I talked to a friend in Prattville who has kids in the city’s public schools, and she says that most residents refer to Prattville’s school zones as the “New” schools and the “Old” schools. Don’t worry about the “Old” and “New” descriptions – all Prattville schools have a good reputation. It simply seems to be a description of the buildings – newer, or older.

So, when choosing a neighborhood it’s important to ask, “New?” or “Old?”  Here’s the breakdown:

Why might you choose one zone over another?  Since the only time the distinction matters is in the elementary grades, some might like how the “Old” zone groups students of close ages together on separate campuses.  Others might like the “New” zone because they only have one carpool line to sit in when their kids are elementary age.  The good news for relocators is that you have choice.

A Realtor will be able to tell you which homes are in which zone, but it’s important to consult the Autauga County Schools for the final say.

I took pictures of some of the schools.  I planned on getting pics of all the city schools, but was foiled by a flat tire on Powell Road.  Silver lining:  my experience with the Prattville Police Department was great!  Kudos to PPD!

Prattville Kindergarten

Prattville Kindergarten

Prattville Primary School

Prattville Primary School

Prattville Primary School

Daniel Pratt Elementary School

Daniel Pratt Elementary School

Daniel Pratt Elementary School

PPD to the rescue!

If you’d like to look at homes in the Prattville area, or any area in the River Region, give us a call at the number above, or contact us using the contacts tab.  We’d love to help!

Related article:  What’s the Deal with Prattville?   4 Reasons Some Choose the “Preferred Community.”

Check out these pictures I took through the car window on Nov. 9, 2008:

Carr Middle School, Montgomery, AL

Carr Middle School, Montgomery, AL

Carr Middle School, Montgomery, AL

If you are looking for a home in the Carr Middle School zone, let Coley Real Estate help you.  Call us at the number at the top of the screen and put us to work!

Here are a few preschool suggestions for families in East Montogmery.  The schools I have included are not daycare centers, rather “mothers’ morning out” programs.   I’ve heard good things about all of these through word of mouth, and have had kids in two of these schools.  (For a more extensive list of area preschools, click here.)  

 Frazer Mother’s Morning Out and Kindergarten:  Frazer UMC  on Atlanta Highway has an old and respected program that serves infants 6 weeks old through kindergarten.  It is a huge program – meaning lots of kids – but has a lot of former “students” returning with their children.  That speaks well of any school!  I’ve heard a lot of praise from parents about the kindergarten.  Their hours are a little different from most MMO’s in town: 8:30-11:30am, so that’s a consideration.  Frazer registers in January and the phone number is  (334) 279-0271.

Memorial Presbyterian Mother’s Day Out:  Memorial Presbyterian Church is located on Bell Road, just down from Frazer UMC.  It’s a sweet, small program (75 kids) ages 9 months to 4 years, and it’s been serving families for 8 years.  If you like a smaller program (no carpool line, low student to teacher ratio) – try Memorial.  Their hours are 9:00am-1:00pm, and registration begins in January.  Call Nan at (334) 274-1018.

Saint James Christian Preschool:  Located on the campus of Saint James UMC at the corner of Vaughn and Ryan Roads, I would call this a middle-size preschool.  (I would guess there are probably closer to 100-150 children enrolled?)  This school also has a strong reputation as a Christ-centered program, and serves a diverse population.  St. James has classes for infants-K5, and the hours are 9:00am-1:00pm.  Call Leah at (334)277-3412. Registration is in January.

Vaughn Forest Church Preschool:  Vaughn Forest Baptist Church is located on Vaughn Road near the Deer Creek subdivision.  It is also a middle size preschool, offering classes for children ages 18 months through kindergarten.  This church itself is large church and contiues to grow (lots of new facilities are currently being built). Their website is extremely helpful, with downloadable forms and discussion of curriculum for each age group, tuition, calendar, etc.  Hours are consistent with most other MMOs, 9:00am-1:00pm.  Call Mary-Jane at (334)279-5433. 

If you have experience with any of these schools, or have others to recommend, please don’t hesitate to comment below and help us out.  If you are looking to make the River Region your home, Coley Real Estate would love to help you make the transistion.  If we can be of service, call us at the phone number at the top of this page.

Heads up! School registration and open houses in  Montgomery, AL begin in January! Go ahead and get your game plan before the holidays and be ready to make informed decisions about where to send your child – of any age – to school next year (2009-2010).

In Montgomery, you have a few school considerations:  public school, private school, magnet school, or if you have young children and are military, on-base schooling.  If you are like us, we just didn’t know and had to tour them all.  Here’s the most basic list of options:

1) Public school:  Like everywhere else, if you are going the Montgomery Public School (MPS) route, you need to live in the school zone of your preference.  The most basic place to start is the MPS website, or MPS office (334) 223-6700.  I’ve written about a few of the public schools in East Montgomery, specifically, so check them out as well:  Blount Elementary School, Halcyon Elementary School, Carr Middle School.  There is no deadline for registration, but a child must turn 5 on or before September 2 to enter kindergarten, and 6 on or before September to enter 1st grade.

2) Magnet School:  MPS offers 9 different magnet schools with 10 different magnet programs.  These include the arts, accelerated academics, technology, math, science, and international studies.  Click here for more specific information on the individual schools and the application process.  There’s not much to do before the application is released on the website in January, and they’d like you to wait and take the group tours offered shortly thereafter.  I did find that people in the specific schools were very helpful and easy to work with if you need to tour at another time.  If you’ve never heard about Montgomery’s magnet program, check out this article, America’s Top Schools: #56 Right Here in Montgomery. 

3) Private School:  Whew!  There’s a lot going on here.  For a complete listing of private elementary and high schools in Montgomery County, click here.  There are many reasons for choosing a private school – religious, academic, athletic, geographic, etc. – and there are options all over the spectrum in Montgomery.  Same deal applies here as the magnet program – registration and open houses begin in January. If you know a school or schools you’d like to see, go ahead and “get on the list” so you’ll be notified about dates and times for applications, tour, and interviews.  Some private schools require a tour before applying.

The private schools work together with MPS to schedule open houses and make enrollment decisions during the same months to help families make timely decisions.  Families usually find out around spring break if they have gotten into these programs.

4)  Maxwell Elementary School:  This school is located at Maxwell AFB for families in the military.  It accepts eligible dependent children 4 yrs old through 6th grade living in permanent government housing on Maxwell AFB, Maxwell Heights and Gunter Annex.  For more information about Maxwell Elementary, click here.

This post is meant to be a launching point in the decision making process.  If you need help looking for a home with school considerations in mind, call us at the number above. A Realtor with personal experience in the housing/school market in Montgomery is a tremendous asset.

If there’s any question about the demand for good public schools in Montgomery, AL, check out the population explosion at Wynton Blount Elementary School.  Clearly there is a trend, and clearly Blount is meeting that need.

It’s the newest elementary school in Montgomery and it draws from neighborhoods on the south side of Vaughn Road in east Montgomery (Sturbridge, Deer Creek, Thorington Trace, Breckenridge, etc.).  Count the portables – they’re evidence of the demand for good neighborhood schools.

So it’s in a good location, but what goes on inside?  Click here to check out test scores for Blount Elementary.

With Carr Middle School scheduled to open next door in the fall of 2009, it seems that demand will remain strong for Blount Elementary School.  Its address on Ray Thorington Road means that it will be surrounded by new neighborhoods with varying price points, and it will be convenient to east Montgomery shopping and churches.

You can contact Blount elementary school at (334) 244-0078 or visit their website here.  You can also access the Montgomery Public Schools website by clicking here.

For the exact zoning of any school, be sure to contact the Montgomery Public School System at (334) 223-6700.

I drove by Halcyon Elementary School the other day and took these pictures.  Sorry, but they are not Ansel Adams quality, but I thought that people might be interested in what it looked like.  One teacher was even nice enough to let me in to photograph a classroom.  She was in there getting organized for the new school year, which starts on August 11, 2008.

Here is a look from the outside:

Here is the inside of a classroom:

For Halcyon’s SAT-9 test scores click here.

If you’re looking for a home in Halcyon Elementary School’s school zone, or any school zone in the Montgomery area, call us at the number at the top of the page, or send us an email.  We’d love to help!

There’s been hope that a new middle school would be built in east Montgomery for some time now, so I thought I’d share some pics so you can see that it really is happening!

 Carr Middle School will be right beside Blount Elementary School on Ray Thorington Road. 

 According to this article in the Montgomery Advertiser, the 119,000-square-foot school will cost about $22 million, and will serve 800 stu­dents.  It is scheduled to open in August of 2009.  Carr is named after civil rights activist, Johnnie R. Carr, who was a part of the Montgomery Bus Boycott of 1954.

Would you like to buy or sell a home in this Montgomery school zone?  We’re real familiar with this area and would be glad to help.  Contact us by phone or email at this page.

It’s taken a good bit of research to figure out exactly what (and where) Pike Road is, but if you haven’t been out that way lately (east Montgomery County), there’s a lot going on.

The Town of Pike Road website is excellent, and helps tie together all the threads that make up this on-the-move community.  Click here to check it out.

The buzz these days is Pike Road’s future school system.  A Pike Road school (K-12) will be in Montgomery County, but independent of the Montgomery Public Schools.  They have the land, the design, the curriculum, the university partnerships;  once the magic number of 5,000 residents is hit, off they’ll go.  The commercial development that will fund this is quickly creeping down Vaughn Road, Chantilly Parkway, and Highway 80.

There’s already a lot of residential development going on in Pike Road, too:  Lochshire, Providence, Bridle Brook, The Waters, Cawfield,to name a few neighborhoods.  Some are very high end; some are quite affordable.  You can buy a home in an established neighborhood, or you can build your own in a new development.  And with such close acess to I-85, it’s not as far out as it used to be.

Looks like country’s come to town, and it’s bringing a school with it.