Private schools - for which grades does it matter the most?

[Anonymous]

OP here - thanks for all your valuable input!

[Anonymous]

private for MS

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op, if you can get into a K-8 for grades 4-8, it would be nice. The public schools seem to break down then. Also, even though the class sizes are smaller in private school, the teachers are not as well qualified.

OP here - do you mean go with public for K-8 and then move to private? Thanks!

No, I mean public K-3 or 4, private (at a K-8) through 8, then public again.
The reason I say at a K-8, is that the K-12 or 3-12 tend to ignore the lower grades.
If you can get into Montessori for nursery that would be nice.

[Anonymous]

High school.

[Anonymous]

Beats me. I've had kids in both public and private at various ages. I'm still trying to figure out what's been the best formula. I will say this -- it's not easy to move many kids in their teens. Friends are so important at that age, and if I could avoid disruptions in grades 7-12 I probably would do so.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:private for MS

I am surprised more people haven't picked MS. My son just entered public kinder. It seems fine so far both for academics and socialization. I am pleased with our public elementary school and public high school option looks good too. Not pleased with public MS option so we are hoping to send him to private MS.

[Anonymous]

I wouldn't pick MS only because it's such a short time frame. I wouldn't want dc to leave a school and friends, go to another school for 3 years, only to go back to public. If you're considering private for 6-12, then that's another story.

[Anonymous]

HS because college counseling, which should begin as early as 9th grade (with practice PSATs), is absolutely abysmal at most public HSs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Private pre-K through 8 schools have about twelve students in a class with two teachers, (some like Beauvoir, I've read on here have slightly more), and they supposedly create a joy of learning. Studies show (and they are pretty easily findable on google) that smaller class sizes matter for the younger kids.

I'm a fan of K-8 schools, but I think many of the well-known schools around here have class sizes that are closer to 20, although they often break into smaller groups for reading and math.

[Anonymous]

08:31-- the MS formula, previously junior high (7-8) and now MS (6-8) is a fine amount of time to get in and out of a school program. Plenty of high schools are solely senior highs and everyone is new and plenty of K-12 or 6-12 see an influx of new students in G9. 2 or 3 years is long to kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:HS because college counseling, which should begin as early as 9th grade (with practice PSATs), is absolutely abysmal at most public HSs.

Having had kids in private and public high schools I agree that college counseling is weaker in public. But you can buy outside college counseling for a lot less than $35k/year. And at least at our public there is far more standardized test prep than at the 2 private schools I am very familiar with. Our public school starts the PSAT in 9th and does it in school and it's mandatory for all 9th-11th graders (it's today in fact). Our private school did it in 10th on Saturday and it was not mandatory, although obviously most kids took it. Outside SAT tutors are pretty much the norm at our public school too. The overall college focus is extremely high at our public school. The college counselors start parent meetings in 10th grade. What you get less of is the personalized time with the counselors because there just aren't enough of them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Private pre-K through 8 schools have about twelve students in a class with two teachers, (some like Beauvoir, I've read on here have slightly more), and they supposedly create a joy of learning. Studies show (and they are pretty easily findable on google) that smaller class sizes matter for the younger kids.

I'm a fan of K-8 schools, but I think many of the well-known schools around here have class sizes that are closer to 20, although they often break into smaller groups for reading and math.

WES and I think Grace have smaller than 20 class sizes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:HS because college counseling, which should begin as early as 9th grade (with practice PSATs), is absolutely abysmal at most public HSs.

Having had kids in private and public high schools I agree that college counseling is weaker in public. But you can buy outside college counseling for a lot less than $35k/year. And at least at our public there is far more standardized test prep than at the 2 private schools I am very familiar with. Our public school starts the PSAT in 9th and does it in school and it's mandatory for all 9th-11th graders (it's today in fact). Our private school did it in 10th on Saturday and it was not mandatory, although obviously most kids took it. Outside SAT tutors are pretty much the norm at our public school too. The overall college focus is extremely high at our public school. The college counselors start parent meetings in 10th grade. What you get less of is the personalized time with the counselors because there just aren't enough of them.

Maybe at the Walt Whitman, TJs, and Blair you have mandatory PSATs, but *most* public HS do not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Private pre-K through 8 schools have about twelve students in a class with two teachers, (some like Beauvoir, I've read on here have slightly more), and they supposedly create a joy of learning. Studies show (and they are pretty easily findable on google) that smaller class sizes matter for the younger kids.

I'm a fan of K-8 schools, but I think many of the well-known schools around here have class sizes that are closer to 20, although they often break into smaller groups for reading and math.

WES and I think Grace have smaller than 20 class sizes.

So does St. Andrew's. I believe at both Grace and St. A class size is 18 max...if they get 19 kids they hire another teacher.

[Anonymous]

MS. Public middle schools suck. Even the good ones. public elementary was way stronger than private, academically.

So, if you could, do public for k-5, private 6-8 and hs could go either way.