Would you send your kids to private school even if it is very inconvenient to get to?

[Anonymous]

There’s no use in making this decision without research. Go to the open houses and maybe tour. If you ever get to the point you want to apply, let partners know with connections to the board but not before then.

You may decide it’s not worth it. You may decide it’s not worth it now, but you may want to apply later. You may decide it is worth it.

But you won’t know until you learn.

Finally private schools are not all the same. You may be turned off by one but think a different one is completely worthwhile.

[Anonymous]

I question the ability of you board-member colleagues to actually guarantee your kids’ acceptance to the school in the first place.

[Anonymous]

We enrolled our DC in a school that was further away and less convenient than the ones you’re considering. It was time consuming, more expensive than not traveling and limited outside school interaction with classmates. We thought it was worth it because the school was a perfect fit for DC, academically, socially, athletically and because it was a religious school, which was very important to us. To be fair, it was also the least inconvenient of the schools we looked at, and we reluctantly ruled out an arguably “better” school because it would have had us in Beltway rush hour traffic 3+ hours a day.

If your kid is happy and successful in the local school and you think that will continue going forward, you have to ask what (other than peer pressure) makes you want a change. In our case, public wasn’t an option, both because of the religious aspect and because our local publics are not much good. (The principal of our local elementary had the their own kids in private.)

PP’s are correct, however, in observing that this is best considered in the context of in person visits, research, and even test drives to see what the commute is really like. We didn’t need a test drive for the school we picked because we were familiar with that commute. But the test drive to the school we reluctantly took off the list was an eye opener.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I question the ability of you board-member colleagues to actually guarantee your kids’ acceptance to the school in the first place.

Yeah, they can’t.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DH and I are from the Northeast. I went to a public magnet and DH graduated at the top of his public high school. We met at an Ivy grad school. A few years ago, we moved to a well regarded public school system in the DMV. Our kids are doing well in the local public, have lots of friends, play sports, etc. Every one of DH’s professional colleagues send their kids to private and often suggest that we also send our kids to private. A few of them are on the board or know the board and can get our kids in. The schools will take us 30+ minutes per direction and can easily be an hour during rush hour. Public schools are 1-2 miles away from our school.

Would you switch your kids to private?

Troll post.

[Anonymous]

If you and your kids are happy with your public - stay.

When/if you see something change in your/their happiness - tour private schools and decide whether a different school will make a difference. If so, apply (and use connections at your top choice if the connections are still on the board)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you and your kids are happy with your public - stay.

When/if you see something change in your/their happiness - tour private schools and decide whether a different school will make a difference. If so, apply (and use connections at your top choice if the connections are still on the board)

PS - as for the drive - it makes a huge difference if you are doing this drive in elementary (and thus all the years to follow) vs for high school (when part of the time the kid can have a license - plus - it's only 4 years....that go by FAST). Middle is obviously in between. The other difference is friends at elementary that are more widespread at a time when you will be doing more driving around for play dates and parties - including potentially mid-week after school play dates. Once you get to Middle/high school this will decrease (especially mid-week with homework sucking up time) - but if your kids play a sport - you'd need to add in that component if you hope to attend their games.....or if the school requires you to drive them to/from games (ours had a bus for that).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How old are your children? If elementary school, I would not want this never ending commute. I might consider it for high school since the child would be driving within 2 years.

This is exactly what I was about to write.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DH and I are from the Northeast. I went to a public magnet and DH graduated at the top of his public high school. We met at an Ivy grad school. A few years ago, we moved to a well regarded public school system in the DMV. Our kids are doing well in the local public, have lots of friends, play sports, etc. Every one of DH’s professional colleagues send their kids to private and often suggest that we also send our kids to private. A few of them are on the board or know the board and can get our kids in. The schools will take us 30+ minutes per direction and can easily be an hour during rush hour. Public schools are 1-2 miles away from our school.

Would you switch your kids to private?

You are an idiot

Big whoop you went to an Ivy league and top of class hubby.

DMV is full of people like you. You are not unique.

No one is coming up to you and saying go to private.

The answer is no idiot. Absolutely no.

Then again you are to stupid to figure out that Private is not a guarantee into a better college and that you clearly have not done homework.

This is CLASSIC DCUM advice!! Thanks for posting PP you made me smile and you said the quiet part out loud. My people!!!!

[Anonymous]

Apply in eighth. See where they move in and consider moving closer to private.

[Anonymous]

Never, ever follow the "Joneses"....Do what's best for your kids and family! Group think is a very dangerous and infectious disease.

[Anonymous]

No.

My oldest has special needs and for a while we needed to drive past his public home school to the public school that had his program, but it was a 20 minute from our house, so not too bad.

[Anonymous]

A good neighborhood school in a good district is worth more than a fancy commuter private school. You get to know who the neighborhood kids are and they are often in walkable and short distance from you, which makes playdates and spontaneous gatherings much more likely.

[Anonymous]

American society is lonely enough without creating an artificial isolation from the community you live in as early as elementary school.

[Anonymous]

No. We only considered private schools within a short drive from our house. And we only considered private at all because of problems at public: if all was well, would not have moved to private.

Kid is a candidate for a selective magnet HS and we probably won't apply because it's 30 minutes away without traffic. No thanks.