Good schools with an easy commute to Downtown Atlanta (Sandy Springs: neighborhood, school district)

[booztedgt]

Hey all, just moved here and am really stuck trying to find a SFH in a great school district, 4BR, under $450K, and not too far outside the perimeter (or preferably inside). Since I'll be commuting to downtown Atlanta and don't want to spend an hour in traffic, I haven't looked at places like Roswell and Alpharetta. So far we've primarily looked into Sandy Springs and Dunwoody (not really east Cobb since it seems far from the highways).

I will also say that in general I don't like suburbia; I'd prefer the feel of a town like Decatur, but unfortunately I don't think that will work (my wife wants to stay closer to family in SS).

The biggest issue however seems to be finding a good PS district. I hate to say this, but it really seems like the test scores and reputation of the public schools here directly correlates to race and income (ie the schools with less minorities and less kids on reduced lunches). Is that really the case in Atlanta? I grew up in public schools that were very mixed, and they were all great schools. I really cannot afford, and don't want to send my kids to waspy, non-diverse, and elitist private schools.

I spent 6 years here in a previous life as a college student....I just never imagined living here with a family would be so tough!

[frances125]

Decatur is very high achieving as well as diverse. Their middle school (Renfroe Middle) just won both a GA School of Excellence Award as well as a Platinum Award for student achievement. My understanding is that less than a dozen middle schools statewide won these awards. They also have some pretty slick pedagogy (Expeditionary Learning in K-3 and International Baccalaureate in 4-10). 4BR for 450K is a bit of a stretch in Decatur, but it can be found.

If Decatur is too far, I'd recommend Dunwoody, but look at Chesnut Elementary. It is a charter school and is far more laid back and diverse than Austin and Vanderlyn (which are IMO too focused on test prep), but Chesnut has good achievement levels and a very warm feeling to the school.

[DeaconJ]

The APS district in Morningside/Midtown/Piedmont Heights is excellent...Morningside Elementary, Inman Middle, and Grady High...and a very easy commute to Downtown/Courtland Street, plus a quick 15 minute drive out to Sandy Springs.

[frances125]

Ditto, Deacon is right... I forgot about that. 4BR at 450K might be tough to find there though.

[DeaconJ]

Originally Posted by frances125

Ditto, Deacon is right... I forgot about that. 4BR at 450K might be tough to find there though.

Oops...you're right. The current housing market might allow that though - I'm not sure.

[aries4118]

Originally Posted by DeaconJ

The APS district in Morningside/Midtown/Piedmont Heights is excellent...Morningside Elementary, Inman Middle, and Grady High...and a very easy commute to Downtown/Courtland Street, plus a quick 15 minute drive out to Sandy Springs.

The Midtown neighborhood is actually now zoned for the new Springdale Park Elementary School (Morningside and Piedmont Heights still attend Morningside Elementary, however).

And Midtown students still attend Inman Middle and Grady High.

[yankeegirl73]

Look at the Heards Ferry area (Fulton). Also look at the Oak Grove elementary district (Dekalb). I also know people who have been very happy at Laurel Ridge elementary, though I have heard mixed reviews about Druid Hills (the H.S., also Dekalb). You will probably find more in your price range in these areas.

[George Chong]

The City of Decatur is not that far from Sandy Springs. It will have the vibe that you are looking for with the great schools too.

City of Decatur, GA
http://www.csdecatur.net/

[lastminutemom]

Keep in mind that most visits to the family will be at non-rush hour times. And the family can come to her sometimes and you can meet in the middle for dinner as well.

Don't rule out the Sandy Springs' schools. Just find the right ones. I happen to think Woodland (similar to Chesnut, I believe) is a great school. Heards Ferry has had a huge change in demographics because of a new school opening and is well regarded.

Also, in this economy, you might be able to find something in Buckhead.

[ramblinwreck17]

Even Sandy Springs isn't going to be an EASY commute to Downtown. If you look in Sandy Springs you might as well look at Roswell IMO. I drive SS to Decatur all the time...takes me 15-20 min in no traffic.