Please don't be offended- What should your HHI be around to consider sending DC to private school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:HHI ranges from $300k-350k depending on DH's bonus. Our mortgage is $4700. We live in NW DC and are zoned for what's considered one of DC's best public elementary schools. While some people love the school and sing its praises, we know plenty of people who send or have sent their kids there and admit the school is okay at best. There is no way we can afford $60,000/year to send two kids to privates without jeopardizing our financial security, so we'll be moving to MoCo in a couple of years when our oldest reaches school-age. DH is a die-hard Washingtonian and I never thought he'd leave, but even he's ready to leave behind the city politics, un-drinkable water and sub-par schools.

I always sigh when I read these "MoCo is a safe harbor" fantasy posts. While many of the high schools and most of the magnets there are great, most of the elementaries are actually pretty grim -- big, over-crowded, drill-and-kill schools. I have *so* many friends who moved to MoCo for the schools without doing any real research first and then went private (bitterly!) after a year or two.

[Anonymous]

DH and I make a combined $250,000. With that we can comfortably send one child to private school. We're hoping in the future to have or adopt a second, but we'd have to ensure we can send them as well.

Your answer is to sit down and look into your finances. Ensure you can cover your monthly expenses, contribute to your retirement plan, and save towards college. You should also have an emergency stash saved up of at least 6 months for just in case situations. If you find you can't afford a private school for their entire education, you might want to consider just sending them for 4-5 years.

[Anonymous]

What is simply out of wack here is that families making $200K plus a year are questioning whether they can send their children to private schools. I am not questioning their questioning but private schools should take note that their history of tuition increases has resulted in the current state. A family with a HHI in excess of $200K is in the top 5% (??) in the country and earns at least 4 times the national average. Such a family should be able to afford private school without begging for FA. Private schools need to get their act together!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What is simply out of wack here is that families making $200K plus a year are questioning whether they can send their children to private schools. I am not questioning their questioning but private schools should take note that their history of tuition increases has resulted in the current state. A family with a HHI in excess of $200K is in the top 5% (??) in the country and earns at least 4 times the national average. Such a family should be able to afford private school without begging for FA. Private schools need to get their act together!!

Not sure what you expect the private schools to do, as it's expensive to have nice facilities and small classes.

Alternately, people who want to send their kids to private schools can prioritize their spending. With HHI of $100K, we're going public. With $200K, we could pay the extra taxes and still send two kids to private school, but we'd have to keep our current standard of living otherwise. I'm sure if our income actually doubled in that way, we'd feel like living it up a little in other realms (housing, food, vacations, clothes), and then private school would be much more of a pinch.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I always find it funny when suburbanites jump on these forums and try to make fun of DC. In my DC neighborhood, I've never heard of any crime, things work as expected, I jog with Senators and some of the most influential people in the nation. You know you would live here if you could afford it. Maybe that soul sucking commute from Vienna on 66 is what is making some of these ladies so bitchy. Also your 1990s stereotypes have about as much sting dead bee.

Sigh. I think I'm in love with this post.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What is simply out of wack here is that families making $200K plus a year are questioning whether they can send their children to private schools. I am not questioning their questioning but private schools should take note that their history of tuition increases has resulted in the current state. A family with a HHI in excess of $200K is in the top 5% (??) in the country and earns at least 4 times the national average. Such a family should be able to afford private school without begging for FA. Private schools need to get their act together!!

I agree. We make about $240,000 and do get some financial aid. We have three children and now send just two to private because we just can't afford to send the third anymore. Unfortunately we bought right before the housing crash so our mortgage is kind of high. We live pay check to pay check and are constantly worried about money.

[Anonymous]

We make more than $500K a year but as self employed people who knows what next year brings. So after pre-k to 5 in DCPS kids in private for MS but with every intention of going back to to public for high school. In a couple of years I hope School Without Walls and Wilson will still be attractive options! The education is fantastic and middle years are a good time for the shift, but can't see this $30K plus per chidl per year much longer. It's ridiculous!

[Anonymous]

As has been said many many times before-- making $200K in this area is not the same as in other parts of the country. Although I sure wish it was!

[Anonymous]

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I am a single parent with HHI about 110K( no child support) and a mortgage, we live in DC so Private or move were our only options( no, we didn't make the lottery at Cap City or El Haines)So, I work 2-3 jobs,live on PB and we get FA. I gave up every single item from my personal budget. Best money I have ever spent and I wouldn't change a thing.[/quote]

Also a single parent with similar income here, also in DC -- we are in-bounds for an ok-but-not-great elementary school and I am weighing various options for my soon-to-be-Pre-Ker. The most viable -- outside of moving, and if I'm going to move, I think it will more likely be out of the DC area altogether -- seems to be public school to third grade, and then private. The more aspirational would be winning the lottery for a good charter school. I think this spring I will be playing the PK/OOB lottery (didn't get into our in-bounds school for PS), the charter school lotteries AND applying to a couple of privates that do a major intake at PK, and seeing what options, if any, fall out at the end.

We've gotten by on my $110K income supplemented by writing and speaking gig honorarium, which has made all the difference with daycare costs. But I worry that I can't pull it off with costs for after care, summers, etc.[/quote]

Reply: Good Luck in your search, but don't wait until the spring: deadline for privates is , I think, Dec 5th to apply to get the play date/interview, etc... then you have until Feb1 maybe to get the WIPPSI in. Charters also like it if you come on a tour early, don't wait until mid-Feb. I know many people who somehow magically get a spot at El Haines after school has started ( like mid sept).I'd say, go on the tour of the Charters and folllow up w/ calls, show your interest without being a PITA.Talk to every connection you possibly have at Horace Mann, Murch , Janey and Oyster.( don't just apply for out of bounds and wait, that wont work) As for the privates: you may do better than you'd think with FA , just go for it. Summer camps also give FA. You can do it!

[Anonymous]

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]What is simply out of wack here is that families making $200K plus a year are questioning whether they can send their children to private schools. I am not questioning their questioning but private schools should take note that their history of tuition increases has resulted in the current state. A family with a HHI in excess of $200K is in the top 5% (??) in the country and earns at least 4 times the national average. Such a family should be able to afford private school without begging for FA. Private schools need to get their act together!![/quote]

Blame the World Bank and the IMF and their 25K per child subsidy for private school that they provide to anyone who takes a post in DC. They set the tone and the Privates could easily fill there schools entirely with the staff of WB and IMF and never have to give FA if they did not care about economic diversity. After all, these people provide plenty of ethnic and racial diversity. Could be worse: you could be an Afghan Doctor in Kabul who makes less than the driver of his IMF neighbor.

I agree. We make about $240,000 and do get some financial aid. We have three children and now send just two to private because we just can't afford to send the third anymore. Unfortunately we bought right before the housing crash so our mortgage is kind of high. We live pay check to pay check and are constantly worried about money.[/quote]

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:One last shot in the DC vs. 'burbs wars. I lived in NW DC for almost fifteen years (started out in Dupont Circle and moved to Woodley Park). We had a beautiful house in a fabulous location, but had to move because dh absolutely refused to live in the District one moment longer. Paying a premium in taxes for a completely incompetent city government was the last straw. First of all, the poster who claimed that real estate prices are "appreciably higher" than other locations around the DC area has obviously not priced real estate anywhere else lately. Herndon? yes. Old Town Alexandria, or North Arlington? No. Furthermore, most parts of NW DC are really quite suburban in character. It's not bad, but it's definitely not "urban." Last, but not least, my commute downtown is shorter now that I live in Virginia. Take it from someone who used to be in this category -- the only reason people stay in DC is because they don't know any better.

And where do your kids go to school? Public?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:One last shot in the DC vs. 'burbs wars. I lived in NW DC for almost fifteen years (started out in Dupont Circle and moved to Woodley Park). We had a beautiful house in a fabulous location, but had to move because dh absolutely refused to live in the District one moment longer. Paying a premium in taxes for a completely incompetent city government was the last straw. First of all, the poster who claimed that real estate prices are "appreciably higher" than other locations around the DC area has obviously not priced real estate anywhere else lately. Herndon? yes. Old Town Alexandria, or North Arlington? No. Furthermore, most parts of NW DC are really quite suburban in character. It's not bad, but it's definitely not "urban." Last, but not least, my commute downtown is shorter now that I live in Virginia. Take it from someone who used to be in this category -- the only reason people stay in DC is because they don't know any better.

And where do your kids go to school? Public?

Private.

[Anonymous]

Agree w pp re va.., better commute than my 8 years in nw dc. Better services and taxes. And the best part - i never have to run w senators. Plenty of NAtional politics in our lives. And we are over $900k combined hhi so I think we could swing house in dc. We will probably to private bc of class size, but if we did do public, I'd be happier w Arlington elementary schools than moco. I think they've held up better on class size.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:One last shot in the DC vs. 'burbs wars. I lived in NW DC for almost fifteen years (started out in Dupont Circle and moved to Woodley Park). We had a beautiful house in a fabulous location, but had to move because dh absolutely refused to live in the District one moment longer. Paying a premium in taxes for a completely incompetent city government was the last straw. First of all, the poster who claimed that real estate prices are "appreciably higher" than other locations around the DC area has obviously not priced real estate anywhere else lately. Herndon? yes. Old Town Alexandria, or North Arlington? No. Furthermore, most parts of NW DC are really quite suburban in character. It's not bad, but it's definitely not "urban." Last, but not least, my commute downtown is shorter now that I live in Virginia. Take it from someone who used to be in this category -- the only reason people stay in DC is because they don't know any better.

And where do your kids go to school? Public?

Private.

I hope it's not private in DC. Its people like you we gripe about. You moved to the suburbs now stay there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is simply out of wack here is that families making $200K plus a year are questioning whether they can send their children to private schools. I am not questioning their questioning but private schools should take note that their history of tuition increases has resulted in the current state. A family with a HHI in excess of $200K is in the top 5% (??) in the country and earns at least 4 times the national average. Such a family should be able to afford private school without begging for FA. Private schools need to get their act together!!

I agree. We make about $240,000 and do get some financial aid. We have three children and now send just two to private because we just can't afford to send the third anymore. Unfortunately we bought right before the housing crash so our mortgage is kind of high. We live pay check to pay check and are constantly worried about money.

Would you mind naming the school? We have 2 DC's in private and our HHI is $230,000. We applied for FA and were laughed out the room.