OP here. Thank you all for your input - very helpful!

Some of you asked about my kid and our school system. Without getting into too many details, I'd say that after years of paying out of pocket for OT, PT, speech, tutoring, etc. AND receiving fairly adequate services and accommodations from our public school, I'm realizing it's time for a more integrated support environment at a specialized school. So yes, the plan is to use the $15-$20K we are already paying for private therapies and put it into tuition. But I honestly can't see us being able to pay much more than that. We are pretty choked as it is.

Financial aid - please tell me more about these packages. Are they based on hardship (I don't think we're eligible)? Or available to all? Are there payment plans available? Loans?

Many thanks for any and all input.

We are also trying for a less expensive private with small classes and supplementing with services privately. $30,000 is never $30,000 at those schools as they charge extra for speech, OT and PT.

Anonymous wrote:OP, it also depends on how serious your child's issues are. You do not say what your child's needs or learning issues are.

It really doesn't, matter most SN schools will run you about $40K in tuition a year.

OP, it also depends on how serious your child's issues are. You do not say what your child's needs or learning issues are.

Anonymous wrote:Have you thought about applying for financial aid if it is offered? And, can you make it work with some aid? Most schools will not provide 100% financial aid and school systems are backing off paying for outplacement services. So, for example, if the school provides $10 - $15K aid out of a total tuition and fees of $35 - $40K, can you afford the balance?

This. Plus, we don't go on vacations (big lavish trips--we do a trip to Grandma's yearly though). We don't eat out more than once a month. We coupon, buy clothes on sale, cut our cable, drive older cars, use our savings and retirement. All this for specialized private, outside OT, Speech, tutors etc....

Anonymous wrote:Our child is in public school in Montgomery County. We could not afford private school on top of the specialists she needs that are not covered by insurance. We get what we can get publically and used the funds we have available to supplement where the school system falls short. On average, we spend about $15,000 - $20,000 per year for private services.

That sounds about right for us too.

Our child is in public school in Montgomery County. We could not afford private school on top of the specialists she needs that are not covered by insurance. We get what we can get publically and used the funds we have available to supplement where the school system falls short. On average, we spend about $15,000 - $20,000 per year for private services.

We will just make it work. No big vacations, little to no eating out, bleeding savings account and retirement.

What school district are you in? Some people move to areas with better public services.

Other than that, yeah, it sucks. We are in FCPS and I would love an extra 50k/year to send my kid to a SN private and hire outside therapists instead of limping along with what our insurance will cover and what a public school can do with limited resources.

Look at Howard County publics. Seriously.

We kept fighting public school and eventually won what he needs there (day by day, but by bit, ttrying to work colaboratively). Plus, we supplemented at home quite a bit, hired tutors and therapists. For us, there was no private school that matched DC's mix of deficits and assets. Lab came the closest, but still wasn't really better than public- we would have traded what we did at home with what the school provided. 2nd, 3rd, 5th and 7th grade were the hardest. We seem to be on a good role in 9th. Have a school that finally gets it off the bat (thank you to the parents ahead of us), middle school was the worst in "getting it", ES needed to learn, but was open to learning. ES is now regarded as a good school for kids like DC, so we feel like our time there had some long lasting benefit.

Good luck and I hope you are able to find what works for you and your family.

Have you thought about applying for financial aid if it is offered? And, can you make it work with some aid? Most schools will not provide 100% financial aid and school systems are backing off paying for outplacement services. So, for example, if the school provides $10 - $15K aid out of a total tuition and fees of $35 - $40K, can you afford the balance?

We decided on a less expensive private and paid for outside services. It's not a perfect fit but it kept us from sinking into the abyss, educationally/emotionally/financially.

Sorry to say, welcome to the 99%. Despair and hopelessness abounds.

I'm beginning the process of looking for a special ed school for my child. I'm shocked and alarmed by the tuition costs. We are a "fiscally normal" family who are struggling to live and make ends meet just like everyone else. Funding by the public school system who has been consistently failing my child for the past 4 years is out of the question. Just not going to happen. Taking them to court is an extremely iffy proposition and I'd rather take the lawyer's fees and expenses I would have to pay and just put them into tuition. Our extended family's ability to help is limited.

I'd love to hear from parents whose kids go to special schools how they are able to make it work. None of us have an annual $30K (or more) just sitting there waiting to be spent...