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I hardly think the OP could get any better comments than those from FL natives as above and it appears she has really done a lot of research, but I have to (as a SC native who lived/worked in the DC area for 32 years) comment that I could hardly wait to get back here after I retired. The comments for the RN are quite appropriate as I am sure that there will be no problem whatever in obtaining suitable employment from the many, all first rate, facilities in the area. I would encourage you to visit the Greenville Visitors Bureau website or just Google "visit greenville sc" where you will find quite a few videos of the area. It is really quite an impressive city. When you do come up to visit, I'd suggest that you bring extra clothing. You may just want to stay and have your other belongings shipped up!
I heard from another person on the forum that you are a realtor. I am not sure exactly when we will move & not sure exactly where exactly we will move except that we want to be near Greenville SC. My husband is a mailman so we will be waiting on either an exchange or transfer with the post office. The places we are most interested in are mostly because we still have a teenager in school. So most likely we will want to rent or buy in Greenville, Greer, Mauldin, Piedmont, Simpsonville, or Taylors.
We are visiting Greenville & the surrounding areas 1/1-1/4 2016 to check it out. We have a daughter who will be in 8th grade next year. For middle schools from my research the ones that get the best ratings or best feedback are Greenville Middle Academy, Wren, Powdersville, Mauldin, and Riverside. Not sure if you have children but since your a realtor maybe you have the inside scoop on which school you hear the best things about? I would love your input. Our son homeschools so I am also checking virtual schools for SC.
If we can't figure out what our "perfect place" would be we will probably rent for 6 months to a year to make sure of where we want to settle down. Do you also help set up rentals?
I have a specific wish list for our eventual home. At least 3 B/ 2 B. Our budget is 250K or less. We prefer a 1 story or at least the master to be on the main level. We want an attached 2 car garage. We prefer a fenced in small yard (we have a dog & are not into large yard upkeep). We would love to have a fireplace. It doesn't have to be brand new but we really like open floor plans so most of the houses I am attracted to have been built in the last 10 years or so. We like neighborhoods big enough to take walks in. I really like brick houses so I love Adams Homes (again wouldn't have to be new). We prefer laminate or wood flooring thru the main parts of the house. Bedrooms can have carpet or wood flooring. I want a bathtub in the master.
I think the biggest determining factor has to be a location in one of the school districts set out previously. I would love your input on whatever you've heard about the best high school. Looking forward to hearing from you !!!
Hi flgal14! I think I know who you spoke to . Thank you for reaching out to me. Your price range will get you a nice house with your wishlist in any of the areas you mentioned. My kids are grown but of course it is part of my job to be familiar with schools, etc. All of the schools you mentioned have a good reputation. You can get information on any of the schools by going to the SC schools website:Report Cards - South Carolina Department of Education. There are various other sites (like great schools) where you can get other types of input. As far as high schools, there are other good ones, and a lot depends on your particular student, but the ones I have personally heard the best things about are Mauldin, Riverside, and Blue Ridge.
I homeschooled our youngest; I was in NC so had to pay for an online school; love that we have the free virtual online school here!
in a 4 day visit you should be able to get a feel for which area appeals to you the most; however it also would not hurt to rent for a short time, and I do help with rentals.
There is nothing wrong with Hillcrest and Bryson middle schools in Simpsonville, or Sevier middle in Taylors / Pebble Creek area.
Very true- those are all good schools. As I said it also depends on the student. My son did not do well at one of the most highly-rated schools in Raleigh; I took him out and put him in our base school, where he did very well. The other son did not do well in any public school, so was homeschooled in high school.
the only Greenville schools that parents might want to avoid are the ones in the west side of the metro, that feed into Southside, Berea, Parker high schools.
the only Greenville schools that parents might want to avoid are the ones in the west side of the metro, that feed into Southside, Berea, Parker high schools.
I graduated from Southside High under the IB program and it was an excellent school says the computer engineer grad from USC (programming) but if your thing is avoiding any people of color (please insert snarkly sarcasm because that's exactly how I'm saying it) then this suggestion is quite telling--I suppose. I don't know much about the Parker area or it's "population" so I'll hold my tongue. For the record, I didn't attend Berea nor Parker so as far as how instruction goes, I can't speak on the schools, knowledgeably. If truth be told, some of my most memorable and endearing times were at Southside High but who am I to talk? I married international so I guess that says something about me.
I graduated from Southside High under the IB program and it was an excellent school says the computer engineer grad from USC (programming) but if your thing is avoiding any people of color (Southside and Berea) then this suggestion is accurate--I suppose. I don't know much about the Parker area or it's "population". I didn't go to the Berea nor Parker school so as far as how instruction goes, I can't speak on the schools, knowledgeably. If truth be told, some of my most memorable and endearing times were at Southside High but who am I to talk? I married international so I guess that says something about me.
What school scores do they have? The school score is something a lot of parents based their entire decision on. Southside has school score of 3 on Greatschools.com. Do you think somebody asking about the *best* schools is ever going to consider Southside? You could possibly talk them down to 6 or 5 but probably not 3.
I said that some parents *might* want to avoid those schools and areas. I never said that I would, or told them not to even consider them. My point is most if not all schools in the metro are fine.
I could send my kids to those schools. I went to a so called 'bad' schools myself and I've done ok. I don't think the school score tells you anything about the quality of the teachers.
I didn't say anything about race. You are the one who brought up race. I went to schools that were 65 percent black. The schools that serve poor areas tend to have lower school scores. I listed 3 schools that I'm aware of in the west side of the metro which is poorer than other areas.
I think actually if you have a really bright kid, probably the best thing you can do is send them to the school with the lowest school score. A lot of bright kids get treated like royalty and get spoiled. Sending them to a school with a lot of kids who grow up in unfortunate situations gives them a perspective most other bright kids won't get.
Last edited by ClemVegas; 12-18-2015 at 12:15 PM..
I graduated from Southside High under the IB program and it was an excellent school says the computer engineer grad from USC (programming) but if your thing is avoiding any people of color (please insert snarkly sarcasm because that's exactly how I'm saying it) then this suggestion is quite telling--I suppose. I don't know much about the Parker area or it's "population" so I'll hold my tongue. For the record, I didn't attend Berea nor Parker so as far as how instruction goes, I can't speak on the schools, knowledgeably. If truth be told, some of my most memorable and endearing times were at Southside High but who am I to talk? I married international so I guess that says something about me.
Southside does have a great IB program that could probably challenge most high school students.
That said, average student performance at Southside lags behind the average for Greenville County.
Why is that the case?
If you look at research done on school performance, one of the strongest predictors of average school test scores is the percentage of students at a school that receive reduced or free lunch. It is a statistic that breaks across racial boundaries. In short, poorer students don't tend to perform as well on standardized tests.
Maybe the question we need to ask is what we as a country need to do to level the playing field so poorer students get the help and assistance they need to learn. Some students are able to break out of this dynamic but sadly, many do not.
I'd love to see us as a country work to improve education for everyone, and in particular, those at the lower end of the socio-economic spectrum that are all too frequently at a disadvantage. It's hard for a parent working 3 jobs just to pay rent and feed everyone to have time to read bedtime stories and help with homework.
Southside does have a great IB program that could probably challenge most high school students.
That said, average student performance at Southside lags behind the average for Greenville County.
Why is that the case?
If you look at research done on school performance, one of the strongest predictors of average school test scores is the percentage of students at a school that receive reduced or free lunch. It is a statistic that breaks across racial boundaries. In short, poorer students don't tend to perform as well on standardized tests.
Maybe the question we need to ask is what we as a country need to do to level the playing field so poorer students get the help and assistance they need to learn. Some students are able to break out of this dynamic but sadly, many do not.
I'd love to see us as a country work to improve education for everyone, and in particular, those at the lower end of the socio-economic spectrum that are all too frequently at a disadvantage. It's hard for a parent working 3 jobs just to pay rent and feed everyone to have time to read bedtime stories and help with homework.
Very true statement. Sadly, I really think the gap is widening everywhere in the US and I agree with you. I would love to see something done to improve the educational quality here in the US for all especially in the south which is dear to my heart.
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. Thank you for reaching out to me. Your price range will get you a nice house with your wishlist in any of the areas you mentioned. My kids are grown but of course it is part of my job to be familiar with schools, etc. All of the schools you mentioned have a good reputation. You can get information on any of the schools by going to the SC schools website:
