We were in a Whitman-cluster ES. After 2nd grade, about 20% of kids didn't return -- they went to private. That includes us.

Not surprising in the Whitman cluster since a lot of people living in that cluster can afford private if they want to.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In the Whitman cluster with ES kids. We are generally happy with our teachers and love our school community, but classes for my kindergartner and 4th grader have 25+ kids. The administrators are also extremely frustrating communicators and under qualified. My oldest needed some additional assistance learning to read, which we accomplished through after school tutoring. I am not sure we are quite ready to switch to private school quite yet, but my spouse is.

If you can afford parochial or private school, why do you keep your kids in MCPS?

We'd like to retire sooner rather than later, we have college expenses to look at, and we can't see sending my kids to a parochial for for religious indoctrination that doesn't match our beliefs.

Oh, and we find MCPS to be quite good despite all the people on DCUM lambasting 'em.

Does your kid feel safe?

Anonymous wrote:In the Whitman cluster with ES kids. We are generally happy with our teachers and love our school community, but classes for my kindergartner and 4th grader have 25+ kids. The administrators are also extremely frustrating communicators and under qualified. My oldest needed some additional assistance learning to read, which we accomplished through after school tutoring. I am not sure we are quite ready to switch to private school quite yet, but my spouse is.

If you can afford parochial or private school, why do you keep your kids in MCPS?

We'd like to retire sooner rather than later, we have college expenses to look at, and we can't see sending my kids to a parochial for for religious indoctrination that doesn't match our beliefs.

Oh, and we find MCPS to be quite good despite all the people on DCUM lambasting 'em.

We’ve done both a different times and in different states. Despite the complaints on DCUM, we know how far above MCPS is in term of public school. In general for less than the cost of worthwhile private I can pay for outside enrichment, tutors, vacation, etc etc and still have the kids wind up in the same place in life as they would with private school. And they get to associate with people outside the bubble of private school.

Assess what kids really need each year and make the appropriate choice. Private school is not some holy grail bestowing guaranteed greatness. It requires work and involvement too.

Anonymous wrote:We didn’t get into a school we thought was worth the money. Many private schools are not worth 40k a year.

+1 My kid applied to two we thought were worth it, rejected at one and wait-listed at the other.

Because I'm not seeing better outcomes for kids in parochial/private. My neice and her friends who were in private didn't get accepted at colleges that were better than kids in public. Why would I pay $25K a year for my kid to get accepted to Catholic University or Delaware?

Oh, OP. How old are your kids? Schooling is long, kids have complicated needs, and the district is huge. It’s incorrect that paying a school will make it a better environment for your child.

Parochial - I'm Jewish, I looked at a bunch, only one was really welcoming and I was concerned with the small class size and socialization.

Private - we could afford $20K a year comfortably but not much in that area. If we could fully afford it I would, no question.

I have one in private and another in the Whitman cluster. Our eldest DC in the Whitman cluster is a high achiever who is self driven and they are being appropriately challenged with the variety of high level classes, clubs and sports. Our youngest DC needs more structure and teacher engagement so a private is a better fit, and they are excelling in a smaller environment.

My recommendation is to see what type of environment your DC will exceed in.

Anonymous wrote: Most parochial schools have classes of 20-20+, and the education is more rigid so not something I would want to pay $20k on. There are only a few schools at that $40-50+k that I think are worthwhile, mostly at the HS level.

What do you mean by rigid? We are at a parochial that may be considered "rigid" but the kids are well behaved, know their grammar, and can write well. I don't think you get much of that at public school.

Most parochial schools have classes of 20-20+, and the education is more rigid so not something I would want to pay $20k on. There are only a few schools at that $40-50+k that I think are worthwhile, mostly at the HS level.

For the schools that aren't super competitive admission, we have found that the quality of education is not as good (especially STEM).

I was raised in MoCo and have moved elsewhere—our classes are also at 29 kids each and the school system is ranked one of the top in the state. I don’t move to private because I attended private myself K-8 and I didn’t find my particular private to be a good use of money, whereas the MCPS magnet I attended 9-12 was a top education. All my MCPS friends who attended K-12 did really well and attended top colleges; all are successful professionals now.

We didn’t get into a school we thought was worth the money. Many private schools are not worth 40k a year.

In the Whitman cluster with ES kids. We are generally happy with our teachers and love our school community, but classes for my kindergartner and 4th grader have 25+ kids. The administrators are also extremely frustrating communicators and under qualified. My oldest needed some additional assistance learning to read, which we accomplished through after school tutoring. I am not sure we are quite ready to switch to private school quite yet, but my spouse is.

If you can afford parochial or private school, why do you keep your kids in MCPS?