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I have been through a lot of posts on City-Data on this subject and I'm still confused.
I'm hoping parents who have already been through this would pitch in their recommendations to help me and others who are in a similar boat.
Our son is 4 years old. He will be starting elementary next year (Aug-Sep 2015) whenever the schools start.
Based on what I have read so far about reassignments and quality of education, stability etc in wake county, I'm kinda leaning towards a Magnet school with (Science and Technology theme). That way we may be set for 8 years (k-8) or so. I heard that it's really tough to get into a charter school due to high demand and lottery system.
We will be moving from Charlotte to Raleigh area towards the end of August. And it seems that the application process for charter and magnet schools will begin around nov-dec and the results will come out around Jan.
So that will give us 2 months to get ready for the application process once we arrive in Raleigh.
1. Is the Magnet school's selection(lottery) process different than that of Charter's?
2. Could you please suggest some top rated magnet schools with science and tech program, so that we can start ourresearch from now on.. I would like to stay around 20 min from my current work (4 miles west of NCSU). Even if I change jobs, I may work somewhere in the triangle (I'm a IT programmer). I heard the chappel hill schools are the best but it would be a lot of commute.
I've looked at schooldigger, NCReportcards and other sites but there is so much data to digest. I'm hoping to get some feedback from parents whose little ones are already in these magnet schools.
3. Could you also suggest some top rated Charter schools in that area?
3. Is it a good idea to apply to both of them and see what happens? Which ones are better charter or magnet or science programs?
4. Since we are not in Raleigh area yet, what would be a good location to look for a rental so as to increase our chances of getting selected into one of the good Magnets? I'm thinking the Magnet school selection process do consider where you live, right?
Thanks a lot in advance for all your valuable feedback.
It's not hard to get into a magnet school if you start early. Many kids start at the 6th grade (not many seats will be open at the 9th grade for new magnet students because of the feeder system). Elementary schools are easy to get in: you can but don't have to start from the 1st grade; you can transfer at any grade during elementary years --just try a transfer application every year until you get in. Once a kid gets into the system, s/he can expect to finish at a magnet high school.
Don't know all the schools, but Fuller/Martin (elementary) -- Carnage (middle) -- Enloe (high) seems to be a popular route for some. But you need to reside in certain areas to be assigned into those schools once you are in the magnet program, and the feeding pattern within the magnet system sometimes changes (no escape of that in wcpss).
1. Is the Magnet school's selection(lottery) process different than that of Charter's?
Yes. WCPSS uses crowding, base school info, etc. to compute where you land.
Quote:
Originally Posted by 2013carquote
2. Could you please suggest some top rated magnet schools with science and tech program, so that we can start ourresearch from now on.. I would like to stay around 20 min from my current work (4 miles west of NCSU). Even if I change jobs, I may work somewhere in the triangle (I'm a IT programmer). I heard the chappel hill schools are the best but it would be a lot of commute.
Magnets are, mostly, downtown Raleigh. Check to see if you can get to them in 20 minutes. Not happening if your child takes the bus.
Quote:
Originally Posted by 2013carquote
3. Is it a good idea to apply to both of them and see what happens? Which ones are better charter or magnet or science programs?
Discipline is probably better at charters. Academically, don't know if they are substantially different qualitatively.
Quote:
Originally Posted by 2013carquote
4. Since we are not in Raleigh area yet, what would be a good location to look for a rental so as to increase our chances of getting selected into one of the good Magnets? I'm thinking the Magnet school selection process do consider where you live, right?
Carnage is good at science and math. The school wins accolades in math and science competitions. You get to Carnage via Fuller/ Washington which would mean you have to be in western Wake. Carnage feeds Enloe, a competitive but large school. However, if you end up going to a non-magnet, don't worry. More depends on the student and parent than overwhelmed, underpaid, demotivated teachers.
You seem very concerned about finding the best school. You are never going to find the best school. Because there is only the best school for your particular child. Yes, there are some schools that I would not send any of my children to because they are very low performance. But once you get over a certain threshold, so much is dependent on the specific child, their learning style, their academic needs and your families overall educational philosophies. Yes you can find the best performing school on standardized tests, but honestly those schools are not the best fit for every child. There is a charter school with very high test scores that is highly regarded. But it would be a terrible fit for one of my children and a perfect fit for my other kid. Focus on your child and finding the best fit for him. Not the overall holy grail of the best school.
Once a kid gets into the system, s/he can expect to finish at a magnet high school.
I am reasonably sure that this is no longer the case with the advent of the "school choice" changes made a few years back. Non-base magnet students in elementary school have to apply to the magnet middle schools just like everybody else (likewise with high school).
In regards to the "best" magnet school in the county, how about the best in the country? A.B. Combs Elementary
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