North/South Carolina

I don't know much about the shore. I hear Wilmington is nice. It's more expensive near the shore. You could try Charleston or one of the suburbs, like Mt Pleasant. Myrtle Beach is meh.

Wilmington is a lovely college town on the beach. Not sure about the schools, though. Might be bigger than your population requirement, but there are many other smaller towns in the area or within an hour drive that also line the beach.

I hope others chime in, as I'm a transplant and can't talk from personal experience, but statistically, most of the towns in our beach areas tend to be some of the poorest school districts. As beautiful as the places are to visit, in NC, our poorest districts are at the beach and in the mountains.

One word of caution, don't make comparisons between schools in different states. Different curriculums completely, at least for now.

*ahem* York County is excellent.
but it's not near the shore. *sad face*

LOL...she could move somewhere between the two of us...although neither are at the shore. Wouldn't that be a party, though??

I live in upstate SC. I would suggest the Charleston area.

I moved from Massachusetts to Mt. Pleasant (Charleston area) over the summer. I regret it every day. And am working to get the hell out of here.

I hope you get what you want. :flowerforyou:

I moved from Massachusetts to Mt. Pleasant (Charleston area) over the summer. I regret it every day. And am working to get the hell out of here.

I hope you get what you want. :flowerforyou:

Thanks! I did it for a job for a company I had worked for in the past - I had gut feelings that I shouldn't do it, but I was sick of being unemployed (for about 5ish months). Live and learn, right?

Wilmington is a lovely college town on the beach. Not sure about the schools, though. Might be bigger than your population requirement, but there are many other smaller towns in the area or within an hour drive that also line the beach.

I hope others chime in, as I'm a transplant and can't talk from personal experience, but statistically, most of the towns in our beach areas tend to be some of the poorest school districts. As beautiful as the places are to visit, in NC, our poorest districts are at the beach and in the mountains.

One word of caution, don't make comparisons between schools in different states. Different curriculums completely, at least for now.

I can imagine, the curriculum here is different in the next town! I may be wrong in assuming that all schools have a yearly Strategic School profile like we do in my State. I was planning on using that to get some information. Looking for a lot of different things like graduation rate, enrollment, per capita income, attendance, State assessments, class size, diversity, and Post High School Planning.

We do have what's called "School Report Cards" that come out each year. They are primarily based on the current state assessments, which suck, but everything is changing next year, so I'm not necessarily sure they'll be that good of a guide. We're adopting an entirely new curriculum in ALL areas next year, with new tests. There are good an bad schools in all states, NC & SC being no different, but having come from NJ, I can tell you that I wouldn't compare schools up north to schools down here.

Trying to find the list that comes out every year, but in the interm I found this...not a shock to me that so many of these schools are in South Carolina (and in Charleston area).

http://www.neighborhoodscout.com/neighborhoods/school-district/ratings/worst100/

Oh my! It's kinda scary how many schools from SC are on that list! Yikes!

I am coming from one of the best systems in my State, so it really is my number one priority, even over being near the beach!

I understand! I came from one of the best public school systems in the country, not just the state so seeing other school systems (and I am not a teacher and do not have children) is a major shock to me.

I've also learned how much I prefer to snow over the 116 heat index days. I am a runner, so I suffer through whatever I have to for the love of running, but is is not fun on 99 degree days with 90% humidity.

I'm originally from Beaufort South Carolina! It is a nice town, and I have nothing bad to say about it, my husband and I would love to retire there when he gets out of the military, also it is only 30 mins from a national park with a very nice beach (also since Beaufort is an island there are so many easily accessible and available places to check out the ocean some are free)

Beaufort is beautiful too, although on my visit it seemed more like a sleepy retirement environment than a great place for kids.

I can't really comment on the school system but I absolutely love the Outer Banks in NC. I believe the school system is what you make of it. Everything has it's ups and downs. Like people say the grass is always greener...lol..

*ahem* York County is excellent.
but it's not near the shore. *sad face*

LOL...she could move somewhere between the two of us...although neither are at the shore. Wouldn't that be a party, though??

Haha! I need to be no less than 10 minutes from the beach at all times! Being in the same state or at least the same region means get togethers for sure!

My family and I visited Edisto Island near Charleston, and that area was lovely. However, that was in October...AFTER tourist season. I'm sure summer time is not quite that peaceful, and I don't know anything about the school systems down that way. I am sure cost of living is pretty steep down that way, also.

My mom lives in the Raleigh/Durham, NC area, and there is lots to do around there. However, it is more than an hour from the beach. I've visited the Outer Banks and Carolina Beach. Both areas are really pretty, but, again, you run into the problem of crowds during the summer months.

I currently live in Jacksonville NC, and the Cape Carteret area is nice, and the beaches are great. It's a costly area, there are a total of 4 military bases in the surrounding area, which jack up the price of living. Government jobs are plentiful though. It's about an hour and a half away from Wilmington, and around two and a half hours away from Raleigh.

I just moved to Wilmington, NC from New Jersey. it has it's pros and cons. I love the big city feel crossed with the country. Tons of things to do but there are a bit of cons. My sister moved to Myrtle Beach, SC 2 years ago and absolutely loves it. If I was you I'd focus more on South Carolina than North. North Carolina is lower pay wage but everything else (but rent) is more expensive. Our Gas tax is a killer! Being a Jersey Girl at heart I absolutely love it down here though!

One word of caution, don't make comparisons between schools in different states. Different curriculums completely, at least for now.
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Thank you for making this statement. I am a teacher in SC, and often hear how SC schools don't measure up to other schools around the US. NOT TRUE!! First, all states give different end of the year assessments, so this makes comparing them difficult. Not only does each state create their own test, they also set their own standard for what is considered passing. SC has some of the highest standards in the nation. Therefore, the requirements for students to pass our test are higher than what other states require of their students. Two years ago, the SC state dept. lowered the standards a little b/c of the negativity surrounding our schools. But, it is still well above the standards for other states. Google and you will find a lot of information about this.

I live in Columbia, SC and teach in Richland County School District 2, one of the best districts in the state. And, I'm not just saying that :happy: But, we are in the middle of the state about 2 hours from the beach. Love Columbia!