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My husband and I checked out some homes last week in South Charlotte. We really liked the Stonehaven neighborhood but have not heard anything good about the schools (elementary, middle, high - Rama Rd Elementary and East Meck High). We are now considering homes that are a little more expensive but appear to have better schools, Selwyn Elem., Sharon Elem, and Myers Park High. We live in Ohio now where schools are districted by suburbs (no county-wide school districts). If all of the schools are in Mecklenberg County, and assuming they all have the same county funding, how can schools just streets apart be so drastically different? Are Rama Rd and East Meck really as bad as the test scores and statistics say? Furthermore, will Stonehaven homes' resale value be more impacted by poor schools or the overall growth of Charlotte and people trying to stay close to the city? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!
My husband and I checked out some homes last week in South Charlotte. We really liked the Stonehaven neighborhood but have not heard anything good about the schools (elementary, middle, high - Rama Rd Elementary and East Meck High). We are now considering homes that are a little more expensive but appear to have better schools, Selwyn Elem., Sharon Elem, and Myers Park High. We live in Ohio now where schools are districted by suburbs (no county-wide school districts). If all of the schools are in Mecklenberg County, and assuming they all have the same county funding, how can schools just streets apart be so drastically different? Are Rama Rd and East Meck really as bad as the test scores and statistics say? Furthermore, will Stonehaven homes' resale value be more impacted by poor schools or the overall growth of Charlotte and people trying to stay close to the city? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!
I like Stonehaven a lot too Its neighborhood schools do not score as highly as schools in other neighborhoods - that's true. But scores do not always tell the whole story, so do consider visiting the schools in areas you are considering buying to judge for yourself. Rama Elementary is actually very popular with its neighborhood.
It's kind of complicated to explain how schools in some areas can be so good, and schools not too far away not as good. What it really comes down to is which schools have a higher number of low income students I'm afraid. The more free and reduced lunch kids a school has, the more it will struggle with its scores - but that does not mean good things are not happening in that school. Stonehaven's schools attendence zone includes an area of apartments where I suspect many of their low income students come from. Again, this does not automatically make it a "bad" school at all - only a school with more challenges. I would not personally dismiss the idea of buying in Stonehaven until I knew a whole lot more about the schools if I were you. Stonehaven itself is very popular, not only because its homes are large on larger lots, many with basements (hard to find in Charlotte) but because its close in location makes it very desirable to people looking for a good commute to uptown. It has done nothing but appreciate year after year and there is nothing to indicate to me that that will change.
So to answer your question about the schools affecting resale - though that may have happened to a degree, many of the people living there don't have kids living at home anymore, or haven't had kids yet and the schools just don't matter. People just love the big older homes with a great commute.
It does thank you. We found a house we love and are anxious to see the neighborhood when the flowers and leaves begin to bloom. The schools are the only thing holding us back. The homes are significantly bigger than ones we have looked at in the nearby Cotswald (and cheaper). We've thought about private schools as an alternative but after looking at tuition at Charlotte Country Day we think it might be out of our price range. Thanks, we'll have to take a visit to the schools for ourselves!
Stonehaven is a gorgeous neighborhood and we looked at it over and over but couldn't get past the school issue. This won't be a popular post but I'll be honest. On the one side, Stonehaven is accessed by Providence Road but on the eastern side, it feeds into Rama Road. Rama has a lot of apartments and lower end neighborhoods than Providence. Unfortunately the school just doesn't measure up to Olde Providence, it's closest neighbor.
My husband and I checked out some homes last week in South Charlotte. We really liked the Stonehaven neighborhood but have not heard anything good about the schools (elementary, middle, high - Rama Rd Elementary and East Meck High). We are now considering homes that are a little more expensive but appear to have better schools, Selwyn Elem., Sharon Elem, and Myers Park High. We live in Ohio now where schools are districted by suburbs (no county-wide school districts). If all of the schools are in Mecklenberg County, and assuming they all have the same county funding, how can schools just streets apart be so drastically different? Are Rama Rd and East Meck really as bad as the test scores and statistics say? Furthermore, will Stonehaven homes' resale value be more impacted by poor schools or the overall growth of Charlotte and people trying to stay close to the city? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!
Saying schools are good or bad can sometimes be a tricky thing, since one persons opinion my be different than yours. Best thing to do is some simple online research and you can compare various schools all day long! Try GreatSchools.net, or ReDir - both are good sites
Stonehaven is a gorgeous neighborhood and we looked at it over and over but couldn't get past the school issue. This won't be a popular post but I'll be honest. On the one side, Stonehaven is accessed by Providence Road but on the eastern side, it feeds into Rama Road. Rama has a lot of apartments and lower end neighborhoods than Providence. Unfortunately the school just doesn't measure up to Olde Providence, it's closest neighbor.
Not at all to argue with your sentiments - just want to correct you on your geography
Stonehaven is basically bordered by Sardis Road on its west side, but does not extend as far east as Monroe Rd (where the lower end neighborhoods you spoke of are). Those lower end neighborhoods and apartments are assigned to the same schools as Stonehaven, which is why there are some extra challenges at those schools. However, they are far from being the worst in the system. Rama Rd is the road the elementary and middle schools are located on and is the link between Sardis Rd and Monroe Rd.
We're looking into Stonehaven too -- we saw a few listings there last weekend that are very close to what we're looking for.
However, I thought that Stonehaven was the area between Randolph and Monroe (E-W), and Wendover and Sharon Amity (N-S). Apparently not? What roads comprise the boundaries of Stonehaven? I'm just trying to get a good idea of what the area is.
I was also told that the northern part of Stonehaven is the more desirable area. Is this true?
We're looking into Stonehaven too -- we saw a few listings there last weekend that are very close to what we're looking for.
However, I thought that Stonehaven was the area between Randolph and Monroe (E-W), and Wendover and Sharon Amity (N-S). Apparently not? What roads comprise the boundaries of Stonehaven? I'm just trying to get a good idea of what the area is.
I was also told that the northern part of Stonehaven is the more desirable area. Is this true?
The area you have described is Cotswold It is also extremely desirable for its even closer in location than Stonehaven and its assignment to Myers Park High School.
We're looking into Stonehaven too -- we saw a few listings there last weekend that are very close to what we're looking for.
However, I thought that Stonehaven was the area between Randolph and Monroe (E-W), and Wendover and Sharon Amity (N-S). Apparently not? What roads comprise the boundaries of Stonehaven? I'm just trying to get a good idea of what the area is.
I was also told that the northern part of Stonehaven is the more desirable area. Is this true?
The great thing about Stonehaven is its bigger lots and large homes - you get a lot of square footage for the money.
Like I said in my earlier post, Stonehaven is bounded basically by Sardis Rd, Rama Rd, Monroe Rd and Boyce Rd.
I have a friend whose son goes to Rama Rd. They are highly educated people who value their children's education and they are very happy with Rama Rd. While diverse schools sometimes don't look as good on paper, a closer look often finds excellent teachers who go above and beyond to make sure that all their students get a top quality education.
The neighborhood really is beautiful, with lots of tall trees and flowers.
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Its neighborhood schools do not score as highly as schools in other neighborhoods - that's true. But scores do not always tell the whole story, so do consider visiting the schools in areas you are considering buying to judge for yourself. Rama Elementary is actually very popular with its neighborhood. 
Boundaries of Stonehaven
