Private school is a terrible ROI for middle class people

[Anonymous]

Mine is 15k. A bargain! You need to find the no frills ones that provide a strong academic foundation at a reasonable cost.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The idea that the value of an education can be measured solely in financial terms is completely cloddish.

Not quite.

I believe a majority of people in the middle class do not know how to invest and how to think long-term about money. So perhaps for them, even if their kids stayed in public, they would fritter away their extra dollars on useless things and not actually take the opportunity to build wealth. In those circumstances, why not pay for private instead, since investment is going to go to waste anyway?

But for those who do understand compounding and strategic money placements... public is a good idea. Usually those are also the people who make sure their kids learn something in public. They make the most of what they've got.

We are well above middle class, but not a 7 figure HHI. Kids are in public. We’ve worked very hard to set it up so that they don’t have to live the same “successful” lives we have had to. I hope they will choose to do something meaningful and not income-based, since they won’t need much money.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The idea that the value of an education can be measured solely in financial terms is completely cloddish.

Not quite.

I believe a majority of people in the middle class do not know how to invest and how to think long-term about money. So perhaps for them, even if their kids stayed in public, they would fritter away their extra dollars on useless things and not actually take the opportunity to build wealth. In those circumstances, why not pay for private instead, since investment is going to go to waste anyway?

But for those who do understand compounding and strategic money placements... public is a good idea. Usually those are also the people who make sure their kids learn something in public. They make the most of what they've got.

We are well above middle class, but not a 7 figure HHI. Kids are in public. We’ve worked very hard to set it up so that they don’t have to live the same “successful” lives we have had to. I hope they will choose to do something meaningful and not income-based, since they won’t need much money.

Your point?
We chose the meaningful careers that don't pay much and still ended up with 25M because of lucky (or intelligent) stock market investing.
You can have both.
Most people believe the myth that salaries build wealth. That is not true.

[Anonymous]

It really comes down to the quality of the public school. In our community they are outstanding and the only reason to go private is (1) you want a very small environment and (2) status. Our ESs are very small with maybe 250 kids, MS (5-8) about 800 and HS about 1500. Our HS covers two towns.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The idea that the value of an education can be measured solely in financial terms is completely cloddish.

Not quite.

I believe a majority of people in the middle class do not know how to invest and how to think long-term about money. So perhaps for them, even if their kids stayed in public, they would fritter away their extra dollars on useless things and not actually take the opportunity to build wealth. In those circumstances, why not pay for private instead, since investment is going to go to waste anyway?

But for those who do understand compounding and strategic money placements... public is a good idea. Usually those are also the people who make sure their kids learn something in public. They make the most of what they've got.

We are well above middle class, but not a 7 figure HHI. Kids are in public. We’ve worked very hard to set it up so that they don’t have to live the same “successful” lives we have had to. I hope they will choose to do something meaningful and not income-based, since they won’t need much money.

Your point?
We chose the meaningful careers that don't pay much and still ended up with 25M because of lucky (or intelligent) stock market investing.
You can have both.
Most people believe the myth that salaries build wealth. That is not true.

DP. What is your argument against PP's? PP does not want their kids to depend on luck. Sure they can have both. But PP wants to make sure their kids WILL have both.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The idea that the value of an education can be measured solely in financial terms is completely cloddish.

Not quite.

I believe a majority of people in the middle class do not know how to invest and how to think long-term about money. So perhaps for them, even if their kids stayed in public, they would fritter away their extra dollars on useless things and not actually take the opportunity to build wealth. In those circumstances, why not pay for private instead, since investment is going to go to waste anyway?

But for those who do understand compounding and strategic money placements... public is a good idea. Usually those are also the people who make sure their kids learn something in public. They make the most of what they've got.

We are well above middle class, but not a 7 figure HHI. Kids are in public. We’ve worked very hard to set it up so that they don’t have to live the same “successful” lives we have had to. I hope they will choose to do something meaningful and not income-based, since they won’t need much money.

Your point?
We chose the meaningful careers that don't pay much and still ended up with 25M because of lucky (or intelligent) stock market investing.
You can have both.
Most people believe the myth that salaries build wealth. That is not true.

My point is not pissing away 50k per year, per kid on K-12 education when I can grow that money exponentially, rather than try to create another MBB automaton or PE vulture. Let’s be real. That’s the primary reason many DCUM posters choose private schools, unless they are particularly religious. I don’t buy their fanatical claims about classical education or nurturing environments.

[Anonymous]

It is important that my children grow up around the right kind of people. Private school provides that environment.

[Anonymous]

It very much is. And yet I know a few middle class families who have fallen for it. One family fell for the lure of homeschooling, which ended up being more expensive than public, since at the secondary level it's easier to buy a package of lessons from a company than actually make your own lessons in every subject.

It's hard for such families to acknowledge their mistakes, but usually realization sets it when it comes to paying for college and when they look at their retirement. One family, when their kid graduated with no college in sight, told us they regretted their homeschooling choice. The other told us they regretted the 60K private, because it turned out not to be the panacea for their kid's ADHD (my kid has ADHD and stayed in public). The third family with a typical kid in a 50K fancy private aren't at the realization stage yet - but they might when their unhooked kid doesn't get into Ivies, and they finally understand that top privates are stuffed with Ivy alumni who can give their kids a leg up. Unhooked kids at top privates are at a disadvantage when it comes to very selective universities, compared to unhooked kids at publics.

Wealthy families don't have that sort of parsing to make. If private doesn't work out, it's not going to impact their retirement or whether or not they can afford 90K a year for private universities, med/law/grad school, a downpayment for their kids' homes, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It is important that my children grow up around the right kind of people. Private school provides that environment.

And they can smell your desperation a mile away.

[Anonymous]

One of my friends is a single mom making a middle class income. She wants to send her child to an independent private school. I don’t understand why. I agree it’s a waste of money for regular people. I understand Catholic school because I don’t think those are ridiculously priced.

[Anonymous]

Middle class cannot afford 30K.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It very much is. And yet I know a few middle class families who have fallen for it. One family fell for the lure of homeschooling, which ended up being more expensive than public, since at the secondary level it's easier to buy a package of lessons from a company than actually make your own lessons in every subject.

It's hard for such families to acknowledge their mistakes, but usually realization sets it when it comes to paying for college and when they look at their retirement. One family, when their kid graduated with no college in sight, told us they regretted their homeschooling choice. The other told us they regretted the 60K private, because it turned out not to be the panacea for their kid's ADHD (my kid has ADHD and stayed in public). The third family with a typical kid in a 50K fancy private aren't at the realization stage yet - but they might when their unhooked kid doesn't get into Ivies, and they finally understand that top privates are stuffed with Ivy alumni who can give their kids a leg up. Unhooked kids at top privates are at a disadvantage when it comes to very selective universities, compared to unhooked kids at publics.

Wealthy families don't have that sort of parsing to make. If private doesn't work out, it's not going to impact their retirement or whether or not they can afford 90K a year for private universities, med/law/grad school, a downpayment for their kids' homes, etc.

What’s sad is often the parents resent the kids decades later because the kids aren’t as appreciative over the sacrifice as the parents would expect.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sometimes public school isn’t working?

This.

[Anonymous]

It is important that my children grow up around the right kind of people. Private school provides that environment.

If you believe that people with money are the "right kind of people". Sure.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Middle class cannot afford 30K.

I consider my family middle class but a private school in this price range is essential for our special needs child. We cut everywhere else and have no regrets.