Private school or not

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:HHI of 400k. Paying for two kids to go to private because our zoned schools are awful. Also, I worked in a college admissions office and saw what a huge advantage private school kids have in so many ways. Sure we skimp on home renovations and vacations but nothing is more important than giving them a good start at life. I went to public schools and did fine but that was two decades ago and things are very different.

Definitely. A lot of kids require a good start at life, as they’re unable to materially advance without significant help from others. I totally get it. DH and I have a different philosophy. We operate on a higher plane of morality. We would rather see our kid start with nothing and be able to push through to create a NW of $2M than start with a $10M advantage end up with a NW of $5M.

Your kids are so lucky that their parents treat them like an experiment.

It’s only an experiment if one isn’t already certain of the outcome.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:HHI of 400k. Paying for two kids to go to private because our zoned schools are awful. Also, I worked in a college admissions office and saw what a huge advantage private school kids have in so many ways. Sure we skimp on home renovations and vacations but nothing is more important than giving them a good start at life. I went to public schools and did fine but that was two decades ago and things are very different.

Definitely. A lot of kids require a good start at life, as they’re unable to materially advance without significant help from others. I totally get it. DH and I have a different philosophy. We operate on a higher plane of morality. We would rather see our kid start with nothing and be able to push through to create a NW of $2M than start with a $10M advantage end up with a NW of $5M.

Your kid isn’t starting with “nothing.” What a ridiculous, un-self-aware thing to say. Honestly, anyone who could write such nonsense has no business weighing in at all in this discussion.

And “higher plane of morality”? That’s laughable combined with the rest of your post. Absolutely absurdist comedy, as a whole, to the point where I desperately hope you are trolling because otherwise… your poor kid.

Oh yes, my poor kids. Both went to public school, one is still there while the other is now studying mechanical engineering at Berkeley (yes, I know, another lousy public school). Both have traveled the world extensively to donate time and service to organizations and individuals in need of humanitarian support. Both are academic heavyweights, have strong jobs to fund their selfless endeavors, are investment savvy entrepreneurs, and are skyrocketing to success as future pillars of society. My kids learned to work hard and to appreciate the challenge while your kids have learned how to pick the pockets of others in parallel to texting mommy and daddy to request their monthly allowance refresh.

BTW, I never stated that my kid was starting with nothing. I was making a comparative analysis for reference to underscore the importance of the journey more so than the end result. But, I suppose, in retrospect I should have used more simplistic and straightforward terms that would have been more easily digestible by likely respondents.

You sound very very angry. Please restrain your judgement of others. It’s eating you up!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:HHI of 400k. Paying for two kids to go to private because our zoned schools are awful. Also, I worked in a college admissions office and saw what a huge advantage private school kids have in so many ways. Sure we skimp on home renovations and vacations but nothing is more important than giving them a good start at life. I went to public schools and did fine but that was two decades ago and things are very different.

Definitely. A lot of kids require a good start at life, as they’re unable to materially advance without significant help from others. I totally get it. DH and I have a different philosophy. We operate on a higher plane of morality. We would rather see our kid start with nothing and be able to push through to create a NW of $2M than start with a $10M advantage end up with a NW of $5M.

Your kid isn’t starting with “nothing.” What a ridiculous, un-self-aware thing to say. Honestly, anyone who could write such nonsense has no business weighing in at all in this discussion.

And “higher plane of morality”? That’s laughable combined with the rest of your post. Absolutely absurdist comedy, as a whole, to the point where I desperately hope you are trolling because otherwise… your poor kid.

Oh yes, my poor kids. Both went to public school, one is still there while the other is now studying mechanical engineering at Berkeley (yes, I know, another lousy public school). Both have traveled the world extensively to donate time and service to organizations and individuals in need of humanitarian support. Both are academic heavyweights, have strong jobs to fund their selfless endeavors, are investment savvy entrepreneurs, and are skyrocketing to success as future pillars of society. My kids learned to work hard and to appreciate the challenge while your kids have learned how to pick the pockets of others in parallel to texting mommy and daddy to request their monthly allowance refresh.

BTW, I never stated that my kid was starting with nothing. I was making a comparative analysis for reference to underscore the importance of the journey more so than the end result. But, I suppose, in retrospect I should have used more simplistic and straightforward terms that would have been more easily digestible by likely respondents.

If you paid for this, you've given them an opportunity that 99% of kids do not get. This is the exact sort of thing that makes wealthy kids out perform other kids when competing for college admissions.

[Anonymous]

You can afford it and I think it is money well spent. GL

[Anonymous]

Of course you can. Where you went to HS matters more than college for long term connections. Yeah I said it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My two kids went to public schools and both attended top 20 colleges. One is a urology resident and the other has started his own IT services company. It’s been well documented that within the same socioeconomic group, private school is a huge waste of money. But hey you do you and thanks for subsidizing my kids’ educations.

Waste of money is a bit harsh.

I place private schools in the same category as buying a luxury car over a basic Honda. Your good suburban public is like a Honda or Toyota, it does the job reliably enough and gets you to where you need to go. But the luxury car is unquestionably a nicer, smoother and more enjoyable ride. Is the luxury car a waste of money?

Then there's the other valid argument that private schools are terrific for middle of the pack kids who can get overlooked in a bigger and busier public school environment and it can make the difference in fostering confidence. Whether that's worth the tuition fees multiplied by how many years will be up to the individual.

If your kids fall outside the academic range the privates cater to, either to the high side or low side, you’re much better off at publics.

[Anonymous]

Never take financial advance from a forum where four pages of posters tell you that you afford private school tuition without knowing anything about your savings and retirement account balances.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I understand that private school is for families with 800k+ HHI. I know that in ten years children will be mostly attending the same schools and in twenty years most of them will be working at the same places making similar salaries. But both child and I LOVE the school. We are a fed family so making 300s. Market has bumped up our retirement to 1m and brokerage to another 1m. Some 529 that can also be tapped. Home is almost paid off and 2 investment properties. Can we afford 60k tuition and fees for 4 years for one child? Obviously no FA.

Private school has nothing to do with getting a higher quality education. It costs $0 to learn, to accumulate knowledge, to build leadership, and to develop strong character. Private school is for parents that are too lazy to enforce rigor and discipline and for spoon-fed children that are incapable of rising above the distractions inherent in everyday life. So, OP, if either you or your children fall into these latter categories – if your family requires extra help overcoming adversity – then, by all means, push forward and go private. You can’t afford NOT to make the investment in this situation. These types of schools were explicitly created to provide a coddled environment for indolent guardians and the intellectually challenged. Hey…if the shoe fits….

LOL private school is for anyone who can afford it and anyone who feels their public school pyramid sucks. And many do these days. Pubic schools are suffering severe grade inflation as we speak and colleges are onto it. My kid is in private and has to get a 93 to achieve an A and maintain that grade for the entire semester (no marking periods to average). On the other hand, MCPS will give a semester grade of A to any kid who gets 79.5 and 89.5 in the two marking periods (B + A = A for semester). If that were my kid's school, that would equate to a solid B for the semester. Like I said, colleges know this and are looking to other factors to evaluate students. Grades are are pretty meaningless now in public schools. Hoping more and more colleges move back to standardized testing required. Add to all of this the fighting, vaping and sex in the bathrooms, and everything else, I would never send my kid to public even if money were tight...and I live in a very very strong school district.

Take a peek at this thread for more insight on grade deflation at MCPS and the impact on college admissions. https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/1192373.page

Hate to break it to you but fighting, vaping, and sex and everything else, happens at private schools as well. But you keep thinking it doesn’t if that makes you feel better about the $200K you just spent on a private school. Bless your heart.

[Anonymous]

We attended a regional event recently for kids from the DMV of kids who’ve been accepted to a particular well know, good ranking college. There were about 15 kids there and all but mind came from private schools in the area. It was eye opening. All but 2 were definitely going there. 2 are waiting for more results, mine being one of them.

As you said: in 10 years all the kids will be at the same schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I understand that private school is for families with 800k+ HHI. I know that in ten years children will be mostly attending the same schools and in twenty years most of them will be working at the same places making similar salaries. But both child and I LOVE the school. We are a fed family so making 300s. Market has bumped up our retirement to 1m and brokerage to another 1m. Some 529 that can also be tapped. Home is almost paid off and 2 investment properties. Can we afford 60k tuition and fees for 4 years for one child? Obviously no FA.

Private school has nothing to do with getting a higher quality education. It costs $0 to learn, to accumulate knowledge, to build leadership, and to develop strong character. Private school is for parents that are too lazy to enforce rigor and discipline and for spoon-fed children that are incapable of rising above the distractions inherent in everyday life. So, OP, if either you or your children fall into these latter categories – if your family requires extra help overcoming adversity – then, by all means, push forward and go private. You can’t afford NOT to make the investment in this situation. These types of schools were explicitly created to provide a coddled environment for indolent guardians and the intellectually challenged. Hey…if the shoe fits….

LOL private school is for anyone who can afford it and anyone who feels their public school pyramid sucks. And many do these days. Pubic schools are suffering severe grade inflation as we speak and colleges are onto it. My kid is in private and has to get a 93 to achieve an A and maintain that grade for the entire semester (no marking periods to average). On the other hand, MCPS will give a semester grade of A to any kid who gets 79.5 and 89.5 in the two marking periods (B + A = A for semester). If that were my kid's school, that would equate to a solid B for the semester. Like I said, colleges know this and are looking to other factors to evaluate students. Grades are are pretty meaningless now in public schools. Hoping more and more colleges move back to standardized testing required. Add to all of this the fighting, vaping and sex in the bathrooms, and everything else, I would never send my kid to public even if money were tight...and I live in a very very strong school district.

Take a peek at this thread for more insight on grade deflation at MCPS and the impact on college admissions. https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/1192373.page

Does your private give grades for anything like homework, classwork, quizzes, etc? If so, your school inflates grades far more than our public HS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We attended a regional event recently for kids from the DMV of kids who’ve been accepted to a particular well know, good ranking college. There were about 15 kids there and all but mind came from private schools in the area. It was eye opening. All but 2 were definitely going there. 2 are waiting for more results, mine being one of them.

As you said: in 10 years all the kids will be at the same schools.

Private school kids tend to have many benefits over public school kids, namely their parents who have a lot of resources and a desire to use them to further their children's education. In order to have those resources, the parents likely went to elite universities and conferred legacy status to their children. They also likely spent a lot of money on their children's extracurricular activities, like private lessons from a young age, and exposed their children to a variety of activities to explore their interests. It's very hard to evaluate the impact of private schools alone in college admissions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I understand that private school is for families with 800k+ HHI. I know that in ten years children will be mostly attending the same schools and in twenty years most of them will be working at the same places making similar salaries. But both child and I LOVE the school. We are a fed family so making 300s. Market has bumped up our retirement to 1m and brokerage to another 1m. Some 529 that can also be tapped. Home is almost paid off and 2 investment properties. Can we afford 60k tuition and fees for 4 years for one child? Obviously no FA.

Private school has nothing to do with getting a higher quality education. It costs $0 to learn, to accumulate knowledge, to build leadership, and to develop strong character. Private school is for parents that are too lazy to enforce rigor and discipline and for spoon-fed children that are incapable of rising above the distractions inherent in everyday life. So, OP, if either you or your children fall into these latter categories – if your family requires extra help overcoming adversity – then, by all means, push forward and go private. You can’t afford NOT to make the investment in this situation. These types of schools were explicitly created to provide a coddled environment for indolent guardians and the intellectually challenged. Hey…if the shoe fits….

LOL private school is for anyone who can afford it and anyone who feels their public school pyramid sucks. And many do these days. Pubic schools are suffering severe grade inflation as we speak and colleges are onto it. My kid is in private and has to get a 93 to achieve an A and maintain that grade for the entire semester (no marking periods to average). On the other hand, MCPS will give a semester grade of A to any kid who gets 79.5 and 89.5 in the two marking periods (B + A = A for semester). If that were my kid's school, that would equate to a solid B for the semester. Like I said, colleges know this and are looking to other factors to evaluate students. Grades are are pretty meaningless now in public schools. Hoping more and more colleges move back to standardized testing required. Add to all of this the fighting, vaping and sex in the bathrooms, and everything else, I would never send my kid to public even if money were tight...and I live in a very very strong school district.

Take a peek at this thread for more insight on grade deflation at MCPS and the impact on college admissions. https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/1192373.page

Hate to break it to you but fighting, vaping, and sex and everything else, happens at private schools as well. But you keep thinking it doesn’t if that makes you feel better about the $200K you just spent on a private school. Bless your heart.

As someone with kids in both this is unequivocally not true.

I’ve yet to see ambulances pull up regularly to the private school. My kid in private doesn’t have to hold it all day to avoid the danger and utter grossness of the bathrooms. There hasn’t been any fights that caused an ambulance ride at private. My kid can carry a backpack into class in private. It goes on and on and on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:HHI of 400k. Paying for two kids to go to private because our zoned schools are awful. Also, I worked in a college admissions office and saw what a huge advantage private school kids have in so many ways. Sure we skimp on home renovations and vacations but nothing is more important than giving them a good start at life. I went to public schools and did fine but that was two decades ago and things are very different.

Definitely. A lot of kids require a good start at life, as they’re unable to materially advance without significant help from others. I totally get it. DH and I have a different philosophy. We operate on a higher plane of morality. We would rather see our kid start with nothing and be able to push through to create a NW of $2M than start with a $10M advantage end up with a NW of $5M.

Your kid isn’t starting with “nothing.” What a ridiculous, un-self-aware thing to say. Honestly, anyone who could write such nonsense has no business weighing in at all in this discussion.

And “higher plane of morality”? That’s laughable combined with the rest of your post. Absolutely absurdist comedy, as a whole, to the point where I desperately hope you are trolling because otherwise… your poor kid.

Oh yes, my poor kids. Both went to public school, one is still there while the other is now studying mechanical engineering at Berkeley (yes, I know, another lousy public school). Both have traveled the world extensively to donate time and service to organizations and individuals in need of humanitarian support. Both are academic heavyweights, have strong jobs to fund their selfless endeavors, are investment savvy entrepreneurs, and are skyrocketing to success as future pillars of society. My kids learned to work hard and to appreciate the challenge while your kids have learned how to pick the pockets of others in parallel to texting mommy and daddy to request their monthly allowance refresh.

BTW, I never stated that my kid was starting with nothing. I was making a comparative analysis for reference to underscore the importance of the journey more so than the end result. But, I suppose, in retrospect I should have used more simplistic and straightforward terms that would have been more easily digestible by likely respondents.

Yeah, I do feel sorry for your kids. You are hyperventilating on DCUM because someone thinks you are ridiculous. I can only imagine what a nightmare you are with your kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I understand that private school is for families with 800k+ HHI. I know that in ten years children will be mostly attending the same schools and in twenty years most of them will be working at the same places making similar salaries. But both child and I LOVE the school. We are a fed family so making 300s. Market has bumped up our retirement to 1m and brokerage to another 1m. Some 529 that can also be tapped. Home is almost paid off and 2 investment properties. Can we afford 60k tuition and fees for 4 years for one child? Obviously no FA.

Correction. Private school is mostly for families that want to pretend they have an HHI of 800k+. It is an unusual club that materialistic and weak-minded individuals aspire to join in a vain attempt to achieve elite separation. Most amusing is that so many unenlightened individuals flaunt private school like a badge of honor when, in fact, it is a veritable cone of shame. Every kid that attends might as well be wearing a t-shirt that reads: “I couldn’t hack it in the real world, so my parents outsourced my upbringing to this incestuous place.”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Never take financial advance from a forum where four pages of posters tell you that you afford private school tuition without knowing anything about your savings and retirement account balances.

Op says in her initial post that they have 1 million in retirement funds and an additional 1 million in brokerage. She also notes they are a dual fed family so presumably have excellent job stability and 2 pensions forthcoming.