What's the true story of Grady High School? (Atlanta, Roswell: apartments, safe area) - Georgia (GA) - City-Data Forum

painter62 · 05-25-2010, 12:23 PM

Okay, I am very confused. I am sold on Inman Middle School and Mary Lin Elementary (I visited), but am very confused about Grady High School. When doing searches, comments range from "it's a great school" to "my son was bullied and had a knife pulled on him". I also read a comment from a student that it is safe now "because they have metal detectors!" I am so sorry, but if a school has to have metal detectors, it isn't safe. To be honest, I have never even been in a school with metal detectors. Now, I am worried. My plan had been to live in the area and send my kids to the Grady cluster. Our family has moved a lot and now we are moving again. My son is going into 8th grade. If I put him in Inman, then he may have to change school systems yet AGAIN in 9th grade. (If I choose private school at that point.) That doesn't seem fair. But, it is also possibly too late to get into a private school this summer for the August start. (Plus, I am kind of against private schools, unless absolutely necessary.) Could someone here be honest about Grady High School. I am now starting to rethink this whole "move to Atlanta" thing! Please be honest. Thanks.

roxyrn · 05-25-2010, 12:57 PM

Did you visit Grady? I think walking the halls of a school (accompanied by student guide) is the best way of getting a real feel for the setting.

I think that everyone has a different comfort level depending on where they are coming from. We were going to send our daughter to a middle school in Pacific Palisades, CA until I got freaked out by the metal detectors and acts of violence but a lot of that was because she was coming from a small private school in a suburb of Minneapolis.

aries4118 · 05-25-2010, 01:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by roxyrn

Did you visit Grady? I think walking the halls of a school (accompanied by student guide) is the best way of getting a real feel for the setting.

I think that everyone has a different comfort level depending on where they are coming from. We were going to send our daughter to a middle school in Pacific Palisades, CA until I got freaked out by the metal detectors and acts of violence but a lot of that was because she was coming from a small private school in a suburb of Minneapolis.

Yes, definitely visit Grady.

Take a tour with a parent/PTA member.

Also, take a tour with a student guide.

I'm sure you could request both--and they will probably appreciate that you want both "tour perspectives."

Zone2flyboy · 05-25-2010, 01:38 PM

I think Grady is an excellent school overall, I went to North Atlanta High myself and NAH and Grady far and away are the best public high schools in APS. Any problems that Grady has I wouldnt freak out about it, I mean its an urban school with everything from kids from Bedford Pines to kids from Ansley Park, so of course there will be some problems. But overall, I really dont see anything wrong with Grady.

DeaconJ · 05-25-2010, 02:21 PM

Every school will have some disgruntled parents...no matter how great the school. I totally agree with some of the other members - the best way to get a feel for the school is to visit and take a tour.

painter62 · 05-25-2010, 02:29 PM

When my son heard we were moving to Atlanta, the first thing he said to me was, "please don't send me to a school where they bring guns and knives to school." I promised him I wouldn't. "I would never do that", was my response. Wellllllll......I never imagined I would actually be in a situation where violence is something I am supposed to get comfortable with? I won't even let him play violent video games! What do I say now?
How can anyone be comfortable with violence? How do I explain metal detectors to him now after my promise? You say that Grady is the best public high school in Atlanta. But, where does the bar begin/start? What does that mean? Are the other APSs awful, and Grady better than awful? If your kids are coming from a top high school in a very safe area outside of New York City, is Grady in that comfort level? How many Grady kids go on to top colleges or to college at all? Comments like "I don't see anything wrong with Grady" to me means, "it is not really up to par, that it is just average". I want my kids to go to great schools, not schools that someone doesn't see anything wrong with. What kind of a recommendation is that?
So, from these comments, I am assuming the "Grady cluster" doesn't really include Grady when people are referring to it? People should really state that. Because saying the Grady cluster is "great", but then saying that Grady is "not that bad", is not being honest.
In addition, how can I visit a school that is already out for the summer? Not possible.
This whole Atlanta school thing is very frustrating. What I can gather from this board and all the posts is that the only really, really good high schools are Walton, Pope, and Lassiter or private school. That is kind of sad for a city the size of Atlanta. And, not to offend anyone, but I have no interest in living in East Cobb county. I apologize for my rant but I am agonizing over this!
And to add, if to get a great education in Atlanta, you have to send your child to private school, then the "you get more for your money" thing doesn't ring true now, does it? That is $20,000 per child.

noah · 05-25-2010, 02:40 PM

I don't have first hand knowledge other then living in the area but I always thought highly of Grady and have read of students from there going to Ivy league schools etc. Then again if your getting the vibe there are only 3 public high schools in the metro that are very good then I think your going to miss some very good ones.

For what it is worth Greatschools.net gives it a rating of 8 out of 10.

aries4118 · 05-25-2010, 02:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by painter62

...So, from these comments, I am assuming the "Grady cluster" doesn't really include Grady when people are referring to it? People should really state that. Because saying the Grady cluster is "great", but then saying that Grady is "not that bad", is not being honest.
In addition, how can I visit a school that is already out for the summer? Not possible.
This whole Atlanta school thing is very frustrating. What I can gather from this board and all the posts is that the only really, really good high schools are Walton, Pope, and Lassiter or private school. That is kind of sad for a city the size of Atlanta. And, not to offend anyone, but I have no interest in living in East Cobb county. I apologize for my rant but I am agonizing over this!
And to add, if to get a great education in Atlanta, you have to send your child to private school, then the "you get more for your money" thing doesn't ring true now, does it? That is $20,000 per child.

OK. Breathe.

Grady is an excellent school. Walton, Pope, and Lassiter or private are definitely not the only option for a great high school education in Metro Atlanta (!).

Other posters will chime in with more detailed information about Grady--and I'm sure many will start to list the plethora of excellent high public options in Metro Atlanta (too many to count almost) as well.

Good Luck.

aries4118 · 05-25-2010, 02:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by noah

I don't have first hand knowledge other then living in the area but I always thought highly of Grady and have read of students from there going to Ivy league schools etc. Then again if your getting the vibe there are only 3 public high schools in the metro that are very good then I think your going to miss some very good ones.

For what it is worth Greatschools.net gives it a rating of 8 out of 10.

Yes.

rackensack · 05-25-2010, 02:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by painter62

This whole Atlanta school thing is very frustrating. What I can gather from this board and all the posts is that the only really, really good high schools are Walton, Pope, and Lassiter or private school. That is kind of sad for a city the size of Atlanta.

That would come as news to the students, parents, and teachers of any number of North Fulton and DeKalb County schools. Walton, Pope, and Lassiter (and to some extent Milton, Alpharetta, Chattahoochee, and Northview) enjoy the reputations they do not because they're actually better than Roswell, Centennial, North Springs, Wheeler, Sprayberry, etc., but because their populations are more affluent and less transient (fewer apartments as a percentage of the whole). To a certain extent, the greater affluence of the families in these districts allows for wealthier school foundations, which can pay for facilities and programs that might be harder for other districts to match, but it's nothing short of ludicrous to suggest that it's impossible to get a first-rate education in a safe environment anywhere except for three schools in East Cobb County, as evidenced by the number Ivy League-bound graduates of North Fulton schools.

Grady has a demographic challenge in that its district includes areas of the City of Atlanta that are far from affluent. From everything I can tell, it does a superb job of meeting those challenges. It's an urban school, and part of successfully educating kids in that sort of environment is keeping them safe and ensuring that the problems that exist in the community outside the school walls don't impinge on the students inside, so sometimes things like metal detectors are necessary. I'm sure they'd rather not have them, but if they keep those guns and knives you're worried about out, then it's a good thing they're there.