Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
It is official, we sold our home and are moving down.
We have done our homework as far as schools are concerned, we have spoken to the district, checked test scores, all available data,past threads here etc.... whats missing is the input of parents and families whose kids are in the system.
We have seen how school threads can turn into political brawls and ask that the drama be kept off this thread.
We accept the situation for what it is, all we want is to try and give our children the best possible education that WCPSS has to offer with that being said how do you give your child the best education that WCPSS has to offer?
We have chosen the following schools as ones we would like to be our base schools.
Elementary: Davis, Highcroft, Green Hope, Oak Grove, Salem
Middle: Salem, Apex, Lufkin, or Davis.
Of these schools, which would be the least likley to be reassigned, and why?
How much influence should base schools factor into the home purchasing equation?
Thank you in advance for your input, and for keeping on topic with out the drama.
I think your address is going to have more to do with reassignments than the actual school. I don't know for sure, but I would guess that the older neighborhoods would probably be less impacted by reassignments. Another thing you may want to check is how often certain areas have been reassigned.
I try not to base schools at all in my decision on where to live, since they can change all the time. Also, with your children being in elementary, I think it's more about the individual teacher, and less about the school itself. I think this transcends to middle and high school as well, but more so in elementary school. Just as an example, my wife's little brother had a 99 average in one class last semester, and a 58 average in another. He loved one teacher, and hated the other.
All of those schools had reassignments last year. I'm not so sure anyone can really say with confidence which nodes would be least likely to get reassigned--well Chuck Delany might be able to tell you but other than getting an answer from OGM it's all a guess and don't let any realtor or anyone else promise you otherwise.
I would not let base schools factor into the equation because as the previous poster said they can change at anytime so find a house that you are happy with and deal with the rest as it comes. One thing that would factor into my decision would be proximity to good Charter schools and good Private Schools because that won't change and if the time comes that you feel you need that option at least you will be well located.
You cannot plan which school your kids will attend hence the "drama".
While I love Wake country, me and the Mrs. have bounced around leaving when our kids become school age as the Wake County model is not scalable and will only get worse.
Another option is to find a neighborhood that borders a school. while not 100% guaranteed, it may help...
example: west lake neighborhood to west lake and middle creek schools...
Someone correct me if I am wrong but aren't you less likely to get re-assigned if you are within walking distance from a school? If so, that's one approach you could take although I am not sure how they define that.
When we moved here, it made some sense to me that you were less likely to be moved if you were located very close to a given school. We let the school be a major factor in our decision. So far it has worked out fine.
Also, this is only my opinion and speculation but it seems you might be less likely to be re-assigned if your base is a year-round. Those seem to be less crowded right now so it would make some sense that less people will be moved to a different school (compared to a traditional calendar). Again, that's just speculation on my part.
I also agree that schools in more established areas are less likely to have as many re-assignments (although nothing is certain).
Unfortunately all of those schools are pretty high on the list for reassignment, especially Davis Drive. BUT the PP is correct in that a bunch of them just had reassigments last year, so WCPSS may not touch them for a while. Plus several new schools opened up in Cary this year to alleviate some of the crowding and reshuffle the FNR numbers in the schools you mentioned, so for a while, they may be OK.
If I were you, I would really focus on finding a home you love in a neighborhood you love and let the chips fall where they may in accordance with the schools. All of those schools you listed have good reputations and I don't thin you can really go wrong with any of them. Even if you were to be reassigned at some point, you'll likely be assigned to another school in West Cary not far from where you live.
Having 4 kids, 3 that graduated from Wake County High Schools, I agree that it is difficult to choose a school for your kids.
Firstly...the school your child will attend for this year may not be the one they are assigned to next year. So, the idea is to be in an AREA that has a few good schools and therefore, if your neighborhood is moved from one school to another, it will be equally as good as the school you just left.
Having said that...and 4 kids later, we were only re assigned ONCE in all these years. Lucky for us, it was when daughter was going from elementary to middle. She didn't care...all her friends were going to the same school.
Looking at school scores doesn't tell the total truth. You really have to check out the school online and in person. Talk to the neighbors.
All my kids went to Sanderson High School. Depending on WHO Wake County PSS is busing this year, the scores go up and down. My kids all took honors classes so it wasn't a big deal.
Most of the same teachers have been at Sanderson since my first son went there! My youngest has some of the same teachers that her brothers and sister had. Sometimes she doesn't like THAT!
For those of you that want to check scores, I found a site that also has parent reviews called SchoolMatters. And of course, you can always go to Wake County's website...wcpss.net or greatschools.net.
Someone correct me if I am wrong but aren't you less likely to get re-assigned if you are within walking distance from a school? If so, that's one approach you could take although I am not sure how they define that.
No that's not true. I don't know if you remember but there were a couple "walk-ins" in Cary last year because people that could walk to school were redistricted. I know one of the schools was Davis Drive and I think the other was a section of Highcroft. Someone from Cary might have a better recollection.
No that's not true. I don't know if you remember but there were a couple "walk-ins" in Cary last year because people that could walk to school were redistricted. I know one of the schools was Davis Drive and I think the other was a section of Highcroft. Someone from Cary might have a better recollection.
I believe it was Farmington Woods, not Highcroft. I would consider Highcroft (living in the neighborhood) about as safe as you can get from reassignment (right up there with living in Weatherstone and attending Weatherstone Elementary). I do think that if you are in a walk zone (meaning you are not provided bus transportation) that your chance of being reassigned is very small. The walk ins, I believe, were people within walking distance, but I don't think they were technically in the walk zone.
No that's not true. I don't know if you remember but there were a couple "walk-ins" in Cary last year because people that could walk to school were redistricted. I know one of the schools was Davis Drive and I think the other was a section of Highcroft. Someone from Cary might have a better recollection.
I think what the PP meant was if you live in what WCPSS calls "the walk zone", where there is no bus transporation because the houses are so close to the school. I seem to remember a lot of the people that got reassigned from those school "could" walk to school, but didn't necessarily live in the walk zone (which is usually something like a 1/2 mile radius around the school).
I too believe that if you are in the walk zone, you are less to be reassigned, but not necessarily a guarantee.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
