Public Vs. private

[Anonymous]

Serious question, what are the benefits of Private school for those in Whitman/Churchill/Wooton/BCC school districts? The public schools are so good, just trying to understand why so many people in these school clusters are choosing private.

[Anonymous]

Some possible reasons:

-Those publics are huge
-Only super talented, experienced athletes can meaningfully participate in sports at those publics, versus kids getting to play, say, soccer or lacrosse for the very first time in 9th grade at a small private school
-Not every kid is a highly self-motivated, resourceful go getter who can succeed in a gigantic public school
-Mandatory 3 seasons of sports at private
-Privates are better at teaching writing
-At many privates, 99% (if not 100%!) of the class will go onto a 4-year college right after high school. At such privates, even all the kids in the lowest-levels of classes offered are college-bound
-Smaller class sizes in private
-Religious or ideological reasons
-Some privates focus on areas like typing, cursive, table manners, interacting with adults in the community

[Anonymous]

Hand holding

[Anonymous]

The suburban public high schools around here may be good compared to, say, DCPS, but when I think “good public school,” I think of town-based school districts. I get the arguments for county-based ones, but in those, families like mine are not the main constituents.

I think of places like the Philly mainline towns; many in the NJ/NY/CT tristate area (such as Westport, Darien, Scarsdale, Jericho, Basking Ridge, Syosset, Greenwich and Bronxville); ones in MA such as Lexington and Newton and West Windsor Plainsboro in NJ.

Lots of rezoning around here, which I’m not a fan of.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Some possible reasons:

-Those publics are huge
-Only super talented, experienced athletes can meaningfully participate in sports at those publics, versus kids getting to play, say, soccer or lacrosse for the very first time in 9th grade at a small private school
-Not every kid is a highly self-motivated, resourceful go getter who can succeed in a gigantic public school
-Mandatory 3 seasons of sports at private
-Privates are better at teaching writing
-At many privates, 99% (if not 100%!) of the class will go onto a 4-year college right after high school. At such privates, even all the kids in the lowest-levels of classes offered are college-bound
-Smaller class sizes in private
-Religious or ideological reasons
-Some privates focus on areas like typing, cursive, table manners, interacting with adults in the community

This is an excellent list. Only thing I'd add is a community of like minded parents. Of course there are active, involve parents in public but there are tons that are not. In private the community is often tight, supportive, actively involved. Which makes the whole experience better.

[Anonymous]

Generalization at its best

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The suburban public high schools around here may be good compared to, say, DCPS, but when I think “good public school,” I think of town-based school districts. I get the arguments for county-based ones, but in those, families like mine are not the main constituents.

I think of places like the Philly mainline towns; many in the NJ/NY/CT tristate area (such as Westport, Darien, Scarsdale, Jericho, Basking Ridge, Syosset, Greenwich and Bronxville); ones in MA such as Lexington and Newton and West Windsor Plainsboro in NJ.

Lots of rezoning around here, which I’m not a fan of.

Agree 100%. New England native, and those are good schools

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The suburban public high schools around here may be good compared to, say, DCPS, but when I think “good public school,” I think of town-based school districts. I get the arguments for county-based ones, but in those, families like mine are not the main constituents.

I think of places like the Philly mainline towns; many in the NJ/NY/CT tristate area (such as Westport, Darien, Scarsdale, Jericho, Basking Ridge, Syosset, Greenwich and Bronxville); ones in MA such as Lexington and Newton and West Windsor Plainsboro in NJ.

Lots of rezoning around here, which I’m not a fan of.

So the schools around here are not as economically segregated as you'd prefer? Those great NJ and New England districts are predicated on lines drawn to include only those the township wants included, and decades of home valuations based on district lines have only made the differences starker

[Anonymous]

I think private is for kids who can't hack it in a big public system where it's definitely much easier to get lost or get overwhelmed or just float along. A high-achieving kid who is outgoing will do well in public and in fact thrive in public in a way that wouldn't in private. More class offerings, more competition, less hand holding as PP stated. More exposure to different types of kids and life experiences and life paths (non-college bound kids).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The suburban public high schools around here may be good compared to, say, DCPS, but when I think “good public school,” I think of town-based school districts. I get the arguments for county-based ones, but in those, families like mine are not the main constituents.

I think of places like the Philly mainline towns; many in the NJ/NY/CT tristate area (such as Westport, Darien, Scarsdale, Jericho, Basking Ridge, Syosset, Greenwich and Bronxville); ones in MA such as Lexington and Newton and West Windsor Plainsboro in NJ.

Lots of rezoning around here, which I’m not a fan of.

So the schools around here are not as economically segregated as you'd prefer? Those great NJ and New England districts are predicated on lines drawn to include only those the township wants included, and decades of home valuations based on district lines have only made the differences starker

Yep. It's what Falls Church City did here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The suburban public high schools around here may be good compared to, say, DCPS, but when I think “good public school,” I think of town-based school districts. I get the arguments for county-based ones, but in those, families like mine are not the main constituents.

I think of places like the Philly mainline towns; many in the NJ/NY/CT tristate area (such as Westport, Darien, Scarsdale, Jericho, Basking Ridge, Syosset, Greenwich and Bronxville); ones in MA such as Lexington and Newton and West Windsor Plainsboro in NJ.

Lots of rezoning around here, which I’m not a fan of.

So the schools around here are not as economically segregated as you'd prefer? Those great NJ and New England districts are predicated on lines drawn to include only those the township wants included, and decades of home valuations based on district lines have only made the differences starker

Lol. Did you read the schools listed by the OP? Pot calling the kettle black?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The suburban public high schools around here may be good compared to, say, DCPS, but when I think “good public school,” I think of town-based school districts. I get the arguments for county-based ones, but in those, families like mine are not the main constituents.

I think of places like the Philly mainline towns; many in the NJ/NY/CT tristate area (such as Westport, Darien, Scarsdale, Jericho, Basking Ridge, Syosset, Greenwich and Bronxville); ones in MA such as Lexington and Newton and West Windsor Plainsboro in NJ.

Lots of rezoning around here, which I’m not a fan of.

Good schools and wealthy schools are not the same thing. Look at how a system does with special ed and ELL kids to define "good"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The suburban public high schools around here may be good compared to, say, DCPS, but when I think “good public school,” I think of town-based school districts. I get the arguments for county-based ones, but in those, families like mine are not the main constituents.

I think of places like the Philly mainline towns; many in the NJ/NY/CT tristate area (such as Westport, Darien, Scarsdale, Jericho, Basking Ridge, Syosset, Greenwich and Bronxville); ones in MA such as Lexington and Newton and West Windsor Plainsboro in NJ.

Lots of rezoning around here, which I’m not a fan of.

Good schools and wealthy schools are not the same thing. Look at how a system does with special ed and ELL kids to define "good"

Unless you kid is special Ed or elk, good and wealthy are synonymous

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The suburban public high schools around here may be good compared to, say, DCPS, but when I think “good public school,” I think of town-based school districts. I get the arguments for county-based ones, but in those, families like mine are not the main constituents.

I think of places like the Philly mainline towns; many in the NJ/NY/CT tristate area (such as Westport, Darien, Scarsdale, Jericho, Basking Ridge, Syosset, Greenwich and Bronxville); ones in MA such as Lexington and Newton and West Windsor Plainsboro in NJ.

Lots of rezoning around here, which I’m not a fan of.

Good schools and wealthy schools are not the same thing. Look at how a system does with special ed and ELL kids to define "good"

People like the PP view those kids as a drain on resources going to his/her kid. Get real. The goal is to keep them out.

[Anonymous]

•Much more nutritious school lunches in private, and no junk food as prizes
•Too many behavioral issues & screen time in public
•Can’t hide lack of class participation as easily in private
•Focus on getting EVERY kid in the class into public speaking, singing, theatre, playing an instrument art and sports in private
•More field trips in private, and no withholding them to due to class behavioral issues or families not filling out permission slips
•More recess in private