Moving to Franklin area. Questions about neighborhoods and private schools. (Brentwood: house, school district) - Nashville - Tennessee (TN) - City-Data Forum

heather01a · 03-17-2010, 02:37 PM

Hi. We are relocating to the Franklin/Brentwood area from out of state. We have found a house that we are interested in. It's in a neighborhood called Laurelbrooke. Does anyone have any info about that area? Is Franklin or Brentwood nicer? We have four children and are looking for a neighborhood with lots of children. Also, interested in a newer, larger home (need at least 5 bedrooms). Obviously, since we have children, schools are our main concern. We would ideally prefer private schools. Looking for rigorous college prep with all the extras. Such as music, arts, language (hoping for Mandarin). I can't tell if any of the area private schools have "everything". Can you give me opinions on which ones are best? Is it still possible to get in for Fall 2010? The public schools for Laurelbrooke are Grassland Elementary, Grassland Middle, and Franklin High. What are those like? Thank you so much for any help you can give!

BirdieBelle · 03-17-2010, 03:40 PM

Laurelbrooke is one of the more expensive gated communities in the area. There are plenty of kids in the neighborhood. They will be from well-to-do families who are a mix of CEOs, physicians, bankers, builders, pro athletes, some Christian and country music people, among others. Oprah brought a house for her dad there.
The area is not convenient to MAJOR shopping. There is a grocery in the old Grassland shopping center, but any major retail centers are at least a 15 minute drive on some windy roads.
As for public schools, Grassland is excellent. The usual private school options for people who live there include Ensworth, Christ Prebysterian Academy, Montgomery Bell Academy (all boys), Harpeth Hall (all girls), Franklin Road Academy, Brentwood Academy, and Battle Ground Academy (BGA). There are other Catholic schools but you didn't mention that. University School of Nashville (USN) is across from Vanderbilt in Nashville and it offers Mandarin. There are a lot of Vandy prof kids there. Ensworth also offers Mandarin and would be more convenient for you than USN. The best way to find out is to go to the school sites and check under Curriculum.
I'll be happy to offer whatever other info I can.

septimus · 03-17-2010, 04:27 PM

There are a good number of families in laurelbrooke. It is a beautiful community. Private school admissions are over for 2010, but that doesn't mean some schools don't still have space, especially depending on the grade. Ensworth has Mandarin as does Harpeth Hall.

Big TR · 03-17-2010, 08:42 PM

You don't need private school in Williamson County. The school district is very good. Unless you have $15-$20k per year burning a hole in your pocket, stick to the public schools.

septimus · 03-18-2010, 04:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Big TR

You don't need private school in Williamson County. The school district is very good. Unless you have $15-$20k per year burning a hole in your pocket, stick to the public schools.

If you value things like foreign language in elementary school, strong arts and music instruction and smaller classes then you won't get that in WCS. It is easiest to learn a foreign language, especially a tonal language like Mandarin at 5 than it is at 13. The average class size is over 20 in WCS for elementary. The private schools all are at 16 plus an aide.

heather01a · 03-19-2010, 09:47 AM

Thanks everyone for your help! We are looking at BGA and Ensworth. Do they both have a good reputation? May be leaning towards BGA due to proximity.

BirdieBelle · 03-19-2010, 04:37 PM

For the record, Brentwood Middle also was named a Blue Ribbon School in 2006. Franklin Elementary also has received the award. Those are two I can think of off the top of my head. There may be others that other posters may know about.

avalonrose · 03-26-2010, 08:37 PM

Laurelbrooke is a great neighborhood...my inlaws live there and like it a lot.
I actually prefer Franklin to Brentwood. Franklin has some character to it...Brentwood could basically be in anytown USA. It has no soul. I currently live there and am trying to get out!
As for private schools, I think they are a much better option that the public schools. Williamson County is supposed to be one of the best in the state, but we are in Tennessee, that's really not saying much!
I'd go for Ensworth over BGA. Ensworth has an awesome reputation and the academics are top notch. MBA for boys and Harpeth Hall for girls are right there with Ensworth. Other great private schools are Oak Hill and Harding Academy...a lot of the families in Laurelbrooke go to Harding Academy (it stops at 8th grade).

redbeardslady · 03-28-2010, 08:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by avalonrose

As for private schools, I think they are a much better option that the public schools. Williamson County is supposed to be one of the best in the state, but we are in Tennessee, that's really not saying much!.

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!!

Big TR · 03-29-2010, 05:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by avalonrose

As for private schools, I think they are a much better option that the public schools. Williamson County is supposed to be one of the best in the state, but we are in Tennessee, that's really not saying much!

We can afford to send our son to private school. Overall, we are happy with the education he's currently receiving for "free". I can't see that spending $15k per year is going to get him that much better prepared for life.

Also, Tennessee just won this....
Race to the Top winners: How did Delaware and Tennessee succeed? / The Christian Science Monitor - CSMonitor.com