East Cobb moms: School question

LexiePlusDavid

We're researching Marietta and looking to buy in the next year.
What's the deal with East Cobb Middle school? Great Schools has it rated a 5! Why so bad?...Wheeler seems to be pretty good, as do that area's elementary schools. A 5 rating kind of scares me. Can anyone offer some insight? Thanks!

marrieditalian

I actually just moved out of the wheeler school district and into the Walton school district in June. The issue with the wheeler school district is that it pulls kids from powers ferry and the I-75 area which consists of ALOT of apartments. This area also contains single-parent families as well as various races/cultures. As you can imagine, the emphasis on schooling with these type of families vary drastically. Your child will be exposed to a vast array of cultures, which can be both good and bad. This is the primary reason the test scoring for these schools are so much lower. The parents tend to not be involved with their kids' school or performance therein. Walton tends to pull the sterotypical "east Cobb" families, but also has it's own cultural influence as well (just on the opposite end of the learning spectrum). It really is a very personal decision and what your budget can afford. The houses in Walton are typically $100k more than wheeler.

lhp1980

I agree with the previous poster.  I grew up in East Cobb and actually have several friends who still live in the area.  The Wheeler district is on a decline mainly because of the apartments that are feeding into the district.  They dynamic has become undesirable.  Why don't you look at neighborhoods that feed into either Walton, Pope or Lassiter?   These are great schools that don't have the apartment issue.  Plus, there's a variety of housing price points.  Good Luck!

frlcb

I agree too. I went to Walton and if I was to move back out to East Cobb that is probably the only district I would move into. 

sekura

I'm only expecting my first child, but when I went to look at East Cobb area schools, I could tell there was a difference in the Walton district.  I think Pope is good too (too far out for my taste), and I never looked at Lassiter.  But Walton is top-notch.  (I now live within walking distance of Walton.)