Can you tell pretty quickly if a kid or group of kids are private schoolers?

[Anonymous]

I could tell more on sports teams and birthday parties in the upper elementary and middle school grades. (compared to k-8 private)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They have a certain je ne sais quoi

joie de vivre it factor
https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/792205.page

joie de vi·vre
exuberant enjoyment of life

Are you suggesting it is used incorrectly in that context? Every private family believes their children are much happier and more comfortable in their own skin in a more nourishing private school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We have kids in both. Around NW DC/MD at least, there's not much difference given the socioeconomic makeup of those areas. Rich is rich. The best way to tell is to look at their parents - private school parents wear fancier clothes, drive fancier cars, and just wear their privilege. Public school parents are not as flashy. The differences are stark.

Private school parents tend to be quite a bit older honestly. It’s probably the most striking difference between the two.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We have kids in both. Around NW DC/MD at least, there's not much difference given the socioeconomic makeup of those areas. Rich is rich. The best way to tell is to look at their parents - private school parents wear fancier clothes, drive fancier cars, and just wear their privilege. Public school parents are not as flashy. The differences are stark.

Private school parents tend to be quite a bit older honestly. It’s probably the most striking difference between the two.

YES! I have one in both. The kids are basically interchangable, unless the private school kids are wearing their uniforms.
But the parent set is different - not in ability or morals or dedication to education or whatever drivel you'll hear on DCUM - but in age. But I feel SO OLD at the public school events, and blend in seamlessly at the private school events.

[Anonymous]

Lots of only children and older parents at our three kids’ private schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can’t tell. My neighborhood is about 50/50. I also can’t tell which adults went to private, unless it comes up in conversation.

It usually does, doesn't it? Just like if someone went to MIT, Stanford, or Harvard...even if it is 30+ years after graduation: it will come up. It always does.

Lol. I went to Harvard (only confessing because I’m on an anonymous forum). I cannot stand to mention it. I avoid it at all costs because I hate getting a reaction. Maybe it’s because (prior to university) I was a public school kid.

Ditto, MIT. Rarely mention it because I’ll get some sort of “wow, you’re so smart!” response and I do not know how to react to that (“thank you”?)

Same here, but female non Asian. Long ago when dating id say I went to BU and lived on bay state road…

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I can tell with teen boys, like HS age. They have similar styles and haircuts, and an air of superiority. Almost like an arrogance.

Was going to say this. The private school teen boys act super arrogant and entitled.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Without the uniform?

No. I live in Bethesda, where the public and private school kids all do the same things, buy the same things, drive similar cars, have overlapping social circles and generally end up at the same universities and jobs... because they have the same sort of parents.

100%. Anyone would have a hard time distinguishing the kids from the pick up line after school at Whitman versus Landon down the street. Furthermore, I actually think the kids at schools like Sidwell and GDS look more scrubby than their peers at Whitman.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can tell with teen boys, like HS age. They have similar styles and haircuts, and an air of superiority. Almost like an arrogance.

Was going to say this. The private school teen boys act super arrogant and entitled.

Disagree. I think the differences is the city schools versus the suburban schools. And this applies whether it is public or private.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Without the uniform?

No. I live in Bethesda, where the public and private school kids all do the same things, buy the same things, drive similar cars, have overlapping social circles and generally end up at the same universities and jobs... because they have the same sort of parents.

100%. Anyone would have a hard time distinguishing the kids from the pick up line after school at Whitman versus Landon down the street. Furthermore, I actually think the kids at schools like Sidwell and GDS look more scrubby than their peers at Whitman.

elite scrubby takes effort and knowledge

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can’t tell. My neighborhood is about 50/50. I also can’t tell which adults went to private, unless it comes up in conversation.

It usually does, doesn't it? Just like if someone went to MIT, Stanford, or Harvard...even if it is 30+ years after graduation: it will come up. It always does.

Not really. I have plenty of acquaintances around here that l didn’t find out they went to private school within the first few conversations, and then only when we were discussing the topic specifically. Some people l didn’t know either way for years. Maybe it’s because it’s not something l initiate taking about and l had kids late, so school before college wasn’t something that came up?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Without the uniform?

No. I live in Bethesda, where the public and private school kids all do the same things, buy the same things, drive similar cars, have overlapping social circles and generally end up at the same universities and jobs... because they have the same sort of parents.

100%. Anyone would have a hard time distinguishing the kids from the pick up line after school at Whitman versus Landon down the street. Furthermore, I actually think the kids at schools like Sidwell and GDS look more scrubby than their peers at Whitman.

elite scrubby takes effort and knowledge

Keep telling yourself that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’ve had kids in both public and private. The private school kids had access to better drugs. Thankfully, my kids weren’t into that scene. Other than that, kids are kids. If they are in uniform, you can assume a private school.

Actually, a number of public and public charter schools have uniforms.

Yep. I’m in NYC, and mostly see uniforms on charter school kids. The kids that go to the private school near me wear whatever the F they want…which is really more U, isn’t it now?

[Anonymous]

I'll bite.

I've had experience at both public & private. Public school kids in the area I grew up in ("top" public school district) cared about what they were doing that weekend and what grades they were getting. The most far into the distance they could think about was college and where they wanted to go to school. They often didn't think about moving away from their hometown. The local public high school often held up teachers who had ALWAYS taught in that district (yay for 35 years!), barely left the state and married their high school sweethearts.

Private school kids could tell you about positions in Corporate America. They would have discussions about investment banking, corporate finance, healthcare and tech companies, the medical and legal field, etc. They had their colleges on their list and could site several reasons on why those were their choices, often talking about majors and programs that the University was known for. They spoke of one day living in NYC, downtown DC, London, Beijing, etc in their 20s to pursue a career. Their sisters, brothers, cousins and family friends had done so and knew their stories.

I can always tell the provincial public school kids from the private school kids.

We chose private for our kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I'll bite.

I've had experience at both public & private. Public school kids in the area I grew up in ("top" public school district) cared about what they were doing that weekend and what grades they were getting. The most far into the distance they could think about was college and where they wanted to go to school. They often didn't think about moving away from their hometown. The local public high school often held up teachers who had ALWAYS taught in that district (yay for 35 years!), barely left the state and married their high school sweethearts.

Private school kids could tell you about positions in Corporate America. They would have discussions about investment banking, corporate finance, healthcare and tech companies, the medical and legal field, etc. They had their colleges on their list and could site several reasons on why those were their choices, often talking about majors and programs that the University was known for. They spoke of one day living in NYC, downtown DC, London, Beijing, etc in their 20s to pursue a career. Their sisters, brothers, cousins and family friends had done so and knew their stories.

I can always tell the provincial public school kids from the private school kids.

We chose private for our kids.

Make sure their private school teaches them the difference between “site” and “cite.”