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Chatham County Schools Stack Up

by Rich

Although Chatham County Schools only have 8,000 students compared to Wake County’s 128,000, they stack up favorably when it comes to a child’s education.

In fact, a recent article in The Cary News discussed how some Cary families are choosing Cary neighborhoods that are located in Chatham County, like The Peninsula at Amberly, specifically so their children can attend Chatham County schools such as North Chatham School and Northwood High.

Parents in the The Cary News article cited such reasons as the fact that Spanish is taught in kindergarten, the use of letter grading (as opposed to the numerical system used by Wake County), and competitive test scores for choosing Chatham County. Some parents also feel that their children receive more personal attention in the smaller Chatham County schools that they would in a larger Wake County school.

Wake County schools are excellent. The problem with that is the Chatham County school system can tend to get lost in Wake’s shadow due to its much smaller size. That is why we need to step up and give Chatham County its due credit. Chatham County schools are certainly on par with Wake County, and may even have some advantages for certain children. Chatham County schools have strong academic offerings and many extracurricular opportunities for students, as well as a sense of community because of its smaller size.

Comparably Equal

Chatham County’s test scores are certainly comparable to Wake County. North Chatham School, which is attended by students living in Amberly, consistently ranks among the top schools in the state. The 2006-07 VoCATS scores of students in Chatham County were the highest of all 22 school districts in the East Central Region. Chatham had a success rate of 76 percent compared to the East Central Region average of 66.3 percent and a state average of 67.6 percent.

The federal “No Child Left Behind” act of 2001 evaluates the academic progress of students across the nation through Adequate Yearly progress (AYP). Eight out of 14 schools in Chatham County made adequate yearly progress for the 2005-06 school year. The fifteenth school, SAGE Academy, an alternative school, had less than the required number of students to be included in the results. Bennett School, Bonlee School, Chatham Central High School, J.S. Waters School, Moncure School, North Chatham School, Perry Harrison School and Silk Hope School made AYP for the 2005-06 school year.

Excellence In Education

Four Chatham County schools earned the highest designation available from the state in the most recent ABC accountability test results, based on the 2004-05 school year. The four schools to achieve “Honor School of Excellence” status are Bonlee, North Chatham, Perry Harrison and Silk Hope. A school achieves “Honor School of Excellence’ status when at least 90 percent of its students test at or above Level III of a possible Level IV in reading and math. The same four schools along with Bennett School were all “Honor Schools of Excellence” the previous year as well.

Four Chatham County schools — Chatham Central High School, Chatham Middle School, Horton Middle School and J.S. Waters School — earned the designation of “School of Distinction.” The honor is given to schools when 80 to 90 percent of students test at or above Level II and the schools make expected or high growth.

The Importance Of Education

A child’s education is important to any parent, which is why it is important to do your homework when deciding where to purchase a home. Find out as much as you can about the local schools and talk to other parents with children attending the local schools. Don’t count out Chatham County just because of its size. It is an outstanding school system and may be a good fit for you and your child. If you are considering moving to Cary, you should decide whether you want your children attending Wake or Chatham schools. To visit the Chatham County Schools Web site, click here.

Photo Credit: West Hartford Education

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