Chesterfield and Powhatan County Schools (Richmond: how much, houses, YMCA)

[Ghst_Pepper22]

I have searched through these forums and it appears all the recent comments about schools in the area are old, so I am inquiring about the schools in Richmond Metro area particularly in Midlothian and Moseley in Chesterfield and Powhatan County Schools.

We might be relocating to the Richmond Metro area soon and we have two elementary age children currently in 3rd and 5th grade.

I have several questions.

Do these areas tend to be accepting to new families (outsiders coming from Florida)?

Why do the school ratings on (Great Schools, US news and Niche) fluctuate so much for such small area? The schools appear to be newer schools and the areas appear to be up and coming.

Other than the YMCA do any of the schools offer any form of aftercare (extended day for working parents)?

We traveled to Richmond last weekend to drive through the area and we really liked the Midlothian, Moseley and especially the Powhatan rural feel. We are just very concerned about the schools and how much rating differ from one school to another just down the road.

I would appreciate any assistance.

[ellieb128]

I'm in Midlothian - schools around here are very welcoming to new students, we had no issues at all with that. Powhatan has a much different feel than Chesterfield - more country. You are likely to potentially have longer bus rides to school etc.

There are a number of after school programs around me. The biggest being ACAC (local gym) and they pick up from a number of schools in their own buses or a few schools drop off there.

If you could identify the schools you find to have conflicting ratings let us know. That would be easier. There is a very good HS near me that has scores lowered because it also houses the program for non english speakers and that lowers the test scores.

[RustinginSeattle]

We moved here a couple of years ago and have felt very welcomed. My girls are in middle school and have made many friends. We live in Midlothian and really like it here. The Midlothian schools have been fantastic, for my girls.

[dizliz0925]

Where are you coming from in FL? We moved from Jax to Midlothian three years ago (we actually moved back to Jax with my job this summer) , and found the schools and area to be very accepting.

[B00stM0bil]

Chesterfield County has a great public schooling system, pretty solid private schools also. Richmond is alright when it comes to public schools, and have come under a lot of scrutiny in the last couple of years when it comes to funding for the school system. Not too hip to Powhatan, but from my knowledge it's one huge high school that gets all of the kids in the county. But, don't quote me on that. I would say Chesterfield is your best bet. Midlothian has an International Baccalaureate specialty center, Clover Hill has Math-Sci, Cosby is Health-Sci, Monacan is Humanities, LC Bird is Engineering, Manchester is Spanish Immersion, James River has International Relations and Leadership, so you have a lot to pick from if you're coming in from outside of Central VA.

[Ghst_Pepper22]

[SIZE=3]Ok,thank you. As far as the schools are concerned, I just noticed that theyfluctuate from 6-10 range for a small area (Midlothian). Usually theschools in an area are consistent with each other, especially in areas withnewer upper end housing. It is ratherodd to see schools with 6-7 ratings to be in areas with houses that are in the450K+ range.[/SIZE]
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[SIZE=3][SIZE=3]Thankyou for the information though.[/SIZE][/SIZE]
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[cbl1]

The areas can fluctuate a bit - usually the more diverse schools tend to be given lower ratings (don't know that its really the school but that some test scores are lower giving some lower scores).

Really Cosby, Cloverhill, James River, Manchester and Midlothian High School you really can't go wrong at any of them.

[onevthoki]

As to ratings from Great Schools, unhappy folks tend to make their feelings known, and that lowers the ratings. If the student has support at home, they will be successful no matter the school building. At the elementary level, the County is building many new facilities to replace aging facilities and improve overcrowding at some schools. As to the feel, Powhatan will definitely be more rural and not as many options. I will say this where Chesterfield is concerned, with a large school system, redistributing can always raise it’s head. Make sure you are happy with all schools near you. Best of luck with your decision!

[cbl1]

Actually Manchester is a little worse - Monacan I meant as in the group of best.