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Old 10-08-2007, 09:05 AM
 
6 posts, read 14,848 times
Reputation: 15

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Hello,

Scouting out places to check out to escape the craziness of Long Island (NY). Thinking of Tennessee but not hearing favorable things about the schools. Looking at Wilson county. Can anyone give me a unbiased opinion or experiences about schools in Tennessee? Are they below the national averages in studies? We have a 2 month old and while it is very early to be thinking of schools it is something to consider if the school system is not comparable to other states.

Thanks Kevin
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Old 10-08-2007, 10:25 AM
 
13,361 posts, read 40,032,886 times
Reputation: 10814
Quote:
Originally Posted by kosmo101 View Post
Hello,

Scouting out places to check out to escape the craziness of Long Island (NY). Thinking of Tennessee but not hearing favorable things about the schools. Looking at Wilson county. Can anyone give me a unbiased opinion or experiences about schools in Tennessee? Are they below the national averages in studies? We have a 2 month old and while it is very early to be thinking of schools it is something to consider if the school system is not comparable to other states.

Thanks Kevin
The quality of schools can vary widely from county to county or from town to town. In general, places that have universities tend to have good school systems. Those would be:
Cookeville (Putnam County Schools), Johnson City, Murfreesboro.

Other towns that have well-funded school systems that are considered among the best in the state:
Franklin (lots of money in this town)
Kingsport (Eastman Chemicals gives piles of cash to the school district)
Maryville (the whole town is fanatical about having excellent schools)
Oak Ridge (home to thousands of nuclear scientists)
Shelby County (some very wealthy suburbs of Memphis)
Tullahoma (home to a large Air Force research center)
Williamson County (one of the 20 wealthiest counties in the entire country)

What made you decide on Wilson County? I'm sure its schools are fine, but the above-mentioned school districts are generally considered to be the best in the state.

Having said that, you can find good schools just about anywhere. Even dismal Memphis City Schools, where 2/3 of the state's under-performing schools are located, has some truly outstanding schools at all levels.
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Old 10-08-2007, 12:31 PM
 
Location: Blackwater Park
1,715 posts, read 6,987,057 times
Reputation: 589
Default an unbiased opinion

I wouldn't doubt that many of the TN counties with the highest ACT/SAT scores are still below the national average.

Emperical evidence leads me to believe the quality of elementary and secondary education is behind many other parts of the country.

It's been a while since I was a student in public schools, but I remember kids that transfered in from areas such as the midwest and the northeast always seemed to be ahead of what we were doing. Things we were doing in 10th grade they did in 8th or 9th. That was just my experience, so I'm not saying that is a certainty.

My prediction - if you move to Wilson County, your kid/s will get bored at school because they won't be challenged.
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Old 10-08-2007, 01:55 PM
 
6 posts, read 14,848 times
Reputation: 15
hmm and see this is a problem. While life would be better for wife & I, we need to know our child will be on par with other states. Is this why TN has not grown as much as say NC? Is this due to the lack of quality teachers, laid-back atmosphere or something else?

Thanks
Kevin
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Old 10-08-2007, 04:08 PM
 
16,177 posts, read 32,542,141 times
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I would never put my children in Wilson Co. schools.
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Old 10-08-2007, 04:34 PM
 
Location: The Conterminous United States
22,584 posts, read 54,360,151 times
Reputation: 13615
Quote:
Originally Posted by kosmo101 View Post
hmm and see this is a problem. While life would be better for wife & I, we need to know our child will be on par with other states. Is this why TN has not grown as much as say NC? Is this due to the lack of quality teachers, laid-back atmosphere or something else?

Thanks
Kevin
Nope.

Lots of folks from Florida, California, the Northeast, moved to North Carolina because it was cheap but close to the ocean. Once that got crowded, they set their sights on Tennessee, the next new thing. Some of them managed to get here. Others are stuck, not being able to sell their home.

A lot of people do research, ask about the schools, lifestyle, jobs...

But most don't. They just hear that it is cheap.
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Old 10-08-2007, 04:38 PM
 
Location: The Conterminous United States
22,584 posts, read 54,360,151 times
Reputation: 13615
Ranking of Elementary Schools in USA



1New HampshireNH228.0243.0471.0
2MassachusettsMA228.0242.0470.0
3ConnecticutCT228.0241.0469.0
4VermontVT226.0242.0468.0
5MinnesotaMN223.0242.0465.0
6New JerseyNJ225.0239.0464.0
7North CarolinaNC221.0242.0463.0
8WyomingWY222.0241.0463.0
9KansasKS220.0242.0462.0
10MaineME224.0238.0462.0
11VirginiaVA223.0239.0462.0
12IowaIA223.0238.0461.0
13DelawareDE224.0236.0460.0
14North DakotaND222.0238.0460.0
15OhioOH222.0238.0460.0
16ColoradoCO224.0235.0459.0
17MontanaMT223.0236.0459.0
18South DakotaSD222.0237.0459.0
19WashingtonWA221.0238.0459.0
20IndianaIN220.0238.0458.0
21New YorkNY222.0236.0458.0
22WisconsinWI221.0237.0458.0
23MissouriMO222.0235.0457.0
24NebraskaNE221.0236.0457.0
25MichiganMI219.0236.0455.0
26PennsylvaniaPA219.0236.0455.0
27OregonOR218.0236.0454.0
28UtahUT219.0235.0454.0
29IdahoID218.0235.0453.0
30FloridaFL218.0234.0452.0
31MarylandMD219.0233.0452.0
32TexasTX215.0237.0452.0
33South CarolinaSC215.0236.0451.0
34West VirginiaWV219.0231.0450.0
35IllinoisIL216.0233.0449.0
36KentuckyKY219.0229.0448.0
37Rhode IslandRI216.0230.0446.0
38AlaskaAK212.0233.0445.0
39GeorgiaGA214.0230.0444.0
40ArkansasAR214.0229.0443.0
41OklahomaOK214.0229.0443.0
42TennesseeTN212.0228.0440.0
43ArizonaAZ209.0229.0438.0
44HawaiiHI208.0227.0435.0
45NevadaNV207.0228.0435.0
46CaliforniaCA206.0227.0433.0
47LouisianaLA205.0226.0431.0
48AlabamaAL207.0223.0430.0
49MississippiMS205.0223.0428.0
50New MexicoNM203.0223.0426.0
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Old 10-08-2007, 09:10 PM
 
Location: Blackwater Park
1,715 posts, read 6,987,057 times
Reputation: 589
What do the numbers represent?
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Old 10-13-2007, 06:10 PM
 
32 posts, read 57,383 times
Reputation: 21
Quote:
Originally Posted by SmokyMtnGal View Post
I would never put my children in Wilson Co. schools.

I am the OP's wife... I was just wondering why you wouldnt put your children in Wilson Co Schools?

Thank you!
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Old 10-13-2007, 06:18 PM
 
32 posts, read 57,383 times
Reputation: 21
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike in TN View Post
What do the numbers represent?
I am wondering the same thing myself.... What do the numbers mean? I can't see TN being 42 and Kansas is 9...

We have a 3 month old girl and we are looking for a better life, but I don't want to sacrifice her education - I would want her to be able to go anywhere and be successful.

This is not an attack on the TN schools... Please do not take it that way.

I have family there and love it there every time I visit. I have family in Wilson County and Kingston. I just want to know about the schools.

Thank you!
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