If money was no object for you, would you do private instead of public?

[Anonymous]

I have become completely disenchanted w/DCPS, & have turned my focus to private schools, montessori & charter.

The issue is that there's no way my son is going to our in-bound school, & the chances of getting into the public schools that are considered the 'elite' in dc are slim to none (by the way, I haven't been blown away by those either). I've gone to so many different open houses, & there is such a GLARING difference when you walk into a private school, ie. better facilities, better curriculum, etc.

So, my question is, would you do private if you could afford it with no problem? If not, why? At this point, I feel like I'll do whatever I have to do to avoid DCPS.

[Anonymous]

Of course! For us, the issue is cost. Your question is like asking, "If money were no object, would you buy/use [fill in desirable item here]?" If money were no object, it would be a no-brainer. For most people, of course, money is not no object.

[Anonymous]

OP here...not necessarily. For whatever reason, there are folks that prefer public or private. Not sure why, based on what I've seen. I'm venting because I just feel that all kids, no matter the financial background of their families deserve a private school level education, AND shouldn't have to sacrifice their first born to pay for it.

[Anonymous]

Duh. Of course, private! And I would have lipo and I would have a breast lift and I would bump out the back of my house in a fab manner and.....

[Anonymous]

My kids attend a DCPS elementary school we are happy so far, we don't have any regrets about our choice even though we could stretch to afford private.

BUT we are wondering if we will make a switch for middle school. Facilities are an obvious difference, but how can you tell that the curriculum is better? We are planning to make some rounds to visit some private and charter schools soon, but just wondering what criteria parents use to judge the quality of the curriculum.

[Anonymous]

OP, when you look at outcomes, there might be no difference in the end.
I have my children at Norwood, and we love the school. It has EVERYTHING a child could need. That said, it is missing something,...diversity. So the one big drawback to private school is the social aspect.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, when you look at outcomes, there might be no difference in the end.
I have my children at Norwood, and we love the school. It has EVERYTHING a child could need. That said, it is missing something,...diversity. So the one big drawback to private school is the social aspect.

Well, to be honest, there's not a whole lot of diversity in Bethesda anyway, so that doesn't surprise me.

[Anonymous]

We can afford private and will be sending our kids to DCPS. It's partially a values thing (we are the children of public school teachers and the products of public schools, and we believe strongly in public education) and partially recognition that our children, by virtue of growing up in a supportive, education-centric home, will likely do well wherever they are.

[Anonymous]

LOVE you, 21:01. Why aren't there more people in the world like you? Thank you for putting your money where your mouth is.

[Anonymous]

21:01, can I borrow your confidence? Seriously. My DH and I are both products of Catholic schools and getting ready to leap into DCPS and I am afraid. Not of anything real, of course, but of what is unfamiliar to me. I just want to print what you wrote and hang it on my mirror to remind myself of what is important: "supportive and education-centric home." I needed to hear this. Thank you.

[Anonymous]

Well, I sort of answered this question for myself when I bought a house in an inner suburb with good schools. I could have stayed in the district, and even paid for private, but I didn't. So, when I say "public" it isn't really the same "public" that you have available.

If I were in your position, I would do what was best for my child's education and investigate the privates. I would NOT look at the elite ones because I went to such a school as a child and didn't like my classmates.

For what its worth, one reason we chose the suburbs was because we'd be less financially stressed overall, and tehrefore could pay whatever we needed to to educate our child.

[Anonymous]

OP - if you are so worried about DCPS, why not move? This area has some of the best public schools in the nation - Montogomery County, Arlington, Fairfax County all have schools in the "top 100". It may be cheaper in the long run, especially if you have more than 1 child.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We can afford private and will be sending our kids to DCPS. It's partially a values thing (we are the children of public school teachers and the products of public schools, and we believe strongly in public education) and partially recognition that our children, by virtue of growing up in a supportive, education-centric home, will likely do well wherever they are.

I agree with PP that my children are likely to do well wherever they are. But the process concerns me as much as the outcome. They are sending 6-7 hours a day in school, and I want them to have the best experience during that time that we can comfortably afford. After considering a number of school options and the interests of our family as a whole, we opted for a private school.

[Anonymous]

OP, I look at it like this: DC has some of the worst public schools in the NATION, worse than states like South Carolina that have bad reputations. That could eventually affect your child. The surrounding suburbs have some of the best schools in the nation, that is bound to have a positive effect.
I would move, or pay to go to suburban public schools, or use GOOD private schools.

[Anonymous]

Even if money was no object, I would send my child to private only if I had no acceptable public or charter options in DC. I Reasons: I value public education (also the daughter of two public school teachers, and a public school product) and I don't think education in the District can improve if families that care keep leaving the system. Second reason: I'm not convinced the intangibles offered by private schools outweigh the intangibles offered at certain publics and charters. Third, I agree with many previous posters that if your home values education, your children will do fine wherever. Fourth, I have not seen evidence that shows that private school kids lead better lives, are happier, are smarter, or are better educated that DC public school products with similiar backgrounds when controlling for demographic factors, income, etc. Fifth, having lived in DC 9 years before enrolling our daughter in the system, I knew enough children and teens in the system to debunk any myths I had heard about achievement, education standards, or outcomes (ie college admissions).

Now even given all the those reasons, I would not have settled for anything less than a great learning environment for my children. But DC does have options even though most of the system sucks.