Talk to me about WV Public Schooling and Youth Sports/Activities (Harper's Ferry)

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  • ZeroCool

    Active Member
    Nov 8, 2006
    330
    Glen Burnie
    Hello all,

    Wife and I are once again in discussions for moving. I'm putting together a case for the Harper's Ferry area for lots of reasons I probably don't have to mention here (significantly cheaper housing, overall lower cost of living, beautiful scenery and, uh... guns). My wife and I have already been to the area a few times and, while she loves the type of houses we can afford there, she isn't too thrilled about much else. I'll be honest, she is having a hard time overcoming the "Hillbilly" stigma of WV. She has been in Anne Arundel County her entire life...

    That said, I'm still trying to put together a strong case for the move. While things such as the cost of living are pretty easy to outline objectively, I'm having a harder time getting information that's easy to digest in comparing schools and youth activities/sports to Maryland.

    We have two girls, both currently in Elementary school. School and youth sports/activities (soccer and dance, specifically) are a large part of of our life and we are very committed for that to continue. Our concern is lower population, lower median income/higher poverty rate means less opportunity and competition for our children in WV.

    I see that WV is generally ranked worst 10 states in the country while MD is generally in the top 10 for Public Schooling. This is obviously a hard case to make as a benefit of moving to WV...

    What is interesting to me, however, is that the schools in the areas we are looking at are actually ranked higher than our current location schools. I don't know if that means they are actually better or if that's weighted to the state and they are actually similar/worse.

    I'm hoping for some feedback on the following:
    • Does anyone know how school rankings are handled? For example, is an "8" in WV actually a lower ranked school than a "6" in MD?
    • Can anyone speak to the state of WV public schooling in general? Harper's Ferry/Jefferson County specific feedback would be awesome!
    • Can anyone speak to youth sports/activities in the area? Hoping for strong programs with good pool of competition...

    As always, I truly appreciate any/all feedback. I'd love to call WV "home" at some point in the near future...
     

    tall.guy88

    Ultimate Member
    Feb 9, 2013
    1,227
    West Virginia
    WV is hilbilly. Its a lot different from Maryland. I moved here back in 2014 and love it but I stuck out like a sore thumb in Maryland. Ppl here are liberty minded and not afraid to live their own way- riding ATVs down the road, piling junk on the side of their houses, having no regard for HOA's. The first thing I was told about our neighborhood HOAs is they dont stand up in court. And I saw in the past five years no one follows the rules. That being said, I like this over the yuppie lifestyle of Marylanders and all their laws and rules. But it is kinda wild west out here. You need to hold your own. The cops are stand offish and dont like to get involved. Ive seen a number of confrontations between neighbors and they handle it head to head. Sometimes it goes well other times not so well.

    As far as schools go, Jefferson county is the best in the state. But as you stated in your post WV is in the bottom 10% of the country. Its tough over here. One of my buddies is a gifted teacher and he is quitting after this year citing lack of discipline and control in the classroom. I hear their schools are not great. The unions stymie change in the system. We homeschool so it does not affect us. If we were public schooling our children I would personally not move here. Again, thats my personal opinion. The athletics are active out here but not as much as Maryland. People are into outdoor sports- hunting, shooting, boating and offroading.

    Like I said I love it but its not for everyone.
     

    -Z/28-

    I wanna go fast
    Dec 6, 2011
    10,647
    Harford Co
    Living down here in south western Virginia I've found the locals have nothing positive to say about West Virginia, other than the ATV trails are good. I've heard a few stories already of the lawlessness tall guy is describing.
     

    slsc98

    Ultimate Member
    May 24, 2012
    6,746
    Escaped MD-stan to WNC Smokies
    Okay, I apologize I don’t have any concrete answer; however; when I was looking into buying some investment parcels up there 20 years ago or so my intent was to identify where all the federal employees for the facilities .gov had already and was in the process of actually moving up there (RAFIS fingerprint facility, NICS facility, etc., etc.)

    I got distracted by other opportunities but, I still wonder, “Where’re all those federal employees buying homes, sending THEIR kids to school? Etc., etc.

    I wish you best o’ success!
     

    woodline

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Jan 8, 2017
    1,947
    Is that a greatschool rating? If so, you might take a look at what their rating criteria are, because that number doesn't mean what you think it means.

    We considered moving to WV instead of VA. The election day results in VA may end up making us regret this decision, but the bottom line is we couldn't find good public schools in WV that were close enough to my work. I have some friends who live in the Harper's Ferry area. They love it, but they mostly have grown kids, or are happy paying for private school/homeschooling.
     

    Pushrod

    Master Blaster
    Aug 8, 2007
    2,979
    WV High Country
    Some parts of the state (mainly southern counties) really pull down the ratings for the state as a whole. My 9 y-old attends a Randolph County school in Elkins and I can honestly say that his school is on par with the one he left in Southern Maryland several years ago. In fact I believe it is more challenging for him since they don't seem to teach to the lowest common denominator.

    As far as after school sports and activities, it's about the same as Maryland, although soccer doesn't seem to be as popular here. I'm sure that is different county to county. My son is going to be on the downhill ski team this season, and other than that, he loves hunting, fishing, backpacking, hiking, mountain biking and a plethora of other outdoor activities which are available in our area.
     

    sbmike

    Ultimate Member
    Feb 19, 2011
    1,650
    Almost Heaven, WV
    We don't have any children, but as a suggestion, the next time you are up this way, buy yourself a copy of the Journal newspaper. Many issues contain articles regarding activities and sports events for kids in the area. We live in Charles Town and love the easier, quieter style of living here. People tend to be more polite and considerate than all the seemingly stressed out, angry folks living in MD. One other plus factor for us is the lack of congestion. For us, a traffic jam in Charles Town is more than 8 cars at one of the five traffic lights on the main street! :) Just my observations, mind you. Good luck in your quest.
     

    bean93x

    JamBandGalore
    Mar 27, 2008
    4,569
    WV
    If you truly care about your childs education and upbringing , avoid WV at all costs. I moved into WV public schools from AAco and the difference between the quality of education was night and day. There are quite a few law suits between Jefferson Co and Berkeley Co relating to child abuse from teachers in the public schools.
     

    Pushrod

    Master Blaster
    Aug 8, 2007
    2,979
    WV High Country
    If you truly care about your childs education and upbringing , avoid WV at all costs. I moved into WV public schools from AAco and the difference between the quality of education was night and day. There are quite a few law suits between Jefferson Co and Berkeley Co relating to child abuse from teachers in the public schools.

    Don't lump all the counties and all the schools into one, just like anywhere else you will have your good and bad.
     

    Norton

    NRA Endowment Member, Rifleman
    Staff member
    Admin
    Moderator
    May 22, 2005
    122,847
    If you are used to the resources and relatively good teachers that we have here in central Maryland you are going to be disappointed in any rural area.
     

    1841DNG

    Ultimate Member
    Apr 17, 2016
    1,143
    No personal experience but I have friends who live in WV and use the lower cost of living to send their kids to some really good private church schools on the Maryland side. I suppose that option depends on what faith your practice as far as availability goes. I do not know anything about the availability of other private schools.
     

    bean93x

    JamBandGalore
    Mar 27, 2008
    4,569
    WV
    Don't lump all the counties and all the schools into one, just like anywhere else you will have your good and bad.

    I can’t speak for morgan county or further west but Berkeley and Jefferson are a joke. I went through the ringer in Berkeley and know of a certain principle in Jco that walked out in handcuffs over trying to cover up a rape incident. As someone who has experienced both MD and WV public education, if I were a parent, I would never let my child attend school in the state of WV.
     

    woodline

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Jan 8, 2017
    1,947
    One thing my wife and I struggle with is moving back home to Western KY. Most of our family is there, work for me is going well enough that I should be able to move wherever I want in the next few years. My wife is an FNP so it actually makes more sense to live somewhere with a lower cost of living and worse access to healthcare. After all, we grew up there and have done well for ourselves.

    But then we start thinking of all the amenities we would lose out on: top ranked public schools, easy access to beaches, AT hiking, healthcare/access to top ranked specialists in the tragic circumstance that one of our children develops serious health issues, educational opportunities like all the Smithsonian Institutes, school sports variety . . . It is hard math to figure out. WV is closer and has fewer of the issues that Western Kentucky would, but it still didn't work for us in the end.

    We will reevaluate in a few years when I officially gain the ability to live wherever I want for work.
     

    ZeroCool

    Active Member
    Nov 8, 2006
    330
    Glen Burnie
    Sorry everyone, life got away from me and I havent had a ton of time for replying in the forum. Have been reading things here and there, though.

    I want to SINCERELY thank everyone for their feedback. Unfortunately, it seems as though you have pretty much confirmed what my fear is - for all of its benefits, the school system and activities just arent up to snuff when compared to Maryland.

    We are continuing to look - Southern MD is a possibility, though less convenient than Harpers Ferry (and, uh, still in Maryland). The Leonardtown area has decent housing prices and the schools are all ranked very highly. Already have friends in the Mechanicsville area. Plus, I'll be closer to the best gun shop in MD (gymratz)!

    Just gotta talk the wife into it...
     

    Biggfoot44

    Ultimate Member
    Aug 2, 2009
    32,876
    And since Bean93 attended AAco , Md schools have taken a steep nose dive .


    ********************

    How often do you actually go to museums, opera , etc ? ( And such areas would have a lot more of the cultural activities I'd be interested .)

    I'm not much of a beach person , more into mountains .

    Even if the AT per se isn't there , the totality of outdoor recreation would be massively greater .
     

    Norton

    NRA Endowment Member, Rifleman
    Staff member
    Admin
    Moderator
    May 22, 2005
    122,847
    Sorry everyone, life got away from me and I havent had a ton of time for replying in the forum. Have been reading things here and there, though.

    I want to SINCERELY thank everyone for their feedback. Unfortunately, it seems as though you have pretty much confirmed what my fear is - for all of its benefits, the school system and activities just arent up to snuff when compared to Maryland.

    We are continuing to look - Southern MD is a possibility, though less convenient than Harpers Ferry (and, uh, still in Maryland). The Leonardtown area has decent housing prices and the schools are all ranked very highly. Already have friends in the Mechanicsville area. Plus, I'll be closer to the best gun shop in MD (gymratz)!

    Just gotta talk the wife into it...

    And to be clear, it is necessary to decide what you want in a "good school".

    School climate in a small, rural-esque school can be a highly motivating factor and one that promotes student success. If you aren't stressed out by the piss-poor climate of the school, constant disruptions, etc, you may find it possible to be better at school even though the quality of the instruction and the breadth of the offerings is not as strong.

    Conversely, being in a highly touted academic school might not be useful if the place is otherwise a mess of disruptive kids, shitty facilities, overcrowded halls, etc.

    I've worked in both and everything in between.
     

    Pushrod

    Master Blaster
    Aug 8, 2007
    2,979
    WV High Country
    Sorry everyone, life got away from me and I havent had a ton of time for replying in the forum. Have been reading things here and there, though.

    I want to SINCERELY thank everyone for their feedback. Unfortunately, it seems as though you have pretty much confirmed what my fear is - for all of its benefits, the school system and activities just arent up to snuff when compared to Maryland.

    We are continuing to look - Southern MD is a possibility, though less convenient than Harpers Ferry (and, uh, still in Maryland). The Leonardtown area has decent housing prices and the schools are all ranked very highly. Already have friends in the Mechanicsville area. Plus, I'll be closer to the best gun shop in MD (gymratz)!

    Just gotta talk the wife into it...

    That was the school system we moved our son from (Hollywood Elementary) and not only did one of the teachers who came from teaching at Elkins, WV tell us that the schools in Elkins were better, we have experienced the validity of that claim when we started our son here. Again, each school is different, so experiences with vary.
     

    1841DNG

    Ultimate Member
    Apr 17, 2016
    1,143
    While this is not a decision that I will have to make for a while, personally I also do worry about some highly rated public schools being staffed by socialist teaching insanity at a young age like https://www.nationalreview.com/2019...-proposal-teach-social-justice-in-math-class/ or other examples floating around. I might be more comfortable with a worse rated rural school that sticks to learning if I ever end up pondering this question personally. I do know some teachers though and I have heard a good deal that biggest factor in a kid's success is how involved the parents are. No matter the quality of school if the parents don't take an interest or just yell at the teacher because their precious little Timmy would never skip class or cheat will more often than not raise kids who fail. You can't expect a teacher to force a child to care if the parents don't.
     

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