families switching from private to public?

[Anonymous]

Hello all –

I cover private schools for the Washington Post, and I’m working on an article about private school families switching to public schools this year. The numbers are way up, where they’re tracked, and I can only assume that the economy is a large factor in decisions. That there are some really great public schools in the area – Montgomery County, Fairfax, and elsewhere – can only ease the decision, I’d think.

But I’m trying to put a face on the numbers. Has anyone here switched from private to public this year? Or know anyone who has who might be willing to tell me a little more about the decision?

I’m certainly interested in people moving the other way, too, either because of the big budget cuts in all the public school systems or for other reasons. But the numbers seem to show a big movement from private to public.

Also: the full-time coverage of private and religious schools is new, part of the Post’s revamping the way it covers education in the Washington area. If ever you have concerns, tips, or thoughts about the topic, please don’t hesitate to let me know at birnbaumm(at)washpost.com or 703-443-6850. I look forward to exploring the ins and outs of private schools as the year progresses.

Best,
Michael Birnbaum

[Anonymous]

Having been involved in private school admissions, our former school's admissions were up this year. We applied to 3 new private schools this year and their apps were all up quite a bit. GDS told us that for one grade alone, apps were up 33% and significantly up in all the other grades. From our Head of School, we heard that private school apps were up just about everywhere.

I have heard of no stories where students were leaving private for public. In fact, we were told by a number of schools that there were very few openings. Possibly, some families delaying a private pre-K or K for one year.

Not sure where this private to public movement is happening.... All evidence I have is pointing to the opposite.

[Anonymous]

We are doing the opposite. After spending the past 2 years in public, my child will be entering a private school next week.

[Anonymous]

Certainly my ears are open. Montgomery County schools have seen a big increase in enrollment from private schools, triple that of years past, and I hear anecdotally that some of the better DCPS schools have decent increases as well.

But 10:57, you're right that a number of schools have seen big increases in applications. Important to note that applications don't necessarily equal enrollments, but there are plenty of private schools with whom I've spoken whose enrollments are steady or even up, even if they're dishing out more financial aid.

11:00, why did you decide to switch from public to private?

--Michael B.

[Anonymous]

I think apps are up because students' families are applying to six or seven schools to improve their chances of acceptance somewhere!

GDS: What grade saw the 33% spike!

[Anonymous]

OP I know a few people who know people so I can ask around.

[Anonymous]

11:10 -- I suspect you're right. That's why there's a big difference between apps and enrollments!

11:11 -- I'd appreciate any help I can get. And again, I'm happy and interested to hear of stories in the opposite direction, but the overarching trend does seem to be private to public.

--Michael B.

[Anonymous]

There was a big article in the NYT about there was a lot more competition to get into the good public elementary schools. That may be where part of the buzz is coming from.

[Anonymous]

For GDS, it was either 6th or 7th grade. Overall, was told by the administration apps up over 20% overall.

Have also heard that apps also translated to acceptances. Very few schools moved to their waitlists and when they did, it didn't move past a couple other offers.

I can see where a county like Montgomery with its excellent schools could see a rise. But also, just heard on the tv this morning that it is also a very diverse county (unlike some others) and that this could be a factor in moving to public.

We were told by a number of administrators that this was one of the hardest years for applying and getting in. My son's new school had only 4 openings for a class of 90+.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Certainly my ears are open. Montgomery County schools have seen a big increase in enrollment from private schools, triple that of years past, and I hear anecdotally that some of the better DCPS schools have decent increases as well.

But 10:57, you're right that a number of schools have seen big increases in applications. Important to note that applications don't necessarily equal enrollments, but there are plenty of private schools with whom I've spoken whose enrollments are steady or even up, even if they're dishing out more financial aid.

11:00, why did you decide to switch from public to private?

--Michael B.

Class sizes were too large, inconsistent teacher quality-- competence and professionalism were the luck of the draw, disorganized administration and just tired of the cold and impersonal attitude.

[Anonymous]

I suppose those are always the big reasons to go private aren't they? Might I ask where in the D.C. area you were sending your child? Did you notice things get worse last year, or did you just get fed up with a not-great situation that was pretty constant?

--Michael B.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I suppose those are always the big reasons to go private aren't they? Might I ask where in the D.C. area you were sending your child? Did you notice things get worse last year, or did you just get fed up with a not-great situation that was pretty constant?

--Michael B.

A FCPS high school. My child attended FCPS for grades K-3 and we left for private. When it was time for high school, due to the excellent reputation of this high school we decided to give it try, the first year actually went very well (my child had 3 excellent teachers), but the second year was terrible, poor teachers, class size for AP and Honors classes were huge. It was time for us to move on.

[Anonymous]

Couldn't the increase in public school enrollment be attributed to a demographic effect? Our private also experienced a big increase in apps and (to respond to the theory that people submitted multiple apps) had a banner year in terms of getting the enrollments in from the acceptances they offered. Also had no increase in families leaving for public. Their speculation was that with the market tanking, people who otherwise might have put their $$ somewhere interest earning were more likely to see education as a worthwhile lifetime investment.

With the combination of budget cuts and the increased enrollment you mention, I can't imagine STARTING public schools this year.

[Anonymous]

Michael,

It will be interesting to see whether your analysis of the data shows that there was a move away from all "tiers" of private schools. One might hypothesize that private schools generally considered in the "top tier" like Sidwell Friends, St Albans, Potomac, GDS, Maret, and National Cathedral might have seen their applications/enrollments hold steady or even increase, while private schools that are more middle/lower tier might have seen a decrease or students transferring to public. Perhaps those parents sending their kids to a more middle/lower tier school (usually schools that are less expensive than a place like Sidwell) do not see enough of a differentiation in value between those schools and public schools, while parents sending their kids to top tier schools still see a significant difference in experience/value for their kids.

Also would be interesting to understand the impact that the Charter schools movement has had on enrollments - perhaps some parents apply to privates and to Charters and then pick the Charters if their kid gets in (perhaps more parents now equating Charter schools to middle tier privates).

Would definitely encourage you to get hard data on admissions/enrollments from these schools as not all private schools are created equal.

Will look forward to your piece.

[Anonymous]

Not sure about switching, but it seems as though there may be quite a few who are deciding to attend public elementary instead of private. The numbers at Lafayette, for example, are up even though it no longer has a 6th grade.