My kid was happy where she was. I knew that MS was the right time for her to consider private. While I didn't intend to force her to accept, I also didn't think just being happy where she was was a good enough reason to decline. In the end she chose to accept and has flourished bc the smaller school has helped her to come out of her shell.

It depends what kind of students they are-- if excellent-- go private. If not, save your $ + go public..

I know a kid who took care of it himself by telling the Big 3 interviewer he didn’t want to go there. No surprise, they didn’t accept him.

^sorry, clearly I didn’t read other posts. But I agree.

I wouldn’t move them if they’re happy. You can supplement academics if you want.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think you’re much better off from a college acceptance perspective excelling at a mediocre public school than doing well at a known private. If your kids are happy and you can afford to supplement their education to make their apps shine, leave them where they are.

Thanks. I have thought about this. And we do supplement a lot. I think about college acceptance but I also just want them to have awesome educations - to be well read, become great writers, be challenged. I don't think they're going to get that where they currently are, but I could be wrong.

A huge part of achieving that level of education comes from your home, OP. Not school, no matter where they are.

You need to lay it on thick about how going to private is more elite and better than the public school and how can he possibly hope to gain admission to a T20 university or LAC without first taking this step.

Anonymous wrote:I think you’re much better off from a college acceptance perspective excelling at a mediocre public school than doing well at a known private. If your kids are happy and you can afford to supplement their education to make their apps shine, leave them where they are.

Thanks. I have thought about this. And we do supplement a lot. I think about college acceptance but I also just want them to have awesome educations - to be well read, become great writers, be challenged. I don't think they're going to get that where they currently are, but I could be wrong.

I think you’re much better off from a college acceptance perspective excelling at a mediocre public school than doing well at a known private. If your kids are happy and you can afford to supplement their education to make their apps shine, leave them where they are.

Ask your friends or colleagues if they ever moved or changed schools growing up and see what they say. I bet anyone that did will say it was one of the hardest and/or worst parts of their childhood. Moving schools and making new friends is a really big deal. I’d wait until 9th grade, where there’s a natural transition. If your 4th grader is on board, then sure.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:7th/8th is a really tough age to ask a kid to start at a brand new school and make friends. If he is doing well socially where he is, the best you could hope for is that he'd do similarly at the new school, and worst case scenario is that it goes really badly. I don't think I'd make that change now.

I might move at high school, assuming its a transition year for both public and private. It's less likely to be an issue socially then.

7th & 8th grade is an excellent time to move to a private.

Can you expand on that thought?

Anonymous wrote:7th/8th is a really tough age to ask a kid to start at a brand new school and make friends. If he is doing well socially where he is, the best you could hope for is that he'd do similarly at the new school, and worst case scenario is that it goes really badly. I don't think I'd make that change now.

I might move at high school, assuming its a transition year for both public and private. It's less likely to be an issue socially then.

7th & 8th grade is an excellent time to move to a private.

Anonymous wrote:7th/8th is a really tough age to ask a kid to start at a brand new school and make friends. If he is doing well socially where he is, the best you could hope for is that he'd do similarly at the new school, and worst case scenario is that it goes really badly. I don't think I'd make that change now.

I might move at high school, assuming its a transition year for both public and private. It's less likely to be an issue socially then.

Thank you. I was thinking that, too, and even he says maybe he'll go in ninth grade. Maybe I send the fourth grader now and then his brother joins him for ninth grade. Both my kids seem to make friends quickly and easily wherever they are.

7th/8th is a really tough age to ask a kid to start at a brand new school and make friends. If he is doing well socially where he is, the best you could hope for is that he'd do similarly at the new school, and worst case scenario is that it goes really badly. I don't think I'd make that change now.

I might move at high school, assuming its a transition year for both public and private. It's less likely to be an issue socially then.

Non-local poster here. What's your feeling on sending kids to private school when they'd rather stay where they are? We live in an average public school district. My kids are happy and doing well. I'd love to give them the best education I can and I don't think our local public is doing a great job (not terrible, but not challenging). Kids are currently seventh and fourth grade. I think I probably missed that more malleable age when they'd go along with whatever I said. My seventh grader, especially, doesn't want to leave his friends. My fourth grader left his shadow day at the private bubbling with enthusiasm and questions about when he could start, but now he's more negative since his brother doesn't want to attend.

Anyone send their kids to private when they really didn't want to go and how did that turn out? I'm even considering sending the malleable fourth grader and not the seventh grader to start. Or, maybe we just stay where we are. Thanks for any perspective.