If you got into Creative Minds, would you leave your private?
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Anonymous
| Clearly no public charter will replicate our lovely private school. That said, its free and people rave about CMI. WWYD? |
Anonymous
| Hell no! |
Anonymous
We were planning to do that, but didn't get in 
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Anonymous
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This seems very much like a market research effort on the part of the omnipresent public school administrators on DCUM.
I applaud the effort but not the subterfuge. |
Anonymous
| PP -- actually, its not any subterfuge. I am OP and our DC is in school at a private school we really love. We just heard our lottery results this morning though and DC got into CMI! Its a really hard choice since we are on financial aid at our private but love it. I also hear really great things about CMI. |
Anonymous
Can you explain a bit more? Thanks! |
Anonymous
I would do it if it makes a major change financially. Otherwise no. |
Anonymous
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If private school is a financial stretch and you are convinced CMI will provide what your DC needs academically, I say go for it!
I don't know about CMI in particular, but there are a lot of very good DCPS and DC PCS elementary schools. Having had kids in both, my experience is that when you are in the really good public elementary schools, there is generally no academic advantage to private school. The biggest differences are in PE (private has a major advantage here!), arts programming (ditto), and foreign language (although CMI has great FL, right?). Also, private schools are often nicer aesthetically. Unless you feel there is a particular reason you need your DC in a private school for ES, save your money for MS, HS, College, Grad School. There is lots of schooling ahead, and there are far fewer strong public options for MS and HS around here. Congrats on your DC's acceptance and good luck with your decision! |
Anonymous
by "private school," do you mean 1) Bright Horizons / School for Friends / Kindercare 2) St. Perry Parochial Parish School pk-8 in NE DC, enrollment 83 and dropping. 3) Maret or Beauvoir or Sheridan Because, the answer really depends on which general category you mean. They're not equivalents. |
Anonymous
| Is the location convenient to you? If you live in that part of DC, CMI is probably more convenient than Upper NW where most of the private schools are located. Also, if you want your child to go to private school again, you can reapply. By then though, there will probably more good charters competing with privates. Also financially it seems like a better choice. $35-40K for Kindergarten. Give me a break! |
Anonymous
| No. I would give up the spot at CMI so that someone who is wait listed and can't afford private could possibly get the spot. |
Anonymous
In the (3) category, though not one of those three schools specifically |
Anonymous
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This is a more difficult decision. If your kids are in the three category and you may eventually go back to private, you may have burned a bridge. The older you get the harder entry into the school becomes.
If you want your kids to go the Deal/Wilson route, I would go to CMI and blow off private. (Personally, I think privates hate charters more than DCPS.) CMI seems like a great school. The responses on the DC public board are positive. Financially, this may be the best path to take. It seems like a free version of WIS which is cool. |
Anonymous
| CMI is adding a middle school which is awesome! Personally, I think CMI is a much better experience than the local privates. (As a proud public school graduate, I refuse to use the shorthand for the "top" school.) There are kids from all walks of life who want to be at the school and love learning. The learning isn't forced. People aren't status hungry like some of the WOTP schools or private schools. |
Anonymous
| Students learn a language in a way that doesn't feel forced. It isn't a checklist to get into Harvard. It's learning for learning's sake. |