$60k

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Friendly question:

What is the rationale for doubling tuition over the span of 15 years? Is it simply that people have the ability to pay and they are profit maximizing? Or is it truly that they provide an incredible lifetime network and or access to the top universities that people from great Publix just don’t have anymore?

Demand and supply. There is not much magic about this. There is a huge demand for schools with a low students teacher ratio, and as long people are willing to pay for it they will continue raising tuition. It is the same phenomenon as in colleges. Also it seems that the quality of public school is deteriorating so some people are willing to pay for avoiding the experience of public schools. But this is a general trend for most private schools.

There are many schools with low student-teacher ratios that are cheaper, including Catholic schools, Waldorf schools, and other smaller private schools.

Catholic diocese schools are cheaper because they’re subsidized by the church.

Yes, what is so great about these $60K schools? Are they really suprior than the cheaper ones?

Why don’t you actually go visit one and see for yourself

I went. Honestly, not sure. Is college admission slightly better? Fancy campus. Not sure if it is worth $60K.

Yes, college admissions to T25 universities, at the Big 3 (Cathedral, GDS, Sidwell), are noticeably stronger than the cheaper schools (SJC, Holy Cross/Child, Visi, Burke, etc). So, nicer campus/facilities, better college admissions, and more elite reputation).

But here's the thing. If YOUR CHILD does not end up at this T25 university, and the majority at all of these schools do not, you will not feel like college admissions are better. So what if 15% of your kids' class goes Ivy, while yours ends up at Alabama?

Sidwell usually sends about 25-30% of its graduates to Ivies. Approximately 60-70% attend T25 universities/T10 SLACs. The bottom 30% basically lands at T50 universities and SLACs. The bottom third of the class has to go somewhere, and a T50 isn’t bad. Especially because they have been exceptionally well prepared to succeed in college.

I can’t speak for the other Big 3 schools.

Do you have metrics to back up that 25-30% figure? The only schools I’m aware of that do that are the very top NE boarding schools (Andover and Exeter).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Would I spend $60k for lower or middle school? No. For high school? Yes, IF the school is a good fit for our kids, it includes things like lunch and laptop and access to trainers etc. It is crazy that that’s those are the numbers we are talking about but we prioritize spending on education which that includes the overall experience. Compared to our zoned mcps Hugh school, yes, it’s worth it.

FWIW—Have a kid in private and one at MCPS (they have learning differences and there isn’t a good private option for their needs) and let me tell you the quality of education IRL is markedly different. I don’t think a lot of parents are really looking closely at what the day to day instruction and overall experience is for those claiming MCPS hs is the gold standard.

For us, lower school is absolutely key. Our kid is dyslexic/twice exceptional and MCPS cannot support them. They’re at a mainstream K-8 and doing great.

IMO, people underestimate the need for strong foundational skills in ES and MS, regardless of whether the kid has learning differences.

I’m pp you are responding to. I just meant for my kids the 60k would not be worth it for LS or MS, but I agree that if your child needs something different and that’s an option financially, go for it. And I agree that a strong foundation is important. The kids coming from private k-8 have had on the balance an easier transition to private school expectations in HS.

This advantage disappears in about 2 weeks.

My dyslexic kid would likely not have learned to read if we depended on MCPS.

So your statement is great for neurotypical kids, but is irrelevant for kids who need systemic phonics instruction and high quality interventions to avoid being illiterate.

Interesting that for some PPs with ND kids, public works better than private and vice versa for others.

Neurodiversity is a massive spectrum. You realize that, right?

Yes, dear. And that means private is not always best, right?

[Anonymous]

We're Holton, no FA, and it's an enormous stretch for us. I budget 5% increases annually. If your goal is for your child to finish with the most money possible or because you think there's a secret advantage to admissions, private education isn't worth it.

We made the decision that education is the single most foundational gift we can give our child. We come from a family of educators and her teachers are exceptional. I see her writing and homework and I know we made the right decision. She excels at school and athletics. She's happy and confident. That doesn't mean perfection, but it does mean it's worth it to us. The check is painful though! We don't go on vacation much.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Friendly question:

What is the rationale for doubling tuition over the span of 15 years? Is it simply that people have the ability to pay and they are profit maximizing? Or is it truly that they provide an incredible lifetime network and or access to the top universities that people from great Publix just don’t have anymore?

Demand and supply. There is not much magic about this. There is a huge demand for schools with a low students teacher ratio, and as long people are willing to pay for it they will continue raising tuition. It is the same phenomenon as in colleges. Also it seems that the quality of public school is deteriorating so some people are willing to pay for avoiding the experience of public schools. But this is a general trend for most private schools.

There are many schools with low student-teacher ratios that are cheaper, including Catholic schools, Waldorf schools, and other smaller private schools.

Catholic diocese schools are cheaper because they’re subsidized by the church.

Yes, what is so great about these $60K schools? Are they really suprior than the cheaper ones?

Why don’t you actually go visit one and see for yourself

I went. Honestly, not sure. Is college admission slightly better? Fancy campus. Not sure if it is worth $60K.

Yes, college admissions to T25 universities, at the Big 3 (Cathedral, GDS, Sidwell), are noticeably stronger than the cheaper schools (SJC, Holy Cross/Child, Visi, Burke, etc). So, nicer campus/facilities, better college admissions, and more elite reputation).

But here's the thing. If YOUR CHILD does not end up at this T25 university, and the majority at all of these schools do not, you will not feel like college admissions are better. So what if 15% of your kids' class goes Ivy, while yours ends up at Alabama?

Sidwell usually sends about 25-30% of its graduates to Ivies. Approximately 60-70% attend T25 universities/T10 SLACs. The bottom 30% basically lands at T50 universities and SLACs. The bottom third of the class has to go somewhere, and a T50 isn’t bad. Especially because they have been exceptionally well prepared to succeed in college.

I can’t speak for the other Big 3 schools.

These numbers are inflated. Sorry. I have several Sidwell grads/ students.

No, the numbers are not inflated and your children must have graduated a long time ago (if you’re telling the truth). Check Sidwell’s student-run IG account from the last few years. Currently, only 36 out of 125 seniors have posted (28% of the class). 69% of those students that have posted are heading to T25 universities/T10 SLACs (and there are a few Ivy+ admits that haven’t posted yet so I didn’t count them). Come back in June and apologize when you see the 60-70% attending T25 universities/T10 SLACs holds.

I deal in facts, not your feelings.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Friendly question:

What is the rationale for doubling tuition over the span of 15 years? Is it simply that people have the ability to pay and they are profit maximizing? Or is it truly that they provide an incredible lifetime network and or access to the top universities that people from great Publix just don’t have anymore?

Demand and supply. There is not much magic about this. There is a huge demand for schools with a low students teacher ratio, and as long people are willing to pay for it they will continue raising tuition. It is the same phenomenon as in colleges. Also it seems that the quality of public school is deteriorating so some people are willing to pay for avoiding the experience of public schools. But this is a general trend for most private schools.

There are many schools with low student-teacher ratios that are cheaper, including Catholic schools, Waldorf schools, and other smaller private schools.

Catholic diocese schools are cheaper because they’re subsidized by the church.

Yes, what is so great about these $60K schools? Are they really suprior than the cheaper ones?

Why don’t you actually go visit one and see for yourself

I went. Honestly, not sure. Is college admission slightly better? Fancy campus. Not sure if it is worth $60K.

Yes, college admissions to T25 universities, at the Big 3 (Cathedral, GDS, Sidwell), are noticeably stronger than the cheaper schools (SJC, Holy Cross/Child, Visi, Burke, etc). So, nicer campus/facilities, better college admissions, and more elite reputation).

But here's the thing. If YOUR CHILD does not end up at this T25 university, and the majority at all of these schools do not, you will not feel like college admissions are better. So what if 15% of your kids' class goes Ivy, while yours ends up at Alabama?

Sidwell usually sends about 25-30% of its graduates to Ivies. Approximately 60-70% attend T25 universities/T10 SLACs. The bottom 30% basically lands at T50 universities and SLACs. The bottom third of the class has to go somewhere, and a T50 isn’t bad. Especially because they have been exceptionally well prepared to succeed in college.

I can’t speak for the other Big 3 schools.

Do you have metrics to back up that 25-30% figure? The only schools I’m aware of that do that are the very top NE boarding schools (Andover and Exeter).

Well, you can add Sidwell to that list. Check Sidwell’s recent IG accounts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Would I spend $60k for lower or middle school? No. For high school? Yes, IF the school is a good fit for our kids, it includes things like lunch and laptop and access to trainers etc. It is crazy that that’s those are the numbers we are talking about but we prioritize spending on education which that includes the overall experience. Compared to our zoned mcps Hugh school, yes, it’s worth it.

FWIW—Have a kid in private and one at MCPS (they have learning differences and there isn’t a good private option for their needs) and let me tell you the quality of education IRL is markedly different. I don’t think a lot of parents are really looking closely at what the day to day instruction and overall experience is for those claiming MCPS hs is the gold standard.

For us, lower school is absolutely key. Our kid is dyslexic/twice exceptional and MCPS cannot support them. They’re at a mainstream K-8 and doing great.

IMO, people underestimate the need for strong foundational skills in ES and MS, regardless of whether the kid has learning differences.

I’m pp you are responding to. I just meant for my kids the 60k would not be worth it for LS or MS, but I agree that if your child needs something different and that’s an option financially, go for it. And I agree that a strong foundation is important. The kids coming from private k-8 have had on the balance an easier transition to private school expectations in HS.

This advantage disappears in about 2 weeks.

My dyslexic kid would likely not have learned to read if we depended on MCPS.

So your statement is great for neurotypical kids, but is irrelevant for kids who need systemic phonics instruction and high quality interventions to avoid being illiterate.

Interesting that for some PPs with ND kids, public works better than private and vice versa for others.

Neurodiversity is a massive spectrum. You realize that, right?

Yes, dear. And that means private is not always best, right?

Did I ever say otherwise? You’re looking for a fight that isn’t here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Would I spend $60k for lower or middle school? No. For high school? Yes, IF the school is a good fit for our kids, it includes things like lunch and laptop and access to trainers etc. It is crazy that that’s those are the numbers we are talking about but we prioritize spending on education which that includes the overall experience. Compared to our zoned mcps Hugh school, yes, it’s worth it.

FWIW—Have a kid in private and one at MCPS (they have learning differences and there isn’t a good private option for their needs) and let me tell you the quality of education IRL is markedly different. I don’t think a lot of parents are really looking closely at what the day to day instruction and overall experience is for those claiming MCPS hs is the gold standard.

For us, lower school is absolutely key. Our kid is dyslexic/twice exceptional and MCPS cannot support them. They’re at a mainstream K-8 and doing great.

IMO, people underestimate the need for strong foundational skills in ES and MS, regardless of whether the kid has learning differences.

I’m pp you are responding to. I just meant for my kids the 60k would not be worth it for LS or MS, but I agree that if your child needs something different and that’s an option financially, go for it. And I agree that a strong foundation is important. The kids coming from private k-8 have had on the balance an easier transition to private school expectations in HS.

This advantage disappears in about 2 weeks.

My dyslexic kid would likely not have learned to read if we depended on MCPS.

So your statement is great for neurotypical kids, but is irrelevant for kids who need systemic phonics instruction and high quality interventions to avoid being illiterate.

Interesting that for some PPs with ND kids, public works better than private and vice versa for others.

Neurodiversity is a massive spectrum. You realize that, right?

Yes, dear. And that means private is not always best, right?

Did I ever say otherwise? You’re looking for a fight that isn’t here.

No, I made a correct observation and you assumed I don’t know anything about neurodiversity. Why did you do that?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Would I spend $60k for lower or middle school? No. For high school? Yes, IF the school is a good fit for our kids, it includes things like lunch and laptop and access to trainers etc. It is crazy that that’s those are the numbers we are talking about but we prioritize spending on education which that includes the overall experience. Compared to our zoned mcps Hugh school, yes, it’s worth it.

FWIW—Have a kid in private and one at MCPS (they have learning differences and there isn’t a good private option for their needs) and let me tell you the quality of education IRL is markedly different. I don’t think a lot of parents are really looking closely at what the day to day instruction and overall experience is for those claiming MCPS hs is the gold standard.

For us, lower school is absolutely key. Our kid is dyslexic/twice exceptional and MCPS cannot support them. They’re at a mainstream K-8 and doing great.

IMO, people underestimate the need for strong foundational skills in ES and MS, regardless of whether the kid has learning differences.

I’m pp you are responding to. I just meant for my kids the 60k would not be worth it for LS or MS, but I agree that if your child needs something different and that’s an option financially, go for it. And I agree that a strong foundation is important. The kids coming from private k-8 have had on the balance an easier transition to private school expectations in HS.

This advantage disappears in about 2 weeks.

My dyslexic kid would likely not have learned to read if we depended on MCPS.

So your statement is great for neurotypical kids, but is irrelevant for kids who need systemic phonics instruction and high quality interventions to avoid being illiterate.

Interesting that for some PPs with ND kids, public works better than private and vice versa for others.

Neurodiversity is a massive spectrum. You realize that, right?

Yes, dear. And that means private is not always best, right?

Did I ever say otherwise? You’re looking for a fight that isn’t here.

No, I made a correct observation and you assumed I don’t know anything about neurodiversity. Why did you do that?

The fact that you thought it was “interesting” that for ND kids sometimes public works and other times private works suggests you know very little about ND, as it’s such an obvious reality.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Would I spend $60k for lower or middle school? No. For high school? Yes, IF the school is a good fit for our kids, it includes things like lunch and laptop and access to trainers etc. It is crazy that that’s those are the numbers we are talking about but we prioritize spending on education which that includes the overall experience. Compared to our zoned mcps Hugh school, yes, it’s worth it.

FWIW—Have a kid in private and one at MCPS (they have learning differences and there isn’t a good private option for their needs) and let me tell you the quality of education IRL is markedly different. I don’t think a lot of parents are really looking closely at what the day to day instruction and overall experience is for those claiming MCPS hs is the gold standard.

For us, lower school is absolutely key. Our kid is dyslexic/twice exceptional and MCPS cannot support them. They’re at a mainstream K-8 and doing great.

IMO, people underestimate the need for strong foundational skills in ES and MS, regardless of whether the kid has learning differences.

I’m pp you are responding to. I just meant for my kids the 60k would not be worth it for LS or MS, but I agree that if your child needs something different and that’s an option financially, go for it. And I agree that a strong foundation is important. The kids coming from private k-8 have had on the balance an easier transition to private school expectations in HS.

This advantage disappears in about 2 weeks.

My dyslexic kid would likely not have learned to read if we depended on MCPS.

So your statement is great for neurotypical kids, but is irrelevant for kids who need systemic phonics instruction and high quality interventions to avoid being illiterate.

Interesting that for some PPs with ND kids, public works better than private and vice versa for others.

Neurodiversity is a massive spectrum. You realize that, right?

Yes, dear. And that means private is not always best, right?

Did I ever say otherwise? You’re looking for a fight that isn’t here.

No, I made a correct observation and you assumed I don’t know anything about neurodiversity. Why did you do that?

The fact that you thought it was “interesting” that for ND kids sometimes public works and other times private works suggests you know very little about ND, as it’s such an obvious reality.

Something obvious can’t be interesting, esp when it is clearly illustrated as in the PPs different experiences with local privates vs. MCPS?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We're Holton, no FA, and it's an enormous stretch for us. I budget 5% increases annually. If your goal is for your child to finish with the most money possible or because you think there's a secret advantage to admissions, private education isn't worth it.

We made the decision that education is the single most foundational gift we can give our child. We come from a family of educators and her teachers are exceptional. I see her writing and homework and I know we made the right decision. She excels at school and athletics. She's happy and confident. That doesn't mean perfection, but it does mean it's worth it to us. The check is painful though! We don't go on vacation much.

+1 I could have written this myself!

[Anonymous]

Our family is down to 2 more years of this insanity.

We have 3 kids and paid for private high school for each so roughly $675K total ($55-60K x 12 yrs). That's totally crazy when I think about it. Kids 1 and 2 are at Ivies unhooked and kid #3 is the strongest academically so I guess on that front it was worth it (??) but honestly it was never our goal and I don't think we'd do it again.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We're Holton, no FA, and it's an enormous stretch for us. I budget 5% increases annually. If your goal is for your child to finish with the most money possible or because you think there's a secret advantage to admissions, private education isn't worth it.

We made the decision that education is the single most foundational gift we can give our child. We come from a family of educators and her teachers are exceptional. I see her writing and homework and I know we made the right decision. She excels at school and athletics. She's happy and confident. That doesn't mean perfection, but it does mean it's worth it to us. The check is painful though! We don't go on vacation much.

I am glad it works out well for you. We are going to do the same. But it is still depressing to realize one has to pay $60k for a decent education and learn how to write well in this country. It is a privilege.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We're Holton, no FA, and it's an enormous stretch for us. I budget 5% increases annually. If your goal is for your child to finish with the most money possible or because you think there's a secret advantage to admissions, private education isn't worth it.

We made the decision that education is the single most foundational gift we can give our child. We come from a family of educators and her teachers are exceptional. I see her writing and homework and I know we made the right decision. She excels at school and athletics. She's happy and confident. That doesn't mean perfection, but it does mean it's worth it to us. The check is painful though! We don't go on vacation much.

I am glad it works out well for you. We are going to do the same. But it is still depressing to realize one has to pay $60k for a decent education and learn how to write well in this country. It is a privilege.

\

Yes, it's depressing. We would take our kid out but we're on a 3rd of 3 and this one loves the humanities ---writing, discussion, analysis etc---- and is thriving at a private where they dig deep into the texts and she gets to write long essays and papers. If she was a STEM kid we'd take her out and save the money. We're tired of spending it and while I think STEM is quite good at her school, it's just as good if not better in public.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We're Holton, no FA, and it's an enormous stretch for us. I budget 5% increases annually. If your goal is for your child to finish with the most money possible or because you think there's a secret advantage to admissions, private education isn't worth it.

We made the decision that education is the single most foundational gift we can give our child. We come from a family of educators and her teachers are exceptional. I see her writing and homework and I know we made the right decision. She excels at school and athletics. She's happy and confident. That doesn't mean perfection, but it does mean it's worth it to us. The check is painful though! We don't go on vacation much.

I am glad it works out well for you. We are going to do the same. But it is still depressing to realize one has to pay $60k for a decent education and learn how to write well in this country. It is a privilege.

\

Yes, it's depressing. We would take our kid out but we're on a 3rd of 3 and this one loves the humanities ---writing, discussion, analysis etc---- and is thriving at a private where they dig deep into the texts and she gets to write long essays and papers. If she was a STEM kid we'd take her out and save the money. We're tired of spending it and while I think STEM is quite good at her school, it's just as good if not better in public.

So if she liked STEM, you wouldn’t bother putting her in a school that teaches her to write and analyze.

That’s … a choice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We're Holton, no FA, and it's an enormous stretch for us. I budget 5% increases annually. If your goal is for your child to finish with the most money possible or because you think there's a secret advantage to admissions, private education isn't worth it.

We made the decision that education is the single most foundational gift we can give our child. We come from a family of educators and her teachers are exceptional. I see her writing and homework and I know we made the right decision. She excels at school and athletics. She's happy and confident. That doesn't mean perfection, but it does mean it's worth it to us. The check is painful though! We don't go on vacation much.

I am glad it works out well for you. We are going to do the same. But it is still depressing to realize one has to pay $60k for a decent education and learn how to write well in this country. It is a privilege.

\

Yes, it's depressing. We would take our kid out but we're on a 3rd of 3 and this one loves the humanities ---writing, discussion, analysis etc---- and is thriving at a private where they dig deep into the texts and she gets to write long essays and papers. If she was a STEM kid we'd take her out and save the money. We're tired of spending it and while I think STEM is quite good at her school, it's just as good if not better in public.

So if she liked STEM, you wouldn’t bother putting her in a school that teaches her to write and analyze.

That’s … a choice.

100%.

You know that public school kids learn to write and read too, right? And they go to the same colleges as the kids do from our school and do just as well---my Ivy kids (fresh and soph) have public school roommate/friends and these kids are doing very well. Plus in the era of AI I don't think anyone is going to be writing much of anything in the future.

The writing instruction they get at a private school is really lovely for a humanities kid. But it is a frankly a luxury at $60K/year.