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My husband and I have lived in Northern NJ our entire lives and have the opportunity to relocate to Atlanta. Excited and nervous all at once! This is a HUGE change for us and we know nothing about the area except for what I've read on here and some preliminary research on public schools for our kids. Any advice and information provided would be so greatly appreciated.
Information for consideration in order of priority
1. Excellent PreSchool and Public Schools from Kindergarten - High School:
- Our top priority is to send our kids to the best public schools Georgia has to offer!
- What are the names of public schools that have a solid reputation of excellent performance in their elementary, middle and high schools year over year. Balanced between academics, arts and athletics. Seeking names to search rental & home inventory by entering the specific school names.
- We've reviewed the info on niche.com and schoolgrades.georgia.gov; however, since we're not familiar with the schools or area... we need help identifying the schools that are rated highly on a consistent basis.
- PreSchool: we have a 4yrs old who will start Kindergarten in the 2018-2019 school year; will need daycare until school starts. Also, have a 3yrs old who will need care.
2. Safe community; low crime
3. Commute at approximately 1hr or less between work/home and home/airport:
- Work office located in 30308 zip code off of W Peachtree St NW.
4. Short term housing in a prospect city for public school enrollment:
- Goal is to close on a home in time to enroll our oldest in Kindergarten for the 2018-2019 school year.
- Budget: 3+ bed, 2 bath under $1,600 p/month; the cheaper the better to save for our home
5. Home
- Seeking a 4+ bedroom, 2+ bath home ideally no more than $375,000. Have flexibility to pay up to $400K but house would have to be spectacular!
- Would like a subdivision that includes playground and swimming that is family friendly, community oriented; activities for the kids and/or access to fun things for us to do with the kids.
6. Employment opportunities
- Experience in Data Center Technician, Security officer, Health Tech Aide or willing to start new career!
What's the timeframe for kindergarten registration? When does school start and end in GA?
Our plan is to visit in Jan/Feb of 2018 to check out schools and housing options based on your recommendations; then relocate by April/May 2018.
We hope we've included all the info needed to provide recommendations! If not, please let us know... Also, if you have resources to share with us... that would be great!
The first place that comes to mind where you probably should begin your search is in East Cobb County in the cluster/feeder zone for the extremely highly-rated and highly-touted Walton High School.
Walton High School and its feeder schools are extremely (exceptionally) highly-rated by Southeastern U.S. standards.
Walton High School is a school that is thought of by many as being the best public high school in the state of Georgia.
Walton and its feeder schools also meet your criteria of being balanced between arts, academics and athletics. Walton also meets your criteria of being at or within about an hour's commute or so of the site of your workplace off West Peachtree Street in the Atlanta 30308 zip code.
Other schools like Pope HS and Lassiter HS in East Cobb County; Chattahoochee HS, Alpharetta HS and Milton HS in North Fulton County; Lambert HS and South Forsyth HS in South Forsyth County; Brookwood HS and North Gwinnett HS in Gwinnett County; Harrison HS and Hillgrove HS in West Cobb County; Starrs Mill HS, McIntosh HS and Whitewater HS in Fayette County; and Union Grove HS and Ola HS in Henry County all have reputations for being amongst the absolute best public schools both in Georgia and in the entire Southeastern U.S.
Both the Pope HS and Lassiter HS clusters (two school clusters which neighbor the Walton HS cluster in East Cobb) will be just beyond the window of the one-hour commute time that you would like to stay at or within.
All of the other school clusters noted will feature one-way rush hour commute times that often will significantly exceed the one-hour window that you would like to stay at or within while commuting to and from your place of employment off of West Peachtree Street in the Atlanta 30308 zip code.
If you cannot find the type of housing option that you prefer in the cluster/feeder zone for Walton High School, you can look in the clusters/feeder zones of the other schools named, but you will be facing commutes to and from Downtown Atlanta that will be longer than the commutes from (and to) the Walton HS cluster/feeder zone in East Cobb County.
You will also quickly discover that Atlanta area rush hour commutes will be made even more challenging because of the lack of the type of commuter rail infrastructure in the Atlanta area that is found in a suburban area like Northern New Jersey with a fairly very robust commuter transit service like NJ Transit.
Suburban Atlanta has some very limited commuter bus service that can be found mostly on the Northside (above and north of Interstate 20) and very little on the Southside (below and south of Interstate 20).
(...Interstate 20 is considered to be a dividing line between the much more heavily developed and populated Northside of the Atlanta metro area and the less-heavily populated Southside of the Atlanta metro area.)
The glaring lack of commuter rail transit service along with the glaring lack of an adequate regional surface road network in the Atlanta metropolitan region (a region of 6 million people that is not too dissimilar in population to major Northeastern metros like Boston, DC and Philly) makes much (if not most) of the Atlanta metropolitan area and region heavily dependent (severely overdependent) on the region's sparse arterial network which includes a relative few freeways and a relative handful of multi-lane surface routes.
Like other major metros of a similar size and population, Atlanta's metropolitan road network is prone to periods of gridlock and near-total gridlock, especially during times of major traffic incidents and inclement weather and even during times of major road construction projects.
The difference between Atlanta and other major metros of a similar size and population (particularly in the Northeastern U.S.) is that Atlanta lacks the type of robust regional commuter rail option that can be utilized in Northeastern U.S. metros during times of traffic gridlock.
The notable lack of commuter transit infrastructure during morning and evening rush hours in the Atlanta metro area/region is something that should figure heavily into your decision of where to rent or purchase a home in an area of good public schools.
I'm surprised you left out Northview and Johns Creek high schools considering they have fought for the the title of best public high school in the entire state for the past few years. I won't say they are easy commutes into town, but certainly better than North Gwinnett and South Forsyth, probably about the same as Walton.
I'm surprised you left out Northview and Johns Creek high schools considering they have fought for the the title of best public high school in the entire state for the past few years. I won't say they are easy commutes into town, but certainly better than North Gwinnett and South Forsyth, probably about the same as Walton.
The cluster of schools anchored by Johns Creek High School in North Fulton County certainly is a great suggestion as far as academics goes.
Though Johns Creek HS does have a reputation for being socially competitive and even socially cliquish in regards to some (but not necessarily all) circles of affluent students... A cliquish reputation in some social circles that may not necessarily make JCHS the absolute best choice as far as finding the type of educational balance that the OP is looking for. But otherwise the school has an excellent academic reputation that should make its area part of any and every housing search list.
And the cluster of schools anchored by Northview High School in North Fulton County is an excellent suggestion, particularly in regards to academics.
Northview High School probably arguably has the best reputation for academic preparedness of any public high school in the entire state of Georgia.
The drawback for Northview High School is that the school also has a reputation for maybe being too focused on academics to the detriment of other aspects of a well-rounded education like arts and athletics.
Northview actually has a reputation for being too academically competitive in some circles. Northview is an excellent school, particularly from an academic standpoint. But if someone is looking for a more well-rounded educational experience for their children, Northview may not necessarily be for everyone because of the highly academically competitive environment that the school has a reputation for fostering.
If the OP is going to look in North Fulton County, they should probably look to school clusters like Chattahoochee (first and foremost because of the school's emphasis on social inclusion and encouraging students to engage in a well-rounded education) and Alpharetta (which also has a reputation for fostering a well-rounded and inclusive learning environment).
Though the OP should also know that the one-way rush hour commutes between much of North Fulton County and their workplace off of West Peachtree Street in the Atlanta 30308 zip code may push 2 hours and/or more on many days.
(...The OP in particular may want to find a way to avoid the I-285/Georgia 400 interchange where a massive traffic congestion and gridlock-generating reconstruction project is slated to increase in activity and be in progress over the next several years.)
The OP should also know that finding the type of property in the price range that they are looking to either rent or buy in top North Fulton County school clusters like Chattahoochee, Alpharetta, Milton, Johns Creek and Northview and even Cambridge potentially could be a challenge because of the extreme competitiveness of the housing market in that area of highly-coveted public schools.
Thank you so much for the comprehensive replies! This gives us a lot to consider and we appreciate the recommendations. My husband and I thought NYC traffic was bad... the commute times you described Born 2 Roll made our jaws drop! Never thought I would be so thankful for NJ Transit and the MTA. Something we absolutely need to consider to keep our sanity and maintain a healthy work/life balance.
I've ranked the schools as follows:
Tier 1: (Top Pick)
East Cobb County
- Walton HS, Lassiter HS & Pope HS
Tier 2:
South Forsyth County
- Lambert HS & South Forsyth HS
North Fulton County
- Chattahoochee HS, Alpharetta HS, Milton HS; Johns Creek HS & Northview HS* see note above
Gwinnett County
- Brookwood HS & North Gwinnett HS
Niche.com listed Buford City Schools on their list of best school districts in GA... I noticed this cluster falls within Gwinnett and Hall counties. Also listed was Decatur City Schools which falls in DeKalb county. Would you have any information to share on these areas? How would you rank them amongst the schools provided above? What's the commute like, etc...?
Also listed was Decatur City Schools which falls in DeKalb county. Would you have any information to share on these areas? How would you rank them amongst the schools provided above? What's the commute like, etc...?
Decatur offers a lot of what you are looking for, including shorter commutes to the midtown (including access to our MARTA system) area and great schools. Problem is that it's a budget buster, for a lot of those same reasons. 4 Bedroom single family homes in City of Decatur are typically going to start in the $600's.
Thank you so much for the comprehensive replies! This gives us a lot to consider and we appreciate the recommendations. My husband and I thought NYC traffic was bad... the commute times you described Born 2 Roll made our jaws drop! Never thought I would be so thankful for NJ Transit and the MTA. Something we absolutely need to consider to keep our sanity and maintain a healthy work/life balance.
I've ranked the schools as follows:
Tier 1: (Top Pick)
East Cobb County
- Walton HS, Lassiter HS & Pope HS
Tier 2:
South Forsyth County
- Lambert HS & South Forsyth HS
North Fulton County
- Chattahoochee HS, Alpharetta HS, Milton HS; Johns Creek HS & Northview HS* see note above
Gwinnett County
- Brookwood HS & North Gwinnett HS
That is a really good list of schools to consider.
One more note is that if you are going to consider a Gwinnett County cluster of schools like Brookwood then you most likely should also add the neighboring cluster of schools anchored by Parkview High School.
Parkview is nearly as highly-rated as Brookwood (...Brookwood gets a 10 out of 10 rating on the Great Schools website, an A+ grade on Niche.com and a five-star rating on SchoolDigger.com; Parkview gets a 9 out of 10 rating on GreatSchools.org, an A grade on Niche.com and a four-star rating on SchoolDigger.com).
The Parkview cluster is also slightly closer to your place of work in Downtown Atlanta than Brookwood and its neighboring cluster of schools.
A one-way commute between the Parkview cluster and your place of work in Downtown Atlanta may push 1 hour, 40 minutes and/or longer on many days while a one-way commute between the slightly farther away Brookwood cluster and your place of work in Downtown Atlanta may push 2 hours and/or longer on many days.
Both Brookwood and Parkview are rival schools which traditionally have had a reputation for being academically proficient with a balanced learning environment.
But both schools have become much more intensely academically competitive as the Asian population (most notably the East Indian/South Asian population) has boomed in the area over the last decade-and-a-half or so.
The cluster of schools anchored by North Gwinnett High School also features a booming Asian population (of Korean and Japanese/East Asian families along with some East Indian/South Asian families) that has helped to make that school much more intensely academically competitive than in the past before the Olympic era.
Quote:
Originally Posted by dd77
Niche.com listed Buford City Schools on their list of best school districts in GA... I noticed this cluster falls within Gwinnett and Hall counties.
Yes... Buford City Schools is an excellent small school system that is independent of the larger neighboring Gwinnett County Public Schools and Hall County Schools systems.
Buford City Schools provides a very well-balanced educational environment that emphasizes academic excellence while providing robust arts and athletics opportunities.
The City of Buford itself is also home to many great amenities including a popular historic downtown village area that is home to shops, restaurants and a growing and thriving artists' colony (Tannery Row Artists' Colony).
The larger Buford area is the site of a major retail/commercial district anchored by the massive Mall of Georgia regional shopping center which is one of the largest regional shopping centers both in the entire Southeastern U.S. and on the entire Eastern Seaboard.
The Buford area also provides direct access to the outdoor recreational area at Lake Lanier (a manmade body of water that is extremely popular with the residents of a landlocked Atlanta metropolitan area and region).
The Buford area also provides virtual direct access to the extremely popular and scenic outdoor tourist and recreational areas of the Blue Ridge/Southern Appalachian mountain ranges of North Georgia, Western North Carolina and Eastern Tennessee by way of a Interstate 985/Georgia Highway 365 roadway that runs directly through the Buford area.
The only challenge (and it is a significant challenge) for you is that the Buford City Schools attendance area would provide you with a one-way commute that would push 2 hours and/or longer on many days by way of the sometimes highly-unpredictable Interstate 85 Northeast corridor.
Though, Interstate 85 does provide a HOT (High-Occupancy Toll) lane option that (while expensive at up to $14 each way if utilized through the entire 16-mile distance of the lanes) can help to shorten the commutes along an I-85 Northeast roadway that is often severely congested with traffic during morning and afternoon/evening rush hours and peak hours and even on some weekends.
That HOT lane option is also used to provide a modest amount of regional park-and-ride express commuter bus service between Gwinnett County and Central Atlanta (Midtown and Downtown Atlanta) that potentially could be utilized if you were to choose to move into Gwinnett school zones like North Gwinnett or Buford.
Quote:
Originally Posted by dd77
Also listed was Decatur City Schools which falls in DeKalb county. Would you have any information to share on these areas? How would you rank them amongst the schools provided above? What's the commute like, etc...?
The Decatur City Schools system is also an excellent small school system that is dependent of the surrounding DeKalb County school system.
The Decatur City School area would provide you with by far the shortest commute to and from your job in Downtown Atlanta of any of the school zone options noted and listed (with one-way commutes of only about 30-40 minutes during rush hour between the City of Decatur and Downtown Atlanta).
The City of Decatur would also provide you with a robust commuter rail transit option in the MARTA Heavy Rail System which features multiple stops in both the City of Decatur and near your place of work in Downtown Atlanta.
The only problem with the City of Decatur is that (as red92s noted) the cost to buy the kind of house you desire (a 4-bed/2-bath) in the Decatur City Schools system would more than likely be well beyond your housing budget... That is, if any houses for sale could even really be found in an area that is extremely popular with professionals with families because of the extremely close proximity to major regional employment centers (like Central Atlanta and Emory University and even the massive Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport).
Though, you should definitely check in the Decatur City Schools attendance zone to see if anything might be available to rent or buy just simply because of the extremely high quality of the schools there and because of the extremely close proximity of the area to your job in Downtown Atlanta.
My husband works in that zip code and we live in Roswell- the commute is not fun, especially in the evening when 1.5-2 hours is not uncommon. Luckily he doesn't have to do it daily. My advice is to eliminate areas that are further away such as Forsyth, Milton, John's Creek. And try to find a place that is closer to the highway exits because much of the feeder roads are at a standstill during rush hours.
I would also check out Roswell High School cluster. It may not be "the best" in Georgia but it certainly offers a very good education (comparing with schools in Westchester County, NY and New Canaan, CT).
I love the Milton/Cambridge HS clusters but the commute is even further and I don't know if you would find much in your price range.
Another thing to consider is that redistricting happens frequently in newer, growing areas. I believe that is happening now in the Lambert HS district and some lawsuits have been filed by unhappy families.
Just adding to the excellent advice already given. I live in Peachtree City in Fayette County and would highly recommend it based on what you said you're looking for. Schools are uniformly excellent and crime and traffic is much lower than you'd find in the northern burbs. A lot of people don't even lock their home or car doors and you'll find that a lot of crime here is just robbers stealing from unlocked cars. The main drawback IMO between the southside and northside burbs is you have much less shopping here. You'll have pretty much what you need, but not everything you'd want--for example, Whole Foods. You have to be content with Sprouts and the Fresh Market.
On #5, Home values have risen sharply in PTC over the past couple of years but you should still be able to find a great house in your range. Inventory is much lower here in other places so you need a lot of patience here no matter what your price range. The great houses go under contract within hours and there's a bit of learning curve in sifting through the lemons and the diamonds in the rough.
One thing about PTC is that the town is mostly built out and new construction is fairly expensive and hard to come by. However, the existing communities are mostly very well maintained and renovated, so lack of new construction was not a huge issue for me. The neighborhoods in PTC have stood the test of time and are aging beautifully.
On #3, is your job near a MARTA station? If so, you could definitely make it there in under an hour from PTC if you're willing to take MARTA part of the way. I know a lot of folks who drive to the College Park MARTA station, which is about a 20-25 minute drive and then take MARTA in to get to work in Midtown and other places in the northern part of the city. Traffic is not bad on the south side compared to what you will find on the north side. I commute every day to downtown Atlanta by car and it takes under an hour unless there is a really bad accident.
On #6, in Fayette County, I'm sure you'd have a lot of job opportunities at Piedmont Fayette hospital. The healthcare industry is really booming here.
On #4, it is probably going to be a challenge to find short term housing under $1600 dollars in Fayette County. The rental market is really tight with Pinewood Studios and all the growth we've been experiencing. It can be done though with patience and study.
Kindergarten and pre-K registration starts in January I believe. Fayette County is very strict with checking your residency, so be prepared to have a billion documents ready to register your kids if you choose Fayette. School starts in most metro counties in early August and lets out in mid to late May.
The Lakeside High School cluster (https://www.niche.com/k12/lakeside-h...ol-atlanta-ga/) in North Decatur (not City of Decatur) is a solid choice and would have housing available around your price range. (I live in the Leafmore/Sagamore Hills neighborhood.) And you can get to work in Midtown in around 30min, even during the morning rush. Before I'm lambasted by others on here, I know that it's not on par with, for example, the East Cobb schools (which really are excellent), but it's an option considering your housing budget and commute. Plus, if you prefer a more in-town lifestyle, it offers more amenities than the outlying towns in my opinion. For instance, I can hop on a bus and be in downtown Decatur in 15min, and can access MARTA that way if I need to. Just my two cents.
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