Cobb County two of top five public high schools in GA on Newsweek top 500 (but Walton not present) (Atlanta: apartment complexes, custom home)

[netdragon]

Here are the top five high schools in GA according to Newsweek, with two being Cobb County (the most of any county):
132 Northview High School (Duluth) 7.3% poverty
177 DeKalb School of the Arts (Avondale Estates) 28.5% poverty
281 Chattahoochee High School (Alpharetta) 11.2% poverty
297 Pope High School (East Cobb) 10.5% poverty
334 Harrison High School (West Cobb) 8.3% poverty
Warning: I added poverty rates because this article seems skewed, with only a few exceptions (one being the Dekalb School of the Arts) towards affluent areas (e.g. like Pope, Harrison, Northview and Chattahoochee in GA and even ones I recognize in other states like Farmington, CT) . It's strange that Walton isn't on there.

America's Top High Schools 2016

Our kids will be going to Harrison when old enough. Although we just built a huge pretty much custom home on a lot of land in the McEachern district (which is reasonably good), we decided after 1 year of Varner that it was good (and was about equal to our previous Nickajack as far as overall impression) we still wanted our kids challenged more so we entered the school choice raffle for Vaughan, and got "lucky" (but we had done our research in advance and knew Vaughan had the most openings per raffle student the previous year). We're not moving for a while, but I'll eventually build a slightly bigger home on slightly more land up around Lost Mtn somewhere when we get tired of driving each morning. Lost Mtn is also really pretty.

Note: We plan on going to school commissioner meetings to fight for the return of achievement-level based classes in elementary school and for mandatory STEM so kids can be challenged more in ALL schools. It costs money, so I can understand the antipathy, however if Cobb wants to stay #1, it needs to invest in its future. The school tax hike that will be necessary will eventually be reduced by all the office development in Cumberland and Town Center and if we want to continue that development to increase school tax revenues, we need to have the brightest and smartest in Cobb, and attract the best workers with the best schools. Right now, I'd just say Cobb is way above average but there's some strong competition in the North metro.

[arjay57]

How do some schools get so durn good? Are the kids smarter or is it the teachers or both?

And what in tarnation happened to Walton?

[primaltech]

Northview and Chattahoochee HS are both actually in Johns Creek.

[primaltech]

Originally Posted by arjay57

How do some schools get so durn good? Are the kids smarter or is it the teachers or both?

It's just the whole self-perpetuating cycle of rich areas. The wealthiest areas are almost always going to be the best public schools, for all kinds of reasons, and the whole thing becomes self-perpetuating.

Aside from the best pick of teachers (who, yes, probably are smarter than other schools' teachers), and plenty of funding, investments in technology, etc- these are the kids that probably have at least one parent who can stay home and help with schoolwork. And/or they can afford a tutor and whatever else. And just in general, successful people have high standards for their kids. So, what ends up happening is that the kids, too, become "smarter". (Even though their actual IQ is no higher or lower than the kids at poor schools.)

Whole thing is a self-feeding cycle in those nice suburban areas, I guess that's just the best way to put it.

[netdragon]

Originally Posted by primaltech

It's just the whole self-perpetuating cycle of rich areas.

The solution to this is:
1. More money spent on challenging top students more (which is a great way to avoid parents hopping districts or to private schools which kills test scores) since this usually involves additional teachers or professionals. It's an efficiency killer having a "high" level class with very few students or a "low" level class with few students, but these classes will be small for good reasons, and it isn't a bad thing.
2. More money towards struggling students or even average students, etc since this also usually involves additional teachers or professionals (and sometimes adding a wing onto schools)
3. The very scalable approach of adding STEM as a requirement
4. Other lower cost approaches are still great and have been tried, but nothing can really be #1 and #2

[demonta4]

This isn't gonna sound positive, but honestly I don't care at all about these lists. As if we didn't already know what schools would be on here. I want to see schools with students who actually have to go out there way to learn be recognized. Those are the students who truly work hard.

[netdragon]

Originally Posted by demonta4

I want to see schools with students who actually have to go out there way to learn be recognized. Those are the students who truly work hard.

All schools have students who work hard.

What we may want to recognize is the Marietta city school board that goes out of its way to have IB/STEM everywhere and a decent high school despite a significant number of disadvantaged students.

I wish I could congratulate Cobb, Fulton, or Dekalb on this, however they clearly have huge discrepancies between affluent and non-affluent areas and even affluent areas like Smyrna don't do so great b/c they don't compete with private schools.

I'd say Atlanta Public Schools too (Carver, etc) however with the cheating scandal they had, I really need to give it a few more years.

What's disappointing about Atlanta is North Atlanta H.S. is no better than Campbell High in Smyrna and worse than Pebblebrook HS in Mableton despite North Atlanta HS having more affluent demographics than either. However, Campbell is part IB and Pebblebrook HS has just started to do well. Also, despite having some much richer people (with probably an even greater % of those going to private schools than wealthy people in Smyrna) there's probably a larger number of disadvantaged students in North Atlanta H.S. district as well. Although none of North Atlanta HS district is a "bad" area there are plenty of outdated apartment complexes, and contrast that with Pebblebrook HS which is mostly single-family and Smyrna which has been on an apartment construction moratorium up until a few years ago and gone on an apartment demolition frenzy in the not-so-distant past.

[Dkeating]

Originally Posted by netdragon

Although we just built a huge pretty much custom home on a lot of land . . . but I'll eventually build a slightly bigger home on slightly more land up around Lost Mtn somewhere . . .

Nice of you to slip that in

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by netdragon

What's disappointing about Atlanta is North Atlanta H.S. is no better than Campbell High in Smyrna and worse than Pebblebrook HS in Mableton despite North Atlanta HS having more affluent demographics than either. However, Campbell is part IB and Pebblebrook HS has just started to do well. Also, despite having some much richer people (with probably an even greater % of those going to private schools than wealthy people in Smyrna) there's probably a larger number of disadvantaged students in North Atlanta H.S. district as well. Although none of North Atlanta HS district is a "bad" area there are plenty of outdated apartment complexes, and contrast that with Pebblebrook HS which is mostly single-family and Smyrna which has been on an apartment construction moratorium up until a few years ago and gone on an apartment demolition frenzy in the not-so-distant past.

The city of Atlanta certainly doesn't scrimp on money. I'd wager North Atlanta spends considerably more money per pupil and has a better student-teacher than those Cobb schools. And of course the facility is over the top.

And what accounts for the fall of Walton. I thought they were pretty solid.

[red92s]

Originally Posted by Dkeating

Nice of you to slip that in

He does have a tendency to pat himself on the back at every available opportunity