Georgia's Best High Schools? (Tucker, Decatur: chapel, neighborhoods, school districts)

[equinox63]

I was just looking at Newsweek's annual top high schools list.

America's Best High Schools: The List - Newsweek

However, I've heard many great things about Grady HS, Decatur HS, and Druid Hills HS, yet none are on the list. Is it safe to assume that schools that made the list, like Tucker HS or Lakeside HS, are generally better? If not, why?

I've heard many people say that these lists are flawed. If so, what would be the criteria needed (that the current list overlooks) that would put Decatur HS, Grady HS, or Druid Hills HS on top?

[RainyRainyDay]

Equinox, if you click on the "FAQ" link on the page to which you provided a link, you can read the criterion on which Newsweek computes its ranking, which is:

We take the total number of Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate or Cambridge (AICE) tests given at a school each year and divide by the number of seniors graduating in May or June.

That's it. Nothing else. People who praise Grady et al. over some schools that get a higher number on the Newsweek score, presumably evaluate schools based on some other criteria as well or instead of the above-described quotient.

[equinox63]

Originally Posted by RainyRainyDay

People who praise Grady et al. over some schools that get a higher number on the Newsweek score, presumably evaluate schools based on some other criteria as well or instead of the above-described quotient.

True indeed. Thanks. But I was just wondering what were a few examples of the criteria that places Grady, Decatur, and Druid Hills (for example) over Lakeside, Tucker, and Walton HS (for example) in the hearts and minds of so many...

[WriterDawg85]

Originally Posted by equinox63

True indeed. Thanks. But I was just wondering what were a few examples of the criteria that places Grady, Decatur, and Druid Hills (for example) over Lakeside, Tucker, and Walton HS (for example) in the hearts and minds of so many...

Well when you're comparing schools like Walton and Grady, I think it really depends on what you want out of a school as to which one is "better." Walton is a great school with high test scores and a high graduation rate in a really homogenous, affluent, majority white suburban community (same for other schools in the area, like Pope and Lassiter).

Grady, on the other hand, is a school where the test scores and graduation rate may be a little bit lower (I don't know this for a fact, but from what I know about the two schools, I think that's probably the case), but it's in a much more diverse, dynamic community - not all of the students come from the same economic or social situation, which means that some of those kids likely won't be able to afford test prep and similar programs like their more affluent classmates, which may have an effect on the school's statistical data (not to mention things like parental support, which generally varies along economic lines). That doesn't mean it's not a great school with dedicated teachers and bright students - it just means that there are challenges that face an urban school that suburban schools usually don't have to confront.

So comparing a school like Walton and a school like Grady, IMO, is unfair. The urban school, unless it serves an entirely affluent community (which is almost impossible within the close confines of a city), is usually going to lose on the types of statistics that these kinds of surveys use. That doesn't mean it's an objectively "worse" school or that a child can't get a quality education there. I don't have kids, but personally, if I did, I'd rather they went to a school like Grady (even though I went to a school like Walton) because I think a diverse, urban social education is a good thing to have at a young age, and you can't really break that down into an easily measured statistical metric.

[equinox63]

Originally Posted by WriterDawg85

Well when you're comparing schools like Walton and Grady, I think it really depends on what you want out of a school as to which one is "better." Walton is a great school with high test scores and a high graduation rate in a really homogenous, affluent, majority white suburban community (same for other schools in the area, like Pope and Lassiter).

Grady, on the other hand, is a school where the test scores and graduation rate may be a little bit lower (I don't know this for a fact, but from what I know about the two schools, I think that's probably the case), but it's in a much more diverse, dynamic community - not all of the students come from the same economic or social situation, which means that some of those kids likely won't be able to afford test prep and similar programs like their more affluent classmates, which may have an effect on the school's statistical data (not to mention things like parental support, which generally varies along economic lines). That doesn't mean it's not a great school with dedicated teachers and bright students - it just means that there are challenges that face an urban school that suburban schools usually don't have to confront.

So comparing a school like Walton and a school like Grady, IMO, is unfair. The urban school, unless it serves an entirely affluent community (which is almost impossible within the close confines of a city), is usually going to lose on the types of statistics that these kinds of surveys use. That doesn't mean it's an objectively "worse" school or that a child can't get a quality education there. I don't have kids, but personally, if I did, I'd rather they went to a school like Grady (even though I went to a school like Walton) because I think a diverse, urban social education is a good thing to have at a young age, and you can't really break that down into an easily measured statistical metric.

I agree. But isn't Tucker and Lakeside just as diverse as Grady and Decatur?

[gradydad2010]

As a proud dad of a recent Grady High School grad, I would like to add that the graduating class of 2010 was awarded over $15m in scholarships and is the most successful class in Grady's history. That being said, the graduating class is much smaller than that of Walton, Lakeside and Tucker and is also comprised of a much different demographic as WriterDawg85 alluded to. Having seen my son and his friends grow in an area where they could be touched by a variety of interesting people from all walks of life was truly a pleasure.

I will say that the more highly motivated students of Grady can compete on the same levels as those kids from larger high schools as evidenced by their college acceptance rates and the schools in which they have been accepted - Bard, Swarthmore, NYU, Mercer, Emory, Oglethorpe, Tulane, Hampden-Sydney, Georgetown, Johns Hopkins, Southern Cal, UCLA, Texas_Austin, GT, Vanderbilt, UNC - Chapel Hill, Duke, Wake Forest, etc. This was one consideration when his mother and I chose the school for him. The diversity found in the school's student population as well as in their staff was another reason.

[WriterDawg85]

Originally Posted by equinox63

I agree. But isn't Tucker and Lakeside just as diverse as Grady and Decatur?

I'm honestly not familiar with the populations of the Tucker and Lakeside school districts - I grew up in East Cobb and am much more familiar with that side of the city and some of the in-town neighborhoods.

[frances125]

It's just based on the percentage of seniors that take AP/IB classes. To me that is a meaningless criteria. In fact, there is an argument that limiting enrollment into AP classes makes them more rigorous and ensures that those who are actually qualified to be in AP classes get high scores b/c they are not slowed down by kids who have no business being there. Some high schools shove every warm body that they can into AP classes just to get on the Newsweek list. As a result, the AP classes are "dumbed down" so to speak in order to accommodate lower level students.

I say this as a parent of a kid who is only marginally qualified to be in many AP classes. If she doesn't belong in an AP class, she shouldn't be there just to improve a high school's Newsweek score. It does her no good to be in a class that is completely over her head.

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by gradydad2010

As a proud dad of a recent Grady High School grad, I would like to add that the graduating class of 2010 was awarded over $15m in scholarships and is the most successful class in Grady's history. That being said, the graduating class is much smaller than that of Walton, Lakeside and Tucker and is also comprised of a much different demographic as WriterDawg85 alluded to. Having seen my son and his friends grow in an area where they could be touched by a variety of interesting people from all walks of life was truly a pleasure.

I will say that the more highly motivated students of Grady can compete on the same levels as those kids from larger high schools as evidenced by their college acceptance rates and the schools in which they have been accepted - Bard, Swarthmore, NYU, Mercer, Emory, Oglethorpe, Tulane, Hampden-Sydney, Georgetown, Johns Hopkins, Southern Cal, UCLA, Texas_Austin, GT, Vanderbilt, UNC - Chapel Hill, Duke, Wake Forest, etc. This was one consideration when his mother and I chose the school for him. The diversity found in the school's student population as well as in their staff was another reason.

I love it. If I were a college admissions officer and had to choose between two applicants with similar test scores, grades and extracurriculars, I'd give the nod to the intown kid based on the diversity of the experience and the fact that he probably had to work a little harder for it.

Congratulations to you and your son for wise choices and a job well done.

[RainyRainyDay]

Originally Posted by frances125

It's just based on the percentage of seniors that take AP/IB classes. To me that is a meaningless criteria. In fact, there is an argument that limiting enrollment into AP classes makes them more rigorous and ensures that those who are actually qualified to be in AP classes get high scores b/c they are not slowed down by kids who have no business being there. Some high schools shove every warm body that they can into AP classes just to get on the Newsweek list. As a result, the AP classes are "dumbed down" so to speak in order to accommodate lower level students.

I say this as a parent of a kid who is only marginally qualified to be in many AP classes. If she doesn't belong in an AP class, she shouldn't be there just to improve a high school's Newsweek score. It does her no good to be in a class that is completely over her head.

Frances, I agree with your criticisms of the Newsweek ranking. However, in the interest of keeping our facts straight, I believe your first sentence (bolded) is not quite correct. If I read the Newsweek description correctly, the measurement is not "percentage of seniors that take AP/IB classes" but rather, number of AP/IB exams (not classes) taken by all students at the school (not just seniors), divided by the number of graduating seniors.

What this means is that juniors and sophomores taking AP/IB exams contribute positively to the score. (Freshmen too, I suppose, if they take AP/IB exams at some schools). Also, students who take an AP/IB class but don't write the official exam don't count.