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Oh God, should I be sending my kid to private school or DCPS?????
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Anonymous
AAAAAAHHHHHHHH. We are going to a lovely little private school, but I wake up in cold sweats after dreaming about throwing buckets of money out of the window, and then realize it is not a dream!!!! I am not really looking for any answers, there are none, but I am stressed and just had to put it out there b/c my DH will not hear it anymore....
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Anonymous
| Which DCPS? What grade? |
Anonymous
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Some DCPS schools are good...others aren't.
DC Public Charter Schools are good for the most part....you could look into some of those and see. |
Anonymous
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A few charter schools are as good as the better (but not as the best) DC public schools -- Washington Latin may be the only charter that's arguably better than the best DCPS option. The best DC public schools aren't anywhere near as good as the best DC private schools. But you can get a decent education in them and they are free. And not all private schools are created equal, but it sounds like you are very happy with the one you've found.
What you get from private school is (a) much less emphasis on standardized tests, (b) smaller classes (and/or a better teacher:student ration), (c) better facilities (or at least facilities that are better maintained), and (d) less angst about perennial budget cuts, mass purges of staff and faculty, etc. Personally, there's not a chance in hell I'd start out in DCPS at this point. Rhee doesn't know WTF she's doing and just when you think things couldn't get worse, they do. Most of the people I know who have had kids in DCPS are looking to get out at this point (or relieved that their last kid is on the verge of graduation). There's no way you made a bad decision. At worst, you've made a risk-averse decision. Years from now, neither you nor your kid will be thinking "if only we'd chosen DCPS!" |
Anonymous
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Did you actually apply to any charters or DCPS schools where you have a chance to go in September, or is this all theoretical?
If you are preparing for next year, I would apply to some of the good DCPS schools and the good charters and then make your decision on a case by case basis. My son didn't get into any of the 2 charters I wanted, so he will remain in private school this year. I am probably similiar to you in the sense that I have actually met kids who have done DCPS through elementary or middle (a couple of high schoolers but significantly fewer) and then gone private and they are fine-smart as their peers, blah, blah, blah. Only difference I can tell is that their parents didn't spend $180,000 plus getting them to the 6th or 7th grade point. |
Anonymous
| First of all, unless you live in the actual Ward where the "good" public schools are, your chances are slim to none of getting in anyway. As far as the Charters, that's almost the case, as well with schools like Cap City, Two Rivers, EL Haynes. Private is, unfortunately, becoming the only choice for alot of parents. We're going private, too. We are not thrilled at all about the money we're about to spend, but there's no way I'd subject my DS to our local DCPS. |
Anonymous
| OP here. I am zoned for Janney, which is VERY parent supported, VERY community based, and LOVED. I visited and visited and visited and visited and visited for my rising K son, and could not get down with it. Could not. I have a issue with the testing and even the curriculum, I worry that the school will not be able to get their leadership together and it will flounder in the meanwhile, NO ONE can seem to decide how and when the school will be fixed and I am not sure I want my two sons in construction for four years. So that is it in a nutshell. The money still makes me feel sick....does it ever get better? |
Anonymous
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After two years in two different "up and coming" DCPS, we're going charter. At the first school we had an amazing teacher and a so-so school administration. At the second school, we had a so-so teacher, and a so-so school administration. At these up and coming schools, I have experienced resentment, from various sources, for my ethnicity and perceived "privilige."
This quote from the Marion Barry thread sums up my experience in DCPS, unfortunately. http://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/50991.page
I did nothing to deserve this treatment other than send my kid to school. |
Anonymous
| OP, I assume you've already signed the contract and are on the hook for tuition for this year. So go, see how you like it, and then reassess. I confess I wouldn't have considered sending my kids private for kindergarten or even elementary school, but we went to a good DCPS elementary and were quite happy with their education -- until 5th grade. That said, we went private for middle school, and I have to say that, while I don't think it's worth it for elementary, we feel that private middle school is much better than the public options we had, and we're glad we can afford to do it. Small class size, not teaching to the test, better music, arts, and sports programs, beautiful campus, and bright kids are things we don't mind paying for. At least, not too much. |
Anonymous
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If your gut is telling you to avoid Janney, do so.
As for the idea of doing DCPS for elementary and private for MS, that's what we did but the competition is fierce across the board and you are competing against applicants from private schools that provide support, like in-class SSAT preparation, and have connections with various AD offices. So acceptance is not a shoo-in. We applied to four, get accepted at one, waitlisted at two, rejected by one. My child was a straight A student at a top DCPS school and is a standout, impact-player athlete. My child is very happy in private, so happy I wish I'd made the switch earlier. I really found DCPS a very mixed experience, it's incredibly dysfunctional and believe it's deteriorated since we left. |
Anonymous
| OP here. I am comforted by the thought of reassessing as the year goes and taking another look at Janney. Deep DEEP down, I know I will probably NOt change my mind. I cannot get behind DCPS for a variety if reasons, not to mention, my lovely son is not so great in groups. Kind of gets lost you know? I think he will thrive in a smaller environment (but who doesn't), whilst our family will be eating ramen for the forseeable future. |
Anonymous
| FWIW, my neighborhood is in the Janney district and most people in our block (4 of the 6 families with elementary-aged kids) have chosen private schools. And everybody seems quite happy with the choices they've made (whether private or public). |
Anonymous
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OP, I went to a school that I HATED (3rd and 4th grades), and it was private, but that was a long time ago, and I am not trying to say that the reason the school sucked is b/c it was private. Those were horrible years. I cried a lot. I learned nothing. School should be fun.
Advice: find a school, private or public, that you AND your child like, then go for it and forget the financial issues. I plan to keep my dd at private for as long as I can. |
Anonymous
Someone said this directly to you? |
Anonymous
| After 3yrs (K to 2nd) in a good DCPS school, great experience with teachers and being an involved family, we just could NOT stand the year to year angst about what the central office would do to screw things up (budget, personnel, aftercare, differentiated instruction, whatever...). Most DC parents think there are only four options -- DCPS, public charter school, private school, or parochial school. There is a fifth option -- we moved!!! Fairfax, Montgomery and Arlington counties have great schools too. For us the opportunity cost of moving, even with not selling our DC house right away was less than multiple years of private school for 2 kids. Sorry, just not that well off. Now, we are in Fairfax County, in an very diverse excellent elementary school. |