Has anyone switched from public gifted, magnet or AAP?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:With the equity movement in this country, I’m not sure fancy private school is the way to go unless you are in the donor class and have national level name recognition.

With the DEI backlash, end of affirmative action, and continued conservative Supreme Court dominance in these decisions for the next generation I would say the opposite.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would go with where the kid gets academically challenged early and consistently. A lot of bad study habits happen when there’s no challenge and suddenly in college or late high school your kids flameout when they have to actually study for the first time.

Growth mindset is hard to teach for the really smart kids. The truly academically rigorous private schools may still be worth it, otherwise I would take a public magnet over any generic coddled private school.

This. No matter where my kids end up for college, I want them to be so well-prepared that the step up to undergraduate work seems like a breeze. In the grand scheme of things, college grades are way more important than HS grades.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would go with where the kid gets academically challenged early and consistently. A lot of bad study habits happen when there’s no challenge and suddenly in college or late high school your kids flameout when they have to actually study for the first time.

Growth mindset is hard to teach for the really smart kids. The truly academically rigorous private schools may still be worth it, otherwise I would take a public magnet over any generic coddled private school.

This. No matter where my kids end up for college, I want them to be so well-prepared that the step up to undergraduate work seems like a breeze. In the grand scheme of things, college grades are way more important than HS grades.

Absolutely, for academics. I also want them to be prepared socially and culturally for the environment of their college. If I expected my child to attend a large state school I would send them to a large public high school. I’d focus on a small private education if I expected them to go to a small private college.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would go with where the kid gets academically challenged early and consistently. A lot of bad study habits happen when there’s no challenge and suddenly in college or late high school your kids flameout when they have to actually study for the first time.

Growth mindset is hard to teach for the really smart kids. The truly academically rigorous private schools may still be worth it, otherwise I would take a public magnet over any generic coddled private school.

This. No matter where my kids end up for college, I want them to be so well-prepared that the step up to undergraduate work seems like a breeze. In the grand scheme of things, college grades are way more important than HS grades.

Absolutely, for academics. I also want them to be prepared socially and culturally for the environment of their college. If I expected my child to attend a large state school I would send them to a large public high school. I’d focus on a small private education if I expected them to go to a small private college.

Not sure the above is the best advice because most 8th graders don’t know where they will go to college. Plenty of kids at small HS have opted for larger state schools for college and vice versa.

This is like saying I’d send my kid to boarding school if I expected them to go to college out of state.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would go with where the kid gets academically challenged early and consistently. A lot of bad study habits happen when there’s no challenge and suddenly in college or late high school your kids flameout when they have to actually study for the first time.

Growth mindset is hard to teach for the really smart kids. The truly academically rigorous private schools may still be worth it, otherwise I would take a public magnet over any generic coddled private school.

This. No matter where my kids end up for college, I want them to be so well-prepared that the step up to undergraduate work seems like a breeze. In the grand scheme of things, college grades are way more important than HS grades.

Well said.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I also want them to be prepared socially and culturally for the environment of their college. If I expected my child to attend a large state school I would send them to a large public high school. I’d focus on a small private education if I expected them to go to a small private college.

And a large private high school (or K-12) feeds into a large private college?

I agree with PP though, how would you know what's the best fit in 8th grade?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:With the equity movement in this country, I’m not sure fancy private school is the way to go unless you are in the donor class and have national level name recognition.

With the DEI backlash, end of affirmative action, and continued conservative Supreme Court dominance in these decisions for the next generation I would say the opposite.

The DEI backlash can't change the overall tide of socialism in this country which has been building for decades. The DEI backlash is a mere blip.

[Anonymous]

The DEI backlash is part of the overall tide of fascism in this country which has been building for decades. The DEI backlash is a mere symptom.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The DEI backlash is part of the overall tide of fascism in this country which has been building for decades. The DEI backlash is a mere symptom.

Wtf are you talking about?

[Anonymous]

We switched our son from AAP to a private school because the AAP classes at our public were getting so big, and our son is quiet. He was sort of sinking into the background of his classes, and not actively participating. The teachers were yelling all the time to try to manage the chaotic classroom. We switched to a very small private school and he really thrived. The first day of his new school he came home and told me that the teachers actually like the kids. He said the teachers chose to eat lunch with the kids and talk to them. (In reality, the school didn't have a cafeteria, so the teachers had to eat with the kids! I didn't correct him because he was so happy about it.) For high school, we continued with a private school, because for him, it made a big difference in his overall attitude towards school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:With the equity movement in this country, I’m not sure fancy private school is the way to go unless you are in the donor class and have national level name recognition.

With the DEI backlash, end of affirmative action, and continued conservative Supreme Court dominance in these decisions for the next generation I would say the opposite.

The DEI backlash can't change the overall tide of socialism in this country which has been building for decades. The DEI backlash is a mere blip.

Wtf are you talking about?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I also want them to be prepared socially and culturally for the environment of their college. If I expected my child to attend a large state school I would send them to a large public high school. I’d focus on a small private education if I expected them to go to a small private college.

And a large private high school (or K-12) feeds into a large private college?

I agree with PP though, how would you know what's the best fit in 8th grade?

I know. This entire post presumes a child will do best if pigeonholed by their parents. If you go to a small private college do you go to a small private company to work? Are your pets small private pets? Your logic, if you can call it that, is so deranged.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our regular old public was as you described. Lots of smart kids with smart parents and Ivy degrees, including us. And we both went to public high school too. It was great until it wasn't. Depends on the kid. The academics will be generally the same, give or take a few specialized electives at either at the high school level, as will the college options for a given kid (though this may be changing for some kids with the grade inflation/TO situation these days).

We switched mostly to get away from a bad social situation, and it made all the difference. I'm not sure they would be the people they are today if they had stayed. Your environment shapes you, and the same setting does different things to different kids. Who you meet and how they treat you matters more than anything else.

So, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

My kids have a lot of friends and their social situations are fine. I just wonder if we are doing them a disservice of not sending them to private. In every other aspect of our lives, we pay for the better option. I’m wondering if we could provide a better option of education.

Depends on what "better" means to you in this context.

^^ I mean this, and people responses will show you just that. To one person, lots of STEM electives is better, to another lots of kids interested in the same subject matter is better, to another having a balance of STEM and humanities is better, to another a classical education strong in all subjects across the board is better, to another its access to a certain language or the ability to take two or immersion, to another many options for electives even though your kids can only take a few is better, to another a school with only high IQ kids, while to yet another a mix of intellectual levels is better as long as it has your kid's level; or better means access to rich kids, or a more diverse class, or religious education, or the best team for your kid's sport, or sports where any kid gets to play, or the best art teachers, or the most robust theater or music program, or the best debate team and so on and so on.

You kid will be well educated anywhere; the differences are around the edges. The point is to know what you want for your kid, to know where your kid will thrive and be confident in your own choice about that. Others will always have another opinion, and try to rank schools (putting their choice on top, because to them it is -- it has what they wanted).

What is important to you?

And what does your kid want? At a certain age, your child’s say is really important. We know a few people who sent their children to private starting in 5th/6th thinking they would go through high school and in 8th the kids wanted to return to public for high school. They were smart and could navigate our very good but large public high school deftly, and having experienced the social scene at our private and our public determined that they preferred the public. Outcomes were UVA School of Commerce (out of state applicant) and Princeton. If your child is smart and is also very capable navigating and advocating for themself in a bigger public high school environment they are going to thrive anywhere - and they may find a smaller private stifling. The smaller environment can put targets on the backs of people who excel academically and even more so those who excel athletically and academically.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We switched our son from AAP to a private school because the AAP classes at our public were getting so big, and our son is quiet. He was sort of sinking into the background of his classes, and not actively participating. The teachers were yelling all the time to try to manage the chaotic classroom. We switched to a very small private school and he really thrived. The first day of his new school he came home and told me that the teachers actually like the kids. He said the teachers chose to eat lunch with the kids and talk to them. (In reality, the school didn't have a cafeteria, so the teachers had to eat with the kids! I didn't correct him because he was so happy about it.) For high school, we continued with a private school, because for him, it made a big difference in his overall attitude towards school.

This was true for one of ours as well. The chaos and yelling of public middle school (which provided a great education) changed his joyful and funny personality. It was like watching him shrink. He became himself again and continued to grow in a smaller calmer school. Now he is grown, mature, sure of himself, and poised to take on anything. Most importantly, he is himself again.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our regular old public was as you described. Lots of smart kids with smart parents and Ivy degrees, including us. And we both went to public high school too. It was great until it wasn't. Depends on the kid. The academics will be generally the same, give or take a few specialized electives at either at the high school level, as will the college options for a given kid (though this may be changing for some kids with the grade inflation/TO situation these days).

We switched mostly to get away from a bad social situation, and it made all the difference. I'm not sure they would be the people they are today if they had stayed. Your environment shapes you, and the same setting does different things to different kids. Who you meet and how they treat you matters more than anything else.

So, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

My kids have a lot of friends and their social situations are fine. I just wonder if we are doing them a disservice of not sending them to private. In every other aspect of our lives, we pay for the better option. I’m wondering if we could provide a better option of education.

It is all relative. If you want to send your kids to private have them apply to the schools you like and get on with it. Confirmation bias is a thing. Even if your child is bullied or does poorly you’ll probably convince yourself it is better.

Why can't people choose private without being labeled as thinking private is better than public? People choose private for a variety of reasons and sometimes that choice is early on and even if later public/private would both be good options, they aren't unhappy with private and don't feel the need to shake up their child's life to move back to public. Our kids are in private and we are happy with our choice. But it doesn't mean I think it's better than public. I do know it's "different" from public - as we know many friends with children in our local public. Both sets of kids are happy and successful.