If you have to pay for the private school, I’d lean towards the public, and save the money for therapy outside of school. It also depends on why your child needs the placement. S the private for behavior, where they may be in a school full of kids with difficulty behaving and few good peer models? Does the private have typical public school events like book fairs, field days, field trips, assemblies? Think about which offers the most normal experiences, if your child can handle them. Also find out if the public school a has certified special education teacher in the class with experience.

You can ask to speak to parents of current students who are willing to talk to you. Good luck.

Anonymous wrote:It depends on the kid, grade, which public and which private. The answer can change by the year as your kid grows and needs change.

Agreed. As your child enters high school though, keep in mind that it can be very difficult to move to adult life from a nonpublic without a lot of support. Your child needs chances to practice being independent before they exit high school.

That's only if you pay. PP here and we are publicly funded as are most kids at our school.

The most important factor parents overlook is money, the saving of.

My kid did well at his local public (which we moved to be inbounds for because it had such a great reputation for SN kids). We wanted to avoid private as much as possible because that money is not an investment, it's not coming back to you. The actual investments are targeted therapies after school (or sometimes if you're lucky during school), and tutors and educated, intentional parental accompaniment. Anything that's one-on-one will be a lot more efficient and you'll need less of it. I observed my son's therapists and replicated their sessions at home as intensive practice, for example. For many years, I was the academic tutor.

All this meant that he clawed his way to college and we have money to pay for it, and retirement, and extras.

SN school, doesn't matter if it's private or public. Specials geared towards SN kids, larger friend groups possible, after school activities geared towards kids with needs, more therapists on site versus itinerant, other parents who get it.

I can’t speak to specialty private - my child who eventually went into a self contained program wasn’t ever a candidate for a private. The best do was the public options. What I can say is that MCPS self contained was unbelievably amazing for my child and once they got to self contained I never again looked for a non public option. But as others have said, it would depend on the needs and options and, of course, your finances.

It depends on the kid, grade, which public and which private. The answer can change by the year as your kid grows and needs change.

Mine started prek and early elementary in private, went to public for the second half of elementary and middle and private in HS. He’s a senior now.

I also think it depends on the grade. Maybe a specialty school for the younger years where students are learning the fundamentals, but transitioning to public like a pp said above to special education classes then eventually supported general education classes to better prepare them for life after high school.

TOTALLY depends on the kid and their needs.

Assuming you are the charter/dcps parent, here's the list of schools where osse can place. You'll notice some of the most dcum-popular schools, like deiner, aren't on the list. Consider setting up tours for the ones that seem like they'd be good fits. https://osse.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/osse/publication/attachments/COA%20Approved%20List%20Day%2010.22.25.pdf

Depending on the school, a self contained classroom will still provide interaction with nondisabled peers at lunch, recess, specials. When/if your child is ready to try a less restrictive environment, it's easier to do a slow and supported transition -- trying a couple hours inside gen ed in your student's best class, then making decisions from there. It may also offer more extracurriculars and be closer to home.

A nonpublic will generally have more trained staff and the whole school will be designed to meet the needs of students with disabilities, not just the classroom staff. This can be especially important if less structured times (recess, lunch) is hard for your student. There will likely be a long bus commute and it may be more difficult to see friends outside of school.

I don't think it's a decision between self contained or private. What will each scenario offer? How do they work with existing needs? How do they scaffold for the next level? How well do the teachers teach? What continuing education are the teachers provided so they can provide the best or most up to date methodologies to your child? I'd also look at staff retention.

If you are facing a decision of a self contained classroom at a public school vs a special needs private, which would you prefer and why?