A primary reason to move to an area, as anyone with children knows, is good (or great) public schools. Alternatively, private education is factored into all the other costs of buying a home; adding at least another $1,000 a month to the equation. When we moved to Johns Island, SC we had just gotten married and were naively hopeful that the public school situation on this rural island within the greater Charleston region would drastically improve. Seven years later it had not. I spent months and months researching the options, all of them. It was time consuming and enlightening. I am an advocate of public schools. All of my friends who are teachers work for the public school system in Charleston. I picked a lot of other mom brains and made a lot of phone calls. Fortunately, in this area there are magnet schools (St Andrews School of Science and Math in West Ashley and Buist Academy in Charleston - actually Mt. Pleasant temporarily due to structural issues of the building it was housed in downtown) and charter schools (Orange Grove Elementary in West Ashley). There is also something referred to as "school choice". There are great elementary schools on James Island where children from Johns Island can go; cut through a little red tape and you're in.
So now, we live on Johns Island, but my daughter goes to an Excellent rated school on James Island named Harbor View Elementary. Steps to complete this included filling out an inter-district transfer form provided by the schools (sent to my mail box upon request) and writing a letter detailing why I needed to transfer my daughter out of the Johns Island district. After being denied and then passing through appeal, we were allowed to transfer. We also had to get on a list to ensure Ella could fill one of the 20 available spots at Harbor View. We could not be happier with our choice, and are grateful we had a choice.
If your choice is a magnet or charter school, none of the red tape is required. You just need to put your child's name on the list, in addition to providing basic information, and hope your child's name is picked. Aside from Buist (which odds are you won't be picked), the other schools will probably eventually get to your child's name, although it may be the week before school starts. The point is, if you live on Johns Island, and love where you live or are unsure about moving here, know that private schools are not your only option. There's a whole world of wonderful public schools out there ready to welcome your child.
So now, we live on Johns Island, but my daughter goes to an Excellent rated school on James Island named Harbor View Elementary. Steps to complete this included filling out an inter-district transfer form provided by the schools (sent to my mail box upon request) and writing a letter detailing why I needed to transfer my daughter out of the Johns Island district. After being denied and then passing through appeal, we were allowed to transfer. We also had to get on a list to ensure Ella could fill one of the 20 available spots at Harbor View. We could not be happier with our choice, and are grateful we had a choice.
If your choice is a magnet or charter school, none of the red tape is required. You just need to put your child's name on the list, in addition to providing basic information, and hope your child's name is picked. Aside from Buist (which odds are you won't be picked), the other schools will probably eventually get to your child's name, although it may be the week before school starts. The point is, if you live on Johns Island, and love where you live or are unsure about moving here, know that private schools are not your only option. There's a whole world of wonderful public schools out there ready to welcome your child.
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