Got into ATS and private, which is better?
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Anonymous
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Depends. If you got into Sidwell/GDS/Beauvoir/Potomac/Maret and it is not a stretch financially, go there. If you can’t foot the bill without holding your breath, don’t.
ATS is the best slice of government cheese, but it’s still… government cheese. You’ll find community wherever you go. And if community is your top priority, choose your neighborhood schools. ATS kids are spread out all over the county, making play dates just as challenging as they are in some private schools. (And it’s a non-issue if you keep your multiple friend groups from the neighborhood, rec sports teams, etc.) |
Anonymous
ATS has way more than 20 per class lol |
Anonymous
dont' tell her. 
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Anonymous
Oh god the government cheese lady. She shows up on every thread about ATS. My girls are at ATS and they have no issue with play dates. |
Anonymous
| Is it less than 25 students per classroom? I thought 20 was a good ballpark number |
Anonymous
| Go to ATS and save the money for private middle school if desired. |
Anonymous
It’s lived experience. ATS has the same crappy math instruction as all of the other elementary schools. Both of my kids did outside tutoring while at ATS. And of course you can do play dates, just like you can with private schools. Just saying that it’s not the same experience as everyone living in the same neighborhood. |
Anonymous
No. 25+ because it is always at max enrollment. And it’s Title 1. |
Anonymous
| We had a fantastic experience at ATS. Daughter was extremely prepared for middle school. The community is strong, the parents are nice, and it's so much more diverse than our neighborhood school. And the $0 per year means we saved for college. Our on,y issue was not knowing kids from our neighborhood when she went on to middle school, but that would happen for you regardless. |
Anonymous
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One isn’t necessarily better than the other. It depends on a ton of factors, including the private at issues, your particular kid and their needs, etc.
Our older two went to APS from k-8 and then switched/ our current 8th grader will switch to private for 9th. Our youngest is still in an APS elementary and probably will switch to private for middle or HS. We loved our elementary school but many of the things I loved over private (walking distance from school and all friends and sports teams nearby) don’t exist at ATS. Although people I know whose kids went to ATS loved it. I would consider the following: Do you eventually want to end up in private? If so, that weighs in favor of starting there. It can be hard to move from public to private when they’re older because kids don’t want to leave their friends. Admission to private also generally is harder in the older grades. Would private be a financial sacrifice for you? FWIW, it wasn’t for us at all and we still chose public for elementary mostly because we liked the school and sense of community. But l definitely would not sacrifice financially for private elementary. It’s just not that big of a difference to make it worth it. Save the money for private HS if that is a good fit for your kid or for college. Is there a reason why your DC needs a really small class? E.g. learning differences or issues with anxiety or socially. |
Anonymous
That's not accurate. The class size data is publicly available, and it does not show 25+ across the board. You can review the official APS class size report here: https://www.apsva.us/wp-content/uploads/sites/57/2025/01/Class-Size-Report-SY-24.25.pdf It doesn't sound like you currently have a child at ATS, because families there know the actual numbers. It’s always better to check the data rather than repeat assumptions. Anyway, congratulations on winning the lottery, OP! |
Anonymous
ATS threads always attract trolls. The government cheese person is only one of several trolls in ATS threads. |
Anonymous
Closer to 25 than 20, that’s for sure |
Anonymous
Yep. It’s always the exact same post which is why she’s so tiresome. OP unless your child would benefit for a small class size then I would save the money for private middle school and go to ATS. Lot of the wealthier ATS families end up doing private starting at middle school. |
Anonymous
| Sometimes class sizes can be too small. For prek/k 10-12 is nice but it can be difficult socially as kids get older |