Whispering Pines vs Pinehurst vs Southern Pines (Fort Bragg: neighborhoods, private schools)

[erin renkel]

My husband and I are moving to Moore County in a few months. My husband will be stationed at Ft. Bragg. We have a 3 year old son who will start school while stationed there. My priority is to live in a town with a good school system. I've heard that Academy Heights in Pinehurst is good. I've also read that Sandhills Farmlife in Whispering Pines is good. What about Southern Pines public schools? Any information on the Episcopal Day School in Southern Pines or the Oneal School in Pinehurst? I'm hoping to live in a family friendly neighborhood. Don't want to be too far from shopping and Fort Bragg. I guess my biggest concern is schools and finding a neighborhood with lots of kids around. Help!! I'm torn. All three towns look wonderful. We have been looking in CCNC in Pinehurst. Anybody know if there are many young families there?? Thanks

[Recip]

All the public schools are good. Some may look different on paper and some may be in newer or older buildings, but they will all serve your child well. Episcopal and O"Neal(both are in Southern Pines) are nice private schools too.

If you visit any of the Moore County public schools where you might live, you will leave very impressed with every one of them. Some people take the lazy way out and just look at the test scores on the internet. While an important element, they don't tell the whole story (such as the scarcity of poor and minority children at the "top" schools and certainly the private schools). We send our child to public school in Southern Pines (SP Primary) and have no reservations about doing so. We have the means to send our child to Episcopal or O'Neal, but feel our public schools, even though they may score lower than Farm Life and Academy Heights on some tests, are the best option.

There are parts of neighborhoods in each town that may have pockets of more kids than average, but we have so many retirees here that there are not a whole lot of areas where there are kids all over the place spontaneously starting up touch football or stickball games.

I grew up here (but have lived away too), have a school-age child and have experience with the local public and private schools.

I could live in any of the local communities, but I chose Southern Pines. I chose it because it is a "real" town. Whispering Pines literally has no downtown as it is almost completely residential. Pinehurst has a downtown, but it mainly caters to the resort and is dead after 5:00. There is not even a grocery store in Pinehurst.

Southern Pines has lots of residential and commercial and a great downtown. Additionally, it is diverse. There are young, old, rich, poor, black, and white. Southern Pines also has the best park system, which is why you'll see so many people from Whispering Pines and Pinehurst using our parks. We have a number of downtown, family-friendly events, which of course are well-attended by people from neighboring towns.

I can't tell you how many times I have overheard people from Pinehurst and Whispering Pines say to someone, "if I had known what I know now, I would have moved to Southern Pines instead of (x)." You've said schools are important to you and you will be well-served no matter where you settle and regardless of your choice of public or private. We have a lot of military who live here and we're right next to the gate to this side of Bragg. If you live in Whispering Pines or Pinehurst, you'll be driving through Southern Pines to get to the base.

[erin renkel]

Thank you so much for the information. I also got the impression that all the public schools are wonderful. I don't think I can go wrong. I do plan to visit them all. We have been to Southern Pines and I found it very nice. I really appreciate the "inside scoop". Looking forward to getting involved in the community. Thanks again.