Are private schools really that special or just overpriced?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We were happy with DCPS elementary, live our DCPS middle and first DC chose public HS over private and loves it. 🤷🏻‍♀️

I grew up here and went to DCPS all through high school. What people don’t seem to understand is that things have changed drastically since when I was in school. Many, many more DC folks send their kids all the way through high school now as opposed to in the 90’s. I think some people are still stuck in the past and that there are a lot of people who can afford private but choose public now.

Do you really believe that? If money doesn't matter, that people are choosing public? People can afford the tuition, without any sort of sacrifice or trade-off, and they are choosing public?

That doesn't sound right at all.

That happens all the time in MCPS.

You sound delusional, no offense. That just isn't true.

And yet, it is true. I don't know what you qre basing your information on, but if your kids went to public school, you'd know.

I don’t think you understand what real wealth looks like. Public school is never a consideration for people who can truly afford private.

Of course, we don’t want to mix and mingle with a lower social class. We just want to be socially inclusive in private schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We were happy with DCPS elementary, live our DCPS middle and first DC chose public HS over private and loves it. 🤷🏻‍♀️

I grew up here and went to DCPS all through high school. What people don’t seem to understand is that things have changed drastically since when I was in school. Many, many more DC folks send their kids all the way through high school now as opposed to in the 90’s. I think some people are still stuck in the past and that there are a lot of people who can afford private but choose public now.

Do you really believe that? If money doesn't matter, that people are choosing public? People can afford the tuition, without any sort of sacrifice or trade-off, and they are choosing public?

That doesn't sound right at all.

That happens all the time in MCPS.

You sound delusional, no offense. That just isn't true.

And yet, it is true. I don't know what you qre basing your information on, but if your kids went to public school, you'd know.

I don’t think you understand what real wealth looks like. Public school is never a consideration for people who can truly afford private.

I do understand. And, true, you won't find families at public with $50 million net worth. But up to $10 million? Yes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We were happy with DCPS elementary, live our DCPS middle and first DC chose public HS over private and loves it. 🤷🏻‍♀️

I grew up here and went to DCPS all through high school. What people don’t seem to understand is that things have changed drastically since when I was in school. Many, many more DC folks send their kids all the way through high school now as opposed to in the 90’s. I think some people are still stuck in the past and that there are a lot of people who can afford private but choose public now.

Do you really believe that? If money doesn't matter, that people are choosing public? People can afford the tuition, without any sort of sacrifice or trade-off, and they are choosing public?

That doesn't sound right at all.

That happens all the time in MCPS.

You sound delusional, no offense. That just isn't true.

And yet, it is true. I don't know what you qre basing your information on, but if your kids went to public school, you'd know.

I don’t think you understand what real wealth looks like. Public school is never a consideration for people who can truly afford private.

I do understand. And, true, you won't find families at public with $50 million net worth. But up to $10 million? Yes.

Only if they are pinching pennies.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We were happy with DCPS elementary, live our DCPS middle and first DC chose public HS over private and loves it. 🤷🏻‍♀️

I grew up here and went to DCPS all through high school. What people don’t seem to understand is that things have changed drastically since when I was in school. Many, many more DC folks send their kids all the way through high school now as opposed to in the 90’s. I think some people are still stuck in the past and that there are a lot of people who can afford private but choose public now.

Absolutely not true. If privates were cheaper, even more families will leave DCPS.

100%

[Anonymous]

My daughter is in a parochial school for kindergarten, so not expensive compared to secular private schools but not public. For us, the alternative is a K-5 that’s ranked around 1000th in the state of Virginia, followed by a poorly-performing middle school and then Annandale High School. She does have legacy at a couple top-10 universities, and we supplement heavily at home. I wouldn’t bank on the parochial school system by itself to get her into my alma mater, but it certainly won’t seriously harm her chances in the way that the public schools we’re zoned for would. (And if you understand what admissions committees are looking for at elite universities, you know full well that you can’t just drop your kid into an expensive private school and have that school take care of building a competitive candidate all on its own).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's trolling because you are making strawman claims.

Not really. It’s trolling, in your view, because I am saying things that you don’t like to hear.

No, you are mischaracterizing what other people are saying and putting words in their mouth.

Not really. I am describing what they are saying, that public schools are inferior to private schools (in their view) and that parents from those schools are not allowed to comment on private schools. But in fact many parents from private schools find them a bit overpriced. You can read the classist comments in previous posts.

Curious - can private school parents comment on public schools?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's trolling because you are making strawman claims.

Not really. It’s trolling, in your view, because I am saying things that you don’t like to hear.

No, you are mischaracterizing what other people are saying and putting words in their mouth.

Not really. I am describing what they are saying, that public schools are inferior to private schools (in their view) and that parents from those schools are not allowed to comment on private schools. But in fact many parents from private schools find them a bit overpriced. You can read the classist comments in previous posts.

Curious - can private school parents comment on public schools?

No need to be super curious, just read the comments in this thread and you will figure out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have two kids in elementary -- one in public, one in private. Public school child will eventually go with sibling, but they are happy so we aren't having them apply yet. Will revisit next year.

Today the kid in public came home and told me that one of her classmates bit a kid and then body slammed him to the floor. Last week, our PT conference consisted of sitting down with their teacher for 6 (6!) minutes of the teacher presenting child's I-ready and other scores. I basically had to beg for personal information about how my kid is doing in the class. In DCPS at least, if your kid is performing fine on standardized tests, they are generally ignored.

Contrast that with kid in private who reports zero behavioral issues (typical social issues sure but no disruptive behavior) and whose PT conference is 30 minutes long with detailed observations about my kid specifically. Robust security with essentially a gates campus. Significant classroom involvement and a list of on-campus extracurriculars a mile long.

At the end of the day, both kids are happy and doing well and if we couldn't afford it, our local DCPS would be just fine at least through elementary. But there is a reason that the majority of families who live in DC that can afford private choose that route...

I wouldn’t say that at all. The majority of DCPS parents I know can afford private (some do break off for private in middle or high school)… however, everyone loves the neighborhood school dynamic and are very happy with the elementary and middle schools. I’ve noticed with all my kids that the youngest had the most kids from their elementary go to the public middle school than the previous years before.

I don’t know anyone who can easily afford private that is in public. If it involves any sort of sacrifice or strain on finances, they think they are getting a deal by at least using their public elementary. However the money matters to them and they are just waiting and planning their exit to private.

The neighborhood school dynamic sounds great until you hear about the insane behavioral problems, class sizes, and limited resources. Experiencing it with your own kid makes you want to leave the neighborhood entirely, by moving or going to private school.

I think this really varies depending on the public school and kid at issue. We know lots of families in our neighborhood who could easily afford private for multiple kids for k-12 and chose our highly rated public instead. Our family definitely could have afforded it and chose public k-8 and private HS for our oldest and plan to do the same for our current middle schooler. Our youngest is in elementary and we don’t have any plans to consider private until middle. We might switch her to private then, for HS, or not ever. We’ll see what seems to be the best fit at that point.

We love our public elementary where our kids had between 17-23 kids per class, developed friendships with lots of kids in the neighborhood, and have had amazing teachers. At some point in MS, it seemed that private would be a better option for our older two for different reasons and specific to them. But, things aren’t as black and white as all privates are better than public, private is better for every kid, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have two kids in elementary -- one in public, one in private. Public school child will eventually go with sibling, but they are happy so we aren't having them apply yet. Will revisit next year.

Today the kid in public came home and told me that one of her classmates bit a kid and then body slammed him to the floor. Last week, our PT conference consisted of sitting down with their teacher for 6 (6!) minutes of the teacher presenting child's I-ready and other scores. I basically had to beg for personal information about how my kid is doing in the class. In DCPS at least, if your kid is performing fine on standardized tests, they are generally ignored.

Contrast that with kid in private who reports zero behavioral issues (typical social issues sure but no disruptive behavior) and whose PT conference is 30 minutes long with detailed observations about my kid specifically. Robust security with essentially a gates campus. Significant classroom involvement and a list of on-campus extracurriculars a mile long.

At the end of the day, both kids are happy and doing well and if we couldn't afford it, our local DCPS would be just fine at least through elementary. But there is a reason that the majority of families who live in DC that can afford private choose that route...

I wouldn’t say that at all. The majority of DCPS parents I know can afford private (some do break off for private in middle or high school)… however, everyone loves the neighborhood school dynamic and are very happy with the elementary and middle schools. I’ve noticed with all my kids that the youngest had the most kids from their elementary go to the public middle school than the previous years before.

I don’t know anyone who can easily afford private that is in public. If it involves any sort of sacrifice or strain on finances, they think they are getting a deal by at least using their public elementary. However the money matters to them and they are just waiting and planning their exit to private.

The neighborhood school dynamic sounds great until you hear about the insane behavioral problems, class sizes, and limited resources. Experiencing it with your own kid makes you want to leave the neighborhood entirely, by moving or going to private school.

I think this really varies depending on the public school and kid at issue. We know lots of families in our neighborhood who could easily afford private for multiple kids for k-12 and chose our highly rated public instead. Our family definitely could have afforded it and chose public k-8 and private HS for our oldest and plan to do the same for our current middle schooler. Our youngest is in elementary and we don’t have any plans to consider private until middle. We might switch her to private then, for HS, or not ever. We’ll see what seems to be the best fit at that point.

We love our public elementary where our kids had between 17-23 kids per class, developed friendships with lots of kids in the neighborhood, and have had amazing teachers. At some point in MS, it seemed that private would be a better option for our older two for different reasons and specific to them. But, things aren’t as black and white as all privates are better than public, private is better for every kid, etc.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It seems like every parent in DC is convinced private school is the only path to a good education, but I am wondering how much of that is perception versus reality. Between tuition that rivals college and the pressure to get in, are we truly paying for better academics or just smaller classes, nicer facilities, and the right peer group? If you strip away the brand names, are the results such as college placement, student well being, and critical thinking skills really that different from the top public and charter options? What do you think?

Yes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's trolling because you are making strawman claims.

Not really. It’s trolling, in your view, because I am saying things that you don’t like to hear.

No, you are mischaracterizing what other people are saying and putting words in their mouth.

Not really. I am describing what they are saying, that public schools are inferior to private schools (in their view) and that parents from those schools are not allowed to comment on private schools. But in fact many parents from private schools find them a bit overpriced. You can read the classist comments in previous posts.

Curious - can private school parents comment on public schools?

It’s well established that there are tons of families with kids in both public and private, or switched between public and private (or vice versa). Which part of that is hard for you to understand?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's trolling because you are making strawman claims.

Not really. It’s trolling, in your view, because I am saying things that you don’t like to hear.

No, you are mischaracterizing what other people are saying and putting words in their mouth.

Not really. I am describing what they are saying, that public schools are inferior to private schools (in their view) and that parents from those schools are not allowed to comment on private schools. But in fact many parents from private schools find them a bit overpriced. You can read the classist comments in previous posts.

Curious - can private school parents comment on public schools?

It’s well established that there are tons of families with kids in both public and private, or switched between public and private (or vice versa). Which part of that is hard for you to understand?

The most declarative, emphatic statements come from people who clearly have no experience with public schools. For example, "Public school is never a consideration for people who can truly afford private."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's trolling because you are making strawman claims.

Not really. It’s trolling, in your view, because I am saying things that you don’t like to hear.

No, you are mischaracterizing what other people are saying and putting words in their mouth.

Not really. I am describing what they are saying, that public schools are inferior to private schools (in their view) and that parents from those schools are not allowed to comment on private schools. But in fact many parents from private schools find them a bit overpriced. You can read the classist comments in previous posts.

Curious - can private school parents comment on public schools?

It’s well established that there are tons of families with kids in both public and private, or switched between public and private (or vice versa). Which part of that is hard for you to understand?

The most declarative, emphatic statements come from people who clearly have no experience with public schools. For example, "Public school is never a consideration for people who can truly afford private."

Not sure if you realize what eliminating the Dept of Education is going to do to public schools over the next 10 years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We were happy with DCPS elementary, live our DCPS middle and first DC chose public HS over private and loves it. 🤷🏻‍♀️

I grew up here and went to DCPS all through high school. What people don’t seem to understand is that things have changed drastically since when I was in school. Many, many more DC folks send their kids all the way through high school now as opposed to in the 90’s. I think some people are still stuck in the past and that there are a lot of people who can afford private but choose public now.

Do you really believe that? If money doesn't matter, that people are choosing public? People can afford the tuition, without any sort of sacrifice or trade-off, and they are choosing public?

That doesn't sound right at all.

That happens all the time in MCPS.

You sound delusional, no offense. That just isn't true.

And yet, it is true. I don't know what you qre basing your information on, but if your kids went to public school, you'd know.

I don’t think you understand what real wealth looks like. Public school is never a consideration for people who can truly afford private.

I do understand. And, true, you won't find families at public with $50 million net worth. But up to $10 million? Yes.

Only if they are pinching pennies.

How do you think rich get and stay rich?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's trolling because you are making strawman claims.

Not really. It’s trolling, in your view, because I am saying things that you don’t like to hear.

No, you are mischaracterizing what other people are saying and putting words in their mouth.

Not really. I am describing what they are saying, that public schools are inferior to private schools (in their view) and that parents from those schools are not allowed to comment on private schools. But in fact many parents from private schools find them a bit overpriced. You can read the classist comments in previous posts.

Curious - can private school parents comment on public schools?

It’s well established that there are tons of families with kids in both public and private, or switched between public and private (or vice versa). Which part of that is hard for you to understand?

The most declarative, emphatic statements come from people who clearly have no experience with public schools. For example, "Public school is never a consideration for people who can truly afford private."

Not sure if you realize what eliminating the Dept of Education is going to do to public schools over the next 10 years.

Most of the funding comes from local taxes not the federal government. With properties at historical high levels I wouldn’t worry that much.