Better schools - Brentwood or Green Hills? (Franklin, Forest Hills: neighborhoods, magnet school)

[Hey_Hey]

My wife, daughter (<1 yo) and I are moving to Nashville in the next 6 months, and are seriously considering either Brentwood or the Green Hills/Hillsboro Village/Forest Hills area of town. We love the neighborhoods of Green Hills and Hillsboro, but the schools of Williamson County and Brentwood are especially appealing since essentially every school there is top notch. It's my understanding that Green Hills is a fairly affluent and educated area of Nashville, so I would also assume the schools would be good as well. Is that a reasonable assumption to make? Of course I've heard that Nashville public schools aren't that great, but being such a large district it would also make since that there are some good schools even though the majority may not be all that great.

Thanks for the help.

[Big TR]

Originally Posted by Hey_Hey

My wife, daughter (<1 yo) and I are moving to Nashville in the next 6 months, and are seriously considering either Brentwood or the Green Hills/Hillsboro Village/Forest Hills area of town. We love the neighborhoods of Green Hills and Hillsboro, but the schools of Williamson County and Brentwood are especially appealing since essentially every school there is top notch. It's my understanding that Green Hills is a fairly affluent and educated area of Nashville, so I would also assume the schools would be good as well. Is that a reasonable assumption to make? Of course I've heard that Nashville public schools aren't that great, but being such a large district it would also make since that there are some good schools even though the majority may not be all that great.

Thanks for the help.

Brentwood and it's not even close. The elementary schools in Green Hills are pretty good, but they don't compare to Brentwood. Once you starting about Middle and High school, there's not even a discussion to be had.

[BirdieBelle]

You'd probably be fine in Green Hills through fourth grade; then you'd find yourself having to make the same decision all over again.

JT Moore Middle has a comparable parent group but the achievement test scores are Bs and Cs compared to all As at Brentwood Middle.

If you use this link

Tennessee Department of Education - Report Card - Profile

you can compare individual schools in both counties by selecting the appropriate button right above the tabs.

You can compare standardized test scores, graduation rates and even number of suspensions.

[nashvols]

Yes, Green Hills/Forest Hills et al is the affluent/educated area of Nashville. For that reason, a considerable number of kids there go to private schools. Some test the waters with Metro's magnet school program, and send their kids to private school if that doesn't work out.

If good public schools are your number one consideration, pick Brenthood.

If private schools (and the cost that comes with them) are a possibility, and you prefer the Davidson County hoods, by all means...

[Antioch]

Hillsboro High school in Green Hills is populated by students living in South Nashville/Edge Hill area, and parts of West Nashville up to Charolette. Hillsboro is also open enrollment so students from all over Nashville can attend there if there is space. The majority of students living in the Green Hills area attend private school.

[septimus]

Brentwood is better long term. Same iwth Franklin.

Most people in Green Hills either move after 4th grade or go private. It isn't a guarantee to get into the good private schools. They are expensive too.

[Moving_South]

Is it really that cut and dry of a comparison? I know this particular forum leans that way, but I've been talking to a bunch of people who say that JT Meade Middle and Hillsboro High are both very good to great schools. I've also heard that Hume-Fogg is the BEST High School in the Nashville area, better than the best that Brentwood & Franklin offers. 66% of the students who apply to Hume-Fogg get in via the lottery...

I just need to/would like to wrap my mind around the truth: Are JT Meade and Hillsboro High as poor of schools as some folks on this forum make them out to be? Or are they very good schools and some folks are scared of the idea of kids going to school with a few lower-income and black kids?

[BirdieBelle]

The scores I provided via the state's report card on schools are pretty cut and dried.

Hume Fogg is ranked as the top high school in the state. Brentwood High is the top non-magnet high school in the state. It scores as high and does not restrict who can attend the way Hume Fogg does.

"Best" is subjective, whether you're getting that definition from people on this forum or a "bunch" of other people. Some people gauge it by test scores. Some think the "best" is defined by how many students go on to Ivy League colleges. It can include the number of AP courses offered, or the number of teachers with masters' degrees. Some people base it on percentage of parents with college degrees and graduate degrees.

I'm sure there are some people who "are scared of the idea of kids going to school with a few lower-income and black kids." I'm not even gonna go there because I'll never convince anyone otherwise and it's just gonna **** me off to try.

I have two kids at BHS. We're probably one of the low-income families there (relatively speaking), but I would not choose any other high school. The composite ACT scores (25.4 at BHS, 19.5 at Hillsboro) and the daily quality of life (number of discipline issues) as well as the other things I mentioned above are documented and I'll continue to judge by that.

For us, BHS is the total package. YMMV

[skyblueNashville]

I have friends with children at JT Moore and Hillsboro. They have been pleased. I don't know anything about the schools from personal experience though. I do have children at Shayne Elementary and Overton. I would say while the high school does have issues with fights and other disruptive behavior, overall it has been a good experience for our daughter, especially since she's managed to be in honors and AP classes. Shayne Elementary is a fantastic school. My older daughter went to Oliver Middle, and we were very pleased. When I attend school functions, I'm surrounded by what appear to be "normal" middle class people. When I read message boards, it often seems that everyone like me MUST be sending their children to private schools or moving out of Davidson County. That's not the reality though. All that to say, I think students can get a great education in the Metro Nashville system. I wish more responsible/involved parents would give public schools in Davidson County a chance. That's not to say that there isn't room for improvement. It's just not as completely awful as you might read online.

[nashvols]

People put too much stock in school ratings. Good students can succeed anywhere. Bad students can fail anywhere. The school system isn't going to make your child smart or dumb.