To try for private K or wait until 4th grade or middle school

[Anonymous]

As the title of the post suggests, we are trying to decide what to do with our rising pre K DD. She is currently at CCPC and will stay this year for pre K. We are zoned for Lafayette and our original plan was to go the public school route. From reading the DC public school forum, we are getting a little concerned about Lafayette, it seems like a lot of people are unhappy. Sooo, was wondering what others have done. Did you try out Lafayette (or Janney, Mann, etc.) or did you go right to private. How did it work out for you?

Thanks in advance.

[Anonymous]

A lot of people go private, a lot go to Lafayette. If you post on the private school forum, you are going to get responses from private school families, for the most part.

[Anonymous]

We chose to start with private at K for many reasons, including that we thought our child would get distracted in a big class, we really value the extras (PE, Art, Music) and think private schools do a better job at making learning fun. We have tons of friends with kids at Lafayette and I've heard mixed reviews. Some love it, others think it's only okay. I don't know anyone who doesn't love our private. I guess if they didn't love it, they would leave.

[Anonymous]

Straight to private (vs Janney). Worked out well. Really happy with science and foreign language -- going into HS with a very strong background in both, which is one of the reasons we chose private. Cohort's great, but that's luck. Year before or after wouldn't have been as simpatico.

DC had a couple of kids join her class from Lafayette in 4th/6th. In each case, their younger sibs made the transition from public to private sooner. In one case, that sounded like dissatisfaction with Lafayette. In the other it might just have been convenience (both kids in the same place).