Sidwell tuition increase

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ncs has much nicer facilities.
It also historically caters a wealthier base. While sidwell is also academically rigorous and well respected, they are very different institutions.

NCS is a very good school, but that overall reputation unfortunately hasn't extended to financial management. Historically, that's been a challenge for the school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ncs has much nicer facilities.
It also historically caters a wealthier base. While sidwell is also academically rigorous and well respected, they are very different institutions.

Is that really true, or is it just a historical reputation that gets reinforced through a local/online echo chamber?

I'm currently looking at both schools FWIW. The MS/US library at NCS is very nice, and their athletic facilities are impressive, but Sidwell's new athletic facilities at the MS/US are basically the same. I didn't get the impression that either school had nicer facilities overall than the other (putting aside NCS having access to the National Cathedral).

I was expecting the two schools to have very different feels from one another, but after visiting them both, they seemed to have more that's in common than things that are different.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is why it’s dumb to send your child to private unless money is no object. If a 3.75 percent increase actually affects you then you have no business sending your child to private as it means you’re spending a significant portion of your after tax wages on tuition, which is even worse considering your taxes pay for local public schools. Not to mention it’s highly debatable that private schools even make a difference as study after study show it’s mainly your family uppbringing and if your parents value education.

Oh shut up. People can complain. It is their money. Do what you want with yours.

And people can criticize them for it. You shut up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sidwell is a Quaker School.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quakers

The cathedral schools are somehow under the same tax structure as the cathedral...so theeir 990s are pretty opaque

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Religious schools don't have to file 990s?

They don’t have to report salaries in the same way, which is why you can look up the head’s salary at Sidwell, but not at St. Albans or NCS. “Technically” ncs and sta (and Beauvoir) are “religious” Schools.

Technically, Sidwell is too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ncs has much nicer facilities.
It also historically caters a wealthier base. While sidwell is also academically rigorous and well respected, they are very different institutions.

NCS is a very good school, but that overall reputation unfortunately hasn't extended to financial management. Historically, that's been a challenge for the school.

I think you may be confusing the school with the Cathedral itself. I have never heard anything bad about financial management at NCS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ncs has much nicer facilities.
It also historically caters a wealthier base. While sidwell is also academically rigorous and well respected, they are very different institutions.

NCS is a very good school, but that overall reputation unfortunately hasn't extended to financial management. Historically, that's been a challenge for the school.

I think you may be confusing the school with the Cathedral itself. I have never heard anything bad about financial management at NCS.

NP - I also heard that they didn't have the money to finish this last library project and STA had to bail them out. Just rumors, though, I'm not in a position to know. Yes, the Cathedral is struggling!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you're truly "middle class" you shouldn't be attending this school in the firs place.

Face it. Private school is for rich people, period. Don't believe anyone who tries to tell you otherwise.

+1. The academics are excellent, but what you are really paying for is the social network (including access to elite colleges). Elite private schools strive to have some lower SES students, but middle class students do nothing to further the mission.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ncs has much nicer facilities.
It also historically caters a wealthier base. While sidwell is also academically rigorous and well respected, they are very different institutions.

NCS is a very good school, but that overall reputation unfortunately hasn't extended to financial management. Historically, that's been a challenge for the school.

I think you may be confusing the school with the Cathedral itself. I have never heard anything bad about financial management at NCS.

NP - I also heard that they didn't have the money to finish this last library project and STA had to bail them out. Just rumors, though, I'm not in a position to know. Yes, the Cathedral is struggling!

Strange rumor. 100% false

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A good rule of thumb for private school is that you can afford it if you can save an amount in private brokerages equal to what you pay in tuition. If you’re sending one child to sidwell you should be able to contribute at least 45k a year to savings/investments outside of retirement. If not, you can’t afford it.

God, who the hell can afford this?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you're truly "middle class" you shouldn't be attending this school in the firs place.

Face it. Private school is for rich people, period. Don't believe anyone who tries to tell you otherwise.

Garman admitted so much at last year's state of the school speech - he presented figures showing that ~20-30 years ago a typical private school could be afforded by the top 3 quintiles of income, and the distribution of students reflected that. Now, by comparison, it's affordable only to the top quintile and some of the 2nd quintile, again reflected in student populations.

I guess his stated concern isn't reflected in actual action.

What action do you propose? Keep tuition the same and make program cuts? Keep tuition the same and pay teachers less relative to their peers at other public and private school (which probably means losing said teachers)? I think if there was a clear action to take he would have done it already, but there isn't an obvious solution. Or even a non-obvious one.

The teachers are already paid well beneath teachers at Public schools. However, privates don't have to worry about losing them because the teachers are uncertified so the public wouldn't hire them anyways.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you're truly "middle class" you shouldn't be attending this school in the firs place.

Face it. Private school is for rich people, period. Don't believe anyone who tries to tell you otherwise.

+1. The academics are excellent, but what you are really paying for is the social network (including access to elite colleges). Elite private schools strive to have some lower SES students, but middle class students do nothing to further the mission.

They should just get rid of FA and lower fees 40% for everyone.

That's how the middle class might have a chance.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:40,840 currently
42,371 2017-2018
43,959 2018-2019
45,607 2019-2020
47,317 2020-2021
49,091 2021-2022

HEY IS CHEAP!

[Anonymous]

For a kid entering K next fall, you can expect to pay at least $600k - just in tuition the time they graduate from the upper school.
This is true for every private school along Wisconsin Avenue.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The teachers are already paid well beneath teachers at Public schools. However, privates don't have to worry about losing them because the teachers are uncertified so the public wouldn't hire them anyways.

Their loss.