considering leaving MCPS for a religious school?
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Anonymous
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DC has started K at MCPS and while it's certainly fine at the moment I'm finding myself a little underwhelmed. Maybe it's that I miss the small, intimate preschool setting from last year. But it's also some of the stories of chronic problems (especially behavior) plaguing public schools and getting to know the ups and downs of the big system.... but I'm not at all looking to bash MCPS here, just wondering if it's right for our family.
I love and would miss using the neighborhood school, especially with two younger children to shuttle around. We are near DTSS and it doesn't seem like we're super close to any alternatives. Affordability is an issue. We have some means but sadly cannot foot the bill for Lowell School (which looks amazing!). We know a few families at Saint Bernadette, which they seem to like, but I have been concerned about some comments that the current administration is rather socially conservative. We are also Christian but not Catholic. I would favor an Episcopal school (Grace Episcopal looks amazing, although pricey), but there aren't as many of them (and Grace is a bit further for us). Open to feedback on these or others in the area. Here are some of my top concerns: - Playtime in the younger grades. I actually don't have a good sense of this. Do religious/parochial schools do more of this? My oldest is very academic/ good at sitting still, and the length of day in K, with so little time to play, is still getting to her. I'm even more worried about this for my middle child who is into gross motor play and needs to move, a lot. - Academic rigor. Seems like this can be a mixed bag, very school by school. We are a very academic minded family and the quality of education matters to me (for its own sake, above any consideration about placement into high school or college). - Not wanting kids to get lost in a big school shuffle, especially if my younger kids end up being less traditionally academic minded than my oldest appears to be at the moment. I want them to get the individual attention that they need. - I want them and me to feel safe about attending school. I'd be curious to hear from anyone who has transitioned away from the local public (but not to a top dollar independent, probably) and if it felt worth it (or not!), and why. I also have no idea if we'd then feel committed to going private all the way through 12th grade, or if people transition back to local publics nicely at some point. I'm serious but also somewhat early stages brainstorming, so open to all perspectives, pitfalls I haven't thought about, etc. (Is it hard to transfer in after kindergarten, by the way?) Thanks! |
Anonymous
| Likely less pay. Equal pressure to teach their ideas. I’ve been to both. So have my kids. No easy answer. Good luck and please keep us posted. |
Anonymous
| We moved DC out of MCPS shortly after starting 6th grade. Lots of reasons went into it that were very similar to yours. Now we have smaller classes, better academic rigor, good community even though it’s not our local school. Overall It’s been a great change for us. I say try it- you can always come back to MCPS if it doesn’t work out. |
Anonymous
| Ditch it! We did -even when our neighbors insisted the local W elementary was excellent ‘as all the MCPS schools are excellent’. This was over a decade ago - and we know more now about quality of schools here. Catholic elementary and middle is fine - we couldn’t swing Catholic high school and college. Moved away fortunately. |
Anonymous
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K is just a hard transition. Give it the full year before deciding. If you still want to move this summer, there will be schools with spots available. We found K to be hard (we were in public then), but it got a lot easier. It’s just a big change.
DS opted to stay in public for all of ES and only moved to private for MS. |
Anonymous
Appreciate all these comments. This one seems probably wise. I also wonder about giving it until next year to apply for 2nd grade admission, which would be the same year that my second starts K. Transitions can be hard and I want to get this right. |
Anonymous
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OP,
My oldest is a college freshman. Most private universities are in the 70-90K range, per year, total cost of attendance (tuition, room, board, fees). A few are 100K a year. In-state UMD is 30K a year. Out of state public universities will be higher, and some will be as expensive as privates. The cost of college tuition has risen faster than inflation on average in the past few decades. Additional info: 1. No elementary will cater to advanced or precocious students, except possibly the MCPS CES centers in 4th and 5th grade. Your kids are going to sit there and be bored, in private and in public. By middle school, there are multiple math and language tracks available (and two different levels of English and social studies), that prepare your child for AP, IB and Honors classes in high school. Your child, if they are bright, can test into Algebra 1 in 6th grade, and end up taking a ton of AP courses in high school. MCPS also has magnets that specialize in certain fields. 2. Publics have to accept everyone, and so have more discipline issues in the classroom than privates. But sometimes the bullying and teasing is worse in privates, because of the smaller classes, and the lack of management on the part of the administration, especially if the bully's family is prominent at the school. They have drugs problems at the secondary level, private and public. The type of drugs/alcohol will depend on the SES level of families, that's all. Your children will learn who to avoid and who to be friends with, at any school. 3. If one of your children has moderate special needs, sometimes it's better to stay in public, who are obligated to implement 504 and IEP plans (you need to stay on top of it, of course). Privates have no such obligation. Just to add to your thought process... |
Anonymous
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OP we moved DD to Forcey Christian school in Silver Spring and have been generally happy. We moved from Mcps primarily because of Covid though initially.
How are the teachers at the specific school you’re at? Don’t look at mcps as a system, look at your kids experience. We were in mcps K thru 2nd and DD was doing great. Had very involved teachers, good peer groups. The school itself had a great principal and very low teacher turnover which was a good sign imo. |
Anonymous
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I’m a resident of Silver Spring. We moved our child from public to private during elementary school and we would confidently say it was the best choice we could have made. (She’ll be graduating from a Catholic High School this year. She has gotten into every college she has heard from so far, and with merit.) Here’s what I loved:
1. The emphasis on writing. She’s a stronger writer than I was as a student, and I was a great writer. I think that’s because she wrote extensively in English and in her Religion class. 2. The quality of the teachers. They were all state certified, and many were former public teachers. (I’m also a former public school teacher who now works in a Catholic school. My experience is that Catholic school teachers are actually held to higher standards, primarily because their success in the classroom and with families actually impacts the number of applicants, etc.) 3. The standards and expectations. She was expected to complete her work in a timely manner. The schools she attended emphasized organizational skills, time management, personal responsibility, etc. She failed a few times, but the school helped her rebound. They taught her that actions have consequences. They also taught her how to be resilient when you mess up. 4. To your concern: she did have recess through 8th grade. The length was shorter in middle school, but the school still emphasized the importance of breaks. (I realize I’m writing in past tense even though she hasn’t graduated yet. I suppose my head is transitioning to the idea she’ll be in college next year.) |
Anonymous
Huge mistake Academic to catch up to public hard. Religious privates better than MCPS Hahahahahaha You are not an “academic family” . Especially if you are considering an religious school |
Anonymous
What are you trying to say? This doesn’t sound like your first language but just some basic declarative sentences with punctuation would be helpful. |
Anonymous
PP is rude, but I agree that with the exception of NCS and St Albans in DC, religious schools are generally less academic than the big public systems of MCPS and FCPS, at the secondary level. In lower schools, every elementary is essentially the same - dull. |
Anonymous
OP here. I’m very open to this feedback; I’m certainly not making assumptions about it. I get the impression it can be rather school by school. I appreciate all perspectives. |
Anonymous
| We have had our daughters in Stone Ridge rather than the Whitman cluster for their entire K-12 experiences and find it academically strong with the benefit of a nurturing religious community. I will say that people talk about going back and forth but for most of us who commit to a religious education early on don’t leave unless out of financial necessity. |
Anonymous
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The social conservatism at schools like St. Bernadettes directly contributes to the good behavior of the students and allows the school to do more with less. Community buy in to the culture is precisely why it delivers a better product at lower per student cost.
If that bothers you, just pay for a pricier private or stay in public schools. If you choose to participate in the Catholic model, please give it the respect it has earned in attracting you. |