Help me decide based on (high) schools (Franklin, Spring Hill: how much, houses)

[TakingTalentsToTN]

I have another thread going where I asked about suburbs and areas to look at it when relocating to Nashville. Now we have been down and looked at many areas and houses. We have narrowed down to 3 or 4 houses that would have our kids attending the following high schools. I would like to hear opinions/information about them and the pros and cons of each. I would also like to know if any one of them is clearly better than the others and should therefore heavily weigh in our house buying decision.

1. Independence
2. Franklin HS
3. Ravenwood

I have 4 kids.... 2 are into sports and all 4 of them do very well in school here (Cincinnati). My oldest is very interested in learning foreign languages and is into creative writing. One of my daughters (athletic) is also interested in design and "decorating". One of my sons is very into sports and talented but has no real academic interests yet (youngest) and our other child is into mechanics, engineering, and science.

Thanks!

[Ldoubled]

Ravenwood is large, overcrowded and nationally ranked so it's generally desireable. The overcrowding will be alleviated in about 3 years with the new high school. What grades are your kids in now? If they're not in HS then you need to pay attention to where in the Ravenwood zone you live in case you get zoned to the new school. If one is in HS and will still be there when the other starts, you most likely will get grandfathered in.

Franklin is also overcrowded. Both schools had a small amount of kids rezoned out to help out with the crowding...both schools remain overcrowded. If you're looking at foreign languages, Franklin's Spanish department is known to be abyssmal...the counselors will quietly warn you away from it. I think French and German are ok but German I wasn't offered this last year due to lack of interest. Franklin has a small town feel and a lot of community support.

I don't know much about IHS. I'm pretty sure it had similar AP test pass rates to Franklin, both I believe were lower than Ravenwoods. Some say IHS is "rural" but half of West Franklin is zoned there as well and Thompson station looks like a suburban/rural mix to me. They rezoned a lot of kids out of there to the new HS.

[TakingTalentsToTN]

What new high school? When and where?

My oldest will be a sophomore.... the others are starting 8th, 6th, and 4th grades.

Overcrowded.... as in avg class sizes are high? Ballpark figure? 30, 40, more?

Thanks

Originally Posted by Ldoubled

Ravenwood is large, overcrowded and nationally ranked so it's generally desireable. The overcrowding will be alleviated in about 3 years with the new high school. What grades are your kids in now? If they're not in HS then you need to pay attention to where in the Ravenwood zone you live in case you get zoned to the new school. If one is in HS and will still be there when the other starts, you most likely will get grandfathered in.

Franklin is also overcrowded. Both schools had a small amount of kids rezoned out to help out with the crowding...both schools remain overcrowded. If you're looking at foreign languages, Franklin's Spanish department is known to be abyssmal...the counselors will quietly warn you away from it. I think French and German are ok but German I wasn't offered this last year due to lack of interest. Franklin has a small town feel and a lot of community support.

I don't know much about IHS. I'm pretty sure it had similar AP test pass rates to Franklin, both I believe were lower than Ravenwoods. Some say IHS is "rural" but half of West Franklin is zoned there as well and Thompson station looks like a suburban/rural mix to me. They rezoned a lot of kids out of there to the new HS.

[Ldoubled]

The new one will be in Nolensville. I don't think class sizes at Ravenwood are overlarge, the district has some kind of cap, it's supposed to be 27 I think but they can go a bit over. I've heard it's more facitlities issue with the cafeteria and overall caseload for the teachers. It's not like in some districts where kids have to eat lunch at 10 in order to get all the shifts through. I don't have first hand experience. I also know that folks fought tooth and nail to stay in that school so they must be doing something right. We're not talking serious overcrowding, just annoying overcrowding.

It will be more competitive to get into sports at Ravenwood and Franklin but I don't know how small a school needs to be to make that not an issue.

Given the ages of your children, the new school would open when your 8th grader will be a junior. He'd get grandfathered in and I doubt they'll change that policy (grades 7-8 and 10-11 get to stay at the current school after rezoning). He would also grandfather in the 6th grader....who would then in turn grandfather the 4th grader(siblings can attend a school their sibling is currently attending). Looney said they were going to look at grandfathering in January...last January. The sibling grandfathering is something that I wouldn't count on much going forward but I don't know how much political will there is to change it.

[CountryGirl2b=]

Am sure you will get more comments after the holiday. Can you possibly VISIT each school? I guess it's hard to get a feel during the summer and generally it seems like most online comments are by people who are NOT happy?

Must preface this by saying I don't have kids so can't speak to any of these schools. I do believe that good students with parental encouragement can make the best of any school, even if it means doing independent study on their own.

What sort of high school are your kids used to in Cincinnati? My sister and her family moved to North Carolina and enrolled her two girls (maybe 8 and 11 at the time) into the very well respected PRIVATE school at a huge expense because the public schools were not well thought of.

They lasted a week. Came home crying and distraught because they just were not "private school" kids. Cliques were big and already formed.

You can see a bit about the diversity of each school (pretty much all the same) at this website:

Williamson*County Public Schools - Tennessee/TN - Public School Review

And here is an article about Franklin HS's IB program. I guess it is similar to AP (Advanced Placement) classes I grew up with? Not sure Ravenwood or Independence participate. If your kids are bright, this might be of interest.

Frequently Asked Questions (http://www.wcs.edu/fhs/academic/InternationalBaccalaureate.htm - broken link)


Other threads on this forum about schools:

https://www.city-data.com/forum/nashv...enwood-hs.html

https://www.city-data.com/forum/nashv...-teenager.html

https://www.city-data.com/forum/nashv...ty-school.html

https://www.city-data.com/forum/nashv...n-schools.html

As far as I understand, I don't think ANY of the three are 'bad' choices. Glad you managed to find a few houses you like. Interested to hear (later) what Nashville 'feels' like to you as I also considered moving to Cincinnati. My Mom grew up there. Her grandfather was John C. Meier who started Meier's Wine on Plainfield Road.

[CountryGirl2b=]

This was also in the Tennesseean newspaper in the last couple of days, about not having enough money to actually OPEN new schools (Clovercroft Elementary in Franklin, Summit HS in Spring Hill). I read about a similar situation in California where they built this multi million dollar school and now don't have enough money to RUN it. It's surrounded by a chain link fence.

Anyway, I'm not sure I'd base my decision on a 'possible' new school. Not in this economic environment, anyway.

Williamson budget idea: Leave new schools empty | The Tennessean | tennessean.com

NOT scientific but I divided the number of students by the number of teachers (although of course, some classes have more students than others) and it came out:

Ravenwood - 20.38
Franklin HS - 18.18
Independence - 19.67

So it seems like the student/teacher ratio is pretty similar in each school.

[septimus]

All of them are good schools. I would only be leary of Ravenwoods because there will be massive rezoning in about 3 years.

[Ldoubled]

I guess my reply seemed a bit negative on Franklin. The only negative really was the Spanish and the poster specifically asked about foreign languages. As far as science/tech, Franklin has an automotive program I don't know what the others offer. Centennial has some kind of tech design program and is open zoned. Summit, which opens this year with 9th-10th grades announced it will have an engineering program. The IB program at Franklin is open to all county kids.

I would be concerned about Ravenwood and the new school. If the new school isn't built there will have to be rezoning probably on the same scale they did this fall because the latest rezoning took the new school into account in some ways.

I don't think a visit will show much. All the schools are fairly new or newly renovated. Ravenwood and Independence are built on bigger lots so they may have more bells and whistles but I don't know for sure.

Buy the house you like in the neighborhood you like. There aren't any "bad" high schools here.

[jenntenn]

To be up front i don't have kids either. BUT...even though Ravenwood is a bit crowded and the rezoning thing might happen in the next few years...the programs they offer are some of the best around. The have everything that a HS kid could ever want. From honors and AP languages, to some pretty amazing history electives...for the 'basics". But get this, you can take architecture classes, interior design and fashion design classes (they have a huge runway show every year), lots of web and visual design classes, a class in diagnostic medicine and numerous criminal justice classes to name a few. I know the other 2 schools do offer some options but its been my experience from living in the area that the programs at RHS are off the charts. Makes me wish i could go back to high school!

I do think that if you have the opportunity to tour the schools with your kids before the move you should do it...sometimes you just get a feeling form a place.

Check out the RHS Page. In the About us section click on the "program of studies' tab and it will open a word doc with all the classes they offer...its like a stinkin college catalog! Good luck and can't wait to say welcome to TN!

[septimus]

jenntenn-
Every high school in the county has a vast area of extra classes, but each school chooses what type they want. The culinary program at FHS is pretty amazing. I've been to events catered by the kids. Independence has audio/visual technology, etc.

If your kid shows a particular aptitude interest they can go to a school out of zone in your zoned school doesn't offer something.

I would reititerate what Ldoubled said. Pick your neighborhood vs. picking a school the quality differences between the 3 schools listed is negligible in the grand scheme of things but where you live can make a huge difference in your quality of life.