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^^ Frankly, I could care less what CPS does. They continually crow about WHHS being ranked the best in the state. ONE school out of how many? No, I will be satisfied with Lakota, Mason, and Kings. Just drive around the neighborhoods out here. Look at all of the family activities. Why would you want to even think about being in the CPS district?
As far as the OP goes, based on statistics and rankings rather than conjecture, 1. Kings ...big gap... 2. Lakota East 3. Mason 4. Lakota West.
Walnut, Wyoming, Indian Hill, Sycamore, Madeira, Turpin, Mariemont, Kings, and Lakota East are all ranked higher than Mason, all but LE are ranked significantly higher (more than ten spots) than Mason.
I do not understand why kjbrill has such a deep seated hatred of CPS and the tremendous success Walnut Hills has had.
In a given year 84% of Walnut Hills students take and pass at least one AP exam, with 89% of Walnut students at least taking one exam. The average Walnut Hills student takes 4.5 AP exams each year. Walnut Hills has a college readiness index of 78.0
At Mason, only 44% of students take an AP test in a given year with 82% passing. The average Mason student taking an exam in a given year takes 2.9 exams. Mason has college readiness index rating of 38.0
...But they take a test to get in right????
True, but that test is designed to ensure entering students are proficient nothing more nothing less. The test is very easy. Based on Mason's proficiency test scores it is reasonable to assume that 98% of students currently attending Mason High School would pass the Walnut Hills entrance exam. Despite this Walnut Hills still statistically blows Mason out of the water. Walnut Hills also has 20% of its students on reduced or free lunch. The average income in CPS is $29,000 while in Mason its $104,000. Walnut Hills is 43% minority while Mason is only at 20% with the vast majority of that 20% asian students.
...but what about the other CPS high schools, they're all terrible????
They're certainly not Mason true. But they certainly don't have Mason's student body either. Once again there is a more than $70,000 average income gap between Mason and CPS. Mason students are much more likely to live in a house rather than a rented apartment, live in a two parent family, have access to reliable transportation (car), ability to pay for tutoring, ability to participate in expensive club sports, and don't live in neighborhoods where they are going hungry thanks to food stamp cuts or are worried about get robbed or worse if they stay after school for too long.
So why would I live and send my kids to CPS????
CPS offers instruction in 7 different foreign languages (Russian, Chinese, Arabic, French, German, Spanish, and Latin). CPS offers one of the best music schools in the country in SCPA and the best high school, public or private, in the Cincinnati area. Living in the city gives me easy access to the best cultural institutions in the city, the most innovative restaurants, a vibrant arts scene, and progressive, forward thinking, and urbane communities such Hyde Park, Walnut Hills, OTR, Pleasant Ridge, and Gaslight. My children can learn with children from all over the world, from Asia to Africa to Eastern Europe, from all different incomes and backgrounds. As someone who comes from a European family and speaks multiple languages, this is much more appealing than Mason which is utterly devoid of all these things
Why do I advise Lakota split into two districts? Because it simply makes sense, that's why. Why have they had some failed levies? I believe it is due to the fact the voters feel they have little control over the way the money is spent. They are no less enthusiastic about the future of their kids than they have ever been. They are just not as enthusiastic the school district is spending their money wisely.
Soon as they had a failed levy, what do they do? They discontinue some busing. What a veiled attempt to **** off the voters. Let's make it inconvenient for them so they will pass the next levy. I happen to be one of those who would get my dander up and resolve not to pass the next levy. We have enough pressure in our life without being pressured by the school system.
CPS offers instruction in 7 different foreign languages (Russian, Chinese, Arabic, French, German, Spanish, and Latin). CPS offers one of the best music schools in the country in SCPA and the best high school, public or private, in the Cincinnati area. Living in the city gives me easy access to the best cultural institutions in the city, the most innovative restaurants, a vibrant arts scene, and progressive, forward thinking, and urbane communities such Hyde Park, Walnut Hills, OTR, Pleasant Ridge, and Gaslight. My children can learn with children from all over the world, from Asia to Africa to Eastern Europe, from all different incomes and backgrounds. As someone who comes from a European family and speaks multiple languages, this is much more appealing than Mason which is utterly devoid of all these things
You have your opinion, I have mind. Again, WHHS is just ONE of the schools in CPS which has distinction. Oh, I forgot SPCA, but am I wrong in assuming it is an arts school? The 2nd best school in the CPS district, and it is devoted to arts? Just what percentage of the students in CPS do you feel are artistically enclined?
When you speak of what Mason is devoid of, maybe you should first visit and determine who actually lives here. Hard working people with a huge interest in their kids and their schools. People willing to pay taxes to maintain the schools. Yes there are limits and we may be close to that. But to ballyhoo a district with ONE notable school, out of how many?
When you recognize our district has to welcome all comers who live here, I may give some credence to your contentions. Until then, you are still arguing an elitist atmosphere. In addition to the admission test there is the situation of having to get to school and back. Or are you saying CPS pays for the cost of transportation?
You have your opinion, I have mind. Again, WHHS is just ONE of the schools in CPS which has distinction. Oh, I forgot SPCA, but am I wrong in assuming it is an arts school? The 2nd best school in the CPS district, and it is devoted to arts? Just what percentage of the students in CPS do you feel are artistically enclined?
When you speak of what Mason is devoid of, maybe you should first visit and determine who actually lives here. Hard working people with a huge interest in their kids and their schools. People willing to pay taxes to maintain the schools. Yes there are limits and we may be close to that. But to ballyhoo a district with ONE notable school, out of how many?
When you recognize our district has to welcome all comers who live here, I may give some credence to your contentions. Until then, you are still arguing an elitist atmosphere. In addition to the admission test there is the situation of having to get to school and back. Or are you saying CPS pays for the cost of transportation?
All comers? In a district where the AVERAGE income is $104,000? Almost every kid at Mason High School would pass the test into Walnut Hills. Your proficiency test scores available at http://www.masonohioschools.com/
I've been to Mason. Many times. I'm very familiar with CPS, as well. Walnut Hills has an elitist atmosphere? Maybe academically, but Walnut Hills still has a tremendous amount of students on free or reduced lunch compared to Mason. The average income at the school is 29,000
And yes CPS does provide transportation for students whose families do not have cars to stay after school or attend Walnut from all of Cincinnati's neighborhood through metro.
As far as the other CPS schools, I wonder how Mason would do with a student population where 90%-100% of the students are on free and reduced lunches, rather than being driven to school by their dad who lives in a $404,000 house (average listing price in Mason for a home) and makes $104,000 a year (average income in Mason).
As much as I think CPS has a lot to offer, and has come a long way in the past 10 years or so, the OP did ask about Kings, Mason and Lakota, and not about CPS.
As much as I think CPS has a lot to offer, and has come a long way in the past 10 years or so, the OP did ask about Kings, Mason and Lakota, and not about CPS.
I have a former coworker, the daughter of another former coworker my age, whose kids are just now graduating from Kings. They have nothing but good to say about Kings.
Of course they are also huge fans of the Michigan State Spartans, which tells you something about their judgement. Just kidding, they have good reason to trumpet about Michigan State. Her older brother was a gymnast at Michigan State. He experienced a horrible accident during practice, falling and severing part of his spine. He ended up paralyzed from the waist down. Michigan State stood by him, and for classes in buildings not really handicap accessible, arranged to have someone carry him to class. He got his degree and today holds down an IT job which he gets to/from using a hand-controlled vehicle.
So the entire family jumps for joy when Michigan State wins anything
They have also been very happy with the performance of their kids at Kings.
Lakota sort of gripes me. Soon as a school levy fails to pass, they take the attitude let's take it out on the parents, make their life miserable. Pleading poverty the first action they take is reduce busing. Show those parents how miserable we can make their lives. If I lived in the district would be determined to not pass a levy until after they restored busing. Not that the schools are not good, but the attitude take it out on the parents is just a pressure I can certainly do without.
As much as I think CPS has a lot to offer, and has come a long way in the past 10 years or so, the OP did ask about Kings, Mason and Lakota, and not about CPS.
Which is why I did not but in until CPS or the city was specifically mentioned. However, for some reason suburbanites end up using these threads to take pot shots at CPS and discouraging people from living in city neighborhoods when there is no reason to do so. I don't know if the city's turn around is irritating certain pockets of the suburban Cincinnati area but that certainly seems to be the case.
It is 100% possible and easy to get a superior education in the city these days. If you choose to live in a place like Mason for cultural reasons that's not a problem at all for. But you can have everything they have in Mason, if not much, much more in terms of lifestyle in Hyde Park than you can in Mason these days.
I have a former coworker, the daughter of another former coworker my age, whose kids are just now graduating from Kings. They have nothing but good to say about Kings.
Of course they are also huge fans of the Michigan State Spartans, which tells you something about their judgement. Just kidding, they have good reason to trumpet about Michigan State. Her older brother was a gymnast at Michigan State. He experienced a horrible accident during practice, falling and severing part of his spine. He ended up paralyzed from the waist down. Michigan State stood by him, and for classes in buildings not really handicap accessible, arranged to have someone carry him to class. He got his degree and today holds down an IT job which he gets to/from using a hand-controlled vehicle.
So the entire family jumps for joy when Michigan State wins anything
They have also been very happy with the performance of their kids at Kings.
Lakota sort of gripes me. Soon as a school levy fails to pass, they take the attitude let's take it out on the parents, make their life miserable. Pleading poverty the first action they take is reduce busing. Show those parents how miserable we can make their lives. If I lived in the district would be determined to not pass a levy until after they restored busing. Not that the schools are not good, but the attitude take it out on the parents is just a pressure I can certainly do without.
Teachers in tea party heavy districts such as Lakota are generally not treated well. There is generally no respect for the profession. I have no problem with the district reducing busing so that academic offerings are not diminished and the school remains fully staffed. I do not understand why a township with an average income of $108,000 can not pass a levy. This is why Indian Hill will continue to remain light years ahead of Mason and West Chester in the rankings when comparing Cincinnati areas with $100,000+ incomes.
Which is why I did not but in until CPS or the city was specifically mentioned. However, for some reason suburbanites end up using these threads to take pot shots at CPS and discouraging people from living in city neighborhoods when there is no reason to do so. I don't know if the city's turn around is irritating certain pockets of the suburban Cincinnati area but that certainly seems to be the case.
It is 100% possible and easy to get a superior education in the city these days. If you choose to live in a place like Mason for cultural reason that's not a problem at all. But you can have everything you have in Mason, if not much, much more in terms of lifestyle in Hyde Park than you can in Mason these days.
Please identify that lifestyle you believe is superior in Hyde Park, as I just don't see it.
Please identify that lifestyle you believe is superior in Hyde Park, as I just don't see it.
I am not going to further derail a thread about Kings vs. Lakota vs. Mason schools any further.
Since this seems to be a point of contention on multiple levels, whether its new people look at moving to the city or just in general, I'll create a new thread to hash it out.
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