Public vs Private (Please weigh in and help us make a decision)

[Anonymous]

DS is 5 yo and scored in the 99.8% across domains on the WPSI. I know, not the biggest deal (socially and emotionally the kid is definitely a standard issue 5 year old) but we are trying to make some good decisions for him and our family and I think I am losing my mind trying to balance all the variables. We have been accepted in, and offered a generous financial aid package, at a very well-regarded private school. We also live in Montgomery County and have excellent schools in our neighborhood.

If we go the private route, we will still be on board for approx 6-7 k a year. Obviously, there is no expense for our neighborhood school. Also, the private school is a haul on the beltway (can take anywhere from 15 minutes to 17 hours depending on the mornings traffic). I love the idea of our neighborhood PTA and a cohesive neighborhood school experience...but...DS is in PK now and his current teacher has been pretty emphatic that he needs an accelerated and differentiated learning curriculum both to foster his growth and to keep him from becoming a behavioral issue. The school we have been accepted into looks fun, engaging, really delightful...but is it necessary?

We can absolutely supplement at home, but there are still the several hours a day he is in school...does anyone have any feedback on having gone through the hand-wringing over making this decision and have some rear-view advice they can offer?

Thank you!

[Anonymous]

I would do the private. It sounds like a great opportunity. You can always switch later if you need to do so, but I doubt you can switch from public to private. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Private. Hands down.

[Anonymous]

I go the other way..start in public. See how it goes. If it works you get the benefits of the neighbor hood school and the cost savings. I am sure he will be accepted privately again with high test scores and after a year of K you might know more about his learning style/interests etc when choosing where to apply.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I go the other way..start in public. See how it goes. If it works you get the benefits of the neighbor hood school and the cost savings. I am sure he will be accepted privately again with high test scores and after a year of K you might know more about his learning style/interests etc when choosing where to apply.

You're "sure"? I think not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I go the other way..start in public. See how it goes. If it works you get the benefits of the neighbor hood school and the cost savings. I am sure he will be accepted privately again with high test scores and after a year of K you might know more about his learning style/interests etc when choosing where to apply.

You're "sure"? I think not.

OP here. This has been a big part of our hand-wringing. How likely is it that we are blowing an opportunity if we start in public? Does it actually get more difficult to matriculate into a private school if we start, say, in third grade or 5th?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I go the other way..start in public. See how it goes. If it works you get the benefits of the neighbor hood school and the cost savings. I am sure he will be accepted privately again with high test scores and after a year of K you might know more about his learning style/interests etc when choosing where to apply.

You're "sure"? I think not.

OP here. This has been a big part of our hand-wringing. How likely is it that we are blowing an opportunity if we start in public? Does it actually get more difficult to matriculate into a private school if we start, say, in third grade or 5th?

I think if you have the time to get involved at the school and your kid gets along well with others, they can start in 3rd or 5th grade without a social problem.

[Anonymous]

I would do the private.

[Anonymous]

What does the money mean to you? I got a lot of those same statements in preschool. Years later, I have a kid with some health issues, some general immaturity, and less than stellar executive function issues. All of which would still have been true in private. He is as smart as ever.

It is very nice to be able to write large checks to tutors.

Can you do that on top of private? We could not, and I'm glad we didn't choose that option.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I go the other way..start in public. See how it goes. If it works you get the benefits of the neighbor hood school and the cost savings. I am sure he will be accepted privately again with high test scores and after a year of K you might know more about his learning style/interests etc when choosing where to apply.

You're "sure"? I think not.

99.8% WISC score seems like a pretty stand out applicant

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What does the money mean to you? I got a lot of those same statements in preschool. Years later, I have a kid with some health issues, some general immaturity, and less than stellar executive function issues. All of which would still have been true in private. He is as smart as ever.

It is very nice to be able to write large checks to tutors.

Can you do that on top of private? We could not, and I'm glad we didn't choose that option.

This is a good perspective to consider. Its hard to give up on the opportunity of a "well-regarded private" as you put it, but commute and community aside, what are you actually getting? Our child was at a well regarded K-8 which had some really tuned-out teachers, a problem with discipline (amongst the boys mostly) and a slow moving curriculum, not the fabulous academics we had been promised. Ultimately we think the school was a dumping ground for boys with social difficulties who wouldn't have been able to just get along with others in class in a local school. We have switched out to our local public and not only is our child a lot happier, we are so much happier with the openness of the teachers and the academic expectations.

[Anonymous]

OP here. The money is a real consideration. 7k is doable, but definitely means sacrifice. We're cool with making sacrifices for our kid, but we have two younger ones, too, and all of this needs to be part of a long-term plan.

I appreciate all the feedback, too!

[Anonymous]

Why would "a very well-regarded private" be a better place for a five-year-old with high scores on the preschool/primary IQ test than the local public school? I am asking this sincerely. The public school K curriculum is not geared for this, but neither (I would think) is the "very well-regarded private" K curriculum.

[Anonymous]

K is an expansion year. If you want in it would Be a great gamble trying to get in at a non expansion year. More so with FA need. Your next shot at private would be applying for 6th grade entrance.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why would "a very well-regarded private" be a better place for a five-year-old with high scores on the preschool/primary IQ test than the local public school? I am asking this sincerely. The public school K curriculum is not geared for this, but neither (I would think) is the "very well-regarded private" K curriculum.

This. You're 100% correct. The private will probably offer a slower curriculum than the public, especially in Math. Its a known difference and admitted by most public schools (in this area).