Reply to Trying to decide whether we should stay at private or go back to public

Forum Index » Private & Independent Schools

Reply to "Trying to decide whether we should stay at private or go back to public "

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]We were at public school for 2 years and then switched to private school this year for third grade, mainly due to Covid.  Interestingly, my son was one of 5 new kids this year in third grade, so not the only new kid.

Anyhow, it's been one year at private school and I'm trying to decide if we want to stay for another year or go back to public.  Finances are not an issue.

The issue is more: is private worth the tuitition money?  I'm really not sure at this point.  I'm a lot less enthusiastic now after one year than I was this past fall.

Here are the pros of private in my opinion and the cons:

Pros:
-Good Covid protocols and while masks are optional, half of the class still wears them, including my child.  My child is not made to feel different because he still wears a mask all day.  Some kids even wear their mask at recess still.  Most parents are very Covid cautious and there have been no outbreaks in the class.
-Academics are strong and my child is ahead of grade level compared to public school in terms of what they're learning 
-Small class sizes and lots of individual attention.  My son's public school teachers never knew him as well as the private school teachers do
-Doing better overall in the smaller class setting than in the larger public school classes

Cons:  
-Expensive
-Tiny grade of 25 so very few kids to be friends with through the years
-The school claimed their sense of community is warm and welcoming but I have not found this.  I have set up dozens of playdates over the year and none have been reciprocated.  My child has lots of friends in his class and I am setting up playdates with these kids but my son has not been invited to anything at all all year.
-There have been a few family social events and people are friendly but not interested in being actual friends, which is hugely disappointing
-The specials are weak--art, music, and PE compared to public school.  I feel like the art my child brings home from art class, for instance, is very disappointing in terms of the art projects they do compared to at public school.

I'm trying to figure out what we should do for next year.  Any thoughts?  The community thing is big for us because we were hoping the school would be a source of new friendships.
[/quote]

Where were you for kinder?
Did you have the community you wanted in public? It seems like maybe you didn't if you were seeking it in private to such a degree?
What district are you in? Is public a neighborhood school? 
Will the grade expand in 4th, 5th, or 6th?
Do you think the social scene will be better as people adjust to covid being endemic? 
Is your child upset about social things? Or just you?

I'm just having a hard time with your self assessment that your child is getting a better education, the money doesn't matter, and you want to leave. 
Something is not ringing true here, or maybe just not fully explained.[/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics