Private school is a terrible ROI for middle class people

[Anonymous]

I went to private school on a pretty considerable scholarship (75 percent) because my family was solidly middle class (not DCUM middle class, real middle class). I thought it was a great ROI - I made a lot of connections that helped me get my post-college job, and also helped me once I was at my law firm later (I got the job myself, but a connection helped me get work from the partner I wanted).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Class anxiety is a powerful drug.

+1000000

[Anonymous]

Well there are about 170,000 kids in my county in public school. Probably 10,000 or fewer in private. Ignore anyone who thinks you can generalize about what happens in all public schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I regret sending my DD to private school that cost more than 60K a year. We don't belong there. We pull DD out at grade 11. DD was there from grade 6 to 10. She sees how top 1% live and friendship cannot last long bc of life style. Entitled kids with different lifestyle and doesn't need to work.

the honesty is refreshing and the bolded is what too many middle class and even working class parents tend to ignore

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I regret sending my DD to private school that cost more than 60K a year. We don't belong there. We pull DD out at grade 11. DD was there from grade 6 to 10. She sees how top 1% live and friendship cannot last long bc of life style. Entitled kids with different lifestyle and doesn't need to work.

the honesty is refreshing and the bolded is what too many middle class and even working class parents tend to ignore

What I took away from this was a high level of insecurity from the kid, probably instilled by the parent. Most kids in my daughter’s private school don’t even consider the economic status of their friends. That’s just the parents unfortunately.

[Anonymous]

My kids are learning, succeeding and enjoy going to their public school everyday. I’m sure the same would be true if they went to private. I think mine would do well anywhere but if they had a special need or compelling reason that private would be better for them, I’d certainly consider it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I regret sending my DD to private school that cost more than 60K a year. We don't belong there. We pull DD out at grade 11. DD was there from grade 6 to 10. She sees how top 1% live and friendship cannot last long bc of life style. Entitled kids with different lifestyle and doesn't need to work.

the honesty is refreshing and the bolded is what too many middle class and even working class parents tend to ignore

What I took away from this was a high level of insecurity from the kid, probably instilled by the parent. Most kids in my daughter’s private school don’t even consider the economic status of their friends. That’s just the parents unfortunately.

Awww. Parents of young kids are so cute.

[Anonymous]

You are insane if you think your daughter isn’t aware of their classmates family wealth/social standing.

[Anonymous]

I haven't read all of the comments, but we considered private school at one point (for our son). However, we live in a pretty solidly middle to UMC area and the public schools are decent with many choices. He was involved in music throughout high school. He has now been out of high school for 14 years (and subsequently graduated from a small private college). All that said, his best friends are the ones he had in high school. They see each other quite a bit, go to a beach house together, etc. He had no problems in public school and enjoyed it. Would private school have been good for him? Who knows? Maybe. I tend to think that his temperament and personality have had more to do with his success in his job and life so far than anything he would have gained through a particular school.

[Anonymous]

We got into 60k private this year for 6th. We got no FA. It would be a stretch for us and having to cut back on lots of things. We passed because not worth the ROI.

[Anonymous]

I agree completely. Invest that money and your kid may never have to work to make ends meet. I make this argument all the time with a couple friends flushing money down the toilet on private, and no, they aren't max invested otherwise.

[Anonymous]

Didn't read through the comments, but our choice was to go with MCPS and then supplement with tutors when we saw gaps in MCPS. This isn't a knock on the overall MCPS system, but one of our kids needed more personal learning and executive function training - and this option was far cheaper than a private.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If private school tuition is 30k a year and you instead invest this money at 7% returns from age 5 through 18, you'll have over 600k by college age. If this 600k was invested another 12 years until 30 it would become almost $1.5M.

I know some people are rich enough to do both but if you can only choose one, what would it be? I think at the very least private school tuition should be cut and you give this money to your kid in young adulthood to help them with buying a house or something. I see so many people who aren't even rich sending kids to private and I just wonder why they do this when it would be way more impactful to their children's future to just invest the money to gift to them as adults.

ROI should never be considered when talking about education or frankly much else.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If private school tuition is 30k a year and you instead invest this money at 7% returns from age 5 through 18, you'll have over 600k by college age. If this 600k was invested another 12 years until 30 it would become almost $1.5M.

I know some people are rich enough to do both but if you can only choose one, what would it be? I think at the very least private school tuition should be cut and you give this money to your kid in young adulthood to help them with buying a house or something. I see so many people who aren't even rich sending kids to private and I just wonder why they do this when it would be way more impactful to their children's future to just invest the money to gift to them as adults.

ROI should never be considered when talking about education or frankly much else.

Maybe, but a bright kid with a K-12 public education who then goes to college debt free and is given a huge downpayment is going to have more job/life options than a kid who went to private school, then the same college as kid 1, but maybe some debt and no down payment or way less inheritance because mom and dad sent all the kids to private school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I regret sending my DD to private school that cost more than 60K a year. We don't belong there. We pull DD out at grade 11. DD was there from grade 6 to 10. She sees how top 1% live and friendship cannot last long bc of life style. Entitled kids with different lifestyle and doesn't need to work.

the honesty is refreshing and the bolded is what too many middle class and even working class parents tend to ignore

What I took away from this was a high level of insecurity from the kid, probably instilled by the parent. Most kids in my daughter’s private school don’t even consider the economic status of their friends. That’s just the parents unfortunately.

Kids don't look at economic status until they are in high school. The top 1% sticks together. If you are in lower end, you don't get invite to these party as you get older. Even if you get invited, you can't keep up with their lifestyle. You can't fly your kid to Europe for holiday break. It was great in middle school but as DD get older, it be apparent we don't belong there. DD still connect with few kids at top tier private school. Most of these kids go to private liberal art colleges where DD goes to well known public university. DD was in culture shock to see how the rest of people live when DD goes to public University. DD was in a bubble. 60K plus private school is great if you can afford it but it is a bubble.