Option to switch an "assigned" school? (Winston-Salem, Davidson: house, transfer)

[nicalbright]

Hey guys! SO, i'm looking to purchase my first home in the Winston-Salem area and i've run into an issue. The house is in a wonderful area that I feel 110% safe in. Great scenery, great location, great amenities..ect. BUT, the high school assigned to the house is terrible. The elementary and middle schools have great ratings and reviews, one being a good bit above standard, but the high school has a "Below Standard, 2" rating. And with living here for nearly my entire life, I already know the schools reputation without even reading internet ratings.

My question is, is there any possible way to change this? Can one change what high school is assigned for your children? Or once its done, it's done? Someone told me a few years back that it was possible, however is was a rather large yearly cost to do so. I'm not 100% sure if that was even true, but either way I would like to know for this, and future reference.

Thanks!

[emelvee]

It's my understanding that your only other option is a charter school. Most areas of NC do not offer school choice beyond charter schools.

I heard there is a proposal to allow one to choose any school in the state, regardless of where one is assigned (provided the chosen school has capacity and some other restrictions), but that is just a proposal, so I wouldn't count on that ever happening.

We specifically ruled out some homes due to the quality of the schools. We ended up buying in northeast Davidson County, and the quality of the schools was a significant factor.


edit: the statewide school choice draft legislation was just tabled yesterday. Personally, I'd like to see students be allowed to choose any school within their district.

[UnderTheLiveOaks]

Originally Posted by emelvee

It's my understanding that your only other option is a charter school. Most areas of NC do not offer school choice beyond charter schools.

I heard there is a proposal to allow one to choose any school in the state, regardless of where one is assigned (provided the chosen school has capacity and some other restrictions), but that is just a proposal, so I wouldn't count on that ever happening.

We specifically ruled out some homes due to the quality of the schools. We ended up buying in northeast Davidson County, and the quality of the schools was a significant factor.


edit: the statewide school choice draft legislation was just tabled yesterday. Personally, I'd like to see students be allowed to choose any school within their district.

I'm not 100% sure that's true for Winston-Salem/Forsyth. I think there is some element of school choice in Winston but it depends on there being available spots in the school. Maybe that doesn't matter for high schools. I'll let someone with direct personal experience chime in.

[arbyunc]

There are a limited number of spaces for students who wish to attend a school outside their assigned zone. More info here.

[emelvee]

Originally Posted by CarolinaBredChicagoan

I'm not 100% sure that's true for Winston-Salem/Forsyth. I think there is some element of school choice in Winston but it depends on there being available spots in the school. Maybe that doesn't matter for high schools. I'll let someone with direct personal experience chime in.

Originally Posted by arbyunc

There are a limited number of spaces for students who wish to attend a school outside their assigned zone. More info here.

Thanks for providing correct information.

[Sasquatches]

What school is in question?

[nicalbright]

Originally Posted by emelvee

It's my understanding that your only other option is a charter school. Most areas of NC do not offer school choice beyond charter schools.

I heard there is a proposal to allow one to choose any school in the state, regardless of where one is assigned (provided the chosen school has capacity and some other restrictions), but that is just a proposal, so I wouldn't count on that ever happening.

We specifically ruled out some homes due to the quality of the schools. We ended up buying in northeast Davidson County, and the quality of the schools was a significant factor.


edit: the statewide school choice draft legislation was just tabled yesterday. Personally, I'd like to see students be allowed to choose any school within their district.

Originally Posted by CarolinaBredChicagoan

I'm not 100% sure that's true for Winston-Salem/Forsyth. I think there is some element of school choice in Winston but it depends on there being available spots in the school. Maybe that doesn't matter for high schools. I'll let someone with direct personal experience chime in.

Originally Posted by arbyunc

There are a limited number of spaces for students who wish to attend a school outside their assigned zone. More info here.

Thanks for the info everyone!

Originally Posted by Sasquatches

What school is in question?

North Forsyth High School in Winston Salem.

[spacey1]

Hi there, My two kids have gotten into schools outside of their school district. In all honesty it was not that hard? we had to send in an appeal for my son to go to the high school we wanted, we got a reply back within a week granting our request.

I would deal with this asap, as I think all appeals have to be in by May 19th.

Just out of interest which schools are you looking at? Some schools can be in a bad area, yet have great results. My son is just finishing his 8th grade at Hanes Magnet, it ended up being a great school, with really good teachers. We were very happy. Also my younger daugther is at Moore magnet, another great school in W-S. I'd take a tour of the schools you are interested in. Also if you are of the religious faith, there are some great faith based schools that are affordable if you are concerned about public high schools.

Good luck with your search.

[balatro]

After they opened Reagan, North went to hell in a hand basket. I was of the last class before Reagan opened and even before then parents were transferring their kids to Tabor or if they could provide the transportation, they went to West instead.