How does one afford private school in DC for 32,000/year

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Marry a partner at a corporate law firm and have only one child. Well, that's what I did.

In your position, I'd skip private and make housing choices based on public schools (including charter). My take is that some (but not most) private schools are worth the money for some kids but only if they don't financial and/or logistical havoc with the rest of your life. For the vast majority of kids, the difference between a good public and a good private education just isn't that great -- especially if they have well-educated parents who are engaged and who value education.

Hilarious...already married, but interesting advice. Right now in DC and underwater with the house.

Only problem is then you have to live with the corporate lawyer (I feel like I can say this since I was one).

[Anonymous]

We were college sweethearts; I probably would never have met him otherwise. His hours suck, but I love the guy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: So to answer your question of what I am buying: very small class sizes, lots of "extras" like great art, music and science programs, an emphasis on character and kindness, teachers who know my child very well and who I feel are true partners, and a community of parents who prioritize these things.

Thanks. FWIW, I wouldn't call a school with great art, music, and science programs "mediocre."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't understand your "outrage." What difference does it make to your child if there is one other kindergarten class or 10? I would actually think it could be a benefit b/c that school's administrators are tuned into the needs of that age group.

How is that - they still have 300 1st graders and 300 2nd graders and 300 3rd graders. It was like a little city.

Even if they were "tuned into the needs of the age group" are they "tuned into the needs of the child" - I doubt it.

My child goes to a school with 30 kids per grade, 15 per class and he has no chance of flying under the radar (like I did).

One out of 300+ kids - the administration can't even put a name to the face.

My administration knows their name, parents, siblings, hobbies, personality.

That is what we needed for our child - I bet some kids would hate that - and one in a sea of 300 would be a relief to them.

The point is I had a choice in education because I did not buy a really expensive house.

Sometimes small classes/grades are not all they're cracked up to be. Yes, the teachers and admin will know your kids name. It also means that whoever they "decide or assess" you child to be is the identity he/she will be stuck with for the remainder of school. Sometimes flying under the radar a bit, assimilating into a larger community, and, generally learning to figure out who he/she is without being pigeon-holed at a young age can be a great gift for a child.

I like to think of a larger school as something akin to moving to a big city (more people, differences, opportunities, etc.) and small private schools akin to staying in a small town (can be comforting, but a bit provincial and coddling). Everyone needs to do what they think is best, but some of the things a good public school has to offer can be extraordinarily beneficial to a child.

I guess for some kids it might be ok. Personally for me and my child it's too much like a mill. Lots of faces blurred together trying to get out in the end. School is not just for academics. You're there for the majority of the day so I feel it should be as pleasant and fun as it can be. Being 1 of 300 little kids sounds scary. I

So sorry that your DC requires such a level of hand-holding and coddling! You sound a bit hysterical about the size of one school -- maybe that's why your DC has trouble adjusting. Hope by the time he gets to college he'll be better able to handle the realities of life (especially if he wants to go to a university).

I'm not the PP you quoted, but I think being one of 220 kindergarteners would be overwhelming for many 5 year-olds. Many of the Rosemary Hills parents report how chaotic it can be at times like recess is with all those kids running around. I don't think wanting your child to have a more personalized experience = hand-holding and coddling.

[Anonymous]

It is step one in coddling, no doubt. Kids that can do it and can thrive will have yet another tool in their toolbox as they navigate life.

[Anonymous]

Everyone I know with kids in private have the grandparents pay.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have to say I'm baffled by the apparently robust market for mediocre private schools in this area. Make me wonder what people think they are buying. Social cachet? Small class sizes? Segregation from the rabble? A community of shared beliefs? Relief from chronic concerns about budget cuts, standardized testing, etc.? Because it's hard to make the case that the answer "a better education."

Depends on the school and the alternative. No doubt, for example, that schools like Sidwell, GDS, NCS/St. Albans, are superior to the vast majority of schools private or public in the country. However, if you are choosing between, say TJ or Blair and one of these schools for your math/science loving child, then I agree that it would be hard to justify the price tag. However, if you are like USA and live in bounds for a poorly performing DCPS, and have a child at a Big 3/5, then for academic purposes alone, the price tag is worth it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't understand your "outrage." What difference does it make to your child if there is one other kindergarten class or 10? I would actually think it could be a benefit b/c that school's administrators are tuned into the needs of that age group.

How is that - they still have 300 1st graders and 300 2nd graders and 300 3rd graders. It was like a little city.

Even if they were "tuned into the needs of the age group" are they "tuned into the needs of the child" - I doubt it.

My child goes to a school with 30 kids per grade, 15 per class and he has no chance of flying under the radar (like I did).

One out of 300+ kids - the administration can't even put a name to the face.

My administration knows their name, parents, siblings, hobbies, personality.

That is what we needed for our child - I bet some kids would hate that - and one in a sea of 300 would be a relief to them.

The point is I had a choice in education because I did not buy a really expensive house.

Sometimes small classes/grades are not all they're cracked up to be. Yes, the teachers and admin will know your kids name. It also means that whoever they "decide or assess" you child to be is the identity he/she will be stuck with for the remainder of school. Sometimes flying under the radar a bit, assimilating into a larger community, and, generally learning to figure out who he/she is without being pigeon-holed at a young age can be a great gift for a child.

I like to think of a larger school as something akin to moving to a big city (more people, differences, opportunities, etc.) and small private schools akin to staying in a small town (can be comforting, but a bit provincial and coddling). Everyone needs to do what they think is best, but some of the things a good public school has to offer can be extraordinarily beneficial to a child.

I guess for some kids it might be ok. Personally for me and my child it's too much like a mill. Lots of faces blurred together trying to get out in the end. School is not just for academics. You're there for the majority of the day so I feel it should be as pleasant and fun as it can be. Being 1 of 300 little kids sounds scary. I

So sorry that your DC requires such a level of hand-holding and coddling! You sound a bit hysterical about the size of one school -- maybe that's why your DC has trouble adjusting. Hope by the time he gets to college he'll be better able to handle the realities of life (especially if he wants to go to a university).

I'm not the PP you quoted, but I think being one of 220 kindergarteners would be overwhelming for many 5 year-olds. Many of the Rosemary Hills parents report how chaotic it can be at times like recess is with all those kids running around. I don't think wanting your child to have a more personalized experience = hand-holding and coddling.

Thank you for explaining this so nicely!

[Anonymous]

I think you are mis-analyzing the "1 of 200" kids. Using Rosemary Hills as an example, there are about 650 students. When you say your child is one of 200 or one of 300, it doesn't really matter from your child's perspective b/c they are actually 1 of 20-25 students b/c that's how many are in their class. Someone mentioned lunch/recess and the chaos they imagined from being 1 of 200-300. I have news for you! When you are in a public school, every kid is one of 650-850.... however, they are not all eating lunch at the same time or on the playground at the same time. They stagger the lunch/recess times b/c they don't make the cafeterias big enough to hold everyone. It IS a plus to be in a school like Rosemary Hills (I'm not in that school or even in Md.), b/c the kids your little kindergartener are tangentially interacting with are closer in age than in a "normal" elementary school -- where there are also 650-850 kids. In a "normal" elementary school, your shrimpy kindergartener (yes, I have one of those) is loosely mixing with 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th graders (hallways mainly).

A school like Rosemary Hills, that focusses on the lower elementary grades and has more of them IS ideal in many ways. (Not so great for families of kids in upper elmentary and lower elementary, but great for the kids). Having had 2 kids go through the lower elementary grades, I maintain my position that the size of the entire grade would make no difference to my child's experience.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think you are mis-analyzing the "1 of 200" kids. Using Rosemary Hills as an example, there are about 650 students. When you say your child is one of 200 or one of 300, it doesn't really matter from your child's perspective b/c they are actually 1 of 20-25 students b/c that's how many are in their class. Someone mentioned lunch/recess and the chaos they imagined from being 1 of 200-300. I have news for you! When you are in a public school, every kid is one of 650-850.... however, they are not all eating lunch at the same time or on the playground at the same time. They stagger the lunch/recess times b/c they don't make the cafeterias big enough to hold everyone. It IS a plus to be in a school like Rosemary Hills (I'm not in that school or even in Md.), b/c the kids your little kindergartener are tangentially interacting with are closer in age than in a "normal" elementary school -- where there are also 650-850 kids. In a "normal" elementary school, your shrimpy kindergartener (yes, I have one of those) is loosely mixing with 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th graders (hallways mainly).

A school like Rosemary Hills, that focusses on the lower elementary grades and has more of them IS ideal in many ways. (Not so great for families of kids in upper elmentary and lower elementary, but great for the kids). Having had 2 kids go through the lower elementary grades, I maintain my position that the size of the entire grade would make no difference to my child's experience.

but do you accept that kids (and the adults they become) are different and have different needs? all that chaos may indeed be good for some, but others will be lost or forgotten about (like mine, in all likelihood, because he's reserved and independent and will happily sit in the corner and read while his classmates learn letter sounds). most elementary schools were not designed to hold that many kids and most 5th graders are really not all that great an influence on shrimpy kindergartners (nor do they want to be).

my kid will be in K in a school in VA that is at 140% capacity, with "only" about 120 K'ers. they have lots of trailers for the older kids, which cuts into playground space, so all 120 (and likely older kids, too) or so will be outside together for recess crammed into about 1/4 - 1/3 of the space that was originally intended for fewer kids.

my point is only that some kids don't do well in large environments and if parents want to choose a smaller environment, it is no reflection on or criticism of the choices you have made for your kids.

[Anonymous]

I think there is a tendency for some to think that everything is a criticism of them. I have friends that are upset that we chose to send our child to private school because they feel that we are criticizing them and their choices indirectly. We are not. Everyone does the best for their child.

[Anonymous]

Of course I accept that people may choose to have a smaller environment for their child and there are certainly advantages to it. If that's worth the price of tuition, then you should do it. Absolutely. Most kids probably would benefit from smaller class sizes. My beef is with the assertion that it is terrible to be in a school where there are 300 other kids in the same grade. It doesn't matter if there are 300 kids of the same age in the same grade --- they aren't in the same classroom.

The total enrollment/size of the school certainly influences how well your child will be known... I agree with you there. But the question isn't "how many total kindergarteners are there?". The relevant questions are "how many kids will there be in my kid's class?
AND "how big is the total enrollment of the school?". Getting stuck on the fact that there are 200 kindergarteners in a public school is a red herring. They may have 20 kids in a class and they may have the same overall enrollment as a private.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Of course I accept that people may choose to have a smaller environment for their child and there are certainly advantages to it. If that's worth the price of tuition, then you should do it. Absolutely. Most kids probably would benefit from smaller class sizes. My beef is with the assertion that it is terrible to be in a school where there are 300 other kids in the same grade. It doesn't matter if there are 300 kids of the same age in the same grade --- they aren't in the same classroom.

The total enrollment/size of the school certainly influences how well your child will be known... I agree with you there. But the question isn't "how many total kindergarteners are there?". The relevant questions are "how many kids will there be in my kid's class?
AND "how big is the total enrollment of the school?". Getting stuck on the fact that there are 200 kindergarteners in a public school is a red herring. They may have 20 kids in a class and they may have the same overall enrollment as a private.

Thank you very much for making this point. There were 180 kindergartners in my son's school last year, but only 19 in his class. Yes, there were lots of kids in the cafeteria. Aside from that, it did not affect him at all. It is so easy as a parent to get frightened about these things, and I understand, but it seriously was not a factor in his life. And this was a one-time shy kid who at one point got overwhelmed by his preschool class of 15. At least in the case of my son, there was nothing to worry about in kindergarten. And as a plus, he now seems to know the entire neighborhood of kids based on casual playground interactions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Of course I accept that people may choose to have a smaller environment for their child and there are certainly advantages to it. If that's worth the price of tuition, then you should do it. Absolutely. Most kids probably would benefit from smaller class sizes. My beef is with the assertion that it is terrible to be in a school where there are 300 other kids in the same grade. It doesn't matter if there are 300 kids of the same age in the same grade --- they aren't in the same classroom.

The total enrollment/size of the school certainly influences how well your child will be known... I agree with you there. But the question isn't "how many total kindergarteners are there?". The relevant questions are "how many kids will there be in my kid's class?
AND "how big is the total enrollment of the school?". Getting stuck on the fact that there are 200 kindergarteners in a public school is a red herring. They may have 20 kids in a class and they may have the same overall enrollment as a private.

Actually, at Rosemary Hills, there are 27-28 Kindergartners per classroom with one teacher per class and one teacher's aid who floats between several classrooms. All the Kindergartners have lunch and recess together, so yes, there are times of the day when my child would be one of 220 kids.

I don't necessarily think it's terrible to be at a school with 300 (or 200 or 500) kids in the same grade. But I do think a child will have a different, and in many ways better, experience where that child- her strengths, weaknesses, quirks, etc- are known not only to her teacher, but also to the administrators who will be doing her classroom assignment for next year, the school counselor, the "specials" teachers, the athletic coaches.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:



Actually, at Rosemary Hills, there are 27-28 Kindergartners per classroom with one teacher per class and one teacher's aid who floats between several classrooms. All the Kindergartners have lunch and recess together, so yes, there are times of the day when my child would be one of 220 kids.

I don't necessarily think it's terrible to be at a school with 300 (or 200 or 500) kids in the same grade. But I do think a child will have a different, and in many ways better, experience where that child- her strengths, weaknesses, quirks, etc- are known not only to her teacher, but also to the administrators who will be doing her classroom assignment for next year, the school counselor, the "specials" teachers, the athletic coaches.

Again, the assuptions you're making are missing the point. First, it's fine that RH (which I'm not associated with) has 27-28 kids/class and two teachers -- great. My kids have had the same situation in FCPS. The administrators won't know your kid unless the school is small -- regardless of how many kindergartners there are in the whole school. If the total enrollment is small, the administrators might know your child, and if it's big they probably won't. Doesn't really matter that much though. It is a common misconception that the principal is picking the teacher for each student. (I thought the same thing for several years). It is much more likely that your child's current teacher will be picking your child's teacher for the following year. So, whether or not the principal knows you -- it likely has no bearing on how well your child is matched with a teacher.

Second, whether there are 200-300 in each grade (total school of say 650 kids) or whether there are just 100 in each grade (same total number of kids in the school -- 650), it doesn't matter for the specials teachers/counselors/principals. They are dealing with the full 650 regardless of how many grade levels are contained in that school.

If you are comparing a school of 800 with a school of 400 === yeah, there is going to be a difference in the "community" feel of the school. If you are comparing a school with 800 kids (only three grades with 250 kids in each) vs. a school with 800 kids (kinder + 1st-6th -- so each grade is 110 kids) you're fooling yourself in thinking there is a significant difference. Your child is 1 of 800 in either case.... but for the VAST majority of the day, your child is 1 of 20/25/30. The impact of the administration knowing your child isn't going to matter. The admin. will know your child if your child stands out from the norm b/c they need extra services. Otherwise, they are ALL blending in to the 800 as far as the admin. is concerned.