Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Send your kids to Charleston Catholic. Probably a better education than GW. You can also live anywhere you want to live. It is expensive though being private.
Send your kids to Charleston Catholic. Probably a better education than GW. You can also live anywhere you want to live. It is expensive though being private.
With multiple children, we're definitely priced out of the Catholic school.
My biggest concerns -- in order -- are to make sure my kids (1) are safe; (2) have opportunities to be challenged academically (through AP classes, dual enrollment courses, etc.), and (3) have as many extracurricular opportunities as possible (drama, quality music or band programs, clubs, etc.). If I know they have those things, I'm not as concerned about the rankings. GW just looked like a good fit based on its reputation and how close it is to downtown Charleston. But if we can find those things in another school where the housing is cheaper or more available, I would definitely consider other school districts.
Where we live now, the local public high school is among the worst in the state. Very few students are in AP classes, test scores are very low, and discipline is a huge problem. We live too far away from the better schools to enroll them there, and most of them are so desirable that they're full and won't accept out-of-district kids anyway. That's why I really want to think hard about where we end up if we move.
Thanks for all the input so far. It has been helpful.
If you are coming from a rural area I’m not sure about GW. Your kids might be better off in Putnam County. Good schools with a decent amount of families moving in. GW has a lot of kids coming from backgrounds of money and power because Charleston is the political center of the state. I have a child graduating from there and I’m still not sure what to make of it. It’s certainly better than the other area public high schools for sure in this area.
Cross Lanes is another nice area that's very family friendly.
Also, I lived for 4 years in Sissonville which feels a lot more rural (perhaps more similar to what y'all are used to in the NC mountains) but is still within a 15 or 20 min drive of downtown Charleston and you never deal with any traffic either going down I-77 or Route 21. Some people in the region MAY look down on Sissonville but its a very family friendly, quiet area with lots of outdoor activities. There are many new developments hidden around the area in the hills that aren't obvious from the main roads such as up White Oak.
Elkview is another outlying area that's seeing some development and new housing being built.
You may also consider sending your kids to the many excellent Christian schools in the area such as Cross Lanes Christian School, Elk Valley Christian School and Teays Valley Christian School.
Charleston WV is an excellent place to raise a family. I've lived in 3 other metro areas (New Orleans, Baton Rouge and Baltimore....currently in BR LA) and Charleston is the most family friendly of them all with the least crime and negative influences and the least traffic. There are things in Baton Rouge I really enjoy too and I'm a Deep South native but Charleston will always have a special place in my heart.
Nobody's children are going to get a second class education at South Charleston High School. It may not be rated as highly as GW, but there is nothing wrong with that school. Also, if I remember correctly, it's fairly easy to enroll your kids at a school outside their residential district (within the county). You just have to transport them to school and back yourself.
I agree and I would add Capital to the list of NOT receiving a second class education.
If I am not mistaken, Capital is the go-to school for students interested in the Fine Arts (feel free to correct me if I am wrong).
It is currently a little tougher to transfer into George Washington as the BOE cracked down a little a few years back to to some over-crowding. (again, correct me if I am wrong but I feel more confident on this than the Fine Arts part) Seems like only football players get accepted easily (imagine that)
I agree and I would add Capital to the list of NOT receiving a second class education.
If I am not mistaken, Capital is the go-to school for students interested in the Fine Arts (feel free to correct me if I am wrong).
It is currently a little tougher to transfer into George Washington as the BOE cracked down a little a few years back to to some over-crowding. (again, correct me if I am wrong but I feel more confident on this than the Fine Arts part) Seems like only football players get accepted easily (imagine that)
You are correct. Capital is the fine arts magnet school for the area. They started those back when I was in high school. GW is the AP magnet. South Charleston is the IB Magnet. I also don't believe it is as easy to get into GW anymore as they had a sizable number of students from Kanawha City (Capital cluster) transferring in a few years ago causing overcrowding.
I don't believe anyone said kids would receive a second class education at any of the other schools, just that GW had the higher academic rating. This is a fact. A strong student will have no problem at any of the other schools.
A strong student will have no problem at any of the other schools.
BINGO! Here is the winner.
My feeble mind forgot to add this earlier. After 31.5 years in education and 16 years in assessments; I concur and also believe the intrinsic learner succeeds where ever they attend.
My feeble mind forgot to add this earlier. After 31.5 years in education and 16 years in assessments; I concur and also believe the intrinsic learner succeeds where ever they attend.
I agree but isnt there a big difference in the amount of options or programs available for kids. I mean, I went to some really bad schools that didnt have much to offer the kids, that barely had a football team. I also went to schools where I could choose classes like graphic design and tv production.
Looking as some of the schools on paper is really hard to get a feel for what its like, one page rates Capital High School a 3 out of 10, one is a 3 out of 5. I was impressed with a review on their facebook page though from a different schools band director complimenting the students from Capital.
Capital has a new principal trying to do a good job. It’s a tough school. If your kids can go there and take AP and honors classes that would be ok (more so the AP) If they are not good students or have academic struggles they most likely will not be surounded in an environment supportive of learning. I’ve seen it first hand having a child there. It’s adolescent daycare for a lot of kids coming from terrible home situations. If your kid is a learner and achiever it again should be fine. If not then it’s not the place you want them to be.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
