Politically Incorrect Private School Thread What Do You Really Think?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^ zoned for Dunbar actually.

FYI, they score 17% at or above grade level in reading.

So go private, or revisit your dumb decision to live in an area with substandard schools.

But don't show up on DCUM to slam other peoples' decisions to live in million dollar homes while sending their kids to their own excellent public schools. Geez.

This is the private school politically incorrect thread. If you don't want to be insulted for sending your kid to public school, don't read.

My kids attended private elementary school. It was a waste of money. Thanks for your concern, though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^ zoned for Dunbar actually.

FYI, they score 17% at or above grade level in reading.

So go private, or revisit your dumb decision to live in an area with substandard schools.

But don't show up on DCUM to slam other peoples' decisions to live in million dollar homes while sending their kids to their own excellent public schools. Geez.

This is the private school politically incorrect thread. If you don't want to be insulted for sending your kid to public school, don't read.

My kids attended private elementary school. Thanks for your concern, though.

[Anonymous]

I think private can be good for middle and high school. But paying $28k and up for kindergarten is just ridiculous.

[Anonymous]

Since this is the non-PC thread, I'm taking this one step further. Having attended Andover and then Yale, I find the DC private school scene to be brimming over with a bunch of nouveau riche wanna be social climbers, who are more form over substance. Not everyone, but the vast majority. The folks with real wealth, money, and class don't flash it.

And for the PPs who claim that public will give you an advantage over private when it comes to ivies, that's somewhat true insofar as it depends on the private. If you want the most bang for your buck, and a near guarantee for an ivy (if your child does semi-well academically), you need to send them to a well known east coast boarding school like Andover, Exeter, Choate, or St. Paul's. Schools like Sidwell, Maret, NCS, just don't compare. The EC boarding schools send gobs of kids to ivies. And schools like UVA, GW, Boston College, and many of the highly ranked small liberal arts colleges are considered sure things for admissions.

Signed,

A Parent Who is Sending Kids to Excellent Public Until High School

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't understand the people who live in million dollar homes, drive luxury clothes, and drive luxury cars yet still send their kids to public school. There, I said it.

+1. It's b/c they don't care about their kids' education as much as they do about their lifestyle. They derive status from luxury goods but don't care enough about education to get the best education money can buy for their kids. Probably more interested in their kids' athletics and getting a sports scholarship to some state school.

C'mon, just say it. You don't want your kids making friends with FARMS kids. So instead you denigrate the excellent education available at many public schools as a cover for your classism/snobbery.

You mean like my neighbors? They'd never pay for private school but they want to move to Bethesda because they don't want their children being influenced by the FARMS kids in our neighborhood schools. Worse, they seem to make very little distinction between "low income" and "black." They plan to go public school all the way, just without any of those pesky bad influences. Because, of course, high income white kids couldn't possibly be bad influences, no way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think private can be good for middle and high school. But paying $28k and up for kindergarten is just ridiculous.

You just don't get it then. We think the money we spend on tuition is worth every penny. My kids actually complain about school being cancelled on snow days.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't understand the people who live in million dollar homes, drive luxury clothes, and drive luxury cars yet still send their kids to public school. There, I said it.

+1. It's b/c they don't care about their kids' education as much as they do about their lifestyle. They derive status from luxury goods but don't care enough about education to get the best education money can buy for their kids. Probably more interested in their kids' athletics and getting a sports scholarship to some state school.

Or maybe they think their kids will get a good education in public school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't understand the people who live in million dollar homes, drive luxury clothes, and drive luxury cars yet still send their kids to public school. There, I said it.

+1. It's b/c they don't care about their kids' education as much as they do about their lifestyle. They derive status from luxury goods but don't care enough about education to get the best education money can buy for their kids. Probably more interested in their kids' athletics and getting a sports scholarship to some state school.

C'mon, just say it. You don't want your kids making friends with FARMS kids. So instead you denigrate the excellent education available at many public schools as a cover for your classism/snobbery.

You mean like my neighbors? They'd never pay for private school but they want to move to Bethesda because they don't want their children being influenced by the FARMS kids in our neighborhood schools. Worse, they seem to make very little distinction between "low income" and "black." They plan to go public school all the way, just without any of those pesky bad influences. Because, of course, high income white kids couldn't possibly be bad influences, no way.

So,
- one public school family (your ex-neighbors, surprised they admitted they're racists to judgmental you, but I guess we'll have to take you at your word), and
- gobs of private school families starting with the two yahoos above.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't understand the people who live in million dollar homes, drive luxury clothes, and drive luxury cars yet still send their kids to public school. There, I said it.

+1. It's b/c they don't care about their kids' education as much as they do about their lifestyle. They derive status from luxury goods but don't care enough about education to get the best education money can buy for their kids. Probably more interested in their kids' athletics and getting a sports scholarship to some state school.

Or maybe they think their kids will get a good education in public school.

This.

Plus, lots of families buy into good school districts, and the entry price in this area can be a million dollar home. This might astonish some of you, but not everybody can pay that mortgage plus $30-60/year private school tuition, and even a one-time expenditure of $20k on a decent used car instead if $60k on a luxury car isn't going to close this annual tuition gap. This might boggle your minds, but a nice home in a good school district can be a fine calculation for a *gasp* middle class family.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think private can be good for middle and high school. But paying $28k and up for kindergarten is just ridiculous.

You just don't get it then. We think the money we spend on tuition is worth every penny. My kids actually complain about school being cancelled on snow days.

Mine don't love school THAT much but they would rather eat Ramen noodles everyday than attend public school. Privates realize that both parent and child are the consumers so they have not only stellar academics but also have fun days built into the schedule. BTW public school parents when I tell you the reason that I send my kids to private is because of smaller class sizes and individualized attention or because it is loosely religious based, that is code for I believe my kids are receiving a better education than yours. I might even say IRL that the academics at my private are subpar to your public so that you will leave me alone. However, I also roll my eyes when you buy the vacation home and fly there 5-6 times a year but claim you can't afford private because I think you are selfish. Ha- I said it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think private can be good for middle and high school. But paying $28k and up for kindergarten is just ridiculous.

You just don't get it then. We think the money we spend on tuition is worth every penny. My kids actually complain about school being cancelled on snow days.

Mine don't love school THAT much but they would rather eat Ramen noodles everyday than attend public school. Privates realize that both parent and child are the consumers so they have not only stellar academics but also have fun days built into the schedule. BTW public school parents when I tell you the reason that I send my kids to private is because of smaller class sizes and individualized attention or because it is loosely religious based, that is code for I believe my kids are receiving a better education than yours. I might even say IRL that the academics at my private are subpar to your public so that you will leave me alone. However, I also roll my eyes when you buy the vacation home and fly there 5-6 times a year but claim you can't afford private because I think you are selfish. Ha- I said it.

Too bad you've imposed your views on your kids who have never had the opportunity to try public and form their own opinions. And clearly your public school acquaintances disagree with you re the relative value of public vs. private, because different options work for different families, like OP and others have said. But keep thinking your choices are the only right choices, brainwashing your kids and patting yourself on the back.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Since this is the non-PC thread, I'm taking this one step further. Having attended Andover and then Yale, I find the DC private school scene to be brimming over with a bunch of nouveau riche wanna be social climbers, who are more form over substance. Not everyone, but the vast majority. The folks with real wealth, money, and class don't flash it.

And for the PPs who claim that public will give you an advantage over private when it comes to ivies, that's somewhat true insofar as it depends on the private. If you want the most bang for your buck, and a near guarantee for an ivy (if your child does semi-well academically), you need to send them to a well known east coast boarding school like Andover, Exeter, Choate, or St. Paul's. Schools like Sidwell, Maret, NCS, just don't compare. The EC boarding schools send gobs of kids to ivies. And schools like UVA, GW, Boston College, and many of the highly ranked small liberal arts colleges are considered sure things for admissions.

Signed,

A Parent Who is Sending Kids to Excellent Public Until High School

Yup. A bunch of posters on this thread seem like yahoos, the sort of arrivistes who choose flashiness over quality. I'm guessing lots of these posters live in cheaply made McMansions. Some, not all, private schools do offer excellent educations. But to turn your nose up at an excellent public education speaks of racism or status insecurity.

[Anonymous]

Im one of those million dollar house people (with no mortgage btw) who still would not send her kids to private elementary school because I dont think the value analysis works. We have researched public schools as well and DCs got to a top NOVA public school

I toured the private and publics in my area and think that the cost differential is not justified. It is well documented that in the early years at least, the home environment is 3 times a bigger predictor of academic achievement than school. DH and I are both from top unis, high earners (I used to be now SAH) and high achievers. I really dont see the value that private school confers from K - 5 in our case.

I will revisit this in middle school and high school and if my DCs have trouble in their public school. But this blanket view of private being always better than public is flawed.

[Anonymous]

Most of these posters sound jealous, jealous jealous of families who can afford private.

[Anonymous]

Here is an all-new thought I'll share about why we like our private school and avoid our decently performing public -- we are pleased to avoid all the disruptive, impulsive, "handy", overly talkative, overly "active" kids that go public in our neighborhood. And of course, they all have IEPs and receive accommodations -- of which I am certain because their moms talk about this on the sidelines during sports, etc.

Someone will surely point out to me "why, there are TONS! of ADHD kids in privates!!!!!" Maybe, but to them I'd respond that the disruptive ones don't seem to make it past the door of our kid's school. In fact I can name four random neighbor families where the parents send one of their kids to my kid's private and one of their other kids -- the one I know firsthand to be a behavioral challenge -- to a ward 3 dcps so kid #2 gets services and accommodations.

I am happy to be able to buy our way out of that for the formative years.