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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Because public school class sizes are huge, there's a range of abilities that is impossible for even the most seasoned teacher to accommodate, and well behaved kids who are on or above grade level are ignored. The established private schools aren't stupid and have done a good job advertising to UMC families of solid students who are increasingly fed up. Throw in a modest merit scholarship for the ones with top grades and test scores and it's not a hard sell.[/quote]

There are not merit scholarships for top grades at local independent schools[/quote]

[b]Huh? There are definitely merit scholarships for local private high schools. [/b]

Below the high school level, it's not called a merit scholarship but the FA decision is often not *solely* about need, which makes a segment of DCUM crazy but is true nonetheless. Schools use FA to keep students they want to keep, including those who boost test scores or fill out the advanced track classes.[/quote]

PP.  Only the Catholic schools. [b]Which is not what most of us think of when we say the words “private school”.[/b]

You cannot name an independent school in DC/MD that hands out true merit money to smart applicants as an enticement.  It’s flat out not allowed in AISGW. [/quote]

Really?

Why is that?

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Because most of the public would label these “catholic schools” or “parochial schools.”   In the DMV.  “Going private” in actual parlance with your DMV neighbor does not include “going to St. Bernadette parish school k-8.”

They have an entirely different mission than independent private schools. A different funding structure aided in most cases by a diocese.

But yes, technically catholic schools are a subset of “private” schools in that there is no by-right attendance like a public school.  Technically.  But the not-religious crowd doesn’t think of them that way. [/quote]

So is a Quaker school with Quaker values/mission a private school? An Episcopal school situated on the grounds of a cathedral? How about a Catholic school that does not receive diocesan support?

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If there’s a distinguishing factor, it’s the question of how independent a given school is from a central authority that can call the shots and assign revenue.

Stone Ridge and GP and I think Visi have been argued on DCUM to be independent. Blessed Sacrament is parochial.

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The PP’s distinguishing factor is that a school is Catholic, and if it is, it isn’t private. Because…?

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I am the PP. i have already said that a Catholic school in the DMV is technically “private.”  Of course it is, you pay money and a gatekeeper decides if you are admitted or not.

But. Catholic schools in the DMV are not what the general public thinks of when they say “Joe sends his kids to private schools.”  They just aren’t.  They’d say “joe sends his kids to Catholic school” or “to Gonzaga.”

Why? I don’t know but I suspect the distinction has something to do with the amount of religious education and mandatory religious observance one finds inside the various schools.  It’s not “bigoted” to point out that these features are more prominent in a Catholic school than a Quaker school.  Or STA.

Some, many, parents dont view these schools as interchangeable.

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You are ridiculous. Truly.[/quote]

New poster. It’s isn’t ridiculous. The commentary that many don’t consider Catholic schools to be what is generally meant by private school is true with the exceptions noted - it’s about independence from a central authority and the mission of the school. Non-independent Catholic schools are a subset of private schools, as their mission is to teach the tenets and values of Catholicism alongside typical academics which can means some subjects are taught in line with what the Catholic Church proselytizes rather than with a pure scientific/academic approach.  Quaker and Episcopal schools do not do this and that’s typically clear in their mission statements.  Most other “religious schools” are more like Catholic schools as they have a double mission and aren’t independent from religious authority and instruction. [/quote]

And most of us still lump them all under the term “private school.” I’m wondering if this need to differentiate is only at certain schools where parents need a way to feel distinct or elite.

But for many, “private” simply means “not public,” and we aren’t going to take the 2 minutes necessary to draw additional lines.[/quote]

+1. I have a kid in an independent private school and I absolutely lump Catholic and other religious schools into "private" school. In fact, I and many others assume your private school is religious unless you specify otherwise, because numerically they are more common. The PP who is stuck on "what other people think of as private" is in a weird little bubble with very few others. [/quote]

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