SLC metro good schools (Granite: fit in, how much, transfer)

[myhobbyishobbies]

HI, thanks for taking time to help me out, very much appreciated. We're relocating and I'll be working in the slc area as my company is transferring me. However, I'm terrified from what I've been seeing online. I'm primarily interested in the impact on my children who are in 1st, 4th, 5th and 9th grade. So I've got a few questions.

1. What are the best school systems in the area up to 20ish miles away?
2. How well do non-Mormons fit in with the chosen community?
3. is there a sense of community?
4. Are there good sports programs?

We're coming fro ma school system where 89% go on to complete a college education. 97% complete high school. Education is probably our most important quality in a city/area. Safety obviously is a concern as well. Thank you again for the help, I'm counting on your insight to help me in my move.

[kaytidid]

Um..just out of curiosity, what exactly are you seeing online that terrifies you?

[myhobbyishobbies]

Some of the school systems are horrible. High drop out rates, low college preparedness and below average test scores.

[irman]

Originally Posted by myhobbyishobbies

Some of the school systems are horrible. High drop out rates, low college preparedness and below average test scores.

Did you see any school reports on line that may satisfy your requirements ?
Keep in mind that nationwide comparisons put Utah on the bottom for school funding ...
So ... are you surprised ?

But our kids went to school here and they all have a masters degree and good (paying) jobs.
So, the schools here can not be *that bad* , or ?
90 percent of their success in life depends on YOU ! (just MY opinion !)

[kletter1mann]

Originally Posted by irman

But our kids went to school here and they all have a masters degree and good (paying) jobs.
So, the schools here can not be *that bad* , or ?
90 percent of their success in life depends on YOU ! (just MY opinion !)

Or..... in an outstanding school they might have PhD's or MD's and outstanding salaries. Or..... their outcomes were the exception and they succeeded (as some always do) in spite of mediocre schools. IMO the success of a district is how well it does for the majority, not just a few. As noted by the OP, there are places where virtually everybody graduates and the vast majority go on to 4 year college and beyond. In those places it's the norm to "succeed" and the odds are in your favor. But as far as I know most of those places are NY, CT, NJ or MA suburbs, North Shore of Chicago and a few other places. Unfortunately none are in UT, where the odds of educational achievement seem far lower, at least according to the stats. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

[skibarbie]

http://www.americashealthrankings.org/all/graduation
Utah may spend the least per pupil but, it is a testament to the teachers and parents about how much is done with those few dollars.
Property taxes are significantly lower than New York, New Jersey and Kansas too.
Draw the conclusion you want.
If I were moving to the valley with school age children now, I would move to a neighborhood in the Granite School District. It appears to be the most financially stable and slowest growing district in the area.
Avoid the Jordan School District like the plague. The voters just turned down a 450+million dollar bond. Growth is estimated to the tune of 12k students in the next 5 years, bursting at the seams.
We need a head tax in this state...

[irman]

Originally Posted by skibarbie

Avoid the Jordan School District like the plague. The voters just turned down a 450+million dollar bond.

Yikes, is that where Dcisive lives ?

The question here is actually that it is interesting to find out *why* they turned it down ?

Originally Posted by skibarbie

it is a testament to the teachers and parents about how much is done with those few dollars.

Kudos to you skibarbie for mentioning this !!!

[kletter1mann]

Quote:
Originally Posted by skibarbie
it is a testament to the teachers and parents about how much is done with those few dollars.

Absolutely. Based on expenditures the outcomes would be expected to be abysmal. There's no doubt that parental involvement and a supportive culture can compensate for a systemic and financial disadvantage, and that certainly pulls things up. Even so, the result in the aggregate is still lousy, at least for "college readiness" (whatever that is ) per US news stats: Search Utah High Schools | US News . Even the best schools are mediocre and it goes down from there. this suggests that the academically successful are the outliers.

[myhobbyishobbies]

After reading your input, I would like to thank you all for the advice and help. I think we've settled on the idea of private school. It's a shame that such a wonderful place isn't being funded as well as it should be. Thank you all for your help.

[irman]

Originally Posted by myhobbyishobbies

It's a shame that such a wonderful place isn't being funded as well as it should be.

You can say that again !!!
Especially when you take into account the amount of children this state has compared to other areas ...
I really never understood why !

My wife and I have always been very involved with the schools our children attended, regardless of where we lived.

I am not sure if this makes a difference but the majority of schools, our children attended, did have very little extra-curricular work, and very few highly organised sports programmes.
I never had anything like what they have in American School Systems.
The time I had *PE*, was may be two hours a week ...