Private. Would never go back to public.

Public

Anonymous wrote:No public pre-K is available. AFAIK.

yes there is. for example mann and key ES in DC.

Anonymous wrote:No public pre-K is available. AFAIK.

In DC there is public prek3 and prek4.

Anonymous wrote:My kid just started public K and there is something really nice about being a part of the neighborhood school. Community is so important. I never really had that growing up in privates. I would not give up a neighborhood school unless my child really needed something different.

We felt this way, but ended up moving to private because of covid. (We didn't even expect the private school to stay open, we just wanted a better online experience.) We've stayed because of the extras that public can't provide: multiple hours a week of arts, music, public speaking, and foreign language, and also thoughtful field trips. But we do really like our neighborhood community and we only have those connections because of starting in public and then staying connected with those people after we left.

Small class size is just a proxy for teacher attention. You can have a large class with a great teacher-student ratio (e.g., 2 or 3 teachers in the class) or get there by tracking / splitting the class for certain subjects. There are some privates that just assume small = good without really being thoughtful about it, and it can end up being stifling without providing much educational value.

My kid just started public K and there is something really nice about being a part of the neighborhood school. Community is so important. I never really had that growing up in privates. I would not give up a neighborhood school unless my child really needed something different.

No public pre-K is available. AFAIK.

Private school is a luxury item that is either worth it to you or not. Like cars

We were always open to private “if our kids needed it”. We were always prepared to shift. But they’ve been so happy in public and academically they’re doing fine. We have hired tutors here and there.

Ratio is pretty much the main difference. Private can kick out problem kids also. There’s money for fancy things and fun field trips.

Parents that have money and it’s no big deal just default to private.

This may be too broad of a question to ask and still get constructive feedback - but what factors led you to choose sending your kid to a private school when you have good public school options? I am leaning towards private based on teacher/class ratio primarily, but I am torn.