Is the $40,000/year private school ceiling just up ahead in the D.C. area? D.C. to join NY party?

[Anonymous]

We've decided to leave. It's crazy. Warren Buffett is correct, they should outlaw private schools. Truthfully, do you really believe that your DC's teachers are anything special in private schools? Private schools should be investigated for anti-trust violations. A while back the Ivy League schools were busted. In DC, like NYC, you have a concentration of the uber wealthy and organizations which help close the gap as part of the pay package. BCC, Whitman, Churchill, and Langley are incredible schools and are probably a bit too clubby to help you satisfy/maintain that holier than thou attitude you've been paying for in private.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Please, in this area there will always be people with huge incomes fighting for spots at some of these schools, no matter the cost. The salaries of some lobbyists and lawyers in this area are enormous. The schools won't close, they will just as PP said become schools only for the very rich and the families with low enough incomes to receive financial aid. Its kind of getting to be that way now and it will only get more pronounced. This is why Deal is getting so overcrowded.

Frankly, if these schools were more efficient with lower tuition, many more kids would be applying from upper middle class families (actually, that would be families still in the top 25% perhaps), making these schools far more competitive than they already are. The super rich actually do not benefit in that scenarios. More competition for their kids.

Not to fan the fires of depression, but the top 25% in the US are at $80K for a household (probably higher in DC)- there is no way that even $30K is affordable with that sort of income when combined with the cost of living.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Household_income_in_the_United_States

[Anonymous]

The top 1 percent will still provide plenty of students for the elite private schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The top 1 percent will still provide plenty of students for the elite private schools.

I agree that the very wealthy continue with these schools (and the very poor will also get in with F.A.), what the schools will miss are the very smart middle class kids. Having really great kids from all income levels is what makes a school great. Sadly, these schools are headed back to what they once were -- holding grounds for rich kids with some poor charity cases thrown in. Meanwhile, there will be many, many very smart middle class kids getting great educations at public schools.

Institutions usually don't see that they are headed down the wrong path until they become obsolete. I think this will happen with a lot of private schools. Yes, people will continue to buy into the concept of private school and will happily pay $40 or $50k per year to be part of that system. Meanwhile, smart kids from throughout the socioeconomic ranks will change the game in education and college admissions. When Ivys and other great colleges begin to reward the smart kids who thrive in the public school environment (and, inevitably, look more negatively on the kid who got an extraordinarily expensive education starting in elementary school), the game will have been changed for good.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Please, in this area there will always be people with huge incomes fighting for spots at some of these schools, no matter the cost. The salaries of some lobbyists and lawyers in this area are enormous. The schools won't close, they will just as PP said become schools only for the very rich and the families with low enough incomes to receive financial aid. Its kind of getting to be that way now and it will only get more pronounced. This is why Deal is getting so overcrowded.

Frankly, if these schools were more efficient with lower tuition, many more kids would be applying from upper middle class families (actually, that would be families still in the top 25% perhaps), making these schools far more competitive than they already are. The super rich actually do not benefit in that scenarios. More competition for their kids.

Not to fan the fires of depression, but the top 25% in the US are at $80K for a household (probably higher in DC)- there is no way that even $30K is affordable with that sort of income when combined with the cost of living.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Household_income_in_the_United_States

The average HHI in this region is close to double the national average, or, say, $80K. So, the top 25% is maybe at $150K to $200K. The WPost reported today that the top 1% would be at approx $500k in this region. So, if private school tuition were only $25K, you would get considerably more students from the top 25%, paying full freight. That would dramatically increase the competition at the private schools.

[Anonymous]

Also, there seem to be more than a few embassy families whose tuition is paid by their home countries. Same concept as the huge run-up in US college tuition costs: once the government agrees to subsidize something, the schools just raise their prices and those of us who are paying out of pocket have to pony up or get out.

[Anonymous]

I wish that all the DC independents would hire a consultant who would collectively help them to find a better tuition model that permits middle-income families to enroll. I wish that there was a public panel discussion on this topic with all Heads of School participating.

Independent Education: are you listening? aren't you the association who could make a public debate happen?

[Anonymous]

I think the comment isn't entirely accurate that only the very rich (who pay full-freight) or the very poor (who are entirely on financial aid) will go the elite private schools. Some schools definitely make an effort to give partial aid to kids who are entirely middle class (that is, middle class for the DC area). Maret, for example, does this, and I have to assume other schools do too.

[Anonymous]

Stay tuned. The Internet will change how we educate our children. In the meantime, private schools will continue to milk the process --fees--for as long as they are standing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Have you heard of the new Khan Academy? This new area entrant is free with 24/7 on demand educational service for millions of students. The teacher:student ratio is an unbelievable ... 1:1.

I like the idea but watching those video clips is rather boring.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We've decided to leave. It's crazy. Warren Buffett is correct, they should outlaw private schools. Truthfully, do you really believe that your DC's teachers are anything special in private schools? Private schools should be investigated for anti-trust violations. A while back the Ivy League schools were busted. In DC, like NYC, you have a concentration of the uber wealthy and organizations which help close the gap as part of the pay package. BCC, Whitman, Churchill, and Langley are incredible schools and are probably a bit too clubby to help you satisfy/maintain that holier than thou attitude you've been paying for in private.

For me, it's not that the teachers are so great, although many are of course. It's that a child in private school has a well rounded experience everyday. At Winston Churchill, for example, where my DD goes, the day is crammed with academics until they are kicked out the door at 2:10pm. No time for any of the "extras" that make for a holistic experience.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The top 1 percent will still provide plenty of students for the elite private schools.

What a business opportunity
Start a new private school