Public vs Private (Please weigh in and help us make a decision)

[Anonymous]

What will you do if the other two kids had similarly strong WPPSI scores? Doesn't sound like you could afford private for them too.

If DC1 were an only child I say go private. But with 3 kids public seems a better choice. Spend the $ on great extracurriculars or camps.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. The money is a real consideration. 7k is doable, but definitely means sacrifice. We're cool with making sacrifices for our kid, but we have two younger ones, too, and all of this needs to be part of a long-term plan.

I appreciate all the feedback, too!

OP If your child is already way ahead in K the gap only gets wider. Getting accepted again to private is no problem. But getting FA aid again can be a big problem.

[Anonymous]

7K for a private school is great. Can you do private for a few years, then transfer to public? That is what we are doing for the smaller class sizes and more attention. There are pro's and con's to both situations. We are transferring to public as our school is small and while the class size is great, socially its very difficult as there are a few kids whose behavior is not particularly nice to some of the kids (one went to public and came back - what the other poster was talking about) and really sets the tone for the group of kids. Academics are mixed bag.

If you have two other kids, how will you manage it once they get to school? That is the bigger issue.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

OP If your child is already way ahead in K the gap only gets wider. Getting accepted again to private is no problem. But getting FA aid again can be a big problem.

That actually presents me with another question: what is the standard practice with FA year-to-year? I just realized I need to ask the school this, too, but can anyone weigh in on the likelihood that--assuming our financial circumstances remain similar--can we assume FA will remain consistent as well? Has anyone had the rude awakening that they will not get FA after counting on it previous years?

[Anonymous]

Public for sure because you have three kids. You probably aren't going to get enough financial aid for all three that you only end up paying 7,000 for all three kids (2,333 for each kid). Long term private school won't work for your family -financially or logistically when the younger two start school. Are you really going to stretch to pay 7,000 for your oldest and schlep him to private school then drop off your second at the public school?

[Anonymous]

I think you may have made a mistake in applying to private before trying out your local K. While your kid is smart, there are tons of smart kids in this area - my kid who also scored similarly on the WISP and was plenty challenged in her good public school. THAT SAID, now that you are in and you can afford it, you should take the spot. You are unlikely to find a similar placement later on.

I also know many families where one kid is in private and the others are not. I wouldn't turn down this offer for that reason alone. If, later on, you feel like you must send all of them to the private and do not receive enough aid, then you can cross that bridge. But for now, take the spot, and enjoy it.

[Anonymous]

Put him in the private for K-3. Test in HGC if he is still ahead by then.

[Anonymous]

What is your end goal? Do you have aspirations for Ivy League, Supreme Court track, etc?

I say this because, I have had to really think through this process with my child. I think DS could easily attend a much more rigorous school. That being said, he is socially and emotionally very happy at his neighborhood public school. We supplement more at home and deal with him being more academically advanced than his peers. We work with the teachers to make sure he is being challenged with some differentiation in the classroom, but we understand that he could be moving faster.

We made the decision to stick with the public school because we realized that in actuality, we probably are on a track that would send him to an affordable state school. Potentially grad school as well. But we did not see a future where he would be ivy bound or on the road for a Nobel prize.

I am exaggerating a bit, but if it makes any sense we essentially decided in the end, he would probably just be a normal, albeit more intelligent than the average joe, adult. We were fine with that outcome and felt that the added benefits of being social with a wider spectrum of students- across race, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, languages, cultures, etc- would probably impact him in a way that was more meaningful to us- and the sort of future we see for him- than a more rigorous academic program would.

I am not saying this choice is for everyone, and completely understand why someone would go the other way, but my point is just to think about your end goal. I think your child can be happy in either situation and can be provided a solid education. But just try to look at the bigger picture before making the decision.

[Anonymous]

I love people talking about whether they want Ivy's for their not yet in kindergarten student! Awesome for your kids

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I go the other way..start in public. See how it goes. If it works you get the benefits of the neighbor hood school and the cost savings. I am sure he will be accepted privately again with high test scores and after a year of K you might know more about his learning style/interests etc when choosing where to apply.

You're "sure"? I think not.

OP here. This has been a big part of our hand-wringing. How likely is it that we are blowing an opportunity if we start in public? Does it actually get more difficult to matriculate into a private school if we start, say, in third grade or 5th?

Certain grades are expansion years, although the specific expansion years vary by school. But the older the child is, the easier it is to distinguish among them academically. A high WPPSI score is great, but not particularly predictive of how he will do in school or his score on the WISC (IQ test for older kids). So how hard it is to go to private school later will depend on how his academic strengths actually play out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What is your end goal? Do you have aspirations for Ivy League, Supreme Court track, etc?

.

Supreme Court track for a kindergartner? WTF?

[Anonymous]

I think it isn't about your aspirations, but your child's needs. The major difference between public and private is the classroom. In public, the ratios are quite different - there are usually 25-29 children per classroom and 1 teacher in MCPS. 20 minutes of recess. PE 1x/week. Limited music & art instruction as well. Long day of school. In terms of content, I actually do not think there is a huge difference between most public schools and most private schools. BUT...in public school, many schools have a cap - a cap on how far through the material a child can go, a cap on reading levels. Additionally, with the teacher/student ratio, there is a fair amount of time spent with teachers expecting students to sit still and work on work sheets.

The real question is, how does your child do in these circumstances? Some children are fine in any environment, regardless of their intelligence. Some children really struggle with sitting still and work sheets, and if they are also highly intelligent and there is a cap being placed on what they can learn, that struggle sitting still does turn to boredom and behavioral issues.

Sometimes, the right choice is to give public a try and see how it goes. For others, the early years are the important ones for private school - the smaller class sizes, the ability to individualize education, the greater amount of physical activity and hands-on engagement that translate into a love of learning are the important points. I think if you believe your child needs this last point, then the offer you have is wonderful, and you are likely to appreciate that opportunity. Transitioning to good public schools later, when smaller classes become less important can always be an option.

But, if your primary reason is advanced academics...very few private schools really do offer acclerated learning, although they do seem to do a better job of interactive and engaged learning than public schools right now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think it isn't about your aspirations, but your child's needs. The major difference between public and private is the classroom. In public, the ratios are quite different - there are usually 25-29 children per classroom and 1 teacher in MCPS. 20 minutes of recess. PE 1x/week. Limited music & art instruction as well. Long day of school. In terms of content, I actually do not think there is a huge difference between most public schools and most private schools. BUT...in public school, many schools have a cap - a cap on how far through the material a child can go, a cap on reading levels. Additionally, with the teacher/student ratio, there is a fair amount of time spent with teachers expecting students to sit still and work on work sheets.

The real question is, how does your child do in these circumstances? Some children are fine in any environment, regardless of their intelligence. Some children really struggle with sitting still and work sheets, and if they are also highly intelligent and there is a cap being placed on what they can learn, that struggle sitting still does turn to boredom and behavioral issues.

Sometimes, the right choice is to give public a try and see how it goes. For others, the early years are the important ones for private school - the smaller class sizes, the ability to individualize education, the greater amount of physical activity and hands-on engagement that translate into a love of learning are the important points. I think if you believe your child needs this last point, then the offer you have is wonderful, and you are likely to appreciate that opportunity. Transitioning to good public schools later, when smaller classes become less important can always be an option.

But, if your primary reason is advanced academics...very few private schools really do offer acclerated learning, although they do seem to do a better job of interactive and engaged learning than public schools right now.

Although this is debatable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. The money is a real consideration. 7k is doable, but definitely means sacrifice. We're cool with making sacrifices for our kid, but we have two younger ones, too, and all of this needs to be part of a long-term plan.

I appreciate all the feedback, too!

OP If your child is already way ahead in K the gap only gets wider. Getting accepted again to private is no problem. But getting FA aid again can be a big problem.

Not sure I agree that the gap only gets wider. A K-er that can read well is WAY ahead on a non-reader which affects virtually every subject. But by 3rd grade almost everyone is reading pretty fluently..differently levels..but the gap is far smaller than in the early years.

[Anonymous]

OP, you would basically be gambling $7,000 on the ideas that

a. public school will not work for your child,
b. Private School X will work for your child (or will work better),
c. when you try to put your child into Private School X after public school didn't work, your child either will not get admitted or will not get financial aid.

I wouldn't take that gamble, because $7,000 a year is a lot for us, plus we usually prefer not to solve problems that may not even arise. But your budget and your decisionmaking may be different.