. I'll check into some of the schools you
All have mentioned. Very grateful!