Recommendations for a young family moving to chattanooga (Signal Mountain, Ooltewah: neighborhood, catholic schools)

[mandismile]

My family will be moving to the chattanooga area from Ohio in the Summer of 2017. We have 3 kids ages 5,4 and 3. My husband will be working primarily at Erlanger downtown campus. We are looking for an elementary school (private or public) with high moral and academic standards, and encourages parental involvement. Also, a school with lots of extra-curricular and enrichment opportunities in arts etc. We are catholics and are open to catholic school if there are any that offer the above.

We are also looking for a neighborhood with a strong sense of community, cultural diversity and with close proximity to amenities such as grocery stores, play grounds, parks, restaurants etc. While we would like to stay within 15 minutes from downtown we are also open to areas a little further away. We plan to visit in March but we would like to narrow our search as we will only be in the area for 3 days.

I appreciate any feedback. Thank you!

[moutainslapper]

Hixson.
Hamilton County Schools are nothing to brag about. Lots of overpriced private schools for your picking, or religious based schools.

You will hear about Signal Mountain. Overpriced housing and a ridiculous daily commute.

[mandismile]

Hi mountainslapper,

Thank you for your feedback. I appreciate it!

[luvmyboxer]

Lots of families with kids love the North Shore community- Normal Park elementary and middle schools are some of the best public schools in the state for K-8. You can walk to shopping, restaurants, entertainment, Coolidge Park,even walk across the Walnut Street bridge to downtown. It's a very short commute to Erlanger. The North Shore is an extremely popular neighborhood for families, so can be quite pricey, depending on your housing budget.
A little further afield, you might consider parts of Hixson or Signal Mountain (Signal Mountain has highly rated public schools, Hixson not so much). Further out are Soddy Daisy and Ooltewah - These are both at least 30 minutes from downtown and often more with traffic.
As for private schools, look into St. Nicholas-innovative curriculum, technically Episcopal but lots of other Christians, Jews,a few Muslims and Hindus, etc.- it's out in E. Brainerd, so about 1/2 hour from Erlanger. Catholic options include St. Jude and OLPH (Our Lady of Perpetual Help) School- I think these are both fairly traditional Catholic schools, not sure. Another private school option is Bright School, which is convenient to the North Shore and parts of Rivermont/Hixson areas. There are also Silverdale Baptist Schools and Grace Baptist Academy which I think are both preK-12.

[mandismile]

Thank you luvmyboxer for your detailed response. I appreciate it. It has helped us narrow our search. It is always nice to hear from the locals !

[Flturd]

Originally Posted by mandismile

My family will be moving to the chattanooga area from Ohio in the Summer of 2017. We have 3 kids ages 5,4 and 3. My husband will be working primarily at Erlanger downtown campus. We are looking for an elementary school (private or public) with high moral and academic standards, and encourages parental involvement. Also, a school with lots of extra-curricular and enrichment opportunities in arts etc. We are catholics and are open to catholic school if there are any that offer the above.

We are also looking for a neighborhood with a strong sense of community, cultural diversity and with close proximity to amenities such as grocery stores, play grounds, parks, restaurants etc. While we would like to stay within 15 minutes from downtown we are also open to areas a little further away. We plan to visit in March but we would like to narrow our search as we will only be in the area for 3 days.

I appreciate any feedback. Thank you!

Hi did you ever end up move and finding a church? We are in the exact same boat as you right now.

[mandismile]

Hi! We move in a few days. We haven't found a church. We figured we will check attend the 3 catholic churches and then decide. We did find a place in the north shore area so our kids will end up going to normal park elementary. It seemed like the best bet in terms of proximity to amenities, my husband's job etc. I can let you know how its going in a few months. When are you moving?