Look, there is no one answer. I went to public through high school and so did spouse. Our kids went public through 8th grade but shifted to private in 9th. It was not an easy choice. Short answer is it depends on available options and needs of the kid. The key is to have open mind and eyes and reject doctrinaire answers.

Yes. My public school system was unconventional, progressive and cannot be replicated with DMV publics.

Yes. We are very happy with our decision.

My DH went to public school (grew up in suburban Minneapolis), I went to private (so-so diocesan Catholic high school). When we lived in Chicagoland we sent our kids to public schools because the only private options within a reasonable distance were parish based Catholic (which we didn't feel would stretch our kids super academically) and we were quite happy with the public schools. But, the schools are township based so most districts have 5-6 elementary schools, 1 or 2 middle schools and 1-3 high schools in one school district.

Now, we're in DC and there is a much better network of private schools from the great independents like Big 3s to parochial schools to very progressive independents like Burgundy Farms. I was open to anything, and he convinced me to send our kids to an independent private. We are really happy with the experience.

We're the opposite. Both of us have advanced degrees and neither have ever attended anything but private schools. Our kids are in public. We know it's not worth the money.

Anonymous wrote:Didn't we have a really long thread on this already?

Not every person just goes to one type of school. I went to some public schools, some private schools, in the US and overseas. Many people have similar, peripatetic experiences.

Same here. Mix of MCPS, overseas schools and Big 3. Kids have done a mix of public and private too.

I went to really crappy public schools. My high school had 3,000 kids and I fell in with the burn-out crowd. I ditched class most of the time and graduated high school with a 1.9 GPA. Worked for ten years at shit jobs then put myself through a third-tier state university with my savings.

DH grew up in a very poor, developing country. Went to private schools - but it was very cheap and NOBODY went to state-run schools because teachers never showed up to teach! Came to US with the proverbial $300.00 and lots of ambition.

Fast forward - we're both successful entrepreneurs who clawed our way up and made some money. We send our kids to private because we can, and i refuse to have them get lost in a sea of 2,000 high school kids like I did. Just my bias. They'd probably do just fine in our public, but I want to give them a different experience than what I had.

Anonymous wrote:We planned to send our kids to public, but at age 5 there were various issues that made private a better fit, and once you are in it can be tough to walk away (if your kids are happy).

That's us. Public schooled, planned to send our kids to public, had problems with K, ended up in a private that suited our child and have remained there quite happy.

We went to public. I went to Howard County schools (Really good schools). My husband went to public in a different country, and he's the one who insisted our son go to private. No amount of discussion would convince him that MoCo schools were great. And now, fours years in, I'm a convert. I'm really impressed with my son's school experience at a small private school.

Didn't we have a really long thread on this already?

Not every person just goes to one type of school. I went to some public schools, some private schools, in the US and overseas. Many people have similar, peripatetic experiences.

Anonymous wrote:DW and I also went to public, except I was in private for one year of middle school. We planned to send our kids to public, but at age 5 there were various issues that made private a better fit, and once you are in it can be tough to walk away (if your kids are happy).

Us too.

DW and I also went to public, except I was in private for one year of middle school. We planned to send our kids to public, but at age 5 there were various issues that made private a better fit, and once you are in it can be tough to walk away (if your kids are happy).

Yep. DH & I both went to public, although I was in private for K only.

I'm certified to teach public school, with a PhD in Education, am a prof at a state u, teaching grad. courses to future public school teachers, and there is no way in hell I would send my kid to the public schools in our district.

He goes to the Waldorf school.

Yup. Public school ain't what it used to be, and it wasn't ever really any good where we live now. DH and I grew up in upper middle class suburbs with great schools but we now live in a city without good public schools and with great privates.

I'm curious how often this happens. In my circle of friends, most people who send their kids to private also went to private schools themselves. But I'm in an area where the public schools are decent to great alternatives, so that is a factor.