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Wow, I was just looking to get a little advice on schools in the area. I certainly didn't think this post would lead to politics! We are leaving the Pittsburgh, PA suburb area, where the schools are in the top 10 in the state. Our goal is to get closer to family in Augusta, GA and Whiteville, NC; with excellent schools and a descent sized city (at least) near by, where we can be entertained by concerts, sporting events and recreational opportunities for the kids. From a distance perspective (to family), we are considering NC and SC. Charlotte seemed to be a good location. Thanks for all of your feedback. I will take it all into consideration.
I'm from Pittsburgh and probably am familiar with the schools you are coming from. Contrary to what people say, there are plenty of fine schools in the CMS school system. However, one thing I have noticed in schools compared to the Pittsburgh area, is that schools here are inferior for the average student, but just as good for the top students. In fact, the high schools here are just as good as those in Pittsburgh when if comes to AP and IB offerings. The IB program is very good here (it's only at Upper Saint Clair in the burgh).
The problem is that expectations are very low in the non-honors classes. It's like they have already given up on the kids. If my kids had any kind of difficulty with learning and/or motivation, I would prefer to stay in the Pittsburgh suburbs.
Small world, ex-burgher! We are coming from the South Fayette School District, which I love. I have two kids, one who does very well and the other probably falls into the learning difficulty category. We love the schools here, but the area, no so much. As I mentioned before, we need to get closer to our folks. If you don't mind me asking, what area did you all settle on, when you moved to Charlotte?
I was sitting here reading your post wondering if those schools in PA teach reading comprehension? I am sure they do for the fact I was also educated there. At no time did I make any statement regarding the intelligence of people of Charlotte or NC as a whole. I was speaking to the quality of the educational institutions specfically the public ones. It is no secert that NC schools lag behind as compared to the rest of the nation. If a families #1 priority is schools, they will be able to find better schools in other places.
Small world, ex-burgher! We are coming from the South Fayette School District, which I love. I have two kids, one who does very well and the other probably falls into the learning difficulty category. We love the schools here, but the area, no so much. As I mentioned before, we need to get closer to our folks. If you don't mind me asking, what area did you all settle on, when you moved to Charlotte?
Most of the schools in the southern part of the county are the best for Mecklenburg county. Union Country also has great schools. Many people swear by Fort Mill, SC but I don't know. We are in the Olde Providence neighborhood - our local elementary school is Olde Providence. Middle is Carmel and High School is the excellent Myers Park High. However we sent our kids to a language immersion public magnet school until 8th grade. My son went to Myers Park and ended up taking a full tuition scholarship to Pitt - his mom's hometown-lol! My daughter attends an arts magnet high school. There are many more options at CMS than in the tiny suburban districts of the Pgh area. If you end up in Mecklenburg county, the important thing is to end up in the feeder zone of one of the better high schools - Providence, Ardrey Kell, South Meck or Myers Park. Also Union county has some really good schools.
Also, don't pay attention to all the nay-sayers. Test scores by which most schools are rated are so dependent on poverty level and race (unfortunately). The Charlotte area is way more diverse than Pittsburgh. Test scores may be lower here but that does not mean an individual student will get a worse education. We have plenty of high flyers too.
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