Moving to Arlington vs Private Tuition

[Anonymous]

Parents are fleeing ACPS to avoid hearing the word "bestie"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Frankly, I think it would be financially disasterous and irresponsible to spend $30K/year/kid on a salary of $225K. I know that $225K is a very good household income -- but not when you are spending $125K/year for tuition and summer programs. It's ridiculous that $225K doesn't get you everything you want.... but that's the way it is here.

Have to agree.

Far better to put the money into a house in a good neighborhood -- i.e., one in which the local public school is excellent, of which there are many.

I cannot even believe OP is considering such a thing. Financial DISASTER. Absolute lunacy.

OP, please sit down with your budget and a calculator. There is no way in hell you can make this math work. Don't forget that it is going to cost you the equivalent of today's $100,000 EACH of your children to a Virginia state college, and I can assure you (as someone with a similar HHI) that unless all three of them will be in college at the same time, there will be no financial aid to assist you with that. (When I run the expected family contribution calculator for our family, it spits out $42,000--far more than the cost of VA state schools, but far less than the cost of top-tier privates.) How are you going to save money like this, not to mention what you will need for retirement?

[Anonymous]

We did it. With just two kids, not three, and far less HHI. It can be done. You just have to prioritize. Oldest child is at a state university now so that really helps. His education including room and board is actually cheaper than what he was costing us in high school, so the financial strain has actually eased since he went to college.

Now we don't have a lot of the other stuff our peers have. We have a small house, older cars (always bought with cash), few vacations, tiny wardrobes, etc. Education is our largest household expense! exceeding housing! but to us it is worth it and has worked out.

[Anonymous]

It's tough. But I love Alexandria and detest Arlington so I would find a way to make it work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We did it. With just two kids, not three, and far less HHI. It can be done. You just have to prioritize. Oldest child is at a state university now so that really helps. His education including room and board is actually cheaper than what he was costing us in high school, so the financial strain has actually eased since he went to college.

Now we don't have a lot of the other stuff our peers have. We have a small house, older cars (always bought with cash), few vacations, tiny wardrobes, etc. Education is our largest household expense! exceeding housing! but to us it is worth it and has worked out.

It can be done, but at what cost? It sounds like you've given up some of the joys of life to pay for private schools when there are so many good public schools in this area. You did all that so your kid could go to a state university he could have gotten into anyway with a public k-12 education. You seem happy with your choice, but it sounds like one that involved plenty of sacrifices for not much reward at the end sincerity kid ended up where he probably would have ended up with public schools.

[Anonymous]

If its a decent state university, what is the big deal? Both William and Mary and UVA are state schools, and pretty highly regarded. Poster didn't indicate which school. I've got a 6th grader and a 2nd grader at ACPS and am content there, they both are thriving. If I only read these forums, I would never send my children to ACPS, but instead move to the nirvana that is, apparently, Arlington.