Pope vs Lassiter (Sandy Springs, Marietta, Valdosta: middle-class, house, middle school)

[nyc2atl]

Thanks to all those that answered my first post.We've narrowed our search down to two schools, Pope and Lassiter. Can someone let me know the difference bewteen these two High Schools? Anything you share will be greatly appreciated!

[RainyRainyDay]

My child attends Lassiter. I think it's a very good high school. By all accounts, so is Pope.

Here's one difference between the two that might have been important, but it seems to be going away. Lassiter currently follows a "traditional" schedule while Pope uses a "block" schedule. However, it seems Pope will be switching over to the "traditional" schedule, starting with the 2009/2010 school year. Some people have very strong opinions, pro and con, about these two approaches to class scheduling.

Honestly, I think you'd be hard pressed to find really substantive differences between the two. Pope gets very slightly higher test scores usually, I think, but the difference just doesn't look significant. Lassiter's music programs are probably more renowned (their marching band has won the grand national championship twice). If your child has a strong interest in something specific like orchestra or football, it might be worth trying to delve into whether there's any differences between the two schools' offerings in that area. Otherwise, I'm sure either school would be a fine choice.

[aries4118]

Originally Posted by RainyRainyDay

My child attends Lassiter. I think it's a very good high school. By all accounts, so is Pope.

Here's one difference between the two that might have been important, but it seems to be going away. Lassiter currently follows a "traditional" schedule while Pope uses a "block" schedule. However, it seems Pope will be switching over to the "traditional" schedule, starting with the 2009/2010 school year. Some people have very strong opinions, pro and con, about these two approaches to class scheduling.

Honestly, I think you'd be hard pressed to find really substantive differences between the two. Pope gets very slightly higher test scores usually, I think, but the difference just doesn't look significant. Lassiter's music programs are probably more renowned (their marching band has won the grand national championship twice). If your child has a strong interest in something specific like orchestra or football, it might be worth trying to delve into whether there's any differences between the two schools' offerings in that area. Otherwise, I'm sure either school would be a fine choice.

Yes, Rainy sums it up pretty well. There is really no real difference between the two schools except for the schedules (and like she said, Pope is transitioning back to the "tradional" schedule over the next year. This year, they are using a hybrid schedule...my niece at Pope says it's "unique".)

When Kell High School opened a few years ago and the western third of the Lassiter district was rezoned to Kell, that's when the Lassiter and Pope districts became almost identical.

[Saintmarks]

Agree with the two above, hard to find much difference. Pope is a girls softball powerhouse, Lassiter is the Valdosta High of Marching Bands. I think the main difference, do you look Carolina Blue and Greyhounds or Maroon and Gold and Trojans?

[Sandy Springs Rep.]

Originally Posted by aries4118

Yes, Rainy sums it up pretty well. There is really no real difference between the two schools except for the schedules (and like she said, Pope is transitioning back to the "tradional" schedule over the next year. This year, they are using a hybrid schedule...my niece at Pope says it's "unique".)

When Kell High School opened a few years ago and the western third of the Lassiter district was rezoned to Kell, that's when the Lassiter and Pope districts became almost identical.

So one of them was worse before Lassiter was rezoned?

[aries4118]

Originally Posted by Sandy Springs Rep.

So one of them was worse before Lassiter was rezoned?

First of all, I would never use "worse" when comparing most schools.

The western third of the Lassiter district (prior to Kell's opening) was more middle-class, not upper-middle class. This part attends McCleskey Middle School. So, it's rezoning made the leftover Lassiter district very much like Pope's...which is predominantly upper-middle class.

Kell and Sprayberry are the more "middle class" parts of East Cobb...but each still have their "upper-middle class" corridors.
The funny thing is that Kell's upper-middle class corridors were mainly rezoned from North Cobb High School and some from Sprayberry High School (Chestnut Hill, Chastain Lakes, Edgemere East, areas down Wooten Lake Road, Thornwood, Lake Latimer, etc...the former Lassiter part has some upper-middle though--Willow Creek, Stockton Chase)

Sprayberry's upper-middle corridors are down East Piedmont Road, Ebenezer Road, Trickum Road, Allgood Road, Post Oak Tritt Road, Shaw Road, and western Blackwell Road.

Kell's opening took somewhat of a upper-middle class toll on Sprayberry and North Cobb...especially North Cobb.

[moneill]

North Cobb -- one of the best kept secrets of Cobb County.

My two Tech students graduated from North Gwinnett but we were fortunate to have had at least one year at North Cobb -- what an amazing year that was!!!!

[aries4118]

Originally Posted by moneill

North Cobb -- one of the best kept secrets of Cobb County.

My two Tech students graduated from North Gwinnett but we were fortunate to have had at least one year at North Cobb -- what an amazing year that was!!!!

Yes, North Cobb is still a great high school and one of Cobb's best kept secrets. They have high community spirit and support, top academics, and excellent athletics. Superb magnet program too (Social Science-International Studies).

[kaday]

I think really the only difference would be which one puts you in a house closer to work. That is the reason we ultimately decided on Pope. Both schools have excellent reputations. I would not think twice about sending my kids to either. But for just that extra 10-15 minutes with my husband every night, we went with a home in the Pope district. Had Lassiter homes been closer we'd be there.

[Saintmarks]

Originally Posted by kaday

I think really the only difference would be which one puts you in a house closer to work. That is the reason we ultimately decided on Pope. Both schools have excellent reputations. I would not think twice about sending my kids to either. But for just that extra 10-15 minutes with my husband every night, we went with a home in the Pope district. Had Lassiter homes been closer we'd be there.

I know there is some local snobbery about Cobb schools, but all in all I would say this about any school in Cobb from Hillgrove up to Harrison, Allatoona, Kennesaw Mtn, N. Cobb, Sprayberry, Kell, Wheeler and Walton along with the two mentioned. Marietta and McEachern were well regarded when I was there thru the 90s and early part of this decade, might have slid down the scale some since. Campbell in Smyrna should be on the upswing with all the upscale growth in Smyrna and with the recent announcement of the redevelopment of Belmont Hills right at its backdoor and home to the International Baccalaureate program.

The only high schools in Cobb I would be wary of would be Osborne, South Cobb and Pebblebrook and there are positives about these schools as well. Just read a great article about the principal at Osborne and how he is working hard to turn around the graduation rate there at a school that has a very high transient population.