Atlanta Schools are Good? (Sandy Springs, Roswell: apartment complexes, renters, credit)

[xsdc32]

People keep saying Atlanta's schools are doing so great. What's going on here?

"In a report issued last year, the America’s Promise Alliance, a Washington-based nonprofit group devoted to children’s issues, said Atlanta’s 2005 graduation rate was 43 percent — 45th-lowest among the nation’s 50 largest cities. Dwindling enrollment
When they entered the ninth grade, Atlanta’s class of 2003 stood 4,583 strong. Four years later, when 2,366 seniors remained, the district calculated a graduation rate of 43 percent.
The class of 2009 experienced comparable attrition of the rolls: 4,332 freshmen dwindled to 2,351 seniors. But that year, the district said, the rate was 69 percent.
Atlanta’s overall high school enrollment dropped 12 percent from 2003 to 2009, state data show. But since 2003, according to the Journal-Constitution’s analysis, each year’s senior class has been, on average, 45 percent smaller than the corresponding freshman class four years earlier.
By contrast, districts such as Cobb County and Fulton County recorded declines less than half as large. Among the six largest districts in the metro area, only Clayton County lost a greater proportion of its students; Clayton also lost its accreditation during that time."


Atlanta grad rate doesn't add up *| ajc.com (http://www.ajc.com/news/atlanta/atlanta-grad-rate-doesnt-592340.html - broken link)

[yankeegirl73]

You'll note there's very little enthusiasm for Atlanta's high schools, with the exception of Grady and possibly North Atlanta.

[DeaconJ]

There is not a school system anywhere that can be labeled as a "good" system throughout...unless it is a very small one with very few schools. Almost every school system has some schools considered to be great, some pretty good, and some not so good...so it's really impossible to make such statement.

[xsdc32]

Originally Posted by DeaconJ

There is not a school system anywhere that can be labeled as a "good" system throughout..

Where have you lived aside from Atlanta?

[rcsteiner]

Originally Posted by DeaconJ

There is not a school system anywhere that can be labeled as a "good" system throughout...unless it is a very small one with very few schools. Almost every school system has some schools considered to be great, some pretty good, and some not so good...so it's really impossible to make such statement.

Coming from the Twin Cities, a metro area which is dominated by dozens of smaller independent school districts (I think there are around 50 of them) which are almost all of good quality, I have to question your assumption.

Of course, it's much easier to be "good throughout" when a district only has one or two high schools plus related feeder schools to worry about, but that's rather the point, isn't it?

[xsdc32]

Originally Posted by rcsteiner

Coming from the Twin Cities, a metro area which is dominated by dozens of smaller independent school districts (I think there are around 50 of them) which are almost all of good quality, I have to question your assumption.

Of course, it's much easier to be "good throughout" when a district only has one or two high schools plus related feeder schools to worry about, but that's rather the point, isn't it?

I think the silence here speaks rather loud. A group of people in here continue to give advise, advise which seems very incorrect, to unsuspecting persons.

[jumboloan]

The public schools are not good. You have to find an exception within a system and then pray it stays good as the city changes around you over time. Or you can time the sprawl wave and start in South Forsyth. East Cobb will also work as will Peachtree City. Other than that you have to "thread the needle", there are no systems as a whole that work out. This is why we have so many private schools because that way you have the assurance.

[rcsteiner]

Originally Posted by jumboloan

The public schools are not good. You have to find an exception within a system and then pray it stays good as the city changes around you over time. Or you can time the sprawl wave and start in South Forsyth. East Cobb will also work as will Peachtree City. Other than that you have to "thread the needle", there are no systems as a whole that work out. This is why we have so many private schools because that way you have the assurance.

There are a fair number of good feeder systems in the Atlanta metro. Even in Cobb, there are several high schools outside of the "East Cobb" area that are quite good, and I think it's misleading in the extreme to hint that East Cobb schools are the only ones worth attending.

[BringBackCobain]

Originally Posted by jumboloan

The public schools are not good. You have to find an exception within a system and then pray it stays good as the city changes around you over time. Or you can time the sprawl wave and start in South Forsyth. East Cobb will also work as will Peachtree City. Other than that you have to "thread the needle", there are no systems as a whole that work out. This is why we have so many private schools because that way you have the assurance.

Very true. In the suburbs, the trick is to get in before the apartment complexes hit the 15-20 years old mark. Once the apartments get old, the public schools start to become overcrowded. At the same time, the people who bought the houses new, with little kids, are now the parents of college aged kids. There are less homeowner kids than there were 15 years ago. As the proportion of homeowners in the schools shrinks, the proportion of renters increases.

It happened in Sandy Springs, Peachtree Corners, and now seems to be hitting East Roswell (there are a lot of apartments along Holcomb Bridge). Alpharetta is next. A family who moves there now with little kids and expects the schools to stay the same is naive. If they want to send their kids all the way through, they better be ok with "diversity" - i.e. majority apartment kids.

East Cobb and Peachtree City remain the exceptions. That happens when apartments arent built.

I hope South Forsyth doesnt let the apartments in. If so, I could see it as the next East Cobb.

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by BringBackCobain

Very true. In the suburbs, the trick is to get in before the apartment complexes hit the 15-20 years old mark. Once the apartments get old, the public schools start to become overcrowded. At the same time, the people who bought the houses new, with little kids, are now the parents of college aged kids. There are less homeowner kids than there were 15 years ago. As the proportion of homeowners in the schools shrinks, the proportion of renters increases.

It happened in Sandy Springs, Peachtree Corners, and now seems to be hitting East Roswell (there are a lot of apartments along Holcomb Bridge). Alpharetta is next. A family who moves there now with little kids and expects the schools to stay the same is naive. If they want to send their kids all the way through, they better be ok with "diversity" - i.e. majority apartment kids.

East Cobb and Peachtree City remain the exceptions. That happens when apartments arent built.

I hope South Forsyth doesnt let the apartments in. If so, I could see it as the next East Cobb.

I did not know this. How do apartments factor in? I've read that increased density is good for a city.