Are private school kids returning to public next year?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
We had a "pilot child" at a 15K school, but are sending all of them next year because the differences between the local public -- highly performing, based on its test scores -- and the private are staggering.

You realize that private schools can create the student body that they want, but public schools cannot, right? What is the FARMs rate at this private school? How many students with SN?

FARMs rate at the private is pretty close to the FARMs rate at the PS -- approximately zero. Not many FARMs kids in an area where a half-acre lot goes for six hundred thousand and zoning keeps away density. Two of my kids are SN, but in general there aren't many with obvious needs besides them in their PS settings (one an Asian language immersion school and one AAP, which reduces the FARMs numbers even further). Most of the primary issues I saw were related to the curriculum followed and the instructional style.

* Direct instruction was relatively minimal, due to the workshop model.
* Teacher directed works much, much better for ADHD/anxiety.
* Very little writing is expected at PS.
* That little amount of writing wasn't corrected at all.
* No grammar, no spelling.
* No textbooks - ad hoc programs for everything except ~K-2nd grade reading.
* And the reading program in use is Lucy Calkins, which is the worst one out there. (I taught my kids to read to avoid them getting screwed up by it.)
* Insufficient instruction in basic skills. Immersion was somewhat better in this regards, due to the presence of older teachers who were trained abroad. But these teachers were starting to retire.
* No memorization outside of the the target language in the immersion school. (See comment about older teachers.)
* No useful differentiation in academics for the way above average kid until she reaches the AAP level, and little of that once she's there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are many private school kids returning to public next year since they will be fully in person again?

We are returning to public. Our private school is not as academically challenging as it touted itself to be. And also, our observation has been that the kids get away with a lot more (behavior issues and not doing homework) than in our well regarded 'W' zoned school. As a public school parent, I never wondered what it was like "on the other side" but am glad I got to observe for these past couple of years. I'm sure people will say every private school is different and of course that's true. But given the school we are zoned for, I do not think I'd waste money on any school (even a 'top 3') after this experience. My kid is/was easily one of the brightest/top scoring students in his private school class, which was not the case in public. In public he was considered a 'smart' kid but there was definitely a group of kids that outpaced him, which I like to see because that means he has room to grow and healthy competition. I am not knocking private school at all but it's just our own personal experience at this particular private school and in light of the school we are zoned for. And I recognize this is a difficult decision for most parents.

What is a 'W' zoned school? Our family is relocating to the DC area, so I’m not familiar with the local public schools.

Wootton, Winston Churchill, Walt Whitman and sometimes Walter Johnson. Wootton is hyper competitive and is known to be a pressure cooker. The others are also challenging but Wootton has a different vibe.

The four schools are the wealthiest in the county. They all happen to have a W in the name too. So the W relates to the name and the wealth. They tend to have the highest scores despite the same curriculum and funding.

It also stands for "White" - These schools are filled with the kids of rich parents who love to signal how much they love diversity/minorities, then move to the whitest neighborhoods on earth to get away from them.

Yes, very wealthy and very white. So when 'W' parents say that their local public is stronger than the private they experimented with, it is probably true. But this is not to say that some don't spend exorbitant funds on tutoring and other expensive supplementation for those grades and that experience. If you are not zoned for these schools, then it is quite possible that your private school really is better than your local public. Also, there was no COVID slide with this bunch - their wealthy parents just hired tutors and other staff to bridge the gap during virtual learning. Very different scenario than a lot of other kids zoned for other schools. They're also the ones who always pipe in and say, "Instead of private, just hire a tutor!" Great school + tutor can work wonders. Not so great school + tutor does not work. Not being snarky but trying to give a full picture.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We have been in one of the top private the past two years during the pandemic but are considering moving back to public for middle school, and will reassess for high school. Very thankful that the private remained open during the pandemic, but my child has encountered quite some issues there, some from classmates and some from teachers. Academics are solid but not impressive as compared to gifted in public where my child used to be in. Facilities and offerings of extra curriculum activities are definitely better, but my child's main activities are still outside of school at this stage. We are lucky enough to win a lottery in one of the public schools.

What happened with classmates?