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St. Patrick's -- is it really worth $28,000 a year???
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Anonymous
The same college as your DD no doubt. |
Anonymous
| Sorry pp -- not the case. My kid didn't go to St. Pats and thus, was not a bottom feeder. |
Anonymous
Why so bitchy, PP? You seem to have a bone to pick. Holton is not always a popular choice for St Pats girls, but I happen to know that this year several applied, almost all were offered spots and those same girls also got into to other equally excellent schools like NCS, GDS, Sidwell, Potomac, Maret , etc... |
Anonymous
| I'm sure those flaming St. Pats's were rejected or waitlisted when they applied. If you have a child attending the school you won't say anything that is being said in this forum, you simply can't. The school is fantastic, kids love the school and frankly, I haven't met one single parent/student that is not in love with the school, their teachers, the head, the community. Is it worth $28K a year? Absolutely. |
Anonymous
Perhaps. It sounds like it used to be easier to get into and was considered a fall back school for some. That is no longer true however. It has become a much stronger school academically under the guidance of the current head, Peter Barrett. |
Anonymous
| It might be a nice little school. But the kid could go to a public school that would be just as good or better in terms of education. |
Anonymous
That "perhaps" was "perhaps the flamers were rejected or waitlisted" NOT "perhaps its worth $28K." I, personally, think it is worth the going rate of a top Washington DC prioavte school because that is what St Pats is today. Ask to see the results of where students matriculate next and that is your proof. |
Anonymous
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Tuition for St. Patrick's is similar to other private schools in NW DC. Better questions if would you be willing to pay that tuition at any school? If you are willing to pay that tuition at some schools, you need to figure out what makes it worthwhile to you at some schools.
We have a child at St. Patrick's and it is a good fit for our child. DC is challenged and engaged. DC is happy to be going to school in the morning. DC was having trouble with some other kids, and we worked with the teachers and administrators to address it successfully. I've talked to other parents, and from their experiences, it is clear to me that the school works really hard to make sure that kids don't fall between the cracks, but any learning challenges are identified and addressed as early as possible. Is it the right school for every child? Of course not. Do we feel the tuition is worthwhile? Yes. We can also afford it without making ramen noodles a part of our weekly dinner menu (although we do drive older cars, are more frugal with our vacations, etc, than we would be if we sent DC to public school). |
Anonymous
| St. Pat's is a very sweet little school -- especially for N, JK. Warm, nurturing. Academics get weaker the higher up you go. The math curriculum is very, very weak, but that's true at many other schools as well. Good luck. |
Anonymous
This person clearly doesn't know much about St. Pats since there is no "JK." Also, the AD at STA has said that the boys coming from St. Patricks are consistenly the best prepared from any other schools. |
Anonymous
Hah! PP has no knowledge of St Pats at all. JK, really? Weak, hee hee. Very silly post. St Pat's math program is consistently recognized by next step schools as one of the best around. Its literacy, both reading and writing, program is as well. Truly, its an incredibly strong school academically. Look at the exmissions. Talk to teachers and ADs at the most usual next step schools (Cathedral, Sidwell, Maret, Potomac, GDS, Landon, Holton) and they will confirm this. Most St Pats students are considered very desirable when they are ready to leave at 6th or 8th. Some do leave after 3rd, for St Albans or NCS, usually ready for single sex or for more sports opportunities. In fact, for 2011-2012, 4 boys applied to St Albans for 4th, and all 4 received offers. |
Anonymous
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Re:St. Patrick's -- is it really worth $28,000 a year???
Yes. Any school is worth what the market will bear and what parents are prepared to pay for it. I would crank it up to $38,000 if the market will bear it. |
Anonymous
| yes i have the same impression that the st. pat's curriculum is well thought out and rigorous. they don't use everyday math, for ex. i think too many of these lower schools are not demanding enough of these bright little beings. |
Anonymous
St. Pat's used to use Everyday Math, but the school has switched to an even less rigorous math program called Investigations in Number, Data, and Space, at least through 4th grade. In its Curriculum Focal Points, the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics emphasizes the need for 4th graders to "develop fluency with efficient procedures, including the standard algorithm, for multiplying whole numbers ..." Investigations does not stress the standard algorithm, instead diverting students into non-scalable procedures that are largely a waste of time. In keeping with the curriculum it chose, St. Pat's actively discourages students from using the standard algorithm in favor of asking students to "solve problems in ways that make sense to them ..." "It is important to note that the standard algorithm is not always the most efficient ..." (quotes taken from a St. Pat's newsletter to parents called "Frequently Asked Questions about Mathematics in the Lower School" -- which was published following widespread parent complaints about the poor quality of the math program.) Around the 2nd or 3rd grade you'll start asking yourself why your St. Pat's student is running around the house cutting up magazines for math homework and still struggles with the basic math facts -- and you'll make a bee-line for the Kumon workbook section at the B&N. |
Anonymous
Of course St. Pat's has a JK -- both my kids attended it. They just call it PK. |