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I know this is an old thread, but I am curious to see how the rezoning worked out. How is Northside doing?
We were looking around this weekend and liked a house in Cobble Ridge. We just realized that that neighborhood is zoned for Northside (while I would be ok with the middle and high school options). I have found very little recent info but it looks like it's a C school with a pretty high poverty rate. My youngest still has about 3 years till kindergarden but would hate it if we ended up in a school that is horrible.
I would love to hear from parents, though, because many times data on paper will just not be the same as real experiences.
My 4th grade kid goes Northside now. Previously he attended Morris Grove ES (we didn't get redistricted - bought a house which is zoned for Northside.) We like the school - I think academically it's on par with Morris Grove. Otherwise, it's more diverse both in race and socioeconomic ways, which we enjoy very much. We've had good/bad teachers in both schools.
Thank you! I am all for diversity if the teachers are able to handle it and maintain a good level of education. The house we are thinking about is in Cobble Ridge. I've read that it is a long bus drive, but when I look at the map I see it's only 3 miles away, so I am trying to figure out if that is actually true. Does anyone know?
You can probably call the Lincoln center to find out. My son's bus comes around 6:50 (we live in the county side west of the University Lake). That's a bit earlier than what I'd like to see, but works for our family schedule. Normally I drop him on my way to work.
Thank you! I am all for diversity if the teachers are able to handle it and maintain a good level of education. The house we are thinking about is in Cobble Ridge. I've read that it is a long bus drive, but when I look at the map I see it's only 3 miles away, so I am trying to figure out if that is actually true. Does anyone know?
Cobble Ridge is a nice family neighborhood!
Northside from Cobble Ridge would probably be a 10-15 minute drive (the northside neighborhood has a lot of narrow streets and awkward turns and the school is right in the middle of the neighborhood). But obviously a bus ride will have to make stops so it may be more in the 20-30 minute range.
Considering when I was in elementary school in Wake County in the 90's, I had bus-rides that were routinely over an hour long each way; I don't see any bus ride in this district as being excessive in length but again it all depends on perspective.
Cobble Ridge is in the area that used to be assigned to FPG (right down the road from Cobble Ridge) until it turned into a magnet-only school when they built Northside 2 years ago. Not quite sure why they made FPG magnet only but I would assume it was to diversify Northside a little more.
With regards to the higher F&R lunch population at Northside (or any elementary school in CHCCS) it's also worth noting that many of those students come from households that have one or two parents that are actually in post-doc programs at UNC. Yes there are many poor refugee/immigrant families as well; but a lot of the kids are actually from well educated families don't have money right now because their parents are in med school, dental school, etc. This is especially true for Northside and Glenwood.
Yes, I think we like Cobble Ridge very much because of the walkability to schools and activities (middle and high) and it is a bit more affordable than Southern Village. Thanks for the feedback. It doesn't seem so bad so far...
Location: Chapel Hill, NC, formerly NoVA and Phila
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I think Cobble Ridge is a very nice neighborhood! I live right down the street in Southern Village and take walks through there quite often. I know three families who live there who all seem happy with the neighborhood. I don't know if I would let Northside stop me from moving there, although it would give me some hesitations. It is a bit far from the neighborhood - ten minutes in non-rush hour. With school starting at 7:50, I imagine the bus comes quite early to pick up the kids. But that might not be an issue for you - we are not morning people in our house. I also LOVE having the elementary school in our neighborhood and being able to walk there. Our school really feels like an extension of our neighborhood. But I'm a SAHM who walks down to our school to volunteer or help in the garden or run by with a forgotten lunch - things I probably wouldn't do as often if the school was farther away. But, those things might not be important for you.
The school does probably have among the lowest elementary school test scores in the district (I think probably only FPG is lower), but that's very likely based on the socioeconomic demographics of the school. And as long as other students aren't holding your students back, it is probably fine. And the school has the advantage of being a very nice, new facility! Honestly, your kids will probably be fine no matter where they go to elementary school in Chapel Hill, and the neighborhood is pleasant and affordable.
Thank you, michgc. The early hours don' t scare me as much as the "longer" bus ride. We are trying to run away from that...it would be so nice if my kids could just walk or get to school in minutes.
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