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I currently live in California, although originally from Massachusetts. We are looking to leave California to get closer to family. Husband is a school teacher, and we have two children who are becoming school-age, so school systems are very important to us. I don't want to go further north than North Carolina, and the other states we have considered are South Carolina, Georgia and Florida. We quickly ruled out Florida because of the horrible teachers salaries there (although it was my preference because of the weather). I then ruled out South Carolina because comparitevely speaking, the national school system test scores were HORRIBLE (and I've heard that SC is 50th in education). It's left me with North Carolina (narrowed down to the Charlotte area and the Raleigh/Durham area), and the Atlanta area (Cobb county).
Was I wrong to rule out South Carolina so quickly? Are the school systems really that bad? Does anyone know the best school system in the state, and is it comparable to others across the country?
And finally, is SC's weather "better" than NC or Atlanta? I currently live outside of San Diego, so I'm looking for a climate on the warm side
On another recent thread, I posted an article that I read off urbanplanet.org, done by the hoover institute. It talks about how our testing standards are different than other states.
We typically aren't 50th, though. Depending on what's being measured, we seem to fluctuate between 30th and 48th, as a state. (Thank God for Mississippi) But looking at the state as a whole isn't very helpful in relocating.
Obviously, some areas have excellent school districts, other areas have bad ones. Some of the wealthier areas of Charleston, Greenville, Charlotte, and Columbia have very good public school districts. If you're moving to Williamsburg County, for example, with a per-capita income of about $10,000 (1/2 the national average), and a 12% unemployment rate, then you really should be worried.
The Williamsburg County school district has an "economically disadvantaged enrollment" of 90%. Greenville's is 37%. Columbia's better one is 33%. Ft. Mill (Charlotte) is 15%. The point is, looking at the entire state just gives you the ratio of Good school districts to Bad school districts - and SC has a really bad ratio.
I'd also like to point out that these areas with bad school districts are usually served by private schools, and private schools don't contribute to a state's public educational data. Columbia, Sumter, and Orangeburg, for example, have affordable, non-religiously affiliated private schools that outperform every public school in the state (except the Governor's School).
So to answer your question, no, it makes no sense to rule out SC based on its state testing scores. Rule them out by school, or by school district. If you're only looking at public schools, then like I mentioned, certain areas of Greenville, Columbia, Charleston/Summerville and Charlotte/Ft. Mill have the best options.
On another recent thread, I posted an article that I read off urbanplanet.org, done by the hoover institute. It talks about how our testing standards are different than other states.
We typically aren't 50th, though. Depending on what's being measured, we seem to fluctuate between 30th and 48th, as a state. (Thank God for Mississippi) But looking at the state as a whole isn't very helpful in relocating.
Obviously, some areas have excellent school districts, other areas have bad ones. Some of the wealthier areas of Charleston, Greenville, Charlotte, and Columbia have very good public school districts. If you're moving to Williamsburg County, for example, with a per-capita income of about $10,000 (1/2 the national average), and a 12% unemployment rate, then you really should be worried.
The Williamsburg County school district has an "economically disadvantaged enrollment" of 90%. Greenville's is 37%. Columbia's better one is 33%. Ft. Mill (Charlotte) is 15%. The point is, looking at the entire state just gives you the ratio of Good school districts to Bad school districts - and SC has a really bad ratio.
I'd also like to point out that these areas with bad school districts are usually served by private schools, and private schools don't contribute to a state's public educational data. Columbia, Sumter, and Orangeburg, for example, have affordable, non-religiously affiliated private schools that outperform every public school in the state (except the Governor's School).
So to answer your question, no, it makes no sense to rule out SC based on its state testing scores. Rule them out by school, or by school district. If you're only looking at public schools, then like I mentioned, certain areas of Greenville, Columbia, Charleston/Summerville and Charlotte/Ft. Mill have the best options.
What about Spartanburg County Schools? District 2? I think there are seven districts in the county. Could you comment?
Thanks Nancy
When we were looking to relocate to the Myrtle Beach area schools were a big consideration for us. We found that most Horry County schools are good, with the best ones being Socastee, Forestbrook, St. James and Carolina Forest. I felt they were comparable to our schools here in central Pennsylvania.
As far as weather, Horry County has mild winters and hot summers. The closer you are to the beach the better the ocean breezes are for keeping things cooled off somewhat.
What about Spartanburg County Schools? District 2? I think there are seven districts in the county. Could you comment?
Thanks Nancy
I have no firsthand knowledge about Spartanburg's schools. If I need to look things up, I use schoolmatters.com.
But looking at the #'s, Spartanburg looks like they have fairly even districts. None really stand out. It looks like Districts 3 and 7 are the worst, and district 2 is the best. But it's tough to tell at a glance.
Is Columbia then a better area to live maybe? If the schools are better then I am thinking it might be safer to live and maybe just commute to the area around Florence and Sumter maybe? Thanks for your help! Hope no one minds me jumping in here!
Lookingforasafehome, is there anywhere in particular you are planning on working? I'd be concerned with finding employment first.
Florence, Columbia and Sumter all have good and bad areas, and you could find somewhere safe and affordable in any three cities. Columbia is a good deal larger than the other two.
What about Spartanburg County Schools? District 2? I think there are seven districts in the county. Could you comment?
Thanks Nancy
My children(6 10 and 12 now) have all gone to dist. 2 schools, since we moved from Georgia in 2000, and they are superb. Dist. 5 is ok, mainly stands out for their sports(football program) and Dist. 6 is 'the hot spot', due to Dorman High, but it's more like a university, as large as it is.
Yes, we have a job offer in the works *Actually several in different areas* I would not be searching if we didn't have a real chance of living there first. Sumter would be best, as its close to Columbia and yet close to work too...but we are just now really considering areas here for the time being, thanks again for your help!
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