Why are DMV Private Schools 40% More Expensive than Baltimore Schools?
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Anonymous
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Looking at the secular schools in this area, most of them are in the mid $30K range (not including boarding schools and some cheaper alternatives). If you look at the secular MIAA schools in Baltimore and throughout Maryland, most of them charge in the mid $25K range.
What's the reason for the price discrepancy? Is it the cost of living in Baltimore and elsewhere in MD much cheaper? If you compare parochial schools in both areas, most of them are in the low $10K range (obviously set by the church). Is it simply that people in DC are willing/able to pay more? Or is it the cost of running schools in this area is considerably more expensive? |
Anonymous
| I don't know why but its true. My SD goes to parochial private in Baltimore and for HS it is $14k. |
Anonymous
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The teacher salaries are higher b/c it costs more to live here.
It costs more for all of the services for the school - school maintenance etc. |
Anonymous
| Private schools are more expensive here because more people have a lot of money. |
Anonymous
| Because people make more money here. |
Anonymous
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OP here. It's most likely a combination of more people in this area being able to spend more for education, as well as it being more expensive to run a school in the DMV versus the Baltimore area.
Still, it's pretty lousy that a kid can go to a strong academic school like Gilman for $28K versus $35K+ down here. During the 2008 recession and onward, you saw a lot of parochial schools like Gonzaga and PVI witness a substantial increase in applications. I know the market ultimately dictates the prices, but it would be interesting to see if an established school could find a way to lower tuition, and what the result would be (both for the school as well as whether other schools would follow suit). |
Anonymous
| There are probably a lot of factors but the age of the schools and their endowments might also have an impact. I googled "endowment for GDS" and got $8 million and did the same search for McDonogh came up with $80 million. The Baltimore Schools are very old and established. |
Anonymous
What is lousy about it? I don't get it. DC is DC; Baltimore is Baltimore; and most people in both areas are completely unable to afford $28,000 a year. |
Anonymous
| Because people will pay |
Anonymous
| Have you ever compared home prices in Baltimore vs. DC? Stunningly different. The cost of living in DC is significantly higher. Teacher salaries are correspondingly higher as are costs for services in general. |
Anonymous
| DC privates are ~ $10k/yr more than comparable Philly privates as well! (Germantown Friends = $25k for lower school vs Sidwell Friends = $35k) |
Anonymous
| Supply and demand |
Anonymous
Compare home prices in Philly itself to home prices in DC. What's the mystery? This is one of the highest ost-of-living areas in the USA. |
Anonymous
I really don't understand this whine. Sidwell costs 20% more than Gilman. A house in Cleveland park costs waaay more than the same 1914 house in Roland Park. A corporate attorney makes easily 20% more at a dc-bases firm than a Baltimore-based firm. A personal training session or a dog walk costs 20% more in the District than in Baltimore. Oddly, the GS pay scale is the same for dc and Baltimore. |
Anonymous
+1. |