Public versus private - did the private school save you any time or stress?

[Anonymous]

My child is at a preschool-12th private right now, and yes everything about it is so much smoother than my own public school experience. Lunch is included in tuition. Numerous after school activities for every grade level (including preschool) is provided. This is in addition to the after care that is also offered. They also coordinate with an outside company to come and give instrument lessons to the kids after school (preschool included), and this is all seemlessly worked into each kid’s schedule of after school activities/sports/etc so you don’t have to drive them anywhere and have one pickup time when its all over. Even the carpool line is well organized and easy. The administration and teachers have all been great so far and really accessible to parents. They are also very responsive to parent concerns. We didnt intend to put our child in private (actually bought our home for the “excellent” public schools), but after putting our child in for preschool we loved it so much we decided to stay.

[Anonymous]

OP sounds really Type A / high maintenance so I am not sure private school would satisfy them. I think our children’s K-8 has excellent academics, art, music. They don’t have instruments until 3rd or sports until 5th though. Also, they have some math acceleration available but not like several grade levels. So I think people like OP would still feel they needed to supplement and therefore think they were wasting their money on private. I, like PPs above, enjoy the calmness and excellent communication.

[Anonymous]

Agree with PP. This has been our experience. Just much simpler logistically, even with more of a commute. They have high quality after school programs and you can do after care until 6 as needed. There are fewer days off and no half days. It’s just all so much more organized, and we feel like we understand what they are learning because work they do in school comes home, so we see it. It also seems to make sense and is all taught in a more integrated way, where they make connections across subjects. I don’t at all feel like we need to supplement, there’s appropriate challenge, and it is all just a lot easier for us to manage.

There are still run of the mill issues, like kids don’t get along, or what have you, but we feel like they also have a much better handle on discipline and behavior expectations without being too dictatorial.

And to the PP who asks what school in this country didn’t have hot lunch - ours in NOVA for a year while they attempted to renovate a kitchen, which was delayed and delayed and delayed. It also didn’t have clean bathrooms or hand soap and paper towels during the TikTok challenge of a couple of years ago…the kids wrecked them….

[Anonymous]

Meant agree with PP 20:18

[Anonymous]

My kids are in upper elementary 4th in private. I am a public school teacher. If I lived in a better public school district, I would put them in public. Right now, I pay for private, but kids are not getting a rigorous education. Private is very small. No differentiation going on. I teach them math at home because they are not challenged in school. Same with science: I bought a homeschool science curriculum. The private has no sports. It was great when they were in K/1, even 2.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My child is at a preschool-12th private right now, and yes everything about it is so much smoother than my own public school experience. Lunch is included in tuition. Numerous after school activities for every grade level (including preschool) is provided. This is in addition to the after care that is also offered. They also coordinate with an outside company to come and give instrument lessons to the kids after school (preschool included), and this is all seemlessly worked into each kid’s schedule of after school activities/sports/etc so you don’t have to drive them anywhere and have one pickup time when its all over. Even the carpool line is well organized and easy. The administration and teachers have all been great so far and really accessible to parents. They are also very responsive to parent concerns. We didnt intend to put our child in private (actually bought our home for the “excellent” public schools), but after putting our child in for preschool we loved it so much we decided to stay.

All of this sounds so good. Smoother, lunch included, after school activities available, aftercare, sports, seamless, organized... just easier! That has not been my public experience, though I've been happy with lots of the individual teachers.

[Anonymous]

one of my kids did private and the other public.

Private, the day started earlier and they had 2 recess periods, specials more than once a week (3*PE, 2 art, 2 music), 2*foreign language, 1*religion. There was differentiation for reading and math, kids just were grouped and moved between teachers. Performance 1 per year, music concerts (2 or 3), and different projects, more hands on science, field trips. There was organized study hall (from 4th grade maybe), after school clubs, and aftercare.

Public had specials 3 periods per week, 1 art, 1 PE and 1 media, instrumentals on rotating basis where kid misses a different class to attend. Math seems the same though the public school teacher is under impression it’s better at public. Almost no field trips. Great after school clubs, great aftercare. We supplemented foreign language outside of school.

More autonomy though to go to school and come home on their own due to distance, much more involved community given all live close by (even though the private school kept priding itself on their sense of community - we felt much more part of the community in public), and the big draw for my kid were the social aspects, which were much better in public, ease of play dates, ability to arrange on their own early on.

For both kids supplemented with individual music lessons and out of school sports/ camps.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We chose public over private because we thought we couldn't justify the cost when we live in a decent school district. My child is only starting elementary, but already the schedule is crazy because it turns out there isn't much offered at school. No sports, clubs, instruments, and not much art, not much math, no hot lunch, so we are supplementing all of that. Activities are way more PTA and parent run mishmash as opposed to well organized by faculty (which is what I seem to remember having attended private). Add in outside math tutoring, outside ELA curriculum, camps, aftercare, art class... I'm no longer sure private is looking THAT terrible in terms of maybe spending a bit more to get more time back. I know private school kids also supplement, but it feels like we are spending a lot of everything instead of just one or two things. If you went private for your children, I'm wondering if it saved you any time or stress because more was offered on site and/or more info and guidance was available to you rather than things being pieced together however parents can find?

I definitely feel like it saves me time and stress because I don't worry about supplementing. Kid does take a private music lesson, but band (separate from music theory) is twice a week in school with daily practice required after school, so that is just part of homework and not something I need to chase after. Band started in 3rd and foreign language started in 1st. They learned cursive in 2nd, and they study spelling and sentence structure. Art and theater are part of the curriculm so I don't have to find it elsewhere. There are regular parent/teacher conferences and minimal bureaucracy.

It's definitely not saving me any money! I mean, it's nice that school supplies and field trips are included, but no amount of school supplies offsets tuition. I still pay for summer camp, and summer is longer. After school care and hot lunch are for-fee. Also the school doesn't have transportation so I spend time on carpool that I wouldn't if there was a bus.

[Anonymous]

It’s complicated and can really only be answered by comparing a few specific schools. No private school is a unicorn. We had to decide what we valued most from school, which, for now, is openness to differentiation. We gave up some things to be in a school that will allow our kid to move up in curriculum when ready instead of having it dictated by age cohort. The sports at the school are lackluster but we made a conscious choice to supplement that on our own with club and rec teams.

It’s a year by year conversation and this setup may not work all the way through 12, so we are always assessing. We haven’t ruled out public in the future; we keep all options on the table. When considering private vs. public, one isn’t inherently better than the other. One will be a better fit for your kid, but only your family can make that assessment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This thread is shady. What public school in this country doesn’t have hot lunch?

Also, what public school doesn’t have math daily?

Instruments - has anyone ever seen instrumental groups offered younger than third at public schools? Can’t understand how this is a shock to anyone. Kids get exposed to basics in music special.

Yeah, agree. And public elementary schools typically don’t offer organized sports teams or clubs after school. That starts in middle schools. Nor do kids play instruments. Maybe in later elementary school (4-5th grade) band/orchestra starts if they pick that option.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s complicated and can really only be answered by comparing a few specific schools. No private school is a unicorn. We had to decide what we valued most from school, which, for now, is openness to differentiation. We gave up some things to be in a school that will allow our kid to move up in curriculum when ready instead of having it dictated by age cohort. The sports at the school are lackluster but we made a conscious choice to supplement that on our own with club and rec teams.

It’s a year by year conversation and this setup may not work all the way through 12, so we are always assessing. We haven’t ruled out public in the future; we keep all options on the table. When considering private vs. public, one isn’t inherently better than the other. One will be a better fit for your kid, but only your family can make that assessment.

Well said!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This thread is shady. What public school in this country doesn’t have hot lunch?

Also, what public school doesn’t have math daily?

Instruments - has anyone ever seen instrumental groups offered younger than third at public schools? Can’t understand how this is a shock to anyone. Kids get exposed to basics in music special.

Yeah, agree. And public elementary schools typically don’t offer organized sports teams or clubs after school. That starts in middle schools. Nor do kids play instruments. Maybe in later elementary school (4-5th grade) band/orchestra starts if they pick that option.

Yep I’m pretty sure to receive any federal funding public schools must serve hot lunch.

[Anonymous]

Our experience at private: we do zero supplementation. Very happy with the instruction in all subjects, and they differentiate (in the lower school, only in math and reading, in middle and upper school, more subjects). Instrumental lessons are on site at the school which saves us some effort. Hot lunch included. Some really good cultural field trips. All in all, it’s been worth it to us.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This thread is shady. What public school in this country doesn’t have hot lunch?

Also, what public school doesn’t have math daily?

Instruments - has anyone ever seen instrumental groups offered younger than third at public schools? Can’t understand how this is a shock to anyone. Kids get exposed to basics in music special.

Yeah, agree. And public elementary schools typically don’t offer organized sports teams or clubs after school. That starts in middle schools. Nor do kids play instruments. Maybe in later elementary school (4-5th grade) band/orchestra starts if they pick that option.

Yep I’m pretty sure to receive any federal funding public schools must serve hot lunch.

Yes, I call troll. Unless OP confused the terms “public” and “private”. But if not, this post is BS. No hot lunch? No math? Come on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We chose public over private because we thought we couldn't justify the cost when we live in a decent school district. My child is only starting elementary, but already the schedule is crazy because it turns out there isn't much offered at school. No sports, clubs, instruments, and not much art, not much math, no hot lunch, so we are supplementing all of that. Activities are way more PTA and parent run mishmash as opposed to well organized by faculty (which is what I seem to remember having attended private). Add in outside math tutoring, outside ELA curriculum, camps, aftercare, art class... I'm no longer sure private is looking THAT terrible in terms of maybe spending a bit more to get more time back. I know private school kids also supplement, but it feels like we are spending a lot of everything instead of just one or two things. If you went private for your children, I'm wondering if it saved you any time or stress because more was offered on site and/or more info and guidance was available to you rather than things being pieced together however parents can find?

Why are you supplementing so much. Your poor kid. At this age, your kid needs few but high quality activities. They need time for free play and a lot of time outside. They need play dates and lots of age appropriate books. Read to your kid. Cook and bake with them. Spend quality time with them.