Combining public and private

[Anonymous]

The only people on here who say private k-8 and public 9-12 are talking about relatively inexpensive Catholic parish schools. No one in their right mind would spend $35K from k-8 and then not spend it from 9-12 when it really matters.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This whole notion of going "private" for HS to avoid ur child getting mixed up in the wrong crowd is soooo stupid lol. I grew up in Landover and went to Duval HS in lanham...my peers and the people I befriended were people who I could relate to, regular middle/working class black kids like me usually from two parent households, etc. Your child decisions reflect the household they are being reared in point blank. I never smoked or drank the entire time during my HS experience nor did any of my friends, this wasn't because I was so pious but rather my parents were not drinkers or smokers. It was something that was just foreign to me, and something I had zero desire for because it was never around in my home life. I graduated and so did many of my friends and like them did what every normal senior went to college and got a job lol.

Would you send your child to Duval today...? Didn't think so

[Anonymous]

Also, blacks have historically have had less good school options available to them. So, unfortunately, many get stuck at bad schools whether their parents want them to or not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This whole notion of going "private" for HS to avoid ur child getting mixed up in the wrong crowd is soooo stupid lol. I grew up in Landover and went to Duval HS in lanham...my peers and the people I befriended were people who I could relate to, regular middle/working class black kids like me usually from two parent households, etc. Your child decisions reflect the household they are being reared in point blank. I never smoked or drank the entire time during my HS experience nor did any of my friends, this wasn't because I was so pious but rather my parents were not drinkers or smokers. It was something that was just foreign to me, and something I had zero desire for because it was never around in my home life. I graduated and so did many of my friends and like them did what every normal senior went to college and got a job lol.

Would you send your child to Duval today...? Didn't think so

LMAO Yes I would....I didn't graduate in 1968, I graduated in 2000. I would have ZERO problems sending my child their

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The only people on here who say private k-8 and public 9-12 are talking about relatively inexpensive Catholic parish schools. No one in their right mind would spend $35K from k-8 and then not spend it from 9-12 when it really matters.

You're wrong. Are you actually enrolled at an independent K-8?

If a child learns study skills, self-advocacy, and the three Rs in private, the child can excel in public and as others said, have a better chance at competitive college admissions than the same profile child coming from an elite private. It all depends on the chlid. Unfortunately my kid still needs the added attention of a private, so he'll continue on to private, but I sure wish I could send him to a magnet or our local HS. Don't forget a lot of the kids getting acceptances at privates are strong students who would have excelled in public HS too, and they have a stronger change of having legacy status, or having high enough SES that they can afford to apply ED or EA with no worries about FA.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This whole notion of going "private" for HS to avoid ur child getting mixed up in the wrong crowd is soooo stupid lol. I grew up in Landover and went to Duval HS in lanham...my peers and the people I befriended were people who I could relate to, regular middle/working class black kids like me usually from two parent households, etc. Your child decisions reflect the household they are being reared in point blank. I never smoked or drank the entire time during my HS experience nor did any of my friends, this wasn't because I was so pious but rather my parents were not drinkers or smokers. It was something that was just foreign to me, and something I had zero desire for because it was never around in my home life. I graduated and so did many of my friends and like them did what every normal senior went to college and got a job lol.

Would you send your child to Duval today...? Didn't think so

LMAO Yes I would....I didn't graduate in 1968, I graduated in 2000. I would have ZERO problems sending my child their

"there" sorry, I understand why someone would send their kids to private schools, I just feel the "hanging with the bad crowd" issue is a non issue if you are a good parent imo

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are doing private PK-8 and then public high school. I feel building a strong foundation is important. Public high school will better acclimate for college where they will learn with members of all socioeconomic classes and not just the ones who can afford a $25k tuition.

I suppose that's true if you live in Silver Spring or somewhere, but please don't act like your child is getting this amazingly diverse SES experience by going to Whitman, Churchill, etc. Those schools are almost private schools in the sense that those who go there are the ones who can afford a $750K+ home...

I posted this before and was attacked, but I'll try again.... The private schools are more socioeconomically diverse than schools like Whitman and Churchill because about 30% of the population gets financial aid, and within that 30% are typically kids who come from SE DC and other areas of PG and MoCo. Yes, there are more extreme examples of wealth, but not by much, if at all, since there are plenty of wealthy families in MoCo.

I agree that there are plenty of wealthy families in Whitman/Churchill, but there are also families who are struggling. I was involved in some of the activities and there were families who needed help with team fees, etc. When we were in private school there were kids on FA but they tended to be from single parent middle class families. There were VERY few full scholarship kids, most families were still expected to pay 25-50% or more of tuition. The private schools may be more racially diverse than Whitman/Churchill but they are not, in my experience at several of them, more socioeconomically diverse.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The only people on here who say private k-8 and public 9-12 are talking about relatively inexpensive Catholic parish schools. No one in their right mind would spend $35K from k-8 and then not spend it from 9-12 when it really matters.

We did, and pretty sure we were of sound mind. No financial issues - the public school was just a better fit for DC, and an excellent school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:"the beginning is the most important part..."

And beginning in public or private is great for tons of highly successful people.

Seriously folks, successful people come from all kinds of backgrounds. Get a grip and do what works best for your child and your family. And stop with my way is the best way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The only people on here who say private k-8 and public 9-12 are talking about relatively inexpensive Catholic parish schools. No one in their right mind would spend $35K from k-8 and then not spend it from 9-12 when it really matters.

We did, and pretty sure we were of sound mind. No financial issues - the public school was just a better fit for DC, and an excellent school.

This was surprising to me but interesting to hear. Where I live, the public elementaries are all pretty good but only a couple of high schools in the county would be called excellent. That's where I get my perspective, but I can see your situation is different.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The only people on here who say private k-8 and public 9-12 are talking about relatively inexpensive Catholic parish schools. No one in their right mind would spend $35K from k-8 and then not spend it from 9-12 when it really matters.

I disagree. DD started in private at K and will stay through middle school. We will re-evaluate at HS based on her needs/interests. It really depends on your kid, your own values and the school district you are talking about. Our local elementary and middle options do not seem very good at this point, but we see some benefits to our HS, especially in variety of course options and honors classes. We want our DD to develop a love of learning, a variety of interests and have a chance to be a "kid" we think our private offers a more nuturing atmosphere with time outside daily and art, music and PE multiple times a week, plus great teaching and academics. We feel a solid start will make the opportunities at the local HS more accessible.

If we lived where there was a better ES or middle option we might feel differently. If we had a different kid we might feel differently... in a few years we might feel differently...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The only people on here who say private k-8 and public 9-12 are talking about relatively inexpensive Catholic parish schools. No one in their right mind would spend $35K from k-8 and then not spend it from 9-12 when it really matters.

I disagree. DD started in private at K and will stay through middle school. We will re-evaluate at HS based on her needs/interests. It really depends on your kid, your own values and the school district you are talking about. Our local elementary and middle options do not seem very good at this point, but we see some benefits to our HS, especially in variety of course options and honors classes. We want our DD to develop a love of learning, a variety of interests and have a chance to be a "kid" we think our private offers a more nuturing atmosphere with time outside daily and art, music and PE multiple times a week, plus great teaching and academics. We feel a solid start will make the opportunities at the local HS more accessible.

If we lived where there was a better ES or middle option we might feel differently. If we had a different kid we might feel differently... in a few years we might feel differently...

Great post, pp.