The cost of moving for a better school...

[Anonymous]

From the numbers you gave, it doesn't sound like it makes sense for you. We've done similar calculations (for move from DC to MD). For what it's worth, from what we've looked at it doesn't make sense to move for one child. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

The costs of selling and then buying are all incurred this year. Sales commission, costs of fixing up place before you sell, recording fees on the new place, and so on. We've done the calculations and concluded private is the way to go. We keep a very short commute, house we know, friends we know.

[Anonymous]

In terms of money calculation, don't forget the cost of aftercare. I thought we would be saving all this money going from an affordable Montessori private school to public school - but the aftercare costs where I live are not cheap.

It's a difficult decision. As other mentioned, houses in a desirable school cluster and close-in commute to an area with lots of jobs tend to hold their value. On the other hand, I know as a kid the moving/transition to different schools wasn't easy for me. While my parents didn't move to "the best" district, they moved to a better school district that they could afford when I was in 4th grade. I just remember being happy, secure, and accepted with my friends in my old school. Even though I did well in my classes, I flew under the radar with the other kids and had kids I played with on the playground and in the aftercare program. When I moved I was the new girl, the competition for the girl that had ruled the roost academically and socially. There was so much social drama. If my sisters are resentful that I went to private school later on, I don't know - but I remember seeing an advertisement in the paper, asking my parents about going to private school for junior high and getting a scholarship so I could go. I just could not imagine going to the even bigger public junior high - especially when I didn't even feel like a had a close group of friends from elementary school. At private school, life wasn't perfect BUT there were a ton of kids that started at middle school and I found a close group of friends. My parents moved again in high school - and again it was very isolating for me and a difficult transition going from a small private school with a close group of friends to a big public school in a different state in 11th grade .... and no driver's license. There was no mean girl drama - I was just invisible.

So I guess my point of this is that you can weigh the financial costs of moving versus not moving assuming you can afford both options but at the end of the day, the personality of your children and the peer group of kids their year(whether private or public) will have a lot to do with their happiness and feelings of security. If you end up deciding public, you may need to work harder to make sure your child feels comfortable with the transition. It's possible if I had gotten to know kids from an outside school activity - whether it was girl scouts, church, social organization with other kids with my ethnic background, I would have been able to gaze out in the cafeteria that 1st day and had someone say "hey, come sit with us" or felt like I had friends somewhere as I was starting out trying to meet new people. My parents may have felt they were doing the best thing by moving to a better school district, but I wonder if I could have done well had we stayed at the very 1st school district. I remember at the interview for private school, the admission person told my dad frankly that I would do well wherever I went. So I guess I am echoing a PP in in asking how unworkable is the less than ideal school district?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In terms of money calculation, don't forget the cost of aftercare. I thought we would be saving all this money going from an affordable Montessori private school to public school - but the aftercare costs where I live are not cheap.

It's a difficult decision. As other mentioned, houses in a desirable school cluster and close-in commute to an area with lots of jobs tend to hold their value. On the other hand, I know as a kid the moving/transition to different schools wasn't easy for me. While my parents didn't move to "the best" district, they moved to a better school district that they could afford when I was in 4th grade. I just remember being happy, secure, and accepted with my friends in my old school. Even though I did well in my classes, I flew under the radar with the other kids and had kids I played with on the playground and in the aftercare program. When I moved I was the new girl, the competition for the girl that had ruled the roost academically and socially. There was so much social drama. If my sisters are resentful that I went to private school later on, I don't know - but I remember seeing an advertisement in the paper, asking my parents about going to private school for junior high and getting a scholarship so I could go. I just could not imagine going to the even bigger public junior high - especially when I didn't even feel like a had a close group of friends from elementary school. At private school, life wasn't perfect BUT there were a ton of kids that started at middle school and I found a close group of friends. My parents moved again in high school - and again it was very isolating for me and a difficult transition going from a small private school with a close group of friends to a big public school in a different state in 11th grade .... and no driver's license. There was no mean girl drama - I was just invisible.

So I guess my point of this is that you can weigh the financial costs of moving versus not moving assuming you can afford both options but at the end of the day, the personality of your children and the peer group of kids their year(whether private or public) will have a lot to do with their happiness and feelings of security. If you end up deciding public, you may need to work harder to make sure your child feels comfortable with the transition. It's possible if I had gotten to know kids from an outside school activity - whether it was girl scouts, church, social organization with other kids with my ethnic background, I would have been able to gaze out in the cafeteria that 1st day and had someone say "hey, come sit with us" or felt like I had friends somewhere as I was starting out trying to meet new people. My parents may have felt they were doing the best thing by moving to a better school district, but I wonder if I could have done well had we stayed at the very 1st school district. I remember at the interview for private school, the admission person told my dad frankly that I would do well wherever I went. So I guess I am echoing a PP in in asking how unworkable is the less than ideal school district?

I completely agree with this post as far as the social cost of changing schools. My parents moved the summer before sixth grade and I do not think I ever recovered socially, which had an academic as well as social impact. I am highly sensitive to this as we plan for our kids. We are in a good DCPS elementary and are considering moving or private down the road depending on how DCPS evolves over the years, I would definitely want to move kids between schools either relatively young, where parents can really facilitate their kids making friends, or at a transition year when there are lots of new children starting together.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The costs of selling and then buying are all incurred this year. Sales commission, costs of fixing up place before you sell, recording fees on the new place, and so on. We've done the calculations and concluded private is the way to go. We keep a very short commute, house we know, friends we know.

I question the economic logic of this statement. Wouldn't this statement only be true if you incurred all the real estate sales related expenses EVERY year? In truth, those costs are part of your real estate transaction and occur only one time. In addition, your mortgage on the new property will remain constant and (hopefully) the property will appreciate as an asset whereas, private school tuition continues to rise. From a purely financial standpoint, I don't see how you reached your conclusion. (Obviously, concluding private is the right choice for you is a legitimate personal decision -- just not sure I follow your economic logic.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:...

So I guess my point of this is that you can weigh the financial costs of moving versus not moving assuming you can afford both options but at the end of the day, the personality of your children and the peer group of kids their year(whether private or public) will have a lot to do with their happiness and feelings of security. If you end up deciding public, you may need to work harder to make sure your child feels comfortable with the transition. It's possible if I had gotten to know kids from an outside school activity - whether it was girl scouts, church, social organization with other kids with my ethnic background, I would have been able to gaze out in the cafeteria that 1st day and had someone say "hey, come sit with us" or felt like I had friends somewhere as I was starting out trying to meet new people. My parents may have felt they were doing the best thing by moving to a better school district, but I wonder if I could have done well had we stayed at the very 1st school district. I remember at the interview for private school, the admission person told my dad frankly that I would do well wherever I went. So I guess I am echoing a PP in in asking how unworkable is the less than ideal school district?

I completely agree with this post as far as the social cost of changing schools. My parents moved the summer before sixth grade and I do not think I ever recovered socially, which had an academic as well as social impact. I am highly sensitive to this as we plan for our kids. We are in a good DCPS elementary and are considering moving or private down the road depending on how DCPS evolves over the years, I would definitely want to move kids between schools either relatively young, where parents can really facilitate their kids making friends, or at a transition year when there are lots of new children starting together.

I had the opposite experience. I was at an okay public school for K-8, and then my parents moved to the best public school district in the state in 9th grade. I went from being a social outcast, nerdy girl that people picked on and who couldn't get a date to the dance because I was a "brain" to an environment where being smart was considered cool. I had a good high school social experience with many friends and a couple of boyfriends. It did help, as a PP mentioned, that we moved during the summer and I met a group of kids at church before school started, so I didn't walk in the first day of school a complete stranger. I am so very glad that we moved- I think I would have been miserable socially if I had gone on to high school with all the kids I'd been with through grade school.