Switch to private for middle school?

[Anonymous]

My son switched from public to private for 6-8 and is back in public for high school. It turned out to be the best decision. He loved being at a small k-8, and this definitely reduced the drama and problems of middle school. The public middle school was 5-8, and my son actually asked to look at other schools because fifth grade was socially very challenging with exposure to too much and some bullying. At the private school, he was in classes of 12-15, played three seasons of sports, tried out all sorts of arts, and gained leadership experience in a lot of areas. Now he's back at a large public high school and thriving; I think his willingness to connect to teachers, ask for support if needed, and try lots of activities is tied into his private school experience. He misses the smaller community of the private school but does appreciate the greater diversity of the public school community. We were lucky to get aid for the three private school years, and the experience, I think, will have lasting benefits.

[Anonymous]

I moved 2 kids to private middle school ( a k-8) from public elementary in mcps. One moved after fourth grade and the other after fifth grade. Definitely the right move for my kids.
Yes, they then both went on to private hs. Middle school has always been the weakest link in mcps, imo. And i made this decision more than ten years ago, id be concerned tgat things have only gotten worse since the pandemic. The biggest concern was always financial. Once i figured that out, i never looked back