How much of a tuition increase will make you leave the private schools that you are enrolled in?

[Anonymous]

Absolutely!

[Anonymous]

Yes, absolutely. Sidwell is not a school we were at all interested in for our children (who go to another top private), we did not apply, and this just further demonstrates that they are way too full of themselves. I mean, please, he is basically attempting to equate Sidwell applications/emissions with the top colleges in the country that draw applicants from the entire world. One day that sort of hubris is likely to come back and bite Sidwell in the a$$. It is both absurd and embarrassing.

[Anonymous]

Did anyone else think the Sidwell quote was over the top?

yeah - just a bit

[Anonymous]

We will probably call it quits in the next year. Not because of increases, but because of the present tuition. We got ourselves into a mess.
I noticed that the neighborhood kids in public read just as well as mine, and are ahead in math.
After reading threads here on public vs private, I think that we've wasted quite a bunch of money. We like our school and would stay only if tuition went down. We thought we had a lot of money ($350K) but it is dwindling. We can't do nice vacations. I want to cut free of this nonsense.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We will probably call it quits in the next year. Not because of increases, but because of the present tuition. We got ourselves into a mess.
I noticed that the neighborhood kids in public read just as well as mine, and are ahead in math.
After reading threads here on public vs private, I think that we've wasted quite a bunch of money. We like our school and would stay only if tuition went down. We thought we had a lot of money ($350K) but it is dwindling. We can't do nice vacations. I want to cut free of this nonsense.

We may be right there with you. Our oldest is now in his 4th year of independent school. We have a second child who will be applying for K this year. Don't know how much longer we can do it.

[Anonymous]

I am thinking the same. Should I overextend myself, or choose public and in the end give my graduate a fat 529 account?
Will the end result be the same from public school?

[Anonymous]

We have two in private school, with the younger one about to start at a new private school in September. Basically we will have to decide by February (when the new contracts come out) whether to stay or go. We just can't see a way that we can afford ten years of rising tuitions, even though we really love the schools our kids attend/will attend. I was wondering how difficult it will be to transition into the public schools after private. A big fear is that the kids will be resentful that they were forced to leave schools that offered them just about everything.

[Anonymous]

pp, I hear you, but they will have to adjust. The upside is (for us) more ski trips and fun vacations!

I took my dd out of a fancy ballet school and put her in the county program. She has no plans to become a ballerina. She was at first disappointed, but she has also been exposed to kids that I think she will be friends with for life.

[Anonymous]

I hear that enrollment is way down in Britain due to high tuition and outcome studies that are also showing no difference in private vs public test scores.
I also worry about my future income. There is a chance that I could lose my job, those tuition dollars would be a help if that happened.
I only hear from relatives, studies, and co-workers that say we are wasting our money. They might be right.

[Anonymous]

The Sidwell quote is esp. awful since those schools have made major new commitments to financial aid-- they are free to middle class families (up to around 60k) and families up to 200k only pay 10% of their income. Somehow I doubt Sidwell is using need blind admissions and offering that level of financial aid.

[Anonymous]

We can afford private but are doing public in MOCO, in part because the finances for sending two are truly crazy when we have really great public schools here, and I am an educated SAHM, who will be on top of things. When I factored in normal private school increases in tuition, lost savings, etc. I just could not justify it. Freedom! For us, it will mean the ability to do a lot of extras as a family, vacations, classes, etc. for everyone, and ensure that I can remain at home which is important to me (currently).

[Anonymous]

PP here, also as someone who likes Sidwell and the Quakers even more so, I was more that annoyed by the quote. Not too humble.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The Sidwell quote is esp. awful since those schools have made major new commitments to financial aid-- they are free to middle class families (up to around 60k) and families up to 200k only pay 10% of their income. Somehow I doubt Sidwell is using need blind admissions and offering that level of financial aid.

That still makes it hard for the 300k families. After taxes, it is a big chunk if you have more than one child.
I predict that Sidwell will get a surprise this fall with fewer applicants and fewer contracts signed.

[Anonymous]

As the publics do better academically, and private tuition increases, the private schools will have to justify or differentiate themselves more. What are we getting for the money?
Also, in this area, the declining student volume helps the public schools more than the private schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The Sidwell quote is esp. awful since those schools have made major new commitments to financial aid-- they are free to middle class families (up to around 60k) and families up to 200k only pay 10% of their income. Somehow I doubt Sidwell is using need blind admissions and offering that level of financial aid.

Is it true that if families make less than say $50 or $60K, that a school will not expect them to pay anything?