FM VS IL schools (Fort Mill: co-op, mortgage, buying a house)

[MovingtoSC678]

We are thinking about buying a house either in FM or IL. We have two younger kids. One of them is a rising 1st grader. I know FM is highly ranked nationally but does anyone know anything about IL schools? Are they good? Close second to FM?

[Girl]

IL schools are getting better every year. I know when I first moved here in 2006 they weren't nearly as highly regarded, but growth has exploded in IL in the past 14 years, drawing in more money to go towards schools, resources and teachers. I suspect by now they are comparable to FM schools and will not let you down!

[sunshinebound1]

IL has one of the highest property taxes in the country and schools tend to fall below national averages for standard testing. We are looking to move out IL because of the schools. If you are looking for large class sizes 24+ to 1 teacher, and pay more in taxes than your mortgage IL is the place for you. Kindergarten classes (3 classes) in our elementary reached 30 kids to 1 teacher before the District hired another teacher. There are some great schools but it will cost you more to be in those areas.

[Girl]

Originally Posted by sunshinebound1

IL has one of the highest property taxes in the country and schools tend to fall below national averages for standard testing. We are looking to move out IL because of the schools. If you are looking for large class sizes 24+ to 1 teacher, and pay more in taxes than your mortgage IL is the place for you. Kindergarten classes (3 classes) in our elementary reached 30 kids to 1 teacher before the District hired another teacher. There are some great schools but it will cost you more to be in those areas.

Indian Land (the "IL" being discussed in this thread) does not have some of the highest property taxes in the country. Indian Land has very reasonable property taxes (anywhere between $1K - $4K depending on the size of your house). Also, general class size in Indian Land is not 24+ to 1 teacher - it's closer to 17/18 student to 1 teacher.

Did you think the OP was talking about Illinois?

[NDL]

Originally Posted by Girl

Indian Land (the "IL" being discussed in this thread) does not have some of the highest property taxes in the country. Indian Land has very reasonable property taxes (anywhere between $1K - $4K depending on the size of your house). Also, general class size in Indian Land is not 24+ to 1 teacher - it's closer to 17/18 student to 1 teacher.

Did you think the OP was talking about Illinois?

Indigenous People Land; I am surprised that no one has raised cain about this yet.

[fastball92]

the schools are the same as any other public school. There is nothing spectacular about FM/IL schools. FM/IL is just a better alternative to those folks who commute to Charlotte for work so the growth and income levels here naturally warrant new school and yield higher average scores. At the end of the day you will get very new buildings with the same " no child left behind" curriculum and overpopulated classrooms.

When we moved here we were coming from a very good charter school out of state but were excited about the reputation and the fact there was no common core for our elementary kids. that was a lie, they used it and called it something else. My kids called the school a prison often and we lasted 2 months. We went private. FF a few years later and we let my oldest, soph at CR chose where to finish and he wanted PS. The assignments and quality of work for his classes were a joke and a complete waste of time. We pulled him half way through and sent him back to Private school where he will graduate this year as a junior.


To each their own but PS was a bust for us. I get the community/ social aspect of it though that many find important.

[Girl]

Originally Posted by fastball92

the schools are the same as any other public school. There is nothing spectacular about FM/IL schools. FM/IL is just a better alternative to those folks who commute to Charlotte for work so the growth and income levels here naturally warrant new school and yield higher average scores. At the end of the day you will get very new buildings with the same " no child left behind" curriculum and overpopulated classrooms.

When we moved here we were coming from a very good charter school out of state but were excited about the reputation and the fact there was no common core for our elementary kids. that was a lie, they used it and called it something else. My kids called the school a prison often and we lasted 2 months. We went private. FF a few years later and we let my oldest, soph at CR chose where to finish and he wanted PS. The assignments and quality of work for his classes were a joke and a complete waste of time. We pulled him half way through and sent him back to Private school where he will graduate this year as a junior.

To each their own but PS was a bust for us. I get the community/ social aspect of it though that many find important.

The public schools in FM have been good for us. We moved from NoNJ where the elementary school we lived near was considered the "best" in the area but is almost the same as FMSC - although their FMSC elementary school ranks a bit better. And the NoNJ high school they would have attended was/is abysmal and would have required us to send them to private school, which would have been completely unaffordable.

Taken from Niche.com:
NoNJ elementary school: ranked 396 out of 1421.
FMSC elementary school: ranked 4 out of 665.

Academic proficiency:
NoNJ: Reading: 77% Math 67%
FMSC: Reading: 77% Math 76%


Then for the high schools, this is the comparison:
NoNJ: ranked 228 out of 425
FMSC: ranked 13 out of 237

Academy proficiency:
NoNJ: Reading: 51% Math: 26%
FMSC: Reading: 88% Math: 87%

So we're quite pleased with the Fort Mill schools.

[fastball92]

Originally Posted by Girl

The public schools in FM have been good for us. We moved from NoNJ where the elementary school we lived near was considered the "best" in the area but is almost the same as FMSC - although their FMSC elementary school ranks a bit better. And the NoNJ high school they would have attended was/is abysmal and would have required us to send them to private school, which would have been completely unaffordable.

Taken from Niche.com:
NoNJ elementary school: ranked 396 out of 1421.
FMSC elementary school: ranked 4 out of 665.

Academic proficiency:
NoNJ: Reading: 77% Math 67%
FMSC: Reading: 77% Math 76%


Then for the high schools, this is the comparison:
NoNJ: ranked 228 out of 425
FMSC: ranked 13 out of 237

Academy proficiency:
NoNJ: Reading: 51% Math: 26%
FMSC: Reading: 88% Math: 87%

So we're quite pleased with the Fort Mill schools.

" best" in any state is relative to that specific state at the time you research it. SC is in general a poor state with low average scores, ranking in the bottom 10 often so being the best in this situation isn't that impressive.

FM/IL High Schools are decent with only FMHS in the top 10 in the state, but the top schools still consistently tend to be the ones with the most parental involvement in charter and co-op structured settings.

https://www.schooldigger.com/go/SC/s...k.aspx?level=3