Sidwell tuition increase

[Anonymous]

Weird but true:

There are tons of rich people in this area with really smart kids who can afford to pay $40k for several kids at the school.

[Anonymous]

Further to PP, there is a premium placed on education in this area. People are more willing to spend their disposable income on education than other luxury items.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Weird but true:

There are tons of rich people in this area with really smart kids who can afford to pay $40k for several kids at the school.

Or there are tons of rich people who can afford to pay $40k and more spots are available because so many of the really smart kids go to public.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So Sidwell teachers get no discount in tuition if their kids attend Sidwell? They must get a bump in admission though.

No and no.

Yes and yes. They receive a favorable calculation of need in the formula and they receive the highest priority status in the application process. The outcomes, mentioned here frequently, do not tell the whole story. With a ratio of five or ten to one applicants to slots at every entry year, of course some faculty children are going to come out on the short end, with some very highly qualified candidates waiting for openings in future years. You can't compare the outcomes to schools with lower academic requirements and less demand tension.

I have personal experience with this.

Yes, children of teachers do have admissions priority assuming they are qualified (but admissions are not guaranteed and children can be and are not admitted), and they definitely do not get a dime in tuition remission.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Teachers do get a 50 percent discount at the big 5 I believe.

Of course some teachers and principals get a discount or tuition remission. It's part of the benefit package.

It varies widely by school. As best I know, of the major independent schools in this area only St. Albans still seems to have the 100% tuition remission (assuming the child qualifies for admission academically). The tuition remission benefit can come under attack because it leads to what are known as "lumpy benefits" -- the teacher with three kids at the school is effectively compensated more than the childless teacher, for example -- and because it can be expensive if the faculty is relatively young with lots of school-age children. Some other schools have a partial discount, or have a formula in financial aid that is beneficial to the teacher's family, in some way. Because St. Albans is all-boys and starts in grade 4, they would almost certainly have fewer faculty/staff children eligible for tuition remission than a Pre-K through 12 co-ed school.

The argument for tuition remission is that it can be a great benefit to attract and retain talented teachers (as noted, private school benefits are less generous than public school benefits in many areas, including the DMV). It can also be a strange dynamic when trying to build a real community to have a school where virtually no teacher's child can attend because of the cost. (Boarding schools are more likely to have tuition remission than day schools, perhaps because of the "school as community" issue.)

NCS does not have this benefit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Either Sidwell is spending extravagantly or just overcharging families.

How much of this is driven by the purchase of the Washington Home and the Fannie building on the east side of Wisconsin? While SFS is raising money for these purposes, that's effectively less giving that is going to fund other school needs or to build the endowment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Either Sidwell is spending extravagantly or just overcharging families.

How much of this is driven by the purchase of the Washington Home and the Fannie building on the east side of Wisconsin? While SFS is raising money for these purposes, that's effectively less giving that is going to fund other school needs or to build the endowment.

For now, not much. Both buildings leased back by owners.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Either Sidwell is spending extravagantly or just overcharging families.

How much of this is driven by the purchase of the Washington Home and the Fannie building on the east side of Wisconsin? While SFS is raising money for these purposes, that's effectively less giving that is going to fund other school needs or to build the endowment.

None. Look at the peer institution tuition, this is what it costs these days.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Either Sidwell is spending extravagantly or just overcharging families.

How much of this is driven by the purchase of the Washington Home and the Fannie building on the east side of Wisconsin? While SFS is raising money for these purposes, that's effectively less giving that is going to fund other school needs or to build the endowment.

For now, not much. Both buildings leased back by owners.

The Washington Home leaseback is $1. Fannie is paying closer to commercial rent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Weird but true:

There are tons of rich people in this area with really smart kids who can afford to pay $40k for several kids at the school.

Or there are tons of rich people who can afford to pay $40k and more spots are available because so many of the really smart kids go to public.

What does this even mean in the context of Sidwell? Rich people don't have smart kids in some cases? Sidwell doesn't have smart kids? Some other agenda going on?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Weird but true:

There are tons of rich people in this area with really smart kids who can afford to pay $40k for several kids at the school.

Or there are tons of rich people who can afford to pay $40k and more spots are available because so many of the really smart kids go to public.

What does this even mean in the context of Sidwell? Rich people don't have smart kids in some cases? Sidwell doesn't have smart kids? Some other agenda going on?

There are a handful of people who can afford full freight tuition. If that handful, a percentage of them are smart. A percentage of them are smart. The school HAS to fill a certain number of spots with full tuition payers for their financials to work. I guess the percentage of rich people who are also smart varies from year to year. In a place like D.C., it may be as high as 100% some years, but I would wager it doesn't. In order for the school to exist, they need to accept students who can pay full price.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Weird but true:

There are tons of rich people in this area with really smart kids who can afford to pay $40k for several kids at the school.

Or there are tons of rich people who can afford to pay $40k and more spots are available because so many of the really smart kids go to public.

What does this even mean in the context of Sidwell? Rich people don't have smart kids in some cases? Sidwell doesn't have smart kids? Some other agenda going on?

There are a handful of people who can afford full freight tuition. If that handful, a percentage of them are smart. A percentage of them are smart. The school HAS to fill a certain number of spots with full tuition payers for their financials to work. I guess the percentage of rich people who are also smart varies from year to year. In a place like D.C., it may be as high as 100% some years, but I would wager it doesn't. In order for the school to exist, they need to accept students who can pay full price.

I don't think you're looking at the full picture. Take the time, is to provide extraordinary tuition payment for their employees. And then the World Bank, which, if you joined up before the late 90s, still provides extraordinary benefits that allow families to be full pay. Lots of full pay, smart kids, and lots of diversity. And have you checked out law firms? First generation wealth making $1-2 million per years looking to ensure their. Hildten's acafemic succeed (after all, that's how the law partner parents succeeded, unlike some business oriented parents. Don't know why you think this is a small group of people. It's very big in DC. More than enough to float multiple top schools, all with highly academic kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Weird but true:

There are tons of rich people in this area with really smart kids who can afford to pay $40k for several kids at the school.

Or there are tons of rich people who can afford to pay $40k and more spots are available because so many of the really smart kids go to public.

What does this even mean in the context of Sidwell? Rich people don't have smart kids in some cases? Sidwell doesn't have smart kids? Some other agenda going on?

There are a handful of people who can afford full freight tuition. If that handful, a percentage of them are smart. A percentage of them are smart. The school HAS to fill a certain number of spots with full tuition payers for their financials to work. I guess the percentage of rich people who are also smart varies from year to year. In a place like D.C., it may be as high as 100% some years, but I would wager it doesn't. In order for the school to exist, they need to accept students who can pay full price.

I don't think you're looking at the full picture. Take the time, is to provide extraordinary tuition payment for their employees. And then the World Bank, which, if you joined up before the late 90s, still provides extraordinary benefits that allow families to be full pay. Lots of full pay, smart kids, and lots of diversity. And have you checked out law firms? First generation wealth making $1-2 million per years looking to ensure their. Hildten's acafemic succeed (after all, that's how the law partner parents succeeded, unlike some business oriented parents. Don't know why you think this is a small group of people. It's very big in DC. More than enough to float multiple top schools, all with highly academic kids.

Yep, a few times over.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Weird but true:

There are tons of rich people in this area with really smart kids who can afford to pay $40k for several kids at the school.

Or there are tons of rich people who can afford to pay $40k and more spots are available because so many of the really smart kids go to public.

What does this even mean in the context of Sidwell? Rich people don't have smart kids in some cases? Sidwell doesn't have smart kids? Some other agenda going on?

There are a handful of people who can afford full freight tuition. If that handful, a percentage of them are smart. A percentage of them are smart. The school HAS to fill a certain number of spots with full tuition payers for their financials to work. I guess the percentage of rich people who are also smart varies from year to year. In a place like D.C., it may be as high as 100% some years, but I would wager it doesn't. In order for the school to exist, they need to accept students who can pay full price.

I don't think you're looking at the full picture. Take the time, is to provide extraordinary tuition payment for their employees. And then the World Bank, which, if you joined up before the late 90s, still provides extraordinary benefits that allow families to be full pay. Lots of full pay, smart kids, and lots of diversity. And have you checked out law firms? First generation wealth making $1-2 million per years looking to ensure their. Hildten's acafemic succeed (after all, that's how the law partner parents succeeded, unlike some business oriented parents. Don't know why you think this is a small group of people. It's very big in DC. More than enough to float multiple top schools, all with highly academic kids.

Yep, a few times over.

Pp here with apologies for the typos. I had meant to reference IMF families. Terrific educational benefits plus lots of diversity and smart kids with smart parents. Behind them with the World Bank families, and all the law firm partners, and that is quite a pool of families who have succeeded largely based on academic success. Enough to fill many, many top schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So we started a few years ago at around 34k- and it's now going to be OVER 40k for next year. Keep this in mind folks as you make your decisions for next year.

Does everyone pay rack rate? Or is it like college where rack rate is only paid by folks who can afford it and the difference between it and actual cost subsidizes other students?

Top schools like Sidwell give a lot of financial aid. It might be something like 25% of the potential gross tuition. So yes, as with colleges, if a private school awarded no financial aid everybody's tuition could be somewhat lower. But financial aid is core to the mission of well-regarded American independent schools (as it is with American private colleges) -- and theoretically maybe to their status as non-profits, too (I don't know enough about tax policy to know if that's accurate but it's something that gets cited when municipalities want to tax colleges).

PP who asked about rack rate back to revisit this.

I was semi-trolling here, pretty sure that not everyone was paying full T. I just wonder a lot about whether the numbers all work. As in does the 40K pay for adequate teacher comp and enough financial aid to make it worth it to all to soak the high rollers. There are many dimensions to get this right and yes, the issues with tax-exempt status are key, the relative generosity of it means highest standards are called for.

If I were a Sidwell parent, I'd hope a trusted party not intimately involvement with its management or governance really dug into the $ numbers. This isn't just to look for things like embezzlement, but to get some idea if the money moved in ways that parents think prudent. And I say this as someone who's been involved in area nonprofits and have found that people in DC (including most of the Sidwell folks I know) aren't always the saviest with money, especially money confounded with high-minded purpose and many stakeholders.

It seems there's some of this talk going with the discussion of the recent purchases. A great sign, as "trust, but verify" makes sense when it comes to education.