Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can say with certainty that the public school parents who answer questions about private schools are the most insecure and defensive of the lot.

Maybe true, but completely off-point. Which makes me wonder about your insecurity and defensiveness.

Nope, not insecure. I just shake my head at how many public school parents jump at the chance to tell everyone that public schools are superior.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not in this area with such amazing public schools.

Private is just not worth the money unless you are seeking a religious based education or have a special circumstance.

Save the money for housing, college, retirement, etc. Spending it on expensive private education where you live is like throwing it to the wind.

Have you sent a child through a private school for the elementary grades?

+1

Anonymous wrote:Not in this area with such amazing public schools.

Private is just not worth the money unless you are seeking a religious based education or have a special circumstance.

Save the money for housing, college, retirement, etc. Spending it on expensive private education where you live is like throwing it to the wind.

Have you sent a child through a private school for the elementary grades?

Anonymous wrote:I can say with certainty that the public school parents who answer questions about private schools are the most insecure and defensive of the lot.

Maybe true, but completely off-point. Which makes me wonder about your insecurity and defensiveness.

Anonymous wrote:pp - yes, I do. She would have been lumped in the "average" group for her entire schooling. Public schools are so big that especially for girls...if they're nice and keep quiet, no one will ever bother to notice them.

Honest question though -- would that have affected her outcome? I was a nice, quiet girl who studied hard and got good grades. So I got into Ivies too, from totally average public school. Granted, that was longer ago and easier to get in back then. But my test scores and grades were top level. Are you saying your daughter would have gotten lower grades and test scores had she been in public? Because a quiet girl with great scores/grades can do very well from anywhere.

I can say with certainty that the public school parents who answer questions about private schools are the most insecure and defensive of the lot.

no dog in this fight either - but I have a nice quiet boy who gets overlooked all the time. And not in the "average group" but top group - with no challenge at all - but well loved and liked by all. It's not just about girls - it's about personality and behavior. And...FYI...we have also had girls in classes who stand out just as much as the boys - whether that be because they are a "go-getter" type or a "behavior issue" type.

Anonymous wrote:pp - yes, I do. She would have been lumped in the "average" group for her entire schooling. Public schools are so big that especially for girls...if they're nice and keep quiet, no one will ever bother to notice them.

How do you know that there is a gender bias? Why do you think the same can't be said for boys who are nice and keep quiet? Is it impossible for boys to be nice and quiet at that age?

I'm not challenging you, just interested in your insights and what gave you this idea?

Anonymous wrote:Yes, my child really benefited from private. She did "average" on her early elementary school tests. Thanks to great private schooling, she ended up at Princeton.

Holton mom? But was that college outcome from great schooling or crew? Couldn't she have done athletic recruiting from any school?

pp - yes, I do. She would have been lumped in the "average" group for her entire schooling. Public schools are so big that especially for girls...if they're nice and keep quiet, no one will ever bother to notice them.

Anonymous wrote:Yes, my child really benefited from private. She did "average" on her early elementary school tests. Thanks to great private schooling, she ended up at Princeton.

You have no idea how she would have wound up if you'd gone public.

No, we've had kids in public and private schools in this area. While there were differences, these were not stark. The best outcome is public immersion, but that can be difficult to swing depending on where you live.

Another question to ask yourself is, how does your public option stack up against the private school your child can actually get into. Not, how does public stack up against your ideal private school.

However, if you are zoned for a bad public school, or if your child has special needs, private can make great sense.

Yes, my child really benefited from private. She did "average" on her early elementary school tests. Thanks to great private schooling, she ended up at Princeton.

Not in this area with such amazing public schools.

Private is just not worth the money unless you are seeking a religious based education or have a special circumstance.

Save the money for housing, college, retirement, etc. Spending it on expensive private education where you live is like throwing it to the wind.

We are new to the area and zoned for Mclean schools. I now nothing about public schools here in the US as I didn't grow up here; I just hear that Mclean schools are supposed to be good. On the other hand I see some of the private schools in the area and cant help but wonder how much better they are. I want to hear from parents who have invested so much for elemnatry education...would you have done it if you could manage private school cost not so comfortably? What do you think your children got out of the extra tuition?

Thanks