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Can someone please explain what the magnet and charter school systems in Charlotte are? Someone told me that the kids in magnet schools tend to be "nicer" than kids in some other schools. My family is relocating to Charlotte in a few months, and we have narrowed down where we will live to two areas: Union County and Huntersville. We just keep going back and forth between the two places. Anyway, we were told that the Lake Norman Charter School is an excellent school in Huntersville. So how do you get your children into a charter school? Do you apply? Do you pick a number and hope they pick your number out of a hat? Is there a waiting list? I have heard there is a lottery? - are children with special needs entered into the same lottery? One of my children has autism.
If anyone wants to throw in their opinion about Huntersville and/or Union County, I would appreciate it. We really don't know the differences between the two. From what I have read, the Union Co. public schools seem very good. Is the price of housing and taxes more expensive in one of these two places? Is one "safer" crime wise? We also liked the South Charlotte area too, and the schools seemed great, but that area is just so much busier and populated than what we are accustomed to. I am afraid my children would be overwhelmed by the bigger schools. Are the Union Co. and Huntersville schools as good as (or almost as good as) the schools in S. Charlotte. Lot's to consider. Thanks everyone.
Regarding Lake Norman Charter School. There is indeed a lottery for entry into the school, so it is luck of the draw. I'm not sure if you can enter the lottery before you are established in Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools or not, but I'm sure this can be answered by the staff there or maybe info on the website.
Do keep in mind that LNCS has a middle and high school, but not an elementary school.
Both places are great to live in. Union County is a nice place to live with taxes maybe a bit lower than Huntersville. (Huntersville taxes are a bit lower than Charlotte). Huntersville is closer to uptown Charlotte than UC if that is an issue. I would expect the cost of housing to be similar in both places (maybe cheaper in the rural areas of UC).
The schools in Huntersville and UC depend a lot on where you live in those areas. Unfortunately, the school catchements are set up so that Huntersville is split into three different high school catchement areas. Right now, if you are set up in the Hough HS catchement, the schools are as good as any you'd find in S Charlotte or in the areas of UC that are close to Charlotte. In the other areas, the elementary schools are pretty good, but the high schools (North Mecklenburg and Hopewell) are not as well regarded, but that may just be a perception thing.
I am not completely familiar with Union County schools, but I imagine the situation is similar, where schools in the more rural areas may not be as good as the suburban areas near Charlotte.
Last edited by Comfort Food; 02-22-2012 at 02:59 PM..
Comfort food I just notice your informative post. One thing, I do know you can enroll in a charter without living in the area. I know at least 6 counties represented in one charter I'm familiar with locally. I know charters get a percentage of money from each and every county of residence for their students.
Thanks comfortfood and getatag. Good info. I am going to call CMSD and ask about the charter schools. If we do choose Huntersville, are the elementary and middle schools that feed into Hough also good schools? What are the chances that if we start in Hough that we will be redistricted to N. Mecklenburg or Hopewell? I hear redistricting in Charlotte is very common.
What are you looking for in an area? That will better equip us to point you in the direction that best fits YOU. I live in Union County and love it. We also were deciding between UC and Huntersville when we moved, but fell in love with Waxhaw. UC is large, and there are areas to accomodate every type of lifestyle. We prefer rural and so chose to live in a rural area. Huntersville may have a few scattered places that are rural, but both areas are very family friendly. We ultimately chose UC due to the school ratings and we just fell in love with the area itself. I'm not directing you to UC, just giving my input.
We need to know more about what you need from an area, and then we can suggest this. Do you need easy access to doctors and specialist- especially for your autistic child? Will you need after school programs? How close do you care to be to Charlotte? How far are you willing to travel for things such as gas, groceries, and doctors? I'll help the best I can, though I don't know too much about Huntersville, I can at least answer questions about UC for you to the best of my knowledge.
There's a site that lists charter schools in the area. Near Huntersville, there's also the Community School of Davidson and in University, the Corvian School - I've heard nothing but great reviews of both. I believe Corvian JUST rec'd approval for charter status. In Union County, there's Union Academy. My friend is hoping to send her daughter there. Schools
As for the CMS magnets, you can apply to any of them, but be aware that transportation is only provided to those in specific transportation zones. So, Park Road Montessori services the south west, Chantilly Montessori services the south east and Highland Mill for Central and the North. You can, of course apply to any school, but preference is given to those residing within the transportation zone.
There are a lot of different magnet themes - Montessori being the most popular, hence, the hardest to be accepted into. Waddell Language Immersion is also great - they teach all subjects in Chinese, Japanese, German or French. Collingwood conducts learning immersion in Spanish.
The first round lottery is already done. You'll be eligible for the second lottery, but it decreases your chances of getting a spot. Magnet Themes
LiLShorty4lyfe, this is going to be a long post! I'll try to let you know what my family is looking for and how we got it down to a decision between Huntersville and Union Co. Our first priority is schools. We need a district with great schools - a high school for my neuro-typical daughter, and great special needs programs for my 11 year old daughter with autism. Both Union Co. and parts of Mecklenburg seemed to fit the bill. We looked at the areas served by Providence High, Ardrey Kell and Myers Park. We liked those areas, but we currently live in a less densely populated area, and I thought that these schools would overwhelm my children. In Mecklenburg Co, that left Huntersville, Bailey Middle and Hough, in particular. In Union Co., Weddington HS, Marvin Ridge and Cuthbertson are the schools we are interested in. Here in PA, my 11 year old attends a school for grades K-12. She never has to change schools. Routine is good and change causes regression. I saw that Lake Norman Charter is for grades 5-12 and I thought if they had an autism program, that may work for her. But, then I learned that charter schools are accessed through a lottery and that it is unlikely that she would get in. Tomorrow I am going to call CMSD to see if Bailey Middle and Hough HS have autism support classrooms. If they do not, and she would be bused to other schools, that will pretty much eliminate Huntersville.
So, here it what we are looking for in addition to the schools:
My husband works in Steele Creek and would like a commute of 30 minutes or less on either highways or "the back way".
We like a suburban/rural feel - not extremely congested, but with conveniences.
We would like a social community with amenities (a pool) so my girls can make some friends.
We would like a 4 bedroom house on a nice size lot for $250-$300K.
We would like to be no more than 15-20 minutes from a hospital and medical offices, including dentists, speech therapy and urgent care.
We would like to be no more than 15-20 minutes from a mall and a movie theatre.
We would like an area with a downtown or small town center (like Birkdale) for shopping, restaurants, nail and hair salons, strolling., etc.
We like ethnic food - Indian, Sushi, Middle Eastern, etc.
We would like to have a convenience store, gas station, take out like pizza, and a grocery store 5 minutes away.
We would like to be around 30 minutes or less from uptown Charlotte.
Last, but not least, my 14 year old is into all star cheer and I have promised her (bribed her) that she could cheer at Cheer Extreme if she would enthusiastically move to NC.. The closest locations are Statesville and Kernersville. She, of course, wants Kernersville because they are in the top 5 or 10 gyms in the country. Both locations are ridicuously far away, but Huntersville is only 30 minutes from Statesville and although the commute from Huntersville to Kernersville is around 80 miles, it is still closer than either gym is to Union Co. I have heard that crazy cheer parents (like me) down there consider this the norm and carpool. Whichever gym she winds up at, I am hoping to carpool and drive no more than once a month.
That's pretty much everything we want and have considered. If there are other areas we should consider, I am all ears. We thought about Matthews, but our realtor said the commute is too far for my husband. Thank youu!
One more thing...we would like to be near an interdenominational Christian church with a solid youth ministry.
Quote:
Originally Posted by LiLShorty4lyfe
What are you looking for in an area? That will better equip us to point you in the direction that best fits YOU. I live in Union County and love it. We also were deciding between UC and Huntersville when we moved, but fell in love with Waxhaw. UC is large, and there are areas to accomodate every type of lifestyle. We prefer rural and so chose to live in a rural area. Huntersville may have a few scattered places that are rural, but both areas are very family friendly. We ultimately chose UC due to the school ratings and we just fell in love with the area itself. I'm not directing you to UC, just giving my input.
We need to know more about what you need from an area, and then we can suggest this. Do you need easy access to doctors and specialist- especially for your autistic child? Will you need after school programs? How close do you care to be to Charlotte? How far are you willing to travel for things such as gas, groceries, and doctors? I'll help the best I can, though I don't know too much about Huntersville, I can at least answer questions about UC for you to the best of my knowledge.
Last edited by Maggiemovingtocharlotte1; 02-26-2012 at 11:55 AM..
Reason: I forgot something!
LiLShorty4lyfe, this is going to be a long post! I'll try to let you know what my family is looking for and how we got it down to a decision between Huntersville and Union Co. Our first priority is schools. We need a district with great schools - a high school for my neuro-typical daughter, and great special needs programs for my 11 year old daughter with autism. Both Union Co. and parts of Mecklenburg seemed to fit the bill. We looked at the areas served by Providence High, Ardrey Kell and Myers Park. We liked those areas, but we currently live in a less densely populated area, and I thought that these schools would overwhelm my children. In Mecklenburg Co, that left Huntersville, Bailey Middle and Hough, in particular. In Union Co., Weddington HS, Marvin Ridge and Cuthbertson are the schools we are interested in. Here in PA, my 11 year old attends a school for grades K-12. She never has to change schools. Routine is good and change causes regression. I saw that Lake Norman Charter is for grades 5-12 and I thought if they had an autism program, that may work for her. But, then I learned that charter schools are accessed through a lottery and that it is unlikely that she would get in. Tomorrow I am going to call CMSD to see if Bailey Middle and Hough HS have autism support classrooms. If they do not, and she would be bused to other schools, that will pretty much eliminate Huntersville.
So, here it what we are looking for in addition to the schools:
My husband works in Steele Creek and would like a commute of 30 minutes or less on either highways or "the back way".
We like a suburban/rural feel - not extremely congested, but with conveniences.
We would like a social community with amenities (a pool) so my girls can make some friends.
We would like a 4 bedroom house on a nice size lot for $250-$300K.
We would like to be no more than 15-20 minutes from a hospital and medical offices, including dentists, speech therapy and urgent care.
We would like to be no more than 15-20 minutes from a mall and a movie theatre.
We would like an area with a downtown or small town center (like Birkdale) for shopping, restaurants, nail and hair salons, strolling., etc.
We like ethnic food - Indian, Sushi, Middle Eastern, etc.
We would like to have a convenience store, gas station, take out like pizza, and a grocery store 5 minutes away.
We would like to be around 30 minutes or less from uptown Charlotte.
Last, but not least, my 14 year old is into all star cheer and I have promised her (bribed her) that she could cheer at Cheer Extreme if she would enthusiastically move to NC.. The closest locations are Statesville and Kernersville. She, of course, wants Kernersville because they are in the top 5 or 10 gyms in the country. Both locations are ridicuously far away, but Huntersville is only 30 minutes from Statesville and although the commute from Huntersville to Kernersville is around 80 miles, it is still closer than either gym is to Union Co. I have heard that crazy cheer parents (like me) down there consider this the norm and carpool. Whichever gym she winds up at, I am hoping to carpool and drive no more than once a month.
That's pretty much everything we want and have considered. If there are other areas we should consider, I am all ears. We thought about Matthews, but our realtor said the commute is too far for my husband. Thank youu!
Wow, there's a lot to respond to here...not the least of which is that Matthews is DEFINITELY not too far from Steele Creek to commute to.
Yeah I don't think Matthews is any further away if at all then either Huntersville or those areas in Union County. But all of those areas may be more than 30 minutes from Steele Creek if he has to commute during rush hours.
Calling for MaggiemovingtoCharlotte to let us know how it's going
Maggie....are you already there? I see your posts are from February.
I have ALL the same questions, and would love to know what you have found out since February.
I have a dear friend in Charlotte. Her and her husband pastor a very contemporary non-denominational church called Freedom House. They have an excellent student ministry with cutting edge music and events.
Again, if you can update with anything you have found since February...my son will be going into "11" grade and has autism. He is very high-functioning, but would still defininitely need modifications. School is the biggest barrier and potential nightmare to me. If I can hit a homerun in that area (finding him the right 'fit' in a school), the rest would all be downhill for me.
Thanks! Hope you will see this and update soon!
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Calling for MaggiemovingtoCharlotte to let us know how it's going
