Most of the good private schools are in southeast Charlotte ( Latin, Charlotte Christian, Country Day, Providence Day, Covenant Christian, etc...). I don't know about the "Bright Beginnings" with CMS - but I do know about the school system itself. I'd avoid it and stick with private programs if I were you. Best wishes.

Thanks bud 41 for the prompt reply.I am looking for independant non-sectarian schools.Could you please suggest some more private schools without any affliation.

Thanks in advance

Bright Beginnings is a program designed for children from low and underpriveleged socio-economic backgrounds. It is a program that gives them the opportunity to catch up with middle class children by exposing them to books, counting, etc. that they might not get in their home. There are very few private schools in the north and southwest parts of the county. To the west is Gaston Christian which is very strict and bases their curriculum on the teachings of the bible, and then there's Cannon School to the north which is secular. The montossori schools is this area are not hugely popular so I don't know much about them. I do know that the public schools offer a montossori magnet.

Thanks alarrick .My husband will be coming down to Charlotte for a scouting trip.Could you let me know which are the neighbourhood that have good public schools.I cannot get a true picture of the Mecklenburg schools system,as most often you are told to avoid it.Also where can i find more information about the magnet schools offering montesori.

Hi Olive74, we are in Chicago and have been here for about 9 years but are seriously considering relocating to Charlotte for a better quality-of-life (and better weather!). My sister-in-law moved to Charlotte from Michigan in 2003, and has an extensive background teaching in Montessori school. She just took a teaching job at McKee Road Elementary road, where both her 7 and 10-year old attend. While she did admit that the CMS system has many problems with bureaucracy, overcrowding, etc., she mentioned that there are also outstanding schools to be found within the system....but you need to make sure to RESEARCH, RESEARCH, RESEARCH. Elementary schools she mentioned as being very good were McKee Road, Elizabeth Lane, Hawk Ridge, Matthews, and I think she also mentioned Olde Providence and/or Providence Spring (I may have missed a few others). Providence High School and Myers Park High School are apparently top-ranked. Not sure about middle schools, however. She lives in the SE part of town, near Matthews, which is where we are looking as well as the Ballantyne area. She also mentioned that the schools in the Lake Norman area also good. Hopefully this helps....we have a 2-year old and are hoping for another one sometime soon, so schools are a big issue for us as well, and I know that for my sister-in-law it was the #1 priority for them, so I trust her experience and advice. Good luck! PS - if anyone else has any details on which schools within CMS (or perhaps in Union County) are good, would love to hear your thoughts. :-)

If you really prefer the CMS system you may go to their website and the magnet will be listed there - www.cms.k12.nc.us.

Oh yes- Country Day, Latin, and Providence Day are secular schools.

To mtbacon: Your response is of great interest to me--we're considering a move from NYC to Charlotte. (I'm originally from Chicago; my husband from Brooklyn). It seems that lots of research about schools is necessary when figuring out where to buy. From my post a few days ago about gifted and talented programs and from some basic research, it seems that parents are saying "stay away from CMS schools"--but not necessarily because of quality--rather because of administrative headaches that don't exist in other areas. We will be there the 1st week of Aug. for our initial "scout." At some point, I might send another message to you with specific questions for your sister in law (if she doesn't mind), about schools/communities that have committed, full-time, talented and gifted programs, something that is essential for our child's needs. If we can avoid private school tuition, I'd prefer it, but will go that route if necessary. Thanks for the information; I'm hanging on to it for our trip.

To mtbacon: Your response is of great interest to me--we're considering a move from NYC to Charlotte. (I'm originally from Chicago; my husband from Brooklyn). It seems that lots of research about schools is necessary when figuring out where to buy. From my post a few days ago about gifted and talented programs and from some basic research, it seems that parents are saying "stay away from CMS schools"--but not necessarily because of quality--rather because of administrative headaches that don't exist in other areas. We will be there the 1st week of Aug. for our initial "scout." At some point, I might send another message to you with specific questions for your sister in law (if she doesn't mind), about schools/communities that have committed, full-time, talented and gifted programs, something that is essential for our child's needs. If we can avoid private school tuition, I'd prefer it, but will go that route if necessary. Thanks for the information; I'm hanging on to it for our trip.

To mtbacon:Your information is of great help to me.My son will go to KG next fall.In your post you mentioned your SIL has experience in teaching in a montessori school.Could I request you to find out which are the good montessori schools in charlotte as of now(i hope you dont mind).Also whether sending your child to a montessori school for early education is advantageous as against sending them to a regular school.I do not know much about the montessori system but trying to find information about them.