Best Elementary schools in Tennessee, please help... (Memphis, Jackson: credit, home)

[Country_Girl68]

I have posted a few times on this board and would like some information on schools. We are moving to Tennessee within a month or 2 and would like to know where the best elementary schools are. I just pulled my 2 daughters out of their elementary school here ( I am so dissapointed in the school system down here), they are both in 3rd grade and their education in important to me. We are unsure of what area as of yet we will be moving to so if anyone could post what schools are good up there and any other information, I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks again...

[mbmouse]

Hello,
Not quite sure how to answer this one as TN is a huge state and there are lots of good schools. What might help is to tell us a little bit more info so you can get better suggestions. Such as: Do you prefer flat land, valley land with mountain views, mountain side living? Do you want to be in a city, close to a city or totally rural? Do you need jobs once you are here? What fields are you in now? What don't you like about the schools your kids are/were in now? What do you want/need in a new school/town. What are your hobbies?
Things like that can really help folks pin down an area that is more likely to fit your needs if we know your needs.
But if it is for good schools only is your one care/need, I would say look at the Tri-Cities. Washington County schools or Kingsport City schools. Or if you feel your children are excelled and need more advanced classes than the norm, try Oak Ridge.

[JMT]

Originally Posted by Country_Girl68

I have posted a few times on this board and would like some information on schools. We are moving to Tennessee within a month or 2 and would like to know where the best elementary schools are. I just pulled my 2 daughters out of their elementary school here ( I am so dissapointed in the school system down here), they are both in 3rd grade and their education in important to me. We are unsure of what area as of yet we will be moving to so if anyone could post what schools are good up there and any other information, I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks again...

As mbmouse said, there are a lot of good elementary schools in Tennessee. However, there are fewer really good high schools. So I'm going to list for you school districts that are reputed to have excellent high schools as well as elementary schools. I've travelled the state as part of an accreditation team, so I have a little bit of experience with this sort of thing.

Franklin city schools
Johnson City city schools
Kingsport city schools
Maryville city schools
Oak Ridge city schools
Putnam County schools
Tullahoma city schools
Washington County schools
Williamson County schools

Looking more at high schools, there are only 5 high schools in Tennessee that offer the International Baccalaureate Program: Cookeville, Franklin, and 3 schools in Nashville. A school system which invests the money and resources to the IB program is a school system that is serious about public education.

My personal favorite is Putnam County schools. It's an open school system, meaning you can send your kids to any school in the county as long as you provide the transportation. Cookeville HS is in that county, and Capshaw Elementary in Cookeville has one of the largest programs for gifted students in the state. It's the only school system in the state where you can live out in the country but still have your kids enrolled in the city high school (Cookeville) at no extra cost.

[CookevilleWeatherGuy]

Originally Posted by Country_Girl68

I have posted a few times on this board and would like some information on schools. We are moving to Tennessee within a month or 2 and would like to know where the best elementary schools are. I just pulled my 2 daughters out of their elementary school here ( I am so dissapointed in the school system down here), they are both in 3rd grade and their education in important to me. We are unsure of what area as of yet we will be moving to so if anyone could post what schools are good up there and any other information, I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks again...

Don't you think that until the moving van is packed and you all have a plan as to where you are going to live and when you are going to move THAT pulling your kids out of school "a month or two" before said move is not real smart?????

Are you teaching them?
Are you putting them in another school?

It is very disruptive to children (especially that age) to just 'pull them out of school'..that is generally where their friends are....

To answer your question, you'll need to be a little more specific on WHERE in Tennessee you guys want to plant your roots....we're 500 miles wide by 150 miles tall....

[Country_Girl68]

I am HOME schooling them until we move rather than have them in a different school for a few months just to pull them out yet again once we do move. I wouldn't just take them out of school all together, they do need their education.

[Sparkman]

Originally Posted by JMT

My personal favorite is Putnam County schools. It's an open school system, meaning you can send your kids to any school in the county as long as you provide the transportation. Cookeville HS is in that county, and Capshaw Elementary in Cookeville has one of the largest programs for gifted students in the state. It's the only school system in the state where you can live out in the country but still have your kids enrolled in the city high school (Cookeville) at no extra cost.

JMT, I gots a question. Which Middle school in Cookeville carries on the gifted program? I have a son who is in the gifted program here & would be an incoming 7th grader when we look to get there. Which one whould I be looking at? Avery Trace?

[JMT]

Originally Posted by Sparkman

JMT, I gots a question. Which Middle school in Cookeville carries on the gifted program? I have a son who is in the gifted program here & would be an incoming 7th grader when we look to get there. Which one whould I be looking at? Avery Trace?

That's a good question. However, the 2 middle schools in Cookeville are divided by grade, so you don't really have a choice. I think Avery Trace is 5th-6th grades, and Prescott is 7th-8th. Or maybe the other way around.

I do know that Algood's middle school is wildly popular with parents who are really involved in their kids' education.

Good luck!

[Beretta]

Blount County will soon be home to a farm based Montessori Middle School.

Visions of Montessori School taking shape

[sirshrek]

Of the public schools I've seen, the Tullahoma City Schools are the best (though I've only lived in Memphis, Jackson, La Vergne and Tullahoma). I would imagine the high concentration of engineers plays a heavy role in the schools in Tullahoma.

[republicangraham]

Hello. I just found this posting and although you may have moved here to Tennessee already, thought I'd post this just in case your move got delayed.

If you are interested in Tennessee public schools, disregard any other comments you've read so far. I am a born and bred Middle Tennessean and I can tell you with confidence that if you want the best public schools in the state, you must look at Williamson County. Williamson County has the BEST rated public school system in the whole state of TN. Look at any Tennessee school report card and you will see that Williamson County schools consistently rank among the HIGHEST according to test scores. Williamson County is the most affluent county in the state and ranks among the most affluent counties in the U.S. and the residents hold the schools and faculty to very high standards. Williamson County is located just south of Nashville and the schools in the central and northern part of the county rank higher than the ones in the western or southern part of the county.

Hope this helps and good luck with your move.

Best, RepublicanGraham