The realities of being lower middle class

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My family’s HHI is $200k. Too much for financial aid, so the expensive privates are out. We can’t afford a huge mortgage and still save for college/retirement. Our local publics in Fairfax County are not great. We ended up putting our three kids in parochial.

Your HHI is higher than 90+ percent of other families in the DC area.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The PP above actually posted some helpful links to nice properties. I think there is a Marc stop in Croton. That would get you good public schools at least.

My family’s HHI is $200k. Too much for financial aid, so the expensive privates are out. We can’t afford a huge mortgage and still save for college/retirement. Our local publics in Fairfax County are not great. We ended up putting our three kids in parochial.

You are not lower middle class or even middle class and choose to have three kids. Your situation isn't comparable to someone lower middle class.

I’m not saying it is. In fact, my point is we ARE NOT lower middle class and still can’t afford to send kids to schools that cost $40k plus per year.

[Anonymous]

Our HHI is 500k and we chose not to put our three kids in private. It would not have been fiscally responsible for us to pay $120k/year for 14 years to attend schools that are not 40k better than our local schools. We can enrich them with so much more including tutors, travel, and fantastic camps.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We can enrich them with so much more including tutors, travel, and fantastic camps.

You make it sound like those sending their kids to private don't enrich with travel and/or camps too. And I'd rather not waste the free time of my kids on tutors. Better that they learn during school hours.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our HHI is 500k and we chose not to put our three kids in private. It would not have been fiscally responsible for us to pay $120k/year for 14 years to attend schools that are not 40k better than our local schools. We can enrich them with so much more including tutors, travel, and fantastic camps.

and driving luxury cars? to each its own, some don't mind spending on their kids education. What are they learning from camps anyways, apart from the usual sports activities that they engage in all the time

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our HHI is 500k and we chose not to put our three kids in private. It would not have been fiscally responsible for us to pay $120k/year for 14 years to attend schools that are not 40k better than our local schools. We can enrich them with so much more including tutors, travel, and fantastic camps.

and driving luxury cars? to each its own, some don't mind spending on their kids education. What are they learning from camps anyways, apart from the usual sports activities that they engage in all the time

Nice try. No, we do not have luxury cars. Our cars are paid off 7 and 8 yr old vehicles. Camps are enrichment whether you agree or not. And no, they are not all sports camps. Some are sleep away, some academic, some are just your basic outdoorsy camps. My statement above was to say that many parents are spending beyond their means for private school when it is NOT necessary. Sending my kids to our neighborhood school just makes more fiscal sense to me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My statement above was to say that many parents are spending beyond their means for private school when it is NOT necessary. Sending my kids to our neighborhood school just makes more fiscal sense to me.

But it's also quite disingenuous when you've apparently framed things as a false binary choice between "$120k/year for 14 years" and public school. There are tons of options in between the two.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My statement above was to say that many parents are spending beyond their means for private school when it is NOT necessary. Sending my kids to our neighborhood school just makes more fiscal sense to me.

But it's also quite disingenuous when you've apparently framed things as a false binary choice between "$120k/year for 14 years" and public school. There are tons of options in between the two.

And still above many families’s means. Whether they send their kids for only lower school, only middle school, or only high school, $40k/yr is a huge undertaking for many. Have you read the way families are freaking out on DCUM about their lack of tax refunds this year? And in just a few short months, they will need to pony up for next year’s tuition. People need to live their wage.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The PP above actually posted some helpful links to nice properties. I think there is a Marc stop in Croton. That would get you good public schools at least.

My family’s HHI is $200k. Too much for financial aid, so the expensive privates are out. We can’t afford a huge mortgage and still save for college/retirement. Our local publics in Fairfax County are not great. We ended up putting our three kids in parochial.

People, you do realize that something is VERY wrong in this country if people who's income places them in top 1% of the world population can't find:

*** housing and a good free public education

And the solution is NOT financial aid at the right private school

The solution is for people to say WTF....and demand change

[Anonymous]

You CAN find housing and good public education...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Whether they send their kids for only lower school, only middle school, or only high school, $40k/yr is a huge undertaking for many.

Except when tuition is less than $40K (which is true at many places) or the family receives FA.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You CAN find housing and good public education...

Tough to find a SFH with good schools within reasonable (45 min) commute downtown during rush hour though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our HHI is 500k and we chose not to put our three kids in private. It would not have been fiscally responsible for us to pay $120k/year for 14 years to attend schools that are not 40k better than our local schools. We can enrich them with so much more including tutors, travel, and fantastic camps.

I am confused - if you don’t participate in the private/independent school communities, why are you participating in this forum? Just to stir up controversy? Seems petty...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Seems like unless you are destitute or rich, you aren’t getting your kid into private school unless s/ he is utterly amazing, right? My DD was a strong candidate but I’m sure there were better. And I think our SES worked against us. This happens to us everywhere. Had to pull out from rec soccer because we can’t afford it but don’t qualify on paper for any financial aid. Yet some months I have to severely limit
Grocery shopping and can barely make bills. There’s no way to get ahead for the middle class.

Your child doesn’t need private school to be successful. That’s just a dcum myth.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Your child doesn’t need private school to be successful. That’s just a dcum myth.

That's a myth. Show me where folks are claiming that private school is a necessity for success.