Private HS worth the money?

[Anonymous]

I went to a mediocre public high school. From teaching at a top independent high school, I would say that the quality of education overall was higher. I taught my seniors as I did undergraduates at the Ivy League school I attended for my PhD. My colleagues were also great at exploring topics in depth and being creative in their curriculum. However, there were students who were more AP-test focused who wanted classes that were more closely aligned to the tests.

Also, I have a sibling who went to Amherst (from our same mediocre public school) and she was a bit overwhelmed with how much better prepared her prep school friends were.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't know. I had a kid with a LD and some other issues, so I feared putting her into a public high school. My other children went to privates, but I think it was a waste of money. Public was good enough for them. It depends on the child, OP.

*good enough. That says it all. If are only aiming for "good enough" then no private school isn't worth. We are aiming a lot higher than good enough, so it's worth every penny.

Except that you're surrounded by people like this poster....

And, typically, they don't know squat about education, so what they're really buying is a status symbol and a network.

Wrong. We are a family of public school educators. We know all too well the many failings of that system.

[Anonymous]

I work at an independent school and I'll tell you it depends on the kid and the school. My daughter is 3 so a long way off from being able to attend my elite all girl's private high school but I still don't know that I'd send her. Here's why:
- The girls here tend to be highly accomplished but also intense and stressed out. If my kid turns out easy-going I'd send her. If she's prone to anxiety I wouldn't put her in a high-pressure environment.
- We are upper middle class but many of the girls at my school are super-wealthy. I fear she'll feel impoverished if she comes here. If she stays in public she will understand that we're actually quite privileged.
- We get a half-tuition scholarship by virtue of my employment and I'd love to have her nearby but also recognize that having her in my school in the midst of her teenage years is courting drama as she tries to establish herself as her own person.
- I teach a specific subject area in which she's shown some interest (she's three). If she continues to be interested I think she ought to go elsewhere lest we really get in each other's space.

Here's what would change my mind:
- If her public school experience (in Moco) turns out to be more discipline and less learning.
- If she struggles socially in a significant way. I did and would have given anything to transfer schools but lived in a small town and this wasn't possible.
- If she develops a variety of interests and it seems like she could be in my small school without us being on top of each other.
- If she seems to want it for herself rather than to fulfill some idea of what she thinks I want.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't know. I had a kid with a LD and some other issues, so I feared putting her into a public high school. My other children went to privates, but I think it was a waste of money. Public was good enough for them. It depends on the child, OP.

*good enough. That says it all. If are only aiming for "good enough" then no private school isn't worth. We are aiming a lot higher than good enough, so it's worth every penny.

Except that you're surrounded by people like this poster....

And, typically, they don't know squat about education, so what they're really buying is a status symbol and a network.

Wrong. We are a family of public school educators. We know all too well the many failings of that system.

None of which you identify in your post. And suggestion in your post that public is merely "good enough" while private is better is facile and inaccurate.

[Anonymous]

Reading this thread is solidifying my belief that we did the right thing pulling DS out of public middle school and pub him into a private, all boys high school. So far he is thriving, but I am also looking forward to seeing how it all plays out in college and later. I keep hearing over and over again how this school does such an exemplary job preparing young men for college. I hear of alumni who say that their college experience was so much richer (and less stressful) because of the preparation they received in high school (vs. their friends from our local public school). I have no doubt we did the right thing and it will be worth every penny.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't know. I had a kid with a LD and some other issues, so I feared putting her into a public high school. My other children went to privates, but I think it was a waste of money. Public was good enough for them. It depends on the child, OP.

*good enough. That says it all. If are only aiming for "good enough" then no private school isn't worth. We are aiming a lot higher than good enough, so it's worth every penny.

Except that you're surrounded by people like this poster....

And, typically, they don't know squat about education, so what they're really buying is a status symbol and a network.

Wrong. We are a family of public school educators. We know all too well the many failings of that system.

None of which you identify in your post. And suggestion in your post that public is merely "good enough" while private is better is facile and inaccurate.

And in my professional and experienced position the are merely "good enough." I could care less if you agree, nor do I feel the need to prove anything to you. By all means you go pursue "good enough." The world needs your kind too. Somebody has to be willing to take the "good enough" paying jobs.

[Anonymous]

Are you crazy? If you pay $40K/year for 12 yrs. + tuition increases + Annual Fund you're looking at $500K. At 4%/yr. that $20K invested for college. S&P has averaged 8-11% over years. Are you a sucker. And then college? If you're rich go for it put you are still wasting tons o' cash.

[Anonymous]

What do you expect with a thread like this? Those who go to private school will say it's worth it (or why else would they do it?) and those that don't send their kids (and for some reason love to hang out on a board that is specifically for private/independent schools) will say it's a waste of money.

Every student & family situation is different. Do what is best for YOUR child.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't know. I had a kid with a LD and some other issues, so I feared putting her into a public high school. My other children went to privates, but I think it was a waste of money. Public was good enough for them. It depends on the child, OP.

*good enough. That says it all. If are only aiming for "good enough" then no private school isn't worth. We are aiming a lot higher than good enough, so it's worth every penny.

Except that you're surrounded by people like this poster....

And, typically, they don't know squat about education, so what they're really buying is a status symbol and a network.

Wrong. We are a family of public school educators. We know all too well the many failings of that system.

None of which you identify in your post. And suggestion in your post that public is merely "good enough" while private is better is facile and inaccurate.

And in my professional and experienced position the are merely "good enough." I could care less if you agree, nor do I feel the need to prove anything to you. By all means you go pursue "good enough." The world needs your kind too. Somebody has to be willing to take the "good enough" paying jobs.

You're clearly not a very good teacher. All the wrong instincts -- you don't listen, can't explain, pull rank (such as it is), and make erroneous assumptions. You also seem to have contempt for public school students/parents. WTG public school educator! You've made a valiant effort to prove your point.

[Anonymous]

We started our kids in MCPS with every intention of going all the way through in public. We switched to private for middle and high school, and it was worth the money. Not because of connections (if you attend public school in an affluent area, you'll have plenty of connections) and not because of any edge in college admissions (way overblown), but because all 3 kids benefited enormously as students. They learned to write well, think deeply and creatively, and ask incisive questions. The older two kids were well-prepared for challenging majors at highly selective colleges, and we have every reason to expect that the same will be true of our youngest who just graduated from high school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We started our kids in MCPS with every intention of going all the way through in public. We switched to private for middle and high school, and it was worth the money. Not because of connections (if you attend public school in an affluent area, you'll have plenty of connections) and not because of any edge in college admissions (way overblown), but because all 3 kids benefited enormously as students. They learned to write well, think deeply and creatively, and ask incisive questions. The older two kids were well-prepared for challenging majors at highly selective colleges, and we have every reason to expect that the same will be true of our youngest who just graduated from high school.

+1,000,000

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We started our kids in MCPS with every intention of going all the way through in public. We switched to private for middle and high school, and it was worth the money. Not because of connections (if you attend public school in an affluent area, you'll have plenty of connections) and not because of any edge in college admissions (way overblown), but because all 3 kids benefited enormously as students. They learned to write well, think deeply and creatively, and ask incisive questions. The older two kids were well-prepared for challenging majors at highly selective colleges, and we have every reason to expect that the same will be true of our youngest who just graduated from high school.

Those are wonderful things to have learned. But whether it is "worth it" is always a financial question, not a philosophical one. It would not have been "worth it" to become a good writer and incisive question asker if it completely bankrupted your family. You were able to pay this cost, and it was worth it to you. If you are not able to pay it, it is by definition not worth it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We started our kids in MCPS with every intention of going all the way through in public. We switched to private for middle and high school, and it was worth the money. Not because of connections (if you attend public school in an affluent area, you'll have plenty of connections) and not because of any edge in college admissions (way overblown), but because all 3 kids benefited enormously as students. They learned to write well, think deeply and creatively, and ask incisive questions. The older two kids were well-prepared for challenging majors at highly selective colleges, and we have every reason to expect that the same will be true of our youngest who just graduated from high school.

Those are wonderful things to have learned. But whether it is "worth it" is always a financial question, not a philosophical one. It would not have been "worth it" to become a good writer and incisive question asker if it completely bankrupted your family. You were able to pay this cost, and it was worth it to you. If you are not able to pay it, it is by definition not worth it.

If you are not able to pay it, there is always financial aid. So, in that case, it would be worth it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We started our kids in MCPS with every intention of going all the way through in public. We switched to private for middle and high school, and it was worth the money. Not because of connections (if you attend public school in an affluent area, you'll have plenty of connections) and not because of any edge in college admissions (way overblown), but because all 3 kids benefited enormously as students. They learned to write well, think deeply and creatively, and ask incisive questions. The older two kids were well-prepared for challenging majors at highly selective colleges, and we have every reason to expect that the same will be true of our youngest who just graduated from high school.

Those are wonderful things to have learned. But whether it is "worth it" is always a financial question, not a philosophical one. It would not have been "worth it" to become a good writer and incisive question asker if it completely bankrupted your family. You were able to pay this cost, and it was worth it to you. If you are not able to pay it, it is by definition not worth it.

If you are not able to pay it, there is always financial aid. So, in that case, it would be worth it.

It is inaccurate to say that a private school education is within everyone's reach if they just get financial aid. There is a massive swath of the middle and even upper middle class that cannot get enough aid to pay these tuitions without totally sacrificing retirement and college. Plus, many schools will not give more than 50 or 60%, shutting out lower classes completely. Private school is not just a choice everyone is free to make. (I am talking about the $30 and $40k schools, not $8k parish schools).

[Anonymous]

But you miss the point; the question was about "worth." The prior response regarding worth correctly noted the "by definition" posting was just wrong. PP is just deflecting.