orange county school system (Hillsborough, Alamance: homes, transfer, purchase)

[findinghope]

i know there have been many threads about the school systems in wake county, but i was wondering about orange county. we live on the border of orange and alamance, and are officially in the orange county school district. i know i can find info on some websites. but i wanted to know from the parents--how do you rate them?
i recently found out that there was a top school in the county with the best teachers, and they disperced all the teachers and put them into different schools in order to "make it fair".
i am from NJ, and am used to living in a town for it's school system...

[ausmerika]

Originally Posted by findinghope

i recently found out that there was a top school in the county with the best teachers, and they disperced all the teachers and put them into different schools in order to "make it fair".

I haven't heard about this, and thought I was in tuned with the schools in OC. Which one are you talking about? The only equity issue I know of right now is the HES vs CES one, and how to "fix" the unbalanced problem, but that didn't have to do with teachers. Please inform me.

As for rating, being on the OC/Alamance line it's really not fair--you don't have much of a choice. Efland Cheeks I would think would be your elementary district (is that the one you were talking about????), which has undergone a major shift in demographics, I think affecting their scores. Then Gravelly Hills Middle School (new, so stats aren't in) or Stanford Middle School (oldest in the system, but with a strong math program), then either OHS or CRHS, depending on what part of the line you're on. Both offer totally different programs, so it's hard to rate unless you go strictly by SAT scores. Then it would have to be CRHS.
Since OCS really doesn't have a system whereby you can choose your school, other than HES, what does it matter to rate them? Unless you are looking to purchase a home and are scouting the best schools. I'm just not sure why you ask.

[findinghope]

yes we are in the efaland cheeks district. a neighbor of mine was telling me she was upset because a school had the "best teachers" and that now they spread the teachers out to different schools in order to make it more fair.
i think maybe she was talking about the middle school in our district. i am honestly not sure which one.
anyway, my child is not of schoolage yet, but i still would like to research my options, both private and public. and to be honest, yes i would move in order to be in a better school district.

[ausmerika]

Originally Posted by findinghope

i think maybe she was talking about the middle school in our district. i am honestly not sure which one.
anyway, my child is not of schoolage yet, but i still would like to research my options, both private and public. and to be honest, yes i would move in order to be in a better school district.

Ok, that may make some sense, although I think the way your neighbor presented the picture prejudices the situation. When a new school opens, they don't automatically have all new teachers hired to fill that new school's positions, allowing the other teachers to remain where they were. What usually happens is first the central administration offers transfers to the teachers who would like to move to the new school. I happen to know a number of teachers who wanted to move, some b/c of the proximity to their homes, or to their kids in other schools, some b/c they weren't happy in the school they worked in. New schools offer new beginnings. So, for your neighbor to outright say that they were shifting teachers in the district to have a more equitable distribution of quality teachers is not only misleading but down right unfair. Without proof, I would take what your neighbor says with a grain of salt. Also, the fact that only one person has made such a statement says alot.
As for your other statement, I can tell you Grady Brown, New Hope, and Cameron Park (my personal fav) are excellent elementary schools. HES is a school of choice, and I think that choice will become more difficult due to the situation with CES and how the school board is attempting to recify matters. At the elementary age, most things are relatively equal (quality of education). If you are in the Cameron Park district (downtown Hillsborough), you will be districted (at this point) for Stanford Middle School and OHS. Those 2 schools are, imo, very different than the other schools and are unique in what they offer students. They are also the oldest buildings in the school system and are in need of reburishing. I think that is coming, and long over due. If you are in the GAB or New Hope district your children would go to either AL Stanback MS or the new Gravelly Hill MS, then more than likely to CRHS. Of course, all this can change considering your kids are so young, and what changes (additions?) may come.
Even with Efland Cheeks shift in demographics, and the role that has played in affecting FRL and test scores, unless you are really unhappy I'd wait to see what happens with this new superintendent. I suspect he will want to focus on Efland Cheeks, CES, Stanford and OHS and I am waiting to see what changes will occur with those schools. I think you are still better in OCS than in the Alamance Co schools.

[findinghope]

thank you so much for responding. what you are saying makes sense, and we do still have a couple of years before my little one starts school. i will keep up with the news about the schools and it will help us to make a decision--thank you again