Moving to Franklin area. Questions about neighborhoods and private schools.

[YallWantHam]

Not to mention, Brentwood High School (according to US News) is one of the top high schools in the nation, not just the state.

[CJohnston]

Like another said, Franklin has more character than Brentwood, which feels like just a town off the interestate next to Nashville. Our son goes to Currey Ingram Academy in Brentwood. It's a fantastic school with small classrooms (5 to 7), state-of-the-art facilities, and teachers who care. It is for bright kids who don't learn as quickly in public school setting, although every child would excel given CIA's individualize teaching methods.

[Shino306]

I'd go with Ensworth over BGA for elementary school, just due to reputation, however for High School I'd go with Montgomery Bell Academy (MBA) for the boys and Harpeth Hall for the girls. Ensworth just "recently" started their high school, they have a better reputation as an elementary/middle school than high school.
Both MBA and Harpeth Hall are known for their rigorous academics and hence their National Merit Scholars, high SAT scores, and their graduates going to more "prestigious" schools.
You should set up a tour of the schools to see which you like best, plus it's "recommended" as part of the application process.
Ensworth starts Mandarin in Kindergarten along with Spanish, I can't speak to BGA.
There's also Oak Hill, which runs from Pre-K to 6th grade and has a religious emphasis that Ensworth does not, if that appeals to you.

You can look up all the schools online.
Good Luck

[akm4]

I'm a fan of public schools here, but it's hard to discuss Nashville's private schools with out including University School. Considered by many to be the top choice.
Browser Not Supported

[Shino306]

The University School is also good but it depends on what sort of environment you want for your child, it's best to tour them to see which one fits your needs along with the overall feel of the school. The culture is very different at MBA/Harpeth Hall vs. the University School.

[akm4]

Absolutely. Every school is different, as is every child is. I'm surprised how many people enroll their kids into a school they've never visited.

[jenntenn]

I would also suggest bringing your family down and doing visitation days at a few schools you have selected. When we moved here (when I was starting high school in the early 90's) I visited a number of schools. Because of my age and to help with the trauma of moving my parents let me select my own school...I chose BGA. At the time Ensworth only had lower school so it was not an option. I visited BGA, BA, FRA, HH, and Father Ryan. During my visit, each school paired me with a "buddy" based on who they thought I would have common interests with...it was pretty cool. I chose BGA because I fell in love with some of the people and just the overall feel and attitude of the school. And my buddy, well she is one of my best friends to this day (I am now in my 30's).
So please take some time and visit your choices, because what you think might be a good fit might not feel so right after spending some time there. There are also a number of people who send their kids to public elementary school (like Grassland, it’s a great school) and then make decisions on private school for either middle or high school, could be an option.
[SIZE=3]Good luck in your decisions and let us know if you need anything else. J[/SIZE]

[groovamos]

I'm gonna plug my alma mater, from which I graduated near the bottom of my class, but even still finished up with an MSEE from UT Austin, with its electrical engineering graduate program in the top 20 nationwide. MBA is the granddaddy of Nashville schools, read on the history of the school and it should be no surprise why I say this. Visit the campus and it should be obvious why I say this.

[CantWait2Leave]

Originally Posted by redbeardslady

Consider yourself lucky, there are plenty of other states (including California where we are) who wish their public school system to be as good as Tennessee!!

Ditto! I would never send my kids to LAUSD and this is one of the (many) reasons why I'm moving to Nashville.

[avalonrose]

Originally Posted by groovamos

I'm gonna plug my alma mater, from which I graduated near the bottom of my class, but even still finished up with an MSEE from UT Austin, with its electrical engineering graduate program in the top 20 nationwide. MBA is the granddaddy of Nashville schools, read on the history of the school and it should be no surprise why I say this. Visit the campus and it should be obvious why I say this.

I agree, I would love for my boys to go to MBA one day. For those unfamiliar, did you ever see the movie "Dead Poets Society"? The writer of that film is an MBA graduate and he has said that the movie is loosely based on the school. Such a wonderful history of tradition.