Relocating from Orlando to Atlanta, house location/school question

[AnsleyPark]

Originally Posted by Citykid3785

While Roswell is big, it can actually feel quite small.

I hear you on private schools, and I don't want to totally persuade you away from that. But many of my private school friends (now grown) comment on how their school actually had MORE issues because many of the kids were so sheltered growing up, thus they felt the need to rebel more. So while the school didn't suffer from poverty for instance, it suffered from a student population that liked to "experiment."

But either way, your children would do great here, private or public. But I do encourage you to give public school a second thought. Arguably the biggest reason is to build community. It's hard to relate to your neighbors when your kids don't go to school together, and the nearest play date is 30 mins away. I know this from personal experience when we took our child to a private school in MN.....none of his school besties lived nearby and none of our neighbors could relate to us.

So very true. In my experience with two kids going to Westminster, unless they are really in the top tier of their class, colleges don’t much care whether they went to Westminster or a public school. And at $28k per year, that is a very expensive lesson to learn.

[AtlJan]

Do you know where you or your husband will be working? Work commute is also a big factor. I agree with everything you said for your reasoning for sending your child to private. My child attends one of the schools you mentioned--he has two co-teachers for every 18 children, no teaching-to-the-test, totally creative curriculum where teachers collaborate and engage kids across subjects. 4 lower school art teachers, small group orchestra lessons in school, huge wooded campus with trails and creeks, multiple play grounds, gyms, fields, after-school sports, etc. I would not want to be driving back and forth, back and forth to get him to school there though! Live close!

There are some other amazing private schools. In Roswell there is one of my all time favorite schools--High Meadows School. You must visit! It is very outdoorsy, but the academics are extremely strong as well. If Decatur or Brookhaven is closer to your work, look at The Cliff Valley School, another hidden gem. Holy Innocents in Sandy Springs is Episcopal and sounds similar to the level of religiosity of your current school. High Meadows and Cliff Valley are not religious and have students of all faiths. You also could look at Paideia and Galloway.

[stoxdiamond]

Private school traffic is really bad. Figure out where you which school will admit your child first, then find a place to live close to their school.

A coworkers commute began as 25 minutes and now is over an hour due to having to drop their son off at school.

[juliegirlie]

Thank you all for the input! Extremely helpful!! I appreciate it so much!

[back2atl]

Originally Posted by juliegirlie

Is Holy Innocents Catholic? We definitely prefer a non denomination school with more of an emphasis on moral values than religion. Her current school is technically Christian but really just has “unity meetings” where they discuss the monthly “fruit of the spirit” - that works for her Jewish Dad and my Lutheran upbringing, LOL. I have a dream of moving to a sweet town like Roswell after many years living in Central Dallas and Orlando. Both busy cities. Roswell may be larger than I initially thought (doing my research), but it’s history and adorable downtown area remind me of the small town I grew up in. Maybe I should open up about the public schools. I just really feel like I have more control over bullying and school shootings and stuff like that in a private school. I pay them to make it a good experience, basically. And they focus a ton on issues like that because parents with deep pockets (not us!) fund programs, security, etc.

UGH, it’s my first move with a kid to consider, makes it more difficult!

Thank you for the tip on living within 5-10 miles of the schools!! Good advice.

Holy Innocents is Episcopalian but not hard core about it. Students do attend chapel occasionally though.

I really like Roswell for reasons similar to yours. We bought a house about 4 miles from “downtown” Roswell,
But in East Cobb to be in the Walton school district. Excellent public school system. Roswell is supposed to have excellent public schools as well.

You could always set up a tour, even of a public school. Good luck.

[PeteATL41]

The Buckhead private school scene is a pretty tightly circle especially in the lower and middle school levers. Outside of school the kids play sports together (Buckhead Baseball, NYO, Tophat etc.), many go to camp together in the summertime, swim at the Buckhead CC's together and even go on vacations with each other's families. The social dynamics can be complex at an early age. It can be a great experience or not so much depending on your child and their interests. If you are not living in Buckhead or nearby be prepared to drive a lot and you have to be OK raising your kids in the Buckhead bubble...

[juliegirlie]

Originally Posted by PeteATL41

The Buckhead private school scene is a pretty tightly circle especially in the lower and middle school levers. Outside of school the kids play sports together (Buckhead Baseball, NYO, Tophat etc.), many go to camp together in the summertime, swim at the Buckhead CC's together and even go on vacations with each other's families. The social dynamics can be complex at an early age. It can be a great experience or not so much depending on your child and their interests. If you are not living in Buckhead or nearby be prepared to drive a lot and you have to be OK raising your kids in the Buckhead bubble...

Very good points. That is what we are experiencing right now with the private school scene in Orlando, and it seems to be a lot of people who care about different things than we do - as in, I don’t care about the social scene that mimics highschool popularity, who has what material items, etc. None of that appeals to me, as I was raised in a tiny sweet town in the Midwest, public school educated and a wholesome, humble upbringing. HOWEVER, that being said, I grin and bear it and keep my circle of good/similar friends tight, and try to give my child every opportunity in those circles WITHIN REASON and with a good dose of Midwest sensibility. Honestly it’s a lot of work to be in that scene, and I only do it for the great schooling. The Florida public schools are terrible compared to up north, even the ones people say are good.

[cparker73]

Originally Posted by juliegirlie

Very good points. That is what we are experiencing right now with the private school scene in Orlando, and it seems to be a lot of people who care about different things than we do - as in, I don’t care about the social scene that mimics highschool popularity, who has what material items, etc. None of that appeals to me, as I was raised in a tiny sweet town in the Midwest, public school educated and a wholesome, humble upbringing. HOWEVER, that being said, I grin and bear it and keep my circle of good/similar friends tight, and try to give my child every opportunity in those circles WITHIN REASON and with a good dose of Midwest sensibility. Honestly it’s a lot of work to be in that scene, and I only do it for the great schooling. The Florida public schools are terrible compared to up north, even the ones people say are good.

You wouldn't happen to be at Lake Highland in Orlando would you? We considered it for elementary school but opted for St. James for the reasons you stated. Fortunately, we made the move from Orlando to Atlanta before school started, but we'd missed the window for the private school tour-interview-test-and-wait cycle in Atlanta, which is ramping up now and will end in February. The social scene is what it is since a lot of these parents already know each other professionally (mom doctor-dad lawyer households), but each school community has its own character on how insular it may be. You can't go wrong academically at any of the usual Buckhead privates, but some may be a better fit socially than others.

[juliegirlie]

Originally Posted by cparker73

You wouldn't happen to be at Lake Highland in Orlando would you? We considered it for elementary school but opted for St. James for the reasons you stated. Fortunately, we made the move from Orlando to Atlanta before school started, but we'd missed the window for the private school tour-interview-test-and-wait cycle in Atlanta, which is ramping up now and will end in February. The social scene is what it is since a lot of these parents already know each other professionally (mom doctor-dad lawyer households), but each school community has its own character on how insular it may be. You can't go wrong academically at any of the usual Buckhead privates, but some may be a better fit socially than others.

Yes! My daughter just started Lake Highland this year for PreK and we couldn’t be happier with the school. She LOVES it. So many great resources and programs, even at this young age. Thank you for your comment on the schools in Buckhead!

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by PeteATL41

The Buckhead private school scene is a pretty tightly circle especially in the lower and middle school levers. Outside of school the kids play sports together (Buckhead Baseball, NYO, Tophat etc.), many go to camp together in the summertime, swim at the Buckhead CC's together and even go on vacations with each other's families. The social dynamics can be complex at an early age. It can be a great experience or not so much depending on your child and their interests. If you are not living in Buckhead or nearby be prepared to drive a lot and you have to be OK raising your kids in the Buckhead bubble...

Great post. We've had children and grandchildren in both public and private schools, and it really depends on the specific circumstances. The top public schools are superb and there are good private options as well.