Choosing private school over Lafayette ES?

[Anonymous]

We are considering sending our child to private school instead of Lafayette, primarily due to considerations of class size and ability for differentiated instruction. Has anyone made the same calculus and thought it was the right...or wrong...decision in retrospect?

[Anonymous]

We chose private and have not regretted it.

[Anonymous]

To OP - Are you currently at Lafayette now? Or just live in the neighborhood. I am a current Lafayette parent and my advice sort of depends...

It is true that the school is large. I have a 1st and 3rd grader and both have only attended Lafayette. In the coming year there will no longer be a 6th grade so that will reduce the total number of students. Both of my kids' classes have @ 20-25 students.

However, my children are thriving there and they are receiving instruction specifically tailored for them. I also work diligently with their teachers to make sure they are getting what they need. They both get pulled out for enrichment.

But I know that some kids will do better in smaller classes with more personalized attention - I was one of those kids.

If your child is younger and you are considering Lafayette - then I would encourage you to give it a try. But if you are pretty certain that your child needs a different approach then private is probably the way to go.

As we approach middle school we will consider private.
There really is no magic bullet. And I would be surprised if anyone has regrets on either side.

Good luck.

[Anonymous]

OP here: No we are not at Lafayette yet. My child has the option of entering nursery at an N-8 private school with Pre-Kand K classes of 12-14 kids and 1st-8th grade classes around 15 kids. To me, plus the fact that there is apparently no gifted programs in DCPS (which I can't assume my children will be eligible for, but certainly would want this as an option), is what made us apply to private schools to begin with. It sounds from your note that with the right parent advocacy you can get specialized instruction. But I am not sure I have the energy to "work the system" for 3 kids and work full-time...

[Anonymous]

13:11 here. Yes it is about advocacy. And I totally hear you about working full-time!!!

Over the past 4.5 years that we have been at Lafayette it has really improved on providing specialized instruction. The other piece to consider is that Lafayette is full of "gifted" children and I believe that the regular instruction is at higher level. Teachers can't slack off they have to keep up with the kids.

While there is no specific "gifted and talented" program at Lafayette or any other DC school, I know that there are plans in the works to address that issue - I don't know specifics though. That was one of the first things Chancellor Rhee heard from many parents.

In any case, I don't think you can go wrong - you do have to make sure you are comfortable with your choice. Plus Lafayette will always be there, just in case...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:13:11 here. Yes it is about advocacy. And I totally hear you about working full-time!!!

Over the past 4.5 years that we have been at Lafayette it has really improved on providing specialized instruction. The other piece to consider is that Lafayette is full of "gifted" children and I believe that the regular instruction is at higher level. Teachers can't slack off they have to keep up with the kids.

While there is no specific "gifted and talented" program at Lafayette or any other DC school, I know that there are plans in the works to address that issue - I don't know specifics though. That was one of the first things Chancellor Rhee heard from many parents.

In any case, I don't think you can go wrong - you do have to make sure you are comfortable with your choice. Plus Lafayette will always be there, just in case...

Bravo to this poster. Lafayette is full of bright kids, most who are on par with the privates in the area. Our DCs do not attend Lafayette, but we have many friends who live in Chevy Chase DC and they all have bright kids who come from homes with books and lots of extracurricular opportunities and exploration. Our DCs would not be at a private if we lived in AUP, CC DC, Palisades, or Spring Valley.

[Anonymous]

But what about NCLB? How does that play out at Lafayette? In my mind, avoiding the effects of this law on the DCPS elementary (and MoCo, for that matter) curriculum is one of the most compelling reasons to consider private.

My neighbor's child gets tested 3 or 4 times a year -- does that sound correct? Our kid isn't in school yet.

[Anonymous]

I'm 3/13 12:06. Lafayette is big, and part of a bureaucracy, and teaches to the middle. It would have been a disaster for my extremely bright but shy older kid. Even trying to register my younger child for Pre-K was a disaster. I'm still not sure whether she does, or doesn't, have an application in to the lottery (I applied as a hedge against a lay off in this bad economy). I have friends who send their kids to Lafayette and they are making do until middle school for economic reasons. None of them are truly happy, and they talk about pulling their kids all the time. Believe me, it would have been much more convenient to send my kids to Lafaytte, which is a couple of block walk down the street. And none of this takes into account the playground brawls that are publicized on the neighborhood listserv.

I have never, and will never, regret sending my kids to private. Even if economic disaster were to befall us, I would much rather move to a small condo than send my kids there.

[Anonymous]

It's really odd to see the post from 22:20 making it sound like Lafayette is some horrible school where brawls on the playground and chaos reign. I would think, for the sake of her home value alone she would want to be a booster. And, since she doesn't have a child there, I'm not sure how valuable her opinion is. That said, the gifted DC program will roll out in poorer neighborhoods, where it is needed the most. It is not really needed at a school where "all the kids are above average." That said, the school offers a very enriched arts curriculum which would stimulate pretty much everyone. It does not offer specialized gifted instruction, although there are plenty of opportunities for math team, lots of writing programs, etc. The "playground brawls" are pretty rare. We're talking about an affluent neighborhood school, not exactly a place where "playground brawls" are a daily occurrence. Is it a perfect place? Absolutely not. It is also not for every child (what school is?) Is it a very good elementary school? Without a doubt. If you want to save your money for later years, check it out. But, of course, this is an individual decision and every family needs to make that choice for themselves.

[Anonymous]

Poster 21:30 here. Lafayette absolutely does not teach to the middle - that is just not true. Both of my children are several grades ahead in reading and math and get what they need. I think the fact that Lafayette is such a popular school (evidenced by the high demand) speaks for itself - why on earth would any parent keep their child in a school that teaches to the middle?

As far as it being part of a bureaucracy - Lafayette has had WAAAY more autonomy than many schools in DCPS. Nevermind the autonomy that comes with an awesome group of parents who can make things happen. In response to parent concerns about automony, the Chancellor just recently rolled a process for schools to become officially autonomous.

To answer the question about NCLB - it was not until 3rd grade that we "felt" NCLB - 3rd grade is when they generally start testing. There are practice tests leading up to the "real test" and some children get extra help around the testing. In the younger grades there is some very low-key testing but it is just to see where students are and how they are progressing. I don't think that testing is really related to NCLB. I actually appreciate thoses kinds of assessments. Those probably happen about 3-4 times a year - but it is not until 3rd grade where testing sort of "matters".


However, I have not been overwhelmed by NCLB - I have found that the teachers are able to be creative, while there are standards that teachers must follow, I have never felt that the curriculum was cookie-cutter. The testing also does not replace a teacher really getting to know your child. Other parents may have a different take.

For us the testing thing is not a dealbreaker but that is because my oldest is fine with it - but I do know that some kids don't test well. As the pp stated the school is not perfect - there are always improvements that can be made.

[Anonymous]

We have 2 DC, the oldest of whom started at Lafayette. It's arguably the best DCPS school and we loved having a neighborhood school and neighborhood playmates & playdates.

Although it felt larger than we would have liked, we were mostly happy with the quality of instruction. A more individualized program at the higher end academically would have been nice as our DC tend towards the bookish/shy/studious side. Nonetheless, we probably would have stayed until middle school had Washington Yu Ying not opened, which offered a language immersion opportunity that was particularly important to our family.

Best wishes whatever you choose, you know you're in a good place when Lafayette is your "safety" school.

[Anonymous]

I would say it depends upon the private school you're considering, OP. It's a pretty select group that can offer more than Lafayette, and the Big 3 have already made their decisions for this year. Which one were you accepted to?

[Anonymous]

Lafayette has 120-125 kids in Kindergarten in 5 sections. My child's private has 40 K students in 3 sections. Private also has PE 4 times a week, reading 5 days a week, music 2 x a week, art 1x week. Within the group of 40 students, there are five reading groups (so roughly 8 kids per reading class).

Lafayette may be one of the best DC public schools, but that is not saying much. If you have the ability to go private to one of the better private schools, there is really no comparison. People can wail and nash their teeth about that statement, but it's true. I actually found these two statements by apparent Lafayette parents on this thread horrifying:

Playground brawls "are pretty rare." So they do happen. C'est la vie?

Why would someone diss Lafayette when it might affect their house's resale value? Not even going to comment on that one.

Lafayette's immediate neighborhood is mildly affluent. Based on a study a local church did, I believe the median income is $130K-$150K. Yet there are people who live in the neighborhood with incomes of well north of $500K a year. None of those people, so far as I know, send their kids to Lafayette. I am one of them and I do not, nor do I have any neighbors who do. This kind of discussion would not even be had in Cleveland Park or Spring Valley, where everybody sends their kids to private.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Lafayette has 120-125 kids in Kindergarten in 5 sections. My child's private has 40 K students in 3 sections. Private also has PE 4 times a week, reading 5 days a week, music 2 x a week, art 1x week. Within the group of 40 students, there are five reading groups (so roughly 8 kids per reading class).

Lafayette may be one of the best DC public schools, but that is not saying much. If you have the ability to go private to one of the better private schools, there is really no comparison. People can wail and nash their teeth about that statement, but it's true. I actually found these two statements by apparent Lafayette parents on this thread horrifying:

Playground brawls "are pretty rare." So they do happen. C'est la vie?

Why would someone diss Lafayette when it might affect their house's resale value? Not even going to comment on that one.

Lafayette's immediate neighborhood is mildly affluent. Based on a study a local church did, I believe the median income is $130K-$150K. Yet there are people who live in the neighborhood with incomes of well north of $500K a year. None of those people, so far as I know, send their kids to Lafayette. I am one of them and I do not, nor do I have any neighbors who do. This kind of discussion would not even be had in Cleveland Park or Spring Valley, where everybody sends their kids to private.

Private, in and of itself, isn't very meaningful. And anonymous pseudo-snobbery isn't very helpful for anyone. After all, it's not a secret that high-performing DCPS actually means quite a lot. See: http://www.schoolinfosystem.org/archives/2007/10/a_different_loo.php

Page down to and examine the data for high-performing outliers, i.e., DC demographic whites (where the data is obviously coming from a handful of NW schools, esp. dominant Lafayette). If anon snark had a DC at, say St. A or NCS her words might make sense. (Otoh, one has to believe she'd have better things to do than run down her neighborhood school...) Something suggests that her DC can't handle a highly competitive DCPS like Lafayette and are at, say, a lesser-known and less-respected private (expensive) school. And she's paying $25-30K per annum to help her DC look more academically appealing in the long run. And all of a sudden it makes a lot of sense! She has a LOT of money invested in running down Lafayette (where her DC can't compete) to suggest that a so/so private is somehow vastly more appealing. As though the financially and educationally astute parents in the neighborhood (who bought there for the schools, after all!) somehow had made a different decision from that which is explicitly obvious from DCPS test score data.

Nice try, PP. Now grow up.

[Anonymous]

My kid is at a top private. And everyone I know well who has kids at Lafayette are seriously considering pulling them. One of the problems with public is that all the problem kids are there, too. And they could be in class with your kid. Some people are not so happy with that. Some of my friends are not, which is why, even if it is economically hard for them, they will pull their kids from Lafayette if nothing changes in the coming year. Good private schools are not going to tolerate much of the crap that seems to go on every week at Lafayette. Your comment that my kid could not handle public is ridiculous, and, unlike your kid, my DC has the WPPSI score to prove it. DC would have been BORED by public. Our preschool director warned us about sending DC to Lafayette, saying that only the squeaky wheels get the grease there, and that DC was too well behaved to get what DC needed there.

There is a world of difference between a good private and a good public. You attack me for snobbery but have nothing to say about the stats I have listed. THERE IS NO GIFTED PROGRAM IN DCPS AT ALL. The art and music programs are a joke. The frequency of "extras" is appallingly low.

Somehow, you think because someday I may want to sell my $1.25 million house (yes, I live in one of the bigger ones in the neighborhood, although not the biggest; we have a second home) means I should tell the OP that Lafayette is wonderful and that she is not missing out by not sending her kid to a top private school. Sorry, but I won't lie. My neighbors and I have all made the choice that private is significantly better. I can take the real estate hit for not lying, but, you know, keep doing what you do. And I hope it's not your kid that is the subject of the next playground brawl e-mail on the listserv.