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Old 11-25-2009, 12:16 AM
 
Location: Shaw Neighborhood, St. Louis City
325 posts, read 850,682 times
Reputation: 156

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I've been fretting about how to pay for private schools for my kids, but once I actually researched the schools around my husband's new job in Midtown, I literally laughed out loud. There are several top ranked public elementary and middle schools in the area. What a relief! All of the houses we have been looking at are in these schools' boundaries. I have scheduled tours of several of them and look forward to choosing one of the Memphis City Public Schools. While there are lots of bad choices, there are lots of good ones, too. Check it out!

Schools in Memphis City Schools | GreatSchools

Schools in Memphis City Schools | GreatSchools

 
Old 11-25-2009, 03:08 AM
 
Location: Columbia, SC
480 posts, read 877,866 times
Reputation: 252
I know several people with kids at Idlewild and they all love it. Great principal and teachers, very involved parents and a community that cares. If I were to move back to Memphis, I'd probably buy around Idlewild and send my kids there.

I've always heard good things about Snowden too, but I'm not as familiar with it. My daughter attended kindergarten at Sea Isle (in East Memphis) before we relocated, and it was wonderful. Quite frankly, she received much better instruction there (from a great teacher with a master's degree) than she is at her Blue Ribbon school in South Carolina.
 
Old 11-25-2009, 05:32 AM
 
13,350 posts, read 39,938,649 times
Reputation: 10789
Quote:
Originally Posted by ktCakes View Post
I've been fretting about how to pay for private schools for my kids, but once I actually researched the schools around my husband's new job in Midtown, I literally laughed out loud. There are several top ranked public elementary and middle schools in the area. What a relief! All of the houses we have been looking at are in these schools' boundaries. I have scheduled tours of several of them and look forward to choosing one of the Memphis City Public Schools. While there are lots of bad choices, there are lots of good ones, too. Check it out!

Schools in Memphis City Schools | GreatSchools

Schools in Memphis City Schools | GreatSchools
I don't recall anyone ever saying that all of the schools in Memphis are bad. In earlier threads people have said that Snowden and Idlewild are pretty good elementary schools. I used to live by Idlewild and loved the neighborhood.

But half of the failing schools in the entire state are in Memphis. With 110,000 students, MCS is a bloated school system that has, by far, the worst schools in the state. There are a few hidden pearls in the system (such as Idlewild and Snowden), but they are definitely the exception rather than the rule.

At any rate, congrats on living in Midtown! It's my favorite area of Memphis, and I hope you'll love living there as much as I did.
 
Old 11-25-2009, 07:14 AM
 
3,371 posts, read 13,372,803 times
Reputation: 778
While there are a few good schools in the city, 95% are bad. So for someone moving from out of state, who has no knowledge of the area and the system, it's easier to give a generalization and suggest either moving to a suburb, or going to private.

Even knowing the good ones, I don't think I would want to mess with it. I'd rather take the easy road and go into a system that was overall much better (my opinion).
 
Old 11-25-2009, 07:41 AM
 
Location: Shaw Neighborhood, St. Louis City
325 posts, read 850,682 times
Reputation: 156
oh I don't doubt that the system overall is a mess. Again, I'm coming from St. Louis where the schools have been taken over by the state and been de-certified. My point was simply that the overall impression given by many people on this board is that you can't send your kids to any of the schools. I was simply giving a pat on the back where it is due. And making it a bit less scary for those moving into the area.
 
Old 11-25-2009, 08:37 AM
 
Location: Memphis, Tn ~ U.S.A.
2,353 posts, read 5,373,059 times
Reputation: 2187
Live hear 6 months, then come back and let us see how you feel
 
Old 11-25-2009, 08:49 AM
 
Location: Memphis
369 posts, read 1,232,423 times
Reputation: 231
When I talk about Memphis City Schools I mean high schools. I really don't know about the elementary and middle schools. This is strictly my opinion on this, but the only two city schools I would send kids too would be White Station High and maybe Cordova High. Those two are pretty much like Shelby County Schools. They may also be the only city schools that offer AP courses as well. Just like Pearlbob said, there are some real gems inside the Memphis City Schools system. Those being the ones you mentioned and a few others.
 
Old 11-25-2009, 10:04 AM
 
Location: A Yankee in northeast TN
16,066 posts, read 21,123,322 times
Reputation: 43615
Quote:
Originally Posted by ktCakes View Post
oh I don't doubt that the system overall is a mess. Again, I'm coming from St. Louis where the schools have been taken over by the state and been de-certified. My point was simply that the overall impression given by many people on this board is that you can't send your kids to any of the schools. I was simply giving a pat on the back where it is due. And making it a bit less scary for those moving into the area.
You didn't get the memo? Apparently it's acceptable to try to refute the stereotype that that Memphis is a crime infested pit that nobody in their right mind would want to live in, but defending MCS, not so acceptable. I often wonder why so many people keep insisting that private or county schools are the ONLY way to go, instead of making Memphis itself more desirable by playing up the good schools that are there. You have to dig a little to find the truly good MCS schools, but don't most concerned parents dig to find good schools anywhere, even at the private schools?
Kudos to you ktCakes for doing your research and not buying into the stereotype. I hope you find a school that meets all your needs.

Maximus, Ridgeway High has an optional program, college prep, and they offer IB classes. They still are behind White Station as far as academic rewards, number of college scholarships granted, etc., but they are definitely starting to catch up to the White Station reputation. A lot of parents in MCS are choosing to put their college bound kids into Ridgeway.

Last edited by DubbleT; 11-25-2009 at 10:14 AM..
 
Old 11-25-2009, 10:28 AM
 
Location: Memphis
369 posts, read 1,232,423 times
Reputation: 231
Dubble T....you are right. I should have said Ridgeway High as well. Maybe even Central High in a way. This is a weird thing to try to explain to people when folks move here. There is no denying the fact the Memphis City Schools overall, are bad. You do have exceptions in the system though. Those being Ridgeway, White Station, Cordova, and maybe Central. Along with some elementary and middle schools. But when folks move here and compare them to Shelby County Schools, it is a hard thing to overlook. Like I said, it can be a bit confusing b/c of the way things are structured. No one on here wants to give out bad advice when it comes to education. That's probably why there is that preconceived notion that gets passed along.
 
Old 11-25-2009, 11:02 AM
 
1,703 posts, read 6,312,635 times
Reputation: 944
There are exceptions to most every rule, of course. However, I would never make a recommendation based on an exception. Overall, MCS is a terrible, awful district. When folks come on here for advice, we could easily tell them to chase the right district lines or plan to stand in line for hours on end to get their children into a school clear across town. But I won't do that. It's a shame that newcomers are expected to jump through hoops just to find that one needle in the haystack.
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