Seeking a Private High School for My Son for the Next School Year

It's so heart breaking that this has occurred. I teach in Clayton County. I am new to this district but I honestly believe that they will get their accreditation. If the governor does not intervene and fire the board then you should be worried. The major issues deal with the board. If parents would step in and demand that they be fired then this would take place. But with the teachers and administration wanted them to go it's a conflict of interest...the parents need to gather and make this happen. Keep abreast of this situation and decide what you should do within the couple of months. In the mean time chek out your options. If you send your child to a private school you do have to make a financial commitment this spring. You can find a list of your local private schools by looking in your locally published magazines. I live in Fayette county and our local magazine has all the public and private schools listed in Fayette, Newnan, Fairburn, and Coweta. I found this magazine at the doctors office but you can find them at the grocery stores. You can also do a search for private schools and your zip code. Good luck!

Our Lady of Mercy is across from Evander's house on 314, has a great rep. Not everyone that goes there is Catholic.

Good luck. I really am baffled at the Clayton Co school board mess.

We live in Henry Co and my son does go to private school but my best recommendation is to do some research and visit a few before deciding. Since your son is in HS, it's probably important for you to find a school that is more tailored to his interests (if he plays sports for example, you're going to want to go to one of the bigger private schools that competes in the sports he plays, or if he's in the band, you're going to want to find a school that has a band). The other recommendation I have is to not look strictly at the tuition cost. My son's tuition is more expensive than the other 2 or 3 schools I would put in the same class as his but the other schools all tack on a butch of fees (books, athletic, fine arts, capital expansion, etc.) whereas my son's is all inclusive. It covers everything from books to lunch, athletic uniforms and fine arts. The only thing I've had to pay for this year aside from tuition was a pair of wrestling shoes and an overnight field trip. Lots of schools nickle and dime you in order to "keep tuition low" but you should look at the total picture so you're prepared for the cost.

Also keep in mind that most schools have already started open enrollment so they may be reaching capacity soon if not already in certain grades. If you are strongly considering a private school, you really have to act soon. If accredidation is pulled, you're going to see those schools with the upper grades fill up really, really fast since that is who it will affect most immediately.

Here's the AJC's link to the private schools by county.
http://schools.ajchomefinder.com/counties/

Keep in mind that not all the private schools are listed. My son's school is new enough that they're not listed yet so you might need to do some more hunting to find all of the schools near you.

Personally, I don't think the County will actually lose accreditation, but it is frightening to think about. I have a child entering 9th grade. The schools aren't the main problem, its the Board.
Mt. Zion Christian is a school some of my friends have been very happy with. My children enjoyed a few years at Grace Christian Academy in the Panhandle area (Fayetteville address), but maybe that is too far for you. Woodward Academy is in the general area and there are sometimes scholarships available, but it would be time to be applying right now.