Relocating from Fla to Miss. (Gulfport, Biloxi: real estate, mortgage, lawyers)

[flahome]

We have one almost teen and one young teen. One has a horse and the other is into ocean fishing. School is very important, both are advanced students. Working in Stennis. Any suggestions for the best area?

[Alex C]

Good news! The child with the horse and the child who likes ocean fishing are in a great area. They will have a ball!

People in Mississippi are generally friendly, however the hurricane ripped the place apart and the damage hasn't been completely cleaned up. Many lifelong residents are gone and some current residents are temporary until their work is finished.

Mississippi schools are not particularly strong and private schools offer the illusion that the parents are doing something positive. It's hit or miss and past history has little bearing on what the present is due to the hurricane damage. Best of luck with your move.

[flahome]

Schools are my biggest concern. Diamondhead was mentioned. Are there better areas to accomodate horses, fishing and decent schools? Are there any magnet programs?

[Tama]

You could consider Poplarville, MS to live. This is the school's site and maybe others can tell you about it.
Poplarville School District - Home (http://www.poplarvilleschools.org/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1 - broken link)

some general sites
Mississippi/MS Blue Ribbon Schools - Public School Review
Mississippi/MS Magnet Schools - Public School Review
Welcome to Mississippi School of the Arts (http://www.msa.k12.ms.us/htm/Welcome.htm - broken link)
The Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science

[prtyof4]

These schools seem to do fairly well, a lot of the more advanced kids also take courses at our local community college, Pearl River Community College, to get some of the basics out of the way. We are actually being transferred out of the area to Atlanta, Moderator cut: edit One horse per acre is allowed in our subdivision!! We also have a neighbor that is being transferred to Goddard from Stennis!

Moderator cut: edit no advertising privately or for real estate companies allowed in state forums on City Data

[jeffakki]

Education here is horrible. Looking for advance classes and the schooling is important, then I would say stay where you are at, or go somewhere else. Here is a site that shows our rankings for being smart. 2005 thru 2007.

Smartest State 2006-2007


If anyone is too lazy to look.

2005 to 2006 we was ranked 49th
2006 to 2007 we was ranked 48th we moved up 1 :P

Yeah of course some schools are better than others but since I have been in this state, (30 yrs.) we have always been ranked last among all the states or very close to it.



Fl was 36th 2005 to 2006
Fl was 29th 2006 to 2007


Just google the Mississippi schools and go from there. They show all the stats in the area and if you do decide to come here, make sure you come visit for a week. Look at all the wonderful things your kids will be able to do here. IMO there is nothing here for kids. You have a water park, over priced for what they have. I think 2 bowling lanes, 2 roller skating parks, trying to think of anything I might have missed. Nope, nothing. One kid likes fishing, that's good, but I wouldn't eat any fish that comes from this area. The water has always been nasty here, and after the storm it is worse. I could go on and on but your best option is to come look what you are getting in to. Gl with your move and hope you enjoy the area if you do decide to come here.

[MrBiloxi]

There is a very good private school in Bay St. Louis called St. Stanislaus. (spelling may be wrong). I would suspect that there classes are a bit more advanced than the regular public institutions; which you will probably not be happy with due to your children's advanced stages, so you more than likely will have to go private. There are areas north of I-10 in Bay St. Louis that probably have equisitarian subdivisions or land, and you probably would be a short ride to the Bay and subsequent Gulf...perhaps even by boat via a canal depending on where you are located. Bay St. Louis and Hancock County in general have not built back as quickly as Biloxi/Gulfport...so you may find a lack of services, but the area of Bay St. Louis/Diamonhead/Kiln are closest to Stennis. Keep in mind Hancock County was ground zero for Katrina's landing...so alot still needs to be done. You may even want to consider Slidell, LA just over the state line...they have some nice areas as well, yet still a short commute to Stennis. Also, they are building an entire new town at Stennis, forgot the name, but if you speak to a local realtor, they will be able to assist you. Finally...prepare to see litter everywhere, if you have eyesight, you will see what I mean as you enter MS on I-10...its litter ridden most of the time...you will see what I mean, FLA I-10 clean and trimmed, then AL is nice, but not as nice as FLA, and then you enter good Ole Miss. Just pay close attention to it...you will see what I mean. Good Luck and Welcome to Mississippi!!

[Tama]

Wow! I imagine this poor family is running like h--- away from moving to Stennis! Calm down. I am a neat freak and believe me if MS were the filthy hole the previous poster suggested, I would get out real fast. It is no such thing. The coastal area is in a mess because of the Katrina effect and the lack of ground cover. As for the schools overall it is quite low in ranking but there are demographics such as poverty stricken areas that bring down the average. There are also very good schools. My son went to public school in Mississippi, had advanced placement classes, and a very good education. He is now almost finished with his doctorate from a university in Georgia--a product of those lowly Mississippi schools. His high school class can boast lawyers, Ph.D's, theologians, high tech millionaires, and a few corporate sorts among its lowly ranks. It depends what school system and the demographic of the area.

[tyeebeacon]

I am moving back to Waveland MS, I lived there for 20 years prior to katrina. Have been living in upstate NY, my kids are now 15 going in 11th grade, 14 going in 9th grade and they are not all thrilled to be moving back. I am also concerned about the state of schools. Granted, the schools in Bay st Louis were good before Katrina, but, am concerned now. But, I am still paying mortgage and my home is now repaired so, we are going back and hoping for the best. I can only say that I was happy with the Bay Waveland school district before katrina and am hoping it will be good when I return. My kids have done fine here in NY with the education they received in MS were able to take honors courses and were doing well, hopefully these advanced classes will beavailable to my son particulaly in the 11th grade.

[tyeebeacon]

One more thing, although MS typically does come in last for everything, I must state if you want to succeed in MS you can. Like I stated, my son who attended Bay Waveland school from Kindergarten through eigth grade left after Katrina, has passed every NY state regents tests with high scores and came into NY schools and passed well and kept up with NY state advanced classes just fine.
Just because a state is last does not mean that you are not going to do well if you set standards high for your kids, the teachers my kids had in MS were always in my opinion some of the best, caring they could have asked for.