Anonymous wrote:night and day. I cannot believe the difference. Both my kids are in private. Neither is at a big 3 (I could frankly care less about a name school). My DS has been in his private since K. I love the environment and the people. My DD was in public and switched to private. It's so much nicer, quieter, calmer etc. Plus she loves that she can actually participate in class (and class is roughly 15 kids) instead of being ignored as one of nearly 30 with just one teacher.

Our public K has 20 and a calm environment. My super anxious kid LOVES it. Many factors to consider but don't lump all public together.
- big 3 alum

night and day. I cannot believe the difference. Both my kids are in private. Neither is at a big 3 (I could frankly care less about a name school). My DS has been in his private since K. I love the environment and the people. My DD was in public and switched to private. It's so much nicer, quieter, calmer etc. Plus she loves that she can actually participate in class (and class is roughly 15 kids) instead of being ignored as one of nearly 30 with just one teacher.

So much of this depends on where you live, what your kids need and what the schools are like now. My uncle grew up UC. He went to the public schools because they were basically like private schools then. His kids, growing up in the same neighborhood he did, went to public elementary but then private for 6th-12th.

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's a class thing OP. If you come from the upper middle class or above, it would be horrid to send your kid to a public school. If you are an upward bound striver, then you will aim for a "good" public school in the white suburbs.

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This couldn't be more wrong.

Haha, +1. Top poster doesn't understand the US class system at all.

I don't know... They make a pretty solid argument.

I come from an old money DC family. Went to a big 3. Kids going public (granted MoCo, not DC). Couldn't stand the parents, frankly, and the neighborhood feel of the school is awesome and something I really missed as a kid.

Ironically, we send two to public and one to private. Our neighborhood has more kids in private than public. Religious, big 3, French, boarding etc... This is a middle class neighborhood in Rockville with 2400 sq ft homes.

OP, if you want to rub elbows with the sort of poseur who goes around saying "public school is horrid", then private school might be right for you.

Anonymous wrote:The only people I know who were born upper middle or above who love public are Jewish people who like the idea of public.

16:22 here. This just proves that you don't know many old money types, besides maybe the handful in your private school. I mentioned that my family is old money--names on plaques for things they donated (not going to put myself by saying what)--and my kids went to public high school after private elementary. Pre-Mayflower WASP.

Here's my definition of "nouveau riche": among other things, likes to pontificate online about how rich people think public school is "horrid."

Private allows more time to play, smaller classrooms, teachers that have time to get to know and learn how to teach to individuals. You also don't have the kids/families that use school as daycare/fun time.

And just to let you know. I have my 2nd grader in public with 26 kids. My 10th grader has 15 in her History, 12 in her science, 11 in math, 14 in English and 9 in Spanish.

Counting down the days to send the 2nd grader to that school.

The only people I know who were born upper middle or above who love public are Jewish people who like the idea of public.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's a class thing OP. If you come from the upper middle class or above, it would be horrid to send your kid to a public school. If you are an upward bound striver, then you will aim for a "good" public school in the white suburbs.

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This couldn't be more wrong.

Haha, +1. Top poster doesn't understand the US class system at all.

I don't know... They make a pretty solid argument.

+1 agree. What I see looking around at my kids private school is a need to belong and feel good about it.

OK, I'll give you the nouveau riche, who have that welcome-to-the-club outlook. They were all over our private elementary. But like PP I too come from an old money family, and the idea that we live and die in private schools is wrong. My kids did private elementary but finished and went to Ivies from public. There's no super-high percent of wealthy who think public school is "horrid". You're confusing the prevalence of wealthy parents in private schools (which makes sense because they can afford it) with a supposed prevalent snotty outlook among the much larger population of rich families.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's a class thing OP. If you come from the upper middle class or above, it would be horrid to send your kid to a public school. If you are an upward bound striver, then you will aim for a "good" public school in the white suburbs.

\

This couldn't be more wrong.

Haha, +1. Top poster doesn't understand the US class system at all.

I don't know... They make a pretty solid argument.

I come from an old money DC family. Went to a big 3. Kids going public (granted MoCo, not DC). Couldn't stand the parents, frankly, and the neighborhood feel of the school is awesome and something I really missed as a kid.

It's strange. I'm always surprised by how many MoCo families send their kids to the big 3.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's a class thing OP. If you come from the upper middle class or above, it would be horrid to send your kid to a public school. If you are an upward bound striver, then you will aim for a "good" public school in the white suburbs.

\

This couldn't be more wrong.

Haha, +1. Top poster doesn't understand the US class system at all.

I don't know... They make a pretty solid argument.

I come from an old money DC family. Went to a big 3. Kids going public (granted MoCo, not DC). Couldn't stand the parents, frankly, and the neighborhood feel of the school is awesome and something I really missed as a kid.

Agree

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's a class thing OP. If you come from the upper middle class or above, it would be horrid to send your kid to a public school. If you are an upward bound striver, then you will aim for a "good" public school in the white suburbs.

\

This couldn't be more wrong.

Haha, +1. Top poster doesn't understand the US class system at all.

I don't know... They make a pretty solid argument.

+1 agree. What I see looking around at my kids private school is a need to belong and feel good about it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's a class thing OP. If you come from the upper middle class or above, it would be horrid to send your kid to a public school. If you are an upward bound striver, then you will aim for a "good" public school in the white suburbs.

\

This couldn't be more wrong.

Haha, +1. Top poster doesn't understand the US class system at all.

I don't know... They make a pretty solid argument.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's a class thing OP. If you come from the upper middle class or above, it would be horrid to send your kid to a public school. If you are an upward bound striver, then you will aim for a "good" public school in the white suburbs.

\

This couldn't be more wrong.

Haha, +1. Top poster doesn't understand the US class system at all.