Anonymous wrote:
Now I live in FFX County and, originally, it didn't cross my mind that we would consider sending our kids to private school. I currently have a child in 9th, 7th, 5th in one of the sought after pyramids. It has been a huge disappointment, most especially elementary school. They don't teach grammar, they don't teach writing, they don't teach good basic study habits. Other than math instruction, I found elementary education entirely lacking. Middle school was MUCH better, but even there, why do the kids read two (not very challenging) books a year in English class?? Partly because the poor English teachers were playing catch up as they tried to teach advanced grammar to kids who don't know their parts of speech. If I had money to burn, I would absolutely send them all to the strongest private school that would accept them.

THIS!

My 6th grader (not FFX county) is home quarantined this week and we’ve given him a crash course in material I learned in 2nd grade. School is not the same as it was 20/30 years ago. If we had the money our kids would absolutely be in private school. I’m hoping we can pull it off for high school and I’m sure they’ll be behind.

Anonymous wrote:The key thing that you said is: “when I went to university”. The students accepted at the university you attended are likely quite similar to each other in terms of the admission standards. You also went to a “top public school” which is not a guaranteed thing for all kids.
If you really want to know the difference between public and private schools in a given area, you should look at what happens in the population of ALL of the kids — not just the ones selected by a particular university. Private schools will have much higher rates of college acceptance compared to most non-magnet public schools. Middle of the road average students may get a lot more support and direction at private schools. Most private high schools will have admissions counselors to support students in finding the right colleges for them.

So, whether private school is a “waste” or not depends upon the particular schools you’re comparing, the resources available in the community ant the particular family, and the needs of the individual student — not just SATs.

I attended both public schools and a top tier Ivy. I get the differences between having ample resources and not harping them.

tldr: It would be great if all public schools had the same resources as your top public HS in California in the ‘90s.
They don’t.

Sorry for the typos: AND not “ant”; HAVING not “harping”. My high school English teacher would be very disappointed in me for hitting Submit without proofreading first 😔

Combination of many things - you want people to think you are rich (even if you are on FA or barely getting by every month; you want people to believe your kids are too smart for public; you want to believe privates offer something publics don't; you want to believe private will give you advantage applying to top tier colleges...etc. It's all misguided egotistic approach to kid's schooling. Nothing more.

The key thing that you said is: “when I went to university”. The students accepted at the university you attended are likely quite similar to each other in terms of the admission standards. You also went to a “top public school” which is not a guaranteed thing for all kids.
If you really want to know the difference between public and private schools in a given area, you should look at what happens in the population of ALL of the kids — not just the ones selected by a particular university. Private schools will have much higher rates of college acceptance compared to most non-magnet public schools. Middle of the road average students may get a lot more support and direction at private schools. Most private high schools will have admissions counselors to support students in finding the right colleges for them.

So, whether private school is a “waste” or not depends upon the particular schools you’re comparing, the resources available in the community ant the particular family, and the needs of the individual student — not just SATs.

I attended both public schools and a top tier Ivy. I get the differences between having ample resources and not harping them.

tldr: It would be great if all public schools had the same resources as your top public HS in California in the ‘90s.
They don’t.

My kid was in public K thru 2nd. Then homeschooled 3rd and now private for 4th. Our plan was public all the way but now we’re going to stay private until HS. My kid has been in school since Aug 30th. Her public 4th grade class has sent kids home twice. Once for one day and once for a week. They were virtual for that whole week. One of her other friends at same school still doesn’t have an assigned teacher and has a sub. So you can judge away, but I’m thankful we had the money to pay for private. Mcps is a mess right now.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I went to a public school in the 90s, it was one of the top public high schools in California. When I went to university, I noticed very little difference between those who went to public vs private schools. The SAT scores in DC private schools are basically comparable to the top publics. I don't get it, i mean if you got millions to burn, so be it. I rather give my kids a house.

Let's translate:

I don't understand why everyone doesn't think exactly the way I do.

This is the translation for every thread here.

Anonymous wrote:I went to a public school in the 90s, it was one of the top public high schools in California. When I went to university, I noticed very little difference between those who went to public vs private schools. The SAT scores in DC private schools are basically comparable to the top publics. I don't get it, i mean if you got millions to burn, so be it. I rather give my kids a house.

Let's translate:

I don't understand why everyone doesn't think exactly the way I do.

*now* attending DC-area private schools

Ok, I'll bite.

I went to both public and private (on a scholarship) as a kid.... The public was a magnet exam school, widely considered to be the best in the city. The private was a well-known prep school and it was immeasurably better. I am not comparing college placements--both were impressive, though different--I am talking about the education, the opportunities, the teaching of writing and critical thinking, the advanced class offerings, almost all of it.

Now I live in FFX County and, originally, it didn't cross my mind that we would consider sending our kids to private school. I currently have a child in 9th, 7th, 5th in one of the sought after pyramids. It has been a huge disappointment, most especially elementary school. They don't teach grammar, they don't teach writing, they don't teach good basic study habits. Other than math instruction, I found elementary education entirely lacking. Middle school was MUCH better, but even there, why do the kids read two (not very challenging) books a year in English class?? Partly because the poor English teachers were playing catch up as they tried to teach advanced grammar to kids who don't know their parts of speech. If I had money to burn, I would absolutely send them all to the strongest private school that would accept them.

My kids are your typical AAP kids, slightly above average, very good at math and test-taking in general, not "gifted" in the old school sense of the word. I know they will be fine/ok/succesful enough going through these schools. However, I am frustrated at all the supplementing we have to do at home. And I am annoyed. To someone who has a experienced an inspiring, truly great education, FCPS falls short.

Now, if my kids were *not* going to be fine, I would definitely find a way to send them to private. Pretty much 100% of the people I know who are sending their kids to non-religious independent schools have made the decision because their kids were falling through the cracks, maybe had some executive function issues, maybe had a little anxiety, or maybe hadn't been getting any supplementation at home. They are kids who were generally not succeeding in public and no attending DC area private schools.

We had assumed that my child would go to public school, but then it turned out that she had learning disabilities that required small, grade level classes. That doesn't exist in our school district, so we switched to private.

I don't understand why you waste time judging other people's choices.

MoCo school have gone down the toilet because of the idiots in Takoma Park. MoCo is still riding its reputation from the 70s and 80s when in fact the quality of schools has dramatically declined. VA has mediocre schools unless you get into TJ. The area in general has very mediocre schools.

I went to private school in the dmv but decided to put my kid in public. We were not impressed and ended up enrolling child in private for 9-12.

Getting access to top public schools requires more money than paying tuition at a private (especially at parochial schools). Also some homes with a good commute don’t feed into “good” schools.

Side note: the definition of a good school is highly subjective.

What I always wonder about is the people who move here from elsewhere and assume they need to be in private.

I went to a public school in the 90s, it was one of the top public high schools in California. When I went to university, I noticed very little difference between those who went to public vs private schools. The SAT scores in DC private schools are basically comparable to the top publics. I don't get it, i mean if you got millions to burn, so be it. I rather give my kids a house.