Regretting private high school investment because of colleges want more public school graduates
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Anonymous
| All these people who say they pay for private for reasons other than college outcome, can you please explain more? When I saw the OP’s post I knew that would be the standard reply (I’ve been reading this board for years and there are two consistent themes: quitting your job to stay home because that’s “the best decision for our family” and claiming that you pay for private not because of college “we are not paying to get into ivy”), so I’m curious why. I’m an immigrant so that might explain why this is confusing to me. |
Anonymous
I send my daughter to private so she can get a well-rounded education and be well prepared and successful in college. She doesn’t have to go to an Ivy to be successful. There are many great colleges outside of the Ivy. Privates have smaller class sizes, better facilities, more academically focused students, greater family engagement, and more attention on Humanities and Arts. It is generally also safer than public because there are less fights and violent incidents. |
Anonymous
You sound like an idiot. Private school is not and has never been the path to prestigious college. It's the path to a great, well-rounded, comprehensive education. You got what you paid for. If you wanted colleges, then you send your kid to the most impoverished gang ridden school in the city, but have all the test prep and extras money could buy. That advice usually comes for $400/hr. You're welcome. |
Anonymous
No one needs to justify any decision to you or explain it. Visit the schools, decide if it is worth it. Look at the matriculation stats with a grain of salt - know those with ivy are probably legacy. Unhooked kids go to the same schools as public school kids. Decide if it's worth it to you. As an immigrant, if that's true, you will see the difference. Plenty of first gen immigrants at my kid's private. Also lots of non-immigrants don't think it's worth it either. |
Anonymous
Why would I care for a random internet user to justify their decisions to me? This is a discussion board and I’m just curious. So many users on this forum give the same answer to this topic so I thought I’d ask for the reasoning. |
Anonymous
DC is 2e - dyslexic and gifted. The local publics could support the dyslexia (although even that was luck of the draw on whether you got a teacher that understood LDs or just thought kids were lazy and needed to try harder) OR they could challenge the giftedness, but not both together. DC didn’t need a dyslexia-specific school (which again, often aren’t great at challenging a gifted child). A mainstream private school that offered appropriate accommodations with a rigorous education was perfect. And we’re not looking for Ivy admits for college (although DC has the stats to join the crapshoot lottery that is Ivy admissions if they wanted to). Top of the list is currently William & Mary and everyone would be thrilled with that outcome - or one of several other smaller publics and liberal arts schools on DC’s list. |
Anonymous
| It’s definitely easier to take an advanced course load and have a higher GPA at public and it does seem like colleges are prioritizing this, even is the work isn’t near as challenging. |
Anonymous
| I have a genuine question: why do people act like public school is for disadvantaged kids and minorities when the vast majority goes to public schools? Even Ivy League schools have a majority of public school students getting admission. So why are colleges doing this pandering. |
Anonymous
| Most people head to private because the local school sucks this will change nothing in terms of private attendance. |
Anonymous
It's a weird DC/major city thing. Everywhere else, kids are sent to private mainly when they are expelled from public. |
Anonymous
In my local school, 70% of students are below state achievement standards. And I won’t even get into the staffing issues, crime, budget cuts, and rampant school closures. My kid’s private has almost all post doc teachers, 40% of students recognized for National Merit, innovative curriculum, and engaged. Everyone is happy, and we are fortunate enough that we can afford the tuition. I would not recommend it for all situations. And if you live in an unprogressive hillbilly town (seemingly like yours), it might make better sense to go public. |
Anonymous
Because the administration and teachers focus is generally on disadvantage and ESL because of the accounting and incentives of NCLB. |
Anonymous
Well yeah, in the sticks that tracks. I grew up in middle America and only private schools were crazy religious ones. |
Anonymous
Oh my god, private school parents are the absolute worst. |
Anonymous
That’s not at all true for most of California, Texas, Florida, NYC, etc. |