Does every applicant get accepted to Woodward? How different is it compared to Inman? (Atlanta: 2014, private school)

[Balawick]

Would moving to City of Decatur allow her to attend a similar middle school to Woodward for free and in the neighborhood if Inman isn't considered good? Is that what a lot of people are doing? It seems so crazy to force your child to commute for 2 hours out of every day and pay 25K a year for a decent school. I am thinking I could invest that money and time into some sort of hobby or skill for my daughter? This process is so confusing and hard to navigate.

[lastminutemom]

Woodward is huge-- thus the large number of acceptances and space availability at different times. Also, because of its location lots of folks simply don't consider it an option. This impacts the percentage applied vs accepted.

That said, it offers a huge range of opportunities in athletics and academics. Lots of extracurriculars etc. It is a bit like a college campus.

I know many families who are happy at Inman and whose kids have gone on to successful high school careers at Grady and then to do terrific things in college.

PS -- A relative's high school child just choose to leave Paidea for Woodward because of access to higher level academic classes. She still has a sibling at P and the family does believe that in a lot of ways that Woodward offers more/different for a child interested in a traditional highly academic path.

Edited to add, after seeing your latest post.

I think you ought to just try Inman. It sounds like Woodward isn't what you really want. Keep in mind, though, that there is no guarantee that Westminster or Paideia will become an option for middle school. I don't think Decatur will get you the private school exp you are seeking. The reality is that for an intown school system it is stronger than surrounding schools, but it is still a public school.

[Dkeating]

Just send her to Inman. Most people in my circle would love to be able to afford a place in the Inman zone. Inman's scores aren't "great" because about 40% of the kids are economically disadvantaged. The other 60% are pretty well off. (Renfroe, Decatur's middle school, has 20% free and reduced lunch eligible, for comparison). The well off kids do well. Grady sends kids to Harvard, Columbia, etc. What it takes to be a whiz kid | www.ajc.com .

If you want to spend $25K plus transportation a year, go ahead, but don't feel obligated to. I'd save up for college or grad school.

[LovelySummer]

I agree. We briefly considered Woodward but it was too far from our home and we are not into the busing situation due to the time it takes from other activities and family time in addition to it being busing but I interviewed numerous folk in the admissions office and one faculty member and was told they teach to the top of the class. Period.

If we lived closer we would have absolutely considered Woodward. It is academically on par with all of the Buckhead privates. It is just not in Buckhead.

Originally Posted by bu2

Woodward is a great school with great teachers and great facilities. I don't know the statistics, but you are the first person I've ever heard suggest that it is not selective. Now it may be a little more "diverse" academically than Pace, but its a very strong school.

[LovelySummer]

I seriously need you to stop acting like Woodward Academy is not comparable to Westminster and Padeia. Seriously. If you believe that, you are really misinformed and I bigger concern for you is that you are making decisions that will have an impact on your child and wallet and you are misinformed.

????

Originally Posted by Balawick

Thanks everyone for your responses. I just wonder if settling for third choice (and lower rank), a massive commute and high price tag will feel satisfactory. Would she be better off striving for one of her top 2 - westminster or paideia, and go to inman for middle school. I also fear that woodward is a place people come and go based on acceptance to more desirable schools. I am having a hard time understanding what makes woodward special or good except that it's price keeps serious trouble out.

[Tryska]

Originally Posted by Balawick

Thanks everyone for your responses. I just wonder if settling for third choice (and lower rank), a massive commute and high price tag will feel satisfactory. Would she be better off striving for one of her top 2 - westminster or paideia, and go to inman for middle school. I also fear that woodward is a place people come and go based on acceptance to more desirable schools. I am having a hard time understanding what makes woodward special or good except that it's price keeps serious trouble out.

Umm...wow. Woodward is one of those old money super-high-achiever (like future leaders of the STATE)schools. I guess if you are not aware of how prestigious it is, it is because you are new to Atlanta.

Frankly, if it were me, and I had kids, and the resources to send them there, that would be my first choice. And I say this knowing several Buckhead parents who send their kids there, and wouldn't send them anywhere else.

[painter62]

Btw, when I said,"he hated It", I was talking about Inman. I don't think that was clear in my reply.
When he arrived at Inman he was new to Atlanta. He had no friends. Inman had so many "no talking in the halls or class" rules that he worried he would never make friends. They also wouldn't allow you to bring a water bottle because some kid the year before had smuggled vodka in the school in a water bottle. It was August and 95 degrees outside. No water bottle. And, only milk and juice at lunch. No water, except the water fountain. At registration, the counselor lectured him about the CRCT and if he failed he wouldn't go to high school. She had not even looked at his transcript from his old school, which was straight As. It was an awful experience for him. He came home in tears. (That was 2010.). The third day into it I called Woodward. (He still refers to it as "Inmate Middle School" because he felt like he was in jail.) The best thing I ever did for his upper school education was to call Woodward on that third day. I let my daughter go to Inman in 6th grade because she did not want to leave her new friends from Mary Lin. But, a couple of things happened in her year that I said, "enough is enough, you are going to Woodward". Woodward is an excellent school. We have been very happy and feel as if it was worth the money.

[matilda79]

Here's a thought....did your child visit the schools? What does your child think?

Send her where she'll be happy. Unhappy child = bad grades, downward slide. This helps no one.

[Atlanta_BD]

Inman is a great school. My daughter went there. Unless you just want to send your child to private school, if you live in the Inman district there's no need to send her to a private school. Many parents take their kids out of private and send them to Inman.

[chabang]

You have a tough choice. We also are zoned for Inman Middle/Grady and my plan always was to take my kid out of private and send her onto Inman after elementary (we are zoned for Hope Elementary which is unacceptable). But I see all those trailers parked on the property of Inman Middle due to the overcrowding when I drive by and know now I won't do it no matter the financial sacrifices. I've gone down the private school rabbit hole and we are all used to the huge bonuses of a private education. Lots of people love Inman middle. Most of the feeder schools are from the wealthy intown neighborhoods with highly involved and educated parents. They were pretty up in arms actually that our neighborhood school, Hope Elementary, got rezoned for Inman Middle a few years (letting all the riff raff in I guess...lol). Woodward isn't as selective as the other schools you've applied for. It's huge and they can just add classes when they want to so they aren't limited to a certain number of students each year. For me, I consider it a positive since my child would probably struggle to excel among her peers or stand out in some super competitive place like Westminster or Lovett. To me, the student population at Woodward is similar to a public school and my daughter fits right in, has lots of friends, is a star in some classes and middle of the pack in others. If I were you, I'd put my kid in Woodward for the year and just see how she likes it and handles the commute. You can alway reapply to one of your other top schools the next year if you decide Woodward isn't the right fit and she'll likely be more competitive then because she's coming from Woodward.