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I don't think she meant anything by it. Just sounds like the OP may have been led to believe that West Cary/Panther Creek Schools area is a gated community or some such.
It's just another part of Cary. Cary is a very safe, very diverse community in general.
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I would suggest you consider renting for a year before you purchase and lock yourself into any particular school pattern feed or district. During that time you will be able to better sort out why people have varying opinions and will be able to better align yourself with the district that best suits your needs and preferences. As for the options you are currently considering though, both Cary and Chapel Hill district schools are excellent choices. In Chapel Hill you won't have to deal with all of the redistricting and political nonsense going on in Wake County Schools. If you choose to live in Wake, Cary is the most stable and has the best quality schools compared to other areas. But then there are the magnet schools ... a lot to learn and impossible with just one visit and talking to a few different people.
This is sound advice.
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The OP mentioned a concern about gangs in East Cary MS. There's a section 8 housing development that feeds into Panther Creek. Who usually joins gangs? Gangs can happen at any school, if they happen at Panther Creek, who is joining, the kids from Copperleaf? Please don't pretend you don't know "where I was going" when the OP was the one who raised the concern, and the answer both meh and I gave was making a point related to that. Just to be clear, I'm not interested in a debate, just giving information that seems important to the OP. I'm also not interested in being politically correct on an internet forum designed to give relocators all the info they might want. If she hadn't brought it up, I wouldn't have brought it up.
IMHO you did not actually receive conflicting info.
Your cousin was ambivalent about Chapel Hill because she had no experience of it. She was probably not working with current info on ECMS or WCMS. And sure, those schools that feed into panther creek are among the better schools, some would say due to the fairly high education level of families that live in that area due to proximity to RTP. You really can't go wrong with those schools.
And yes, your husband's colleague is correct. WCPSS is a bit of a mess right now, mostly due to such rapid growth and it is possible that will have long term effects on the overall quality of the schools. But generally speaking each school in the county should be judged on it's own merits.
Chapel Hill schools also have a population with high education levels and expectations, so the schools there are better funded and really good.
your cousin likely is committed to the notion that the neighborhood she picked is the BEST one. But Morrisville is not for everyone, and neither is Cary. Doesn't sound like she is the best source. Do your own research (it will likely require a lot more than the info you can get on this forum) and then Choose for yourself.
I guess I took the Section 8 reference personally because I know and teach many of those kids. They're awesome people whose parent(s) happen to be scraping by. I'm not interested in being politically correct either, but I am interested in being factually correct.
I guess I took the Section 8 reference personally because I know and teach many of those kids. They're awesome people whose parent(s) happen to be scraping by. I'm not interested in being politically correct either, but I am interested in being factually correct.
No... not all people who are going through tough financial times wind up in gangs or committing crimes.
However...
The reality is that a disproportionate number of kids who grow up in struggling families wind up in gangs.
It's not like you hear about kids who grow up on the golf courses over at Preston or in a gated home over in Hills of Rosemont with parents who work white collar/professional jobs winding up in street gangs. Mafia, maybe, but not street gangs.
I think it is important not to give people the impression that West Cary is full of nothing but wealthy people who are well-to-do.
While this might be true of many people in West Cary, it is NOT true of them all.
Me? I like the diversity in Cary. People are wrong to assume that Cary is filled with nothing but affluent white people and privileged minorities.
This is a fallacy.
It is a testament to the town itself that we have racial/ethnic diversity AND low crime.
Go us!
I think that's all twingles meant, honestly. She's a very fair, decent sort.
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IMHO you did not actually receive conflicting info.
Your cousin was ambivalent about Chapel Hill because she had no experience of it. She was probably not working with current info on ECMS or WCMS. And sure, those schools that feed into panther creek are among the better schools, some would say due to the fairly high education level of families that live in that area due to proximity to RTP. You really can't go wrong with those schools.
And yes, your husband's colleague is correct. WCPSS is a bit of a mess right now, mostly due to such rapid growth and it is possible that will have long term effects on the overall quality of the schools. But generally speaking each school in the county should be judged on it's own merits.
Chapel Hill schools also have a population with high education levels and expectations, so the schools there are better funded and really good.
your cousin likely is committed to the notion that the neighborhood she picked is the BEST one. But Morrisville is not for everyone, and neither is Cary. Doesn't sound like she is the best source. Do your own research (it will likely require a lot more than the info you can get on this forum) and then Choose for yourself.
Excellent post. I couldn't rep you again, but I would!
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I guess I took the Section 8 reference personally because I know and teach many of those kids. They're awesome people whose parent(s) happen to be scraping by. I'm not interested in being politically correct either, but I am interested in being factually correct.
I actually thought that Twingles was making a good point. If the OPs cousin was implying that Panther Creek was 'all that', she was also putting down the schools with supposed gang activity. I found what the cousin said to be far more offensive than what Twingles said. Twingles was merely pointing out that Panther Creek's population is probably more similar to that of East Cary Middle than Cousin would like to admit.
Thanks all for the excellent and thoughtful advice! I hope I didn't get people too riled up with my queries regarding the supposed or possible gang activity at ECMS and WCMS. I went down to visit with absolutely NO clue about Cary, CH and the surrounding areas and was perhaps too open in taking in all that was shared.
I do agree that we have to take our time and parse through the things that we read and take multiple trips down to get a good feel for where we would like to raise our family.
It was mentioned in passing, but the exact location of your husband's work is a big factor here. All the schools you are talking about are good; the minor variations can be debated endlessly. But to me, minimizing commute is a big factor in quality of life. Also, if your kids are elementary school age then deciding location based on the current reputation of the middle and high schools may get you a changed situation by the time they hit that age. All the kids in a single elementary school do not go to the same middle and high school; the districting does not work like that in Wake County.
For me, if my husband were working in Durham then I'd live in Durham or Chapel Hill for pure commuting reasons. Then I'd start narrowing down schools within that region.
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