High schools in Cumming (Atlanta, Druid Hills: how much, house, neighborhood)

[Vv19]

Hi, can anyone please let me know how the high schools in Cumming are rated? I know South Forsyth High is among the very best schools in GA. How does West Forsyth and Denmark HS are compared to other schools in that area? Thanks.

[flamadiddle]

They're all fine, you're splitting hairs. Your kids will do fine at any of those, just pick the one that has the courses/programs your kids are most interested in and/or the area you like best

Don't fall prey to analysis paralysis.

[hereticiam]

According to schooldigger.com
South Forsyth is ranked 13
Denmark is ranked 30
West Forsyth is ranked 59 out of all 428 schools in GA.
You can also find demographic information about these schools.

https://www.schooldigger.com/go/GA/s...k.aspx?level=3

All 3 schools are excellent.
We began looking for a home in Feb 2022. We found a home that was located in West Forsyth Zone.
It was a perfect home for us and it met the high standards of my wife.
We spent a bit too much time worrying about the lower ranking of West Forsyth.
The home got sold.
Nearly 1 year later we are still looking. Instead of enjoying the mild winters of GA, we are experiencing 52 inches of snow and dog walks in below zero temps.
So learn from our mistakes and don't fall prey to analysis paralysis.

[Born 2 Roll]

Originally Posted by Vv19

Hi, can anyone please let me know how the high schools in Cumming are rated? I know South Forsyth High is among the very best schools in GA. How does West Forsyth and Denmark HS are compared to other schools in that area? Thanks.

The Forsyth County Schools system is widely reported to be and is widely regarded as being the highest rated school system in the state of Georgia.

The Forsyth County Schools system certainly is the most highly regarded school system in the state of Georgia right now and most likely will be for the foreseeable future.

All eight of the high schools in the Forsyth County Schools system are of extremely high quality academically.

Lambert and South Forsyth high schools are not necessarily significantly better in quality than any other high school in the FCS system, but are the 2 most academically competitive high schools in the FCS system and are 2 of the absolute most academically competitive high schools in the state of Georgia and in the Southeastern U.S.

Lambert and South Forsyth feature some extremely highly competitive academic environments with very high proportions of very high academically performing students.

Denmark High School (which is only about 4-5 years old and is still a relatively very new high school) is an extremely high quality school that is rising in academic competitiveness and may likely be at the same ultra-high level of academic competitiveness as Lambert and South Forsyth high schools within 5-10 years or so.

West Forsyth High School is probably roughly about 5-10 years behind Denmark High School but is also growing increasingly academically competitive as the demographic makeup of the area continues to shift.

While not as highly academically competitive and while not having as many students from affluent families as Lambert, South Forsyth, Denmark and West Forsyth high schools, Forsyth Central High School is also a very high quality high school.

Forsyth Central just has a much more socioeconomically diverse student population that weighs on its academic ratings when compared to the other aforementioned Forsyth County high schools.

North Forsyth and East Forsyth high schools are also schools of extremely high quality but have comparatively somewhat noticeably less racially and ethnically diverse student populations than most of the other public high schools in the county at this point in time.

East Forsyth High School is a brand-spanking-new high school that just opened in August 2021 and is currently only in its second year of operation.

[DoubleZ OTP]

As a graduate of a Forsyth County High School, I can assure you that all of the high schools in the county are acceptable to the vast majority of parents.

The only real differences between Lambert, South Forsyth, Denmark, Forsyth Central, North Forsyth, West Forsyth, and East Forsyth are the school colors and the mascots. All of the schools operate very similarly to one another. Find a home you like in a community you like and go with it! If your child wants to do well and you want your child to do well, then they will usually succeed in almost any school environment they are placed into.

There are some minor differences between the schools: for example, South Forsyth has an IB program, Denmark has a veterinary program, and North Forsyth has a ROTC program. You will want to investigate course offerings and extracurricular offerings at each school to ensure they align with your child's academic and extracurricular interests.


To the OP and all parents who read this: do not pick a school or rule out a school solely because of one number on one website! Doing so is incredibly reductive and lazy, and it could even be suboptimal or even harmful for your child. There is so much more to a school than a number 1 through 10 or an arbitrary ranking by some company. Ask yourself: what courses are offered at the school? Are they equipped to handle gifted students? Students with IEPs? Students with special needs? Students who speak English as a second language? What are the athletic and extracurricular offerings like? How much experience do the teachers and administration have? How are disciplinary issues addressed? Is there a culture of success? Are some students "falling through the cracks"? Is the school overcrowded? Does the curriculum align with your values? Does the school board operate competently and ethically? Do the students enjoy going to school? I could go on.


Here's my story: until middle school, I attended "average" schools in a suburb on the southside of Atlanta. Both the elementary school and middle school receive ratings of "5" on GreatSchools currently; I would guess they were similarly rated over a decade ago (when I attended). I had been doing well: I especially loved my gifted classes and teachers in elementary school and my honors classes and teachers in middle school. I had learned a lot. I had a few friends. I was happy, and I enjoyed school.

Then my parents discovered GreatSchools (or a similar website) and realized that the high school I would be attending was not top-rated on that website. They got FOMO and decided to move the family to Forsyth County just before high school would start; they even became house poor in the process. The high school I attended has always been rated "9" on GreatSchools and has always been ranked in the top 10 in Georgia on US News, Schooldigger, and so on, so my parents assumed that going there would be great for me and my education.

Wrong. I could not relate to 95% of the student body, and I had no real friends. I didn't wear the right clothes as my parents couldn't afford them. I struggled to break into social groups that had formed and closed years ago in a gated neighborhood. I was mocked for having to go to work after school, and I was mocked again for not having my own car and needing to ask for rides all the time. I wanted to end my life for a few years while attending that school. The school shoehorned all students towards one life path (4-year college) and essentially ignored all others (community college, trade school, joining the workforce, etc.).

Most of the on-level classes were absolute jokes of busywork, packets, movies, and YouTube (I must say that the AP classes were great though). Many (most?) kids went to paid tutoring outside of school, on their parents' dime, for SAT/ACT prep, Chemistry, Computer Science, Calculus, etc. to fill the gaps the school had left. I feel that about 75% of a school's rating or ranking can be explained by socioeconomic factors; about 25% can be explained by the quality of the school itself.


Some of my most talented, intelligent, and well-prepared peers in college (at GSU) graduated from Grady (now Midtown), Chamblee, Druid Hills, Maynard Jackson, and Lakeside High Schools, which receive GreatSchools ratings of 7, 6, 6, 5, and 5 respectively. This goes to show that one's child does not necessarily need to go to an 8, 9, or 10 High School to do well in college and beyond. If they want to do well, they will.

[flamadiddle]

^ Great post DoubleZ!

I know you already know this, but your parents believed they were doing the right thing and went above and beyond to provide you with the best education possible. They obviously love you very much so don't fault them. I'm guilty of doing the same for my kids. Luckily it's working out well for them, but as you point out, it's not all about "ranking".