Enrolled in private for 6th grade after completing PK3 to 5th with DCPS. We were very happy staying in DCPS -- more for the community benefit rather than cost. I wish more people would realize that elementary school at DCPS is very good (in a large number of schools). Middle school and beyond is a very different story.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:we haven not yet. 4th and 8th graders in DCPS, very good experiences. we applied the 8th grader to private for high school and also waiting on lottery for School Without Walls. DC was accepted at Sidwell, GDS, and Maret so DCPS served them well to this point I guess!

Wow! Congrats on that list!

We, too, kept our kids in DCPS through 8. They had good experiences in DCPS, and then had choices between top privates and Walls for 9th.

We were told to apply to private early and often to private. But we were shut out for K and were accepted at all to which we applied for 9th. Go figure.

Started in pre-K and last (3rd) is graduating this year.

If I had it to do again, I would have waited. Until when, I don't know.

We loved their early private years experience, but I get sick to my stomach when I total the cost of each of their educations.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DC resident. Started child in Catholic private in PK3. Super glad we did. Initial lottery results were unsuccessful so tried the private route and it was a good fit. Warm environment and didn’t have to worry about what to do in MS/HS (neighborhood schools are rough). DC thrived and is now in HS with scholarships.

Would you mind saying which Catholic school or just which ones you considered?

Sure! DC went to Sacred Heart in Mount Pleasant. Also a big fan of their sister school, St. Anthony’s in Brookland.

This will be very dependent on what your public options are. We are EOTP and started our DC in private in middle school. We loved our elementary school but the middle school was not a great experience. We also were worried about high school, knowing we’d have to go private or move. DC is thriving in high school now. I think the transition to high school was pretty seamless socially and academically because DC had a few years to adjust to the school and peer group in middle school.

Anonymous wrote:we haven not yet. 4th and 8th graders in DCPS, very good experiences. we applied the 8th grader to private for high school and also waiting on lottery for School Without Walls. DC was accepted at Sidwell, GDS, and Maret so DCPS served them well to this point I guess!

Wow! Congrats on that list!

We started at age 3 for Montessori. Never considered public.

Anonymous wrote:DC resident. Started child in Catholic private in PK3. Super glad we did. Initial lottery results were unsuccessful so tried the private route and it was a good fit. Warm environment and didn’t have to worry about what to do in MS/HS (neighborhood schools are rough). DC thrived and is now in HS with scholarships.

Would you mind saying which Catholic school or just which ones you considered?

We started in 4th and wish we had started earlier. We left DCPS in part because our kid felt lost in the middle of classes filled with students who were really struggling and kids who seemed to teach themselves to read and do math. We felt like our kid was not doing well but we just heard from teachers that it was fine and there were kids in the class much farther behind. This is at a DCPS that people on this board love. Within a few weeks of moving to private they had identified issues and turns out kid had an undiagnosed learning disability. The private schools has been very supportive and kid is now doing very well in middle school.

Anonymous wrote:If you live in DC proper, when did you start private for your kids? Were you happy with that choice or do you wish you had started sooner or later?

Started the 3rd grade. The result is night and day. If you can afford, I recommend less expensive small privates before 8th grade.

We started in PK4. My answer is more mixed -- I think it was the right choice for my kid who thrived in a smaller, more affectionate environment. However, my kid would have been fine socially at DCPS but maybe would have needed a bit of a push to manage their time and find joy in their academic work.

If your kid is a child you can plant anywhere and they will thrive, not facing any personal or family challenges, and you have enough personal/professional bandwidth to stay on top of and/or supplement your kids academically, I would wait.

Others will say you are taking the risk and maybe you are if you kid is doing just okay.

9th. Never would have started earlier because of the cost.

DC resident. Started child in Catholic private in PK3. Super glad we did. Initial lottery results were unsuccessful so tried the private route and it was a good fit. Warm environment and didn’t have to worry about what to do in MS/HS (neighborhood schools are rough). DC thrived and is now in HS with scholarships.

we haven not yet. 4th and 8th graders in DCPS, very good experiences. we applied the 8th grader to private for high school and also waiting on lottery for School Without Walls. DC was accepted at Sidwell, GDS, and Maret so DCPS served them well to this point I guess!

If you live in DC proper, when did you start private for your kids? Were you happy with that choice or do you wish you had started sooner or later?