Why are private school applications still at an all time high?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It is so weird when some people make a big deal about Catholic schools not being “private” schools.

Fwiw, I’m a 50 something parent of kids in catholic schools in the dc area, and I attended catholic schools k through 12 in the dc area.

I’ve heard all sorts of weird statements on this topic.

- People who think “private” schools are dramatically different/better/more prestigious than catholic schools, so you cannot lump them together.

- People who think Catholic schools are so unique that you should always use that term rather than the genetic private term.

It’s dumb. Use whatever term you like; both are correct. And anyone who takes issue with such things should ask themselves why.

What about non-Catholic Christian schools? Most people say they send their kids to a Christian school or X Episcopal School, or a "religious private". They don't just say my kid goes to private school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It is so weird when some people make a big deal about Catholic schools not being “private” schools.

Fwiw, I’m a 50 something parent of kids in catholic schools in the dc area, and I attended catholic schools k through 12 in the dc area.

I’ve heard all sorts of weird statements on this topic.

- People who think “private” schools are dramatically different/better/more prestigious than catholic schools, so you cannot lump them together.

- People who think Catholic schools are so unique that you should always use that term rather than the genetic private term.

It’s dumb. Use whatever term you like; both are correct. And anyone who takes issue with such things should ask themselves why.

My kid goes to Catholic school and I call it Catholic or parochial. And yes, Catholic schools ARE different from other private/independent schools. I'm not saying they are better or worse. They DO tend to be cheaper than other private schools. I've taught and worked at various private/independent and public schools.

1. You can say whatever you want. The point is it is fine to say catholic or private—both are true.

2. Parochial school is a term with meaning. No dc area catholic high schools are parochial schools (bc they aren’t attached to a parish). Not every catholic K-8 is attached to a parish either.

3. Yes, the catholic K-8 schools tend to be less expensive than some other privates…but that doesn’t make them worse (despite what some people may believe). It’s ridiculous to make that judgment.

4. Every school is different. Catholic schools tend to have some uniform foundational elements, but plenty of episcopal schools are very comparable to catholic schools (particularly high schools in the dc metro area).

5. DCUM is obsessed with the Big 3 and certain very pricey schools. They make it seem like they are magical places that are dramatically different/better than the rest. Having attended schools here, having kids in schools here, and having relatives and friends that went to schools here and have kids in schools here, I have a very long view of private schools in the area—including the benefit of decades to see where students landed and are in their 20s/30s/40s/50s/60s. I can report that every school is basically what the student makes of it. Truly remarkable kids do remarkable things regardless of their k-12 experience. (I know a lot of lackluster people who went to fancy schools and seemingly piqued in high school.)

6. There are no hard and fast rules when referencing a private school. While I have kids in catholic schools, I don’t always disclose that. Why? Because some people in Dcumlandia make assumptions about Catholics. If I’m talking to someone from the area, I typically just say the name of the school.

7. It is next-level crazy to think it’s inappropriate for a catholic school parent to say their kid goes to private school. And it’s both arrogant and delusional to believe catholic schools are subpar and thus not allowed to be referenced as private.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Public school parent here - sorry to intrude. I just saw this under "recent topics."

I beg your indulgence. FWIW, I can definitely afford private school for my kids! For better or worse, I choose not to.

If OP's facts are correct, I find the increasing demand for privates school curious, too. I'm not certain the college outcomes are that much better when you account for family wealth and education. In fact, private school outcomes might be worse when you make those accounts.

It's true that class sizes are too big in public school. There are also some unpleasant and weird kids. But tough situations teach resilience that can be useful later in life.

Just saying I'm surprised we're not at an equilibrium, and instead we are in an era of dramatically increasing demand for private school. I guess I would chalk it up to the wealthy getting wealthier.

It is all very interesting and as someone said it’s all anecdotal - but my anecdote is a good friend of mine is a teacher at a top private and said she would never send her kids there because it’s such a bubble that when they get out into the real world they don’t know how to deal with anything. To your point about the benefit of exposing your kids to tougher situations or situations where they have to navigate them and figure them out without too much hand holding.

What a crazy claim to make. I can assure you that kids that go to private schools do just fine in life. There are thousands of adults in the DMV who went to private school who are successful in the “real world.”

Let me help you with this, your teacher friend would "never send her kid to private" because your friend could never afford it. Those who can, do, send their kids to private.

Huh? You really think all of the families at Churchill Langley etc just can’t afford private and that’s why the kids are there..laughable

Yes I do actually think that. Or couldn't get a good student aid package.

You're nuts.

If I took the money I spent on private school tuition for one child (forget the add-ons and fundraising and all that), I could send my kid to langley and hand them a trust fund worth a million dollars at their high school graduation. That would grow to $5 million in inflation adjusted dollars by the time they retire. It wouldn't be enough for them to retire comfortably but they could spend their life doing whatever they want wi6thout really worrying about their income.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Public school parent here - sorry to intrude. I just saw this under "recent topics."

I beg your indulgence. FWIW, I can definitely afford private school for my kids! For better or worse, I choose not to.

If OP's facts are correct, I find the increasing demand for privates school curious, too. I'm not certain the college outcomes are that much better when you account for family wealth and education. In fact, private school outcomes might be worse when you make those accounts.

It's true that class sizes are too big in public school. There are also some unpleasant and weird kids. But tough situations teach resilience that can be useful later in life.

Just saying I'm surprised we're not at an equilibrium, and instead we are in an era of dramatically increasing demand for private school. I guess I would chalk it up to the wealthy getting wealthier.

It is all very interesting and as someone said it’s all anecdotal - but my anecdote is a good friend of mine is a teacher at a top private and said she would never send her kids there because it’s such a bubble that when they get out into the real world they don’t know how to deal with anything. To your point about the benefit of exposing your kids to tougher situations or situations where they have to navigate them and figure them out without too much hand holding.

What a crazy claim to make. I can assure you that kids that go to private schools do just fine in life. There are thousands of adults in the DMV who went to private school who are successful in the “real world.”

Let me help you with this, your teacher friend would "never send her kid to private" because your friend could never afford it. Those who can, do, send their kids to private.

Huh? You really think all of the families at Churchill Langley etc just can’t afford private and that’s why the kids are there..laughable

Reading is fundamental. PP’s friend is a teacher, at a private school where salaries are even lower than public school teacher salaries. SHE could not afford to spend $50-$60k a year after taxes on each kid. No one is talking about rando Langley tech execs

DP

Reading is fundamental. That PP also said: "Those who can, do, send their kids to private." They are effectivewly talking about langley tech execs sending their kids to public.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Private schools in dc are super mediocre. In Massachussets the quality is way better. The only explanation is that public schools are deteriorating, not private schools improving. On top of that private school parents are more obnoxious in dc.

I'm amazed that noone has noticed the person supposedly FROM Massachusetts can't even spell Massachusetts. Too many trips to the packie, I fear.

Also, schools and school districts in MA are typically run by the local municipalities, and are significantly smaller in total enrollment and size. So you can't compare a FCPS/MCPS here - even Boston Public Schools (the largest district) has roughly 45K total students (FCPS has 170-180K). Worcester and Springfield are roughly half that.

[Anonymous]

My husband and I went to public K-12 in drastically different parts of the US, and really wanted to believe in it for our kids. When HS came around, it was clear that our kid wasn't receiving the same education we did back in the 80s/90s, so we switched to private. Best decision we could have made.

What's crazy to me is it seemed like everyone my age, no matter where you grew up, received the same "core" education in public school. Doesn't seem to be the case anymore, sadly. Not sure if it's the standardized tests, but something really went wrong.

[Anonymous]

Public schools are atrocious. A very destructive force in America. Even the good ones in affluent areas have gotten far, far worse over the past few decades. And the merely above average ones? They turn out kids who can barely read or write.

[Anonymous]

Yes yes, many public school teachers work hard, have good intentions etc. But the results are awful. They spend more money per student than schools anywhere else in the world and get far worse results.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes yes, many public school teachers work hard, have good intentions etc. But the results are awful. They spend more money per student than schools anywhere else in the world and get far worse results.

The best school by far in the DMV is a public school. The best schools in NYC are public schools. Some public schools though are terrible, as are some private schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Public schools are atrocious. A very destructive force in America. Even the good ones in affluent areas have gotten far, far worse over the past few decades. And the merely above average ones? They turn out kids who can barely read or write.

Far more kids who get into MIT, Stanford, Harvard, etc went to public high schools, not private high schools. So, not sure what you are saying about public schools being atrocious is correct, unless you are a bigot or a xenophobe. And how is public education for children a destructive force? Send them to coal mines instead?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It is so weird when some people make a big deal about Catholic schools not being “private” schools.

Fwiw, I’m a 50 something parent of kids in catholic schools in the dc area, and I attended catholic schools k through 12 in the dc area.

I’ve heard all sorts of weird statements on this topic.

- People who think “private” schools are dramatically different/better/more prestigious than catholic schools, so you cannot lump them together.

- People who think Catholic schools are so unique that you should always use that term rather than the genetic private term.

It’s dumb. Use whatever term you like; both are correct. And anyone who takes issue with such things should ask themselves why.

What about non-Catholic Christian schools? Most people say they send their kids to a Christian school or X Episcopal School, or a "religious private". They don't just say my kid goes to private school.

DC is at an Episcopalian school with “saint” in the name, and I always say generically “private school.” The only time I ever specify that it is Episcopalian is if that fact is relevant or necessary in the conversation — most often after I’ve said the name, to correct people who assume it’s Catholic because they somehow think all “Saint So and So” schools are Catholic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Public schools are atrocious. A very destructive force in America. Even the good ones in affluent areas have gotten far, far worse over the past few decades. And the merely above average ones? They turn out kids who can barely read or write.

Far more kids who get into MIT, Stanford, Harvard, etc went to public high schools, not private high schools. So, not sure what you are saying about public schools being atrocious is correct, unless you are a bigot or a xenophobe. And how is public education for children a destructive force? Send them to coal mines instead?

This isn’t very smart. How many kids go to public? How many to private? You have to do a weighted percentage to have it make sense. I bet it’s a much larger share of private school kids got to top untiversities

[Anonymous]

Public school has severely deteriorated due to the influx of low-income foreigners and changes in discipline policies.

People who value education and better environments for their children are opting for private. Simple as.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Public school has severely deteriorated due to the influx of low-income foreigners and changes in discipline policies.

People who value education and better environments for their children are opting for private. Simple as.

MAGA!

[Anonymous]

^^ maybe but at least it's true!