Almost 40K in tuition but DC's school constantly fun raises!

[Anonymous]

After another tuition increase while we are making no more each year, next year we're only making a nominal contribution to the annual fund. Something's got to give.

[Anonymous]

Does anyone say anything to the school about these families that get but don't seem to deserve FA? I understand the PP who said some talk with where they make contributions, but if you aren't clear about why you're doing what you're doing, the school can't address the problem.

[Anonymous]

Pardon my ignorance, but which schools are in the 40K range?

[Anonymous]

NCS and STA

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It is obscene what they charge. It is for a bloated administrative staff.

Can you give specific examples from specific schools?

[Anonymous]

Lab, grade 7 for 2013-2014 will be $37,500. That is tuition alone.

[Anonymous]

Family friend owns a business and on paper makes very little so his kids qualify for FA. The expensive cars, vacations, and parties are billed to the company. His wife makes 25,000 a year working for his company but in reality does very little. They have saved over six figures on tuition (according to him) because of how he reports his income (actually his lack of income).

[Anonymous]

Poster 9:48 reminds me of my parents... thank you Mom and Dad for sending me to private school, boarding,college, advanced studies....with zero debt. waste not,want not.
Do we need another war to help people understand how lucky we are to have free will! live within your means.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The reality is clear: private schools are a bubble that needs to burst. By this I mean, the tuitions have been rising at an obscene rate for so long that it can no longer be justified (or paid) by any but the wealthiest among us. For years, middle and upper middle class professionals could justify scrimping and saving in order to provide private education for their children. Those days are ending quickly. Now at 40k and rising, those families risk putting themselves into dire financial straits in order to pay the tuition (and, as the op suggests, all the extra fundraising contributions, fees, etc). It is simply not sustainable.

I think this is actually a good point - especially in the DMV. All 4 of my kids have done a combo of public and private.

I grew up in the metro area of a large Midwestern city. Most of the private schools there are parochial or academic specialty (STEM). There are maybe 1-2 purely indepedent schools worth mentioning, but that is it. There is no market for high ticket independent schools there. People invest in the public schools which, by and large are above average.

I have lived here for 24 years and I am often amazed and the number and cost of private school education here. In my private school parent travels, I have noticed two things (not speaking to the educational merits). First, the private school is a badge of prestige here that people are willing to pay top $$ for. Second, a lot of people in this area believe that more expensive = better school.

Paying $40,000 for a ES or MS education is pure folly to me. The ONLY way that this whole independent school thing even works is because the DMV is economically stable compared to most other parts of the country. Any type of prolongoned downturn in this area would drive students back to public school and all but a few of these schools out of business.

I think in general the whole status/prestige attached to school attendance in this area is horrible. Seriously, I don't think people dwell as much in the rest of the country over what grade school their child attends (with the exception of New York City and certain parts of the West Coast). It's seriously ridiculous.

And beyond that, my experience has been that people who attended big name private schools their entire lives aren't necessarily smarter or even more articulate. In fact, they're usually pretty sheltered and have difficulty interacting with people not of their exact class/ethnic/racial/religious group. With the changing demographics of the country, I question the wisdom of raising a child in that kind of a bubble...

I completely disagree with you. My daughter went to public for 5yrs. There were more clicks, profiling and kids that never had to speak or raise a hand in a class full of 30-35 kids. She has come out of her shell in her private school and they have 45% diversity and 25% FA. It is a great mix of kids and they all get along well. We are upper middle class who struggle to pay but I know there are families out there that want to send their kids due to bullying, being treated as nerd, want more classes in arts, drama but can not afford it. I can't pay out extra money but I volunteer and help as much as I can.

[Anonymous]

Is any private school so much better than the excellent public schools we have here to justify not funding your retirement or not going on vacation? I went to public schools, a "top 3" Ivy, and have a good career, but could have ended up at the exact same spot with a public university. Are people looking at the big picture here? Your kids should go to a private school if you can afford it (after fully funding your retirement and safety fund; Suze Orman and Michele Singletary would be so dismayed at this post). There are so many good public schools here (though you may have to move to the other side of Western), and while the size, etc, may be challenging, kids need to learn how to navigate difficulties to succeed in life, which is the whole point, right?

[Anonymous]

Funny that I am reading this post today. My sister, a GYN and her husband, an internist live in Holmby Hills, a very nice area of LA. Aaron Spelling's former home is in their neighborhood. Anyhow, we were comparing tuition costs yesterday as we both have middle school aged children.

The local private schools, where the uber wealthy of Beverly Hills attend, including Michael Jackson's 3 kids, have a tuition for grade 8 of $21,500! My two seventh graders (at different DC privates) both have tuition in the mid-thirties!

Sis said that the top 4, really competive LA/Bel Air /Bev Hills schools all run in the low $20K range for junior high.

I don't get it.

How is it possible that DC privates are so much higher in general.

[Anonymous]

Greed, prestige, limited spots?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is any private school so much better than the excellent public schools we have here to justify not funding your retirement or not going on vacation? I went to public schools, a "top 3" Ivy, and have a good career, but could have ended up at the exact same spot with a public university. Are people looking at the big picture here? Your kids should go to a private school if you can afford it (after fully funding your retirement and safety fund; Suze Orman and Michele Singletary would be so dismayed at this post). There are so many good public schools here (though you may have to move to the other side of Western), and while the size, etc, may be challenging, kids need to learn how to navigate difficulties to succeed in life, which is the whole point, right?

What excellent public schools? I live in MCPS and had kids attend 3 different schools. They all were completely overrated. Large class sizes, not enough aides/help. Cafeteria is like a zoo. Some kids get 5min to eat after waiting in line for 20min. Tons of problem kids, bullying, special needs kids that weren't getting the help they needed. The teachers can only bend so far before snapping with 30 kids in a class, 5-7 that don't speak English, another 5 with discipline issues and another 5 with some form of learning disability. With NO AIDES. It is ridiculous. Test scores mean squat to me. That is all the main goal is for public. I want an everyday positive learning experience and so far my kids are using their brains more and thinking outside of the test score box. Sucks I have to pay for it, but it is more important to me than fancy vacations, higher end cars, name brand clothes/shoes etc.... It is a choice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Many parents at privates can't afford more than tuition so they volunteer to help with the auction or other special events and we do understand that. At many schools the salaries for the Development staff and special events staff eat up a high percentage of the money raised. If you think about how much the schools can save when parents help out with these events and they do not have to hire as many people then you feel you have contributed what you can. Your time and ideas are a valuable contribtion.

I worked for a brief time as development director at a private school and you are dead wrong. I made 60K/year and raised nearly $3M in annual and capital gifts in less than two years. I knew parents who had the means who wouldn't give citing the third remodel of their kitchen or their kid's $30K bar mitzvah. Their priorities were completely fucked. Ultimately I decided it didn't matter and left because in reality the school was no better than a second rate public anyway, and the insufferable snobs I dealt with on a daily basis were not worth my time and talent.

[Anonymous]

Here is a somewhat dated list of top high schools in LA, although I doubt they've changed much - http://www.lamag.com/features-hidden/2008/09/19/best-high-schools-2008-private

I just checked Harvard Westlake, and it's tuition seems to be $31,300/yr + $2-6k in other costs. Seems pretty comparable to DC schools. I did not check the other schools, so maybe they're lower-cost?