Would you rather send your DC to private school in the lower grades or high school?

[Anonymous]

DH and I disagree on this. DH thinks the lower grades don't matter as much and only high school matters. I feel that the lower grades are most important because the child will build their academic foundation. If the child has a solid foundation, the child could probably thrive in high school whether it be public or private. We are zoned for a decent but not stellar public school pyramid. DH and I both agree that if our only goal was best possible college placement, our children would have the best shot if they graduated top of their class at our decent but not steller high school.

[Anonymous]

I think it depends on your kid.

We wanted our kid to like school and want to learn. We living in a "failing" cluster and our visits to the local school did nothing to convince us that the school would do more than warehouse our kid.

Moving is not an option.

So we are doing private for the early years and we'll reevaluate in a few years.

[Anonymous]

Earlier is better. Set the foundation and you child would succeed anywhere. If you screw up the formative years, the future is over. Apply for aid, you might get it, and the future will take care of itself.

I went to private school early, then public school. Every other school was easier and I excelled.

What good is saving the money for high school if your kid can't test well enough to get in, bc you were saving money, hoping for a top tier outcome. Lets face it, the private schools around here, are amazing and worth the early sacrifice.

It amazes me that so many think that we'll since they did great in public schools, my kids can do the same. Times have changed and gaps have widened.

[Anonymous]

I didn't like my big public high school experience (a top school in VA by most measures). DH liked his but at a small(er) private school. So i think having more of say in HS is key as the kids get older.

For our kids we did parochial k-8 then let them choose (not exactly but close) whatever high school they want to go to whether it is public, private or catholic. So far this is working for us with 2 in HS (one private, one catholic, and another still in MS).

[Anonymous]

We did public through 4th, then moved the kids to private. Our reasoning...public and private are largely the same format in the early grades. In middle and high school, the difference is night and day.

[Anonymous]

I agree with pp. A decent public school is fine in the early years. Unless your kid can get into TJ or you live in the Whitman district -- forget public for h.s.

[Anonymous]

Totally agree that if you are in a decent to good elementary school district you are much better off waiting until middle or high school to switch.

[Anonymous]

"Private early, for as long as you can and then switch" as explained to me by a past president of AIMS. The goal is to set the foundation early; how to learn, not what to learn. Children, at that age, also learn how to navigate and negotiate social structures which can be applied to a larger public format in the future.

[Anonymous]

Private early, then public later if it is a strong option. Instill love of learning in younger years before social pressures apply. If you wait till HS, you've lost some kids.

[Anonymous]

It depends on the child. And you can't know when they're in kindergarten.

I think college counseling is much better at privates. I also think the curriculum challenges students more. I vote with DH, OP.

[Anonymous]

We went with public (DCPS) in elementary and then moved to private in middle (7th). I am happy we did it that way because it gave us all time to figure out what kind of kid/student she would be. I would never have chosen the school she's in now if I had to make the choice in K.

The biggest difference between public and private is the amount of attention that is paid to her by each teacher. Public school report cards and progress reports were always the same: two or three sentences that appeared as if it came from a checklist: "pleasure to have in class," "completes work in a timely fashion," "uses time well in class," "contributes to classroom discussion." Now, we get reports from each teacher that go into detail about her work, her personality, how she is growing throughout the year, how well she works in groups, what kind of things she talks about in class, and things she can do to improve. The care and attention she receives now is astounding. As we move into the high school years, I feel good knowing she will continue to receive this sort of attention not only from her teachers, but also from college counselors. I agree with PP and your DH.

I think the argument can be made either way, but in our experience, this way was better for our kid. Good luck with the decision.

[Anonymous]

I started at one of the schools over which everyone here salivates in 7th after K-6 public elementary. My husband was the same but in 9th in a different city. Our kids are in public ES now and we would love the smaller class sizes and additional specials that privates offer, but won't apply until middle school. The neighborhood school is a good one and they can walk, and all of their friends are right here and we know so many of the parents. It's working for us and I know from experience that you don't have to be at a school from birth for it to make a big difference.