Experience with both public and private

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It isn’t private school hatred to point out that there is little diversity at schools charging $50k+/yr tuition.

- parent at both private and public

But it is disingenuous when "$50K+/yr tuition" is the exception at schools in this area and nowhere near the norm. Most are under $50K (including those in highest demand) and many are way less than that. Especially when we're talking about the elementary school years, which is currently most relevant to OP whose kid isn't even 5 years old yet.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It isn’t private school hatred to point out that there is little diversity at schools charging $50k+/yr tuition.

- parent at both private and public

But it is disingenuous when "$50K+/yr tuition" is the exception at schools in this area and nowhere near the norm. Most are under $50K (including those in highest demand) and many are way less than that. Especially when we're talking about the elementary school years, which is currently most relevant to OP whose kid isn't even 5 years old yet.

Which are in highest demand?

[Anonymous]

Yes there is a stark difference. My kid isn’t at GDS or Sidwell but another DC private ES with a similar high number of very wealthy parents. We started in public and switched to private in person due to the pandemic. My kid needed in person instruction for 2nd / 3rd grade to become a solid reader. I would never have considered private before, but it’s been vastly superior. I now understand why some people won’t even consider public. Much smaller student / teacher ratio and personal attention when needed.

Now that he’s a solid reader I plan to switch him back to public (Deal) for middle because l don’t really want him growing up around mostly very wealthy people. Not that Deal is scrappy and super SES reverse, but it is more so than the privates. I feel like it will be a bit more like the real world than these very wealthy privates. I have nothing against wealthy people but l prefer a mix. Also l really value having neighborhood friends.

[Anonymous]

SES diverse, not reverse

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes there is a stark difference. My kid isn’t at GDS or Sidwell but another DC private ES with a similar high number of very wealthy parents. We started in public and switched to private in person due to the pandemic. My kid needed in person instruction for 2nd / 3rd grade to become a solid reader. I would never have considered private before, but it’s been vastly superior. I now understand why some people won’t even consider public. Much smaller student / teacher ratio and personal attention when needed.

Now that he’s a solid reader I plan to switch him back to public (Deal) for middle because l don’t really want him growing up around mostly very wealthy people. Not that Deal is scrappy and super SES reverse, but it is more so than the privates. I feel like it will be a bit more like the real world than these very wealthy privates. I have nothing against wealthy people but l prefer a mix. Also l really value having neighborhood friends.

We in one of the top schools and it is not vastly superior so I am skeptical when you and others say private is superior. Nope.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes there is a stark difference. My kid isn’t at GDS or Sidwell but another DC private ES with a similar high number of very wealthy parents. We started in public and switched to private in person due to the pandemic. My kid needed in person instruction for 2nd / 3rd grade to become a solid reader. I would never have considered private before, but it’s been vastly superior. I now understand why some people won’t even consider public. Much smaller student / teacher ratio and personal attention when needed.

Now that he’s a solid reader I plan to switch him back to public (Deal) for middle because l don’t really want him growing up around mostly very wealthy people. Not that Deal is scrappy and super SES reverse, but it is more so than the privates. I feel like it will be a bit more like the real world than these very wealthy privates. I have nothing against wealthy people but l prefer a mix. Also l really value having neighborhood friends.

We in one of the top schools and it is not vastly superior so I am skeptical when you and others say private is superior. Nope.

Why are you there?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes there is a stark difference. My kid isn’t at GDS or Sidwell but another DC private ES with a similar high number of very wealthy parents. We started in public and switched to private in person due to the pandemic. My kid needed in person instruction for 2nd / 3rd grade to become a solid reader. I would never have considered private before, but it’s been vastly superior. I now understand why some people won’t even consider public. Much smaller student / teacher ratio and personal attention when needed.

Now that he’s a solid reader I plan to switch him back to public (Deal) for middle because l don’t really want him growing up around mostly very wealthy people. Not that Deal is scrappy and super SES reverse, but it is more so than the privates. I feel like it will be a bit more like the real world than these very wealthy privates. I have nothing against wealthy people but l prefer a mix. Also l really value having neighborhood friends.

We in one of the top schools and it is not vastly superior so I am skeptical when you and others say private is superior. Nope.

It has been vastly superior for my kid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes there is a stark difference. My kid isn’t at GDS or Sidwell but another DC private ES with a similar high number of very wealthy parents. We started in public and switched to private in person due to the pandemic. My kid needed in person instruction for 2nd / 3rd grade to become a solid reader. I would never have considered private before, but it’s been vastly superior. I now understand why some people won’t even consider public. Much smaller student / teacher ratio and personal attention when needed.

Now that he’s a solid reader I plan to switch him back to public (Deal) for middle because l don’t really want him growing up around mostly very wealthy people. Not that Deal is scrappy and super SES reverse, but it is more so than the privates. I feel like it will be a bit more like the real world than these very wealthy privates. I have nothing against wealthy people but l prefer a mix. Also l really value having neighborhood friends.

We in one of the top schools and it is not vastly superior so I am skeptical when you and others say private is superior. Nope.

Why are you there?

I don’t answer your questions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes there is a stark difference. My kid isn’t at GDS or Sidwell but another DC private ES with a similar high number of very wealthy parents. We started in public and switched to private in person due to the pandemic. My kid needed in person instruction for 2nd / 3rd grade to become a solid reader. I would never have considered private before, but it’s been vastly superior. I now understand why some people won’t even consider public. Much smaller student / teacher ratio and personal attention when needed.

Now that he’s a solid reader I plan to switch him back to public (Deal) for middle because l don’t really want him growing up around mostly very wealthy people. Not that Deal is scrappy and super SES reverse, but it is more so than the privates. I feel like it will be a bit more like the real world than these very wealthy privates. I have nothing against wealthy people but l prefer a mix. Also l really value having neighborhood friends.

We in one of the top schools and it is not vastly superior so I am skeptical when you and others say private is superior. Nope.

Why are you there?

I don’t answer your questions.

Then I am skeptical you are actually at a private.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes there is a stark difference. My kid isn’t at GDS or Sidwell but another DC private ES with a similar high number of very wealthy parents. We started in public and switched to private in person due to the pandemic. My kid needed in person instruction for 2nd / 3rd grade to become a solid reader. I would never have considered private before, but it’s been vastly superior. I now understand why some people won’t even consider public. Much smaller student / teacher ratio and personal attention when needed.

Now that he’s a solid reader I plan to switch him back to public (Deal) for middle because l don’t really want him growing up around mostly very wealthy people. Not that Deal is scrappy and super SES reverse, but it is more so than the privates. I feel like it will be a bit more like the real world than these very wealthy privates. I have nothing against wealthy people but l prefer a mix. Also l really value having neighborhood friends.

We in one of the top schools and it is not vastly superior so I am skeptical when you and others say private is superior. Nope.

Why are you there?

I don’t answer your questions.

Then I am skeptical you are actually at a private.

Good for you. When I pay the tuition every year, his private school knows so.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes there is a stark difference. My kid isn’t at GDS or Sidwell but another DC private ES with a similar high number of very wealthy parents. We started in public and switched to private in person due to the pandemic. My kid needed in person instruction for 2nd / 3rd grade to become a solid reader. I would never have considered private before, but it’s been vastly superior. I now understand why some people won’t even consider public. Much smaller student / teacher ratio and personal attention when needed.

Now that he’s a solid reader I plan to switch him back to public (Deal) for middle because l don’t really want him growing up around mostly very wealthy people. Not that Deal is scrappy and super SES reverse, but it is more so than the privates. I feel like it will be a bit more like the real world than these very wealthy privates. I have nothing against wealthy people but l prefer a mix. Also l really value having neighborhood friends.

We in one of the top schools and it is not vastly superior so I am skeptical when you and others say private is superior. Nope.

It has been vastly superior for my kid.

Parents will say this often or convince themselves to justify the cost and one assumes private is superior because it should be. Unfortunately, frequently it is not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes there is a stark difference. My kid isn’t at GDS or Sidwell but another DC private ES with a similar high number of very wealthy parents. We started in public and switched to private in person due to the pandemic. My kid needed in person instruction for 2nd / 3rd grade to become a solid reader. I would never have considered private before, but it’s been vastly superior. I now understand why some people won’t even consider public. Much smaller student / teacher ratio and personal attention when needed.

Now that he’s a solid reader I plan to switch him back to public (Deal) for middle because l don’t really want him growing up around mostly very wealthy people. Not that Deal is scrappy and super SES reverse, but it is more so than the privates. I feel like it will be a bit more like the real world than these very wealthy privates. I have nothing against wealthy people but l prefer a mix. Also l really value having neighborhood friends.

We in one of the top schools and it is not vastly superior so I am skeptical when you and others say private is superior. Nope.

It has been vastly superior for my kid.

Parents will say this often or convince themselves to justify the cost and one assumes private is superior because it should be. Unfortunately, frequently it is not.

I’m not “parents”. I’m one parent with one kid answering OP’s question not to try to convince myself that I’ve made the right decision (l know l have for my kid, and that answer is private for ES kid struggling with learning to read), but to share my experience.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It isn’t private school hatred to point out that there is little diversity at schools charging $50k+/yr tuition.

- parent at both private and public

But it is disingenuous when "$50K+/yr tuition" is the exception at schools in this area and nowhere near the norm. Most are under $50K (including those in highest demand) and many are way less than that. Especially when we're talking about the elementary school years, which is currently most relevant to OP whose kid isn't even 5 years old yet.

Which are in highest demand?

Just taking the so-called Big 3 for starters, Sidwell/GDS/Beauvoir are all under $50K for kindergarten (and the latter two much closer to $40K).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes there is a stark difference. My kid isn’t at GDS or Sidwell but another DC private ES with a similar high number of very wealthy parents. We started in public and switched to private in person due to the pandemic. My kid needed in person instruction for 2nd / 3rd grade to become a solid reader. I would never have considered private before, but it’s been vastly superior. I now understand why some people won’t even consider public. Much smaller student / teacher ratio and personal attention when needed.

Now that he’s a solid reader I plan to switch him back to public (Deal) for middle because l don’t really want him growing up around mostly very wealthy people. Not that Deal is scrappy and super SES reverse, but it is more so than the privates. I feel like it will be a bit more like the real world than these very wealthy privates. I have nothing against wealthy people but l prefer a mix. Also l really value having neighborhood friends.

We in one of the top schools and it is not vastly superior so I am skeptical when you and others say private is superior. Nope.

Why are you there?

Thought private would be better and we can afford it. Not returning.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hi,
My son will turn five next year. We are deciding between sending him to Janney (our inbound) or to apply for private (GDS, Sidwell…). We are attracted to private due to the diversity and the teacher ratio. However, I would like to hear from people with experience with both. Are there stark differences between the two in lower school?

I only had my son in private in elementary school and loved it. He's in public high school now. I don't see much difference between the two academically, but his writing skills are far superior to his peers. I think that's because the private school had 10-12 kids in a class, and the teacher could really work with them, and had time to grade essays and make thoughtful, helpful comments. That doesn't exist in my son's public high school.

Looking back, I wouldn't change a thing. He got a lot of nurturing support in those early years. But every kid and every family are different.