If you were going to choose a private school for only a few years -- which years?

[Anonymous]

If you are in public HS, it may give you a better realistic idea of how your child is doing compared to his peers before the launch to college. He might also need to get used to the larger class size.
I went to a very good MCPS for HS, I was happy. There were many kids who did private MS, as was common back then when MSs were in even worse shape than they are now. Those kids reentered public school with better tools and skills to handle the work load.
I would recommend private MS, but make sure that the challenge keeps up in HS, with advanced classes.

[Anonymous]

DS went to a good MO CO public school K-5. He has now switched to a private (K-12) for 6th and has made a very easy transition academically and socially. If he wants to go to public high school when the time comes, that will be fine by us. We are just happy to have him at a smaller school, receiving much more individual attention, for these formative years. I think if you can only pay for 3 years, MS is the time.

[Anonymous]

I'm not sure you're in MoCo, but I'll share our MoCo experience.

We found that MoCo does find with K-2. When it's a question of teaching basic reading and math skills to an entire class, MoCo's dedicated and enthusiastic teachers do a great job.

It's when kids start to differentiate themselves by skill level -- around 3rd grade -- that MCPS drops the ball. Depending where in MoCo a person lives, some parents complain about too much acceleration in math. Others, particularly downcounty, complain that the schools are too focused on the "on-the-margin" kids who might fail NCLB and don't pay any attention to the kids who will definitely pass NCLB on their own.

Our kids are now in middle and HS magnets, and are appropriately challenged. I don't necessarily agree with a PP that the emphasis is on rote learning, as that's not what we've seen. But then we haven't reached AP's yet so I can't comment on that point.

[Anonymous]

Early years are very important, but kids and schools are less differentiated in those grades. By middle school, kids and their issues are getting complicated and schools sit on a broader spectrum from bad to good. High schools cover an even broader range from terrible to fantastic.

If you have a good public high school option, especially a magnet school that your child has a shot at, it would make lots of sense to put him in a good private K-8 for middle school, to give the best possible preparation (and likelihood of admission) for high school.

If the public high school option is poor, then wait until then so your child gets good preparation for college.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My son has been in public since Kindergarten, and we're looking at switching to private at 6th. If we do make this switch, I think I might be quite happy to move him back to public for high school. Right now, however, I think he needs small class sizes, highly accessible teachers, and some extra attention as he learns how to study (our elementary school pretty much spoon fed him what they wanted him to know) and to organize his time and materials. I also think he'd benefit from a wide range of "extras" such as sports and arts so he can discover his interests, and figure out where his interests lie.

On the other hand, at the high school level, I think that exposure to diversity is key, and that he should have the confidence and skills to manage an environment with much less handholding and individualized attention. In addition, although it would be nice to have all his sports and arts at school, I also assume that he'll be independent enough to seek them out on his own in other settings. Finally, it seems like there are a number of magnet programs that could be a good fit for the right kid at the high school level.

Of course this might be me justifying what I can afford. Based on the assumption that one can afford 4 years of private school. Should I wait and pay for high school? Or did I miss the boat, and should have gotten him off to the "best" possible start with K through 3rd grade?

High schools have art, band, orchestra, theatre, sports. Same location means your child has access and sometimes items are only offered via a school. They have teachers with education and experience in a far wider range than any given parent. Masters and PHD's fom English to history to math to specific sciences. While a parent can function as a generalist like an elementary school teacher , high school teachers are specialists.

Save the money for high school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:?

High schools have art, band, orchestra, theatre, sports. Same location means your child has access and sometimes items are only offered via a school. They have teachers with education and experience in a far wider range than any given parent. Masters and PHD's fom English to history to math to specific sciences. While a parent can function as a generalist like an elementary school teacher , high school teachers are specialists.

I don't really understand your comment about parents here. I dont think the OP is debating between home school and private - I think it's between public and private.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:?

High schools have art, band, orchestra, theatre, sports. Same location means your child has access and sometimes items are only offered via a school. They have teachers with education and experience in a far wider range than any given parent. Masters and PHD's fom English to history to math to specific sciences. While a parent can function as a generalist like an elementary school teacher , high school teachers are specialists.

I don't really understand your comment about parents here. I dont think the OP is debating between home school and private - I think it's between public and private.

The OP mentioned seeking out activities from non-school settings. I don't know if that was a reflection on what is offered at any school [public or private]. Could be independent sports or ballet. Anything not offered at a specific school.

[Anonymous]

OP is asking specifically about private middle school v private high school, given that there's money only for one or the other. I would opt for a private middle school, OP. If you think you can't afford high school, I'd probably select a K-8 school because all the kids will be making transitions at grade 9, not just yours. Do realize that there aren't that many HS magnets and they're very competitive, requiring high-stakes testing for entry. But there are other public HS programs and courses that offer some challenges and a way to focus on individual interests.

[Anonymous]

I don't think going to middle at a K-8 school makes sense because if DC is happy and wants to do another year in private, you are in a real bind. I know several students who did private at schools that went through 12 and then switched to public for Grade 10. Also the notion of maintaining innocence at a school that ends at Grade 8 plays into an unfortunate stereotype. My eighth grader has great role models in the senior class president and other student leaders with whom DC interacts regularly.

[Anonymous]

I suggest Middle School for many of the reasons stated by previous posters. A good Middle School experience will prepare your child for either public or private HS. A bad middle school experience may hinder private HS acceptance as well as the ability to qualify for top public HS classes. While nothing is ever guaranteed, if your child is accepted to a middle school program that both your child and the AD deem a good fit, your dc will probably do well. I think public is a little more of a gamble, although many kids navigate the large middle schools with ease (fyi - my child went public elementary, is attending private middle (he loves it) and I'm not sure about HS as we have a few more years.

[Anonymous]

Our kids went to DCPS for elementary and then moved to private for middle. While we'll probably stay in private, if I had to choose, I'd pick the middle school years for private school, especially if you have a child who would benefit from a little extra attention. Middle school years are formative ones, where kids learn to juggle assignments, manage time, do research, etc., and if these skills are acquired, then high school is much more difficult. In private middle school, the class sizes are very small, the teachers are very experienced with dealing with kids in this age group, the kids have art and sports every day, and it's just a good place for them to get adjusted to a different pace and workload.

[Anonymous]

OP -- it depends where you live -- DC, MD or VA. It also depends on how well your kids are doing in school. Please provide more specifics so people can more carefully respond to your question.

[Anonymous]

OP, this is a tough one. My dd was in DCPS through middle school and is now in private.

As others have noted, if you go private in middle school, your kid may want to stay for high school. On the other hand, you know your kid -- maybe middle school would be best for him.

Now that dd is in private school -- which she loves -- I feel like she is getting an opportunity to work collaboratively with faculty in a way that wasn't possible in public school. I think she is getting a better preparation for college and, this is not insignificant, she will get a lot more help with the college application process. And she is working harder -- both because she is excited about school and because her teachers and her fellow students expect that students will be engaged with the material.

Dd was not thrilled with her DCPS middle school but I'm glad she got the experience there that she did. And we couldn't have afforded to send her both to private middle school and high school. Furthermore the middle school in her current private school is awfully small. I'm not sure that she would have thrived in the same way she is thriving now.

But that all is to say that I don't know what you should do for your dc. So much depends on your kid, you, and your finances. Good luck with it!

[Anonymous]

Like you OP, we have a finite budget for private school and cannot do K-12.

Our plan is to do private middle school (for all the reasons already explained here) and then throw him to the lions of a big DCPS high school 9-12. This assumes DS continues on his current path AND the good things about a couple of DCPS high schools continue to be present in 2017 or so.

I went to a huge, impersonal high school with nearly 3000 students, and I have to say, that was a great preparation for life. I may not research a paper as beautifully as my Big 3 grad spouse, but I do believe I win the life-smarts point, with ease. Those kind of skills are very useful in college and beyond.

[Anonymous]

OP here answering 16:26's questions.

We live in DC, but moving to MD is an option if that's what's best. I think VA is too far. DS does fine in school, meets academic expectations, behaves well, has lots of friends, is involved in extracurriculars. I think, however, he's capable of more academically. He's a very organized purposeful kid, and I think that a program that explicitly taught study and organizational skills would play to his strengths. I also think he's ready for richer content area instruction than he'd get if he stayed at his PK - 8th public school. On the other hand, he's loved the smallness of his current school, and the friendships he's made there, and I worry that he'd be lost in a really big school. Private seems to offer it all -- a manageable size peer group, rich content area instruction, well organized curriculum, and an opportunity to do his extracurriculars (he likes both sports and arts) at school at a more intense level then what I can manage while working full time.