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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Yes, I want my kid to attend the best possible school. So far, so good. But my experience in DC has felt a bit off compared to my experience overseas: paying $40,000 for childcare at NCRC partly to get access to top private schools, hiring consultants to prepare children for admissions, dealing with opaque selection processes that seem influenced by connections, and seeing schools treated as symbols of social status.

And then, when you finally get into a top private school, you realize that the college admissions numbers may be distorted by athletes and legacy admissions, and that the actual curriculum is not necessarily stronger than what good public schools offer. So at some point you have to ask: is it really worth obsessing over something that may offer such poor value?[/quote]

It’s not a secret that certain public districts and private schools have their matriculation stats skewed by legacy admissions, recruited athletes, and a wealthy family base with access to test prep and resume padding vehicles.

You don’t need to pay $40K for preschool, you don’t need to pay consultants to help you represent yourself and your child or understand schools, and you don’t need to focus heavily on matriculation stats when your child is applying to pre-K and will spend 14 years at the school (and may end up leaving prior to senior year). I have a friend who lost her mind when it came to admissions and was heavily prepping her kid at home - having them draw self portraits and critiquing - and obsessing over her interview outfit. Spoiler: It was not worth it.

As for the social status part, this is absolutely a thing. People also join country clubs and obsess over which neighborhood they live in for the social status. What other people attach their ego to is outside of your control, but what you attach your ego to is inside your control. Focus on your values and your children and you will feel less regret and better understand your why for doing things. 
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