Where size matters for our particular situation: Class sizes for AP/Honors classes are usually 35-40 in our local high school. Freshman have hardly any chance of getting roles in the play, or on JV athletic teams, unless there is a specific freshman team.

Obviously depends on the specific high school.

There are issues that come with size. Some of those issues are not negative. Students learn to navigate a larger environment. They aren't coddled. There is a much wider, varied social environment. They have more freedom socially. There are more students/groups to choose from to find where they fit in, or easier to reinvent themselves. I went to a MoCo W school w/700 in a class. I was happy to send our kids to a large FCPS high school and would not have mined if it were bigger.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:- We really want a neighborhood school and school friends who are close by / involved in other nearby activities. This is the most important factor.

- A big diverse school has more opportunities to find your "niche" which helps protect against suicide, drug use, etc.

- Nearby private school options not very impressive.

- I went to private K-12 and saw many weaknesses. Other than my high school being single sex (which was positive) I have little good to say and don't think I got a great education.

These first two reasons are our main reasons. Our third is being uncomfortable with our kids growing up with peers at the level of wealth seen at these schools and them thinking this is normal. To be blunt, we have a lot of money (although neither of us grew up with money) and are at a level of wealth where our family would fit in to this scene. I have friends and close relatives in this scene. I don’t want my kids growing up like that and one of the several ways our lifestyle is more “normal” is public school.

me too!

+1

Very insightful. Just look at the grown arse man in the "S" Class Mercedes who thinks you should get out of his way (and go where, exactly?). Case in point.

Anonymous wrote:I have an SN kid and no way he will get that much support in private school like he does in public. They won't even consider his IEP and will make us pay more $$$ for additional services. So I am saving my sweet pennies to when he goes to college.

Catholic or private private?

Anonymous wrote:Yep, if you have the money, why send a kid to McLean if you can buy in the Langley district or afford Potomac, Gonzaga, or some other private that doesn’t cram kids into trailers with 30 kids? FCPS only cares about the extremes - TJ or Title 1. No one else matters.

True, but having lived in both, both are equally good. Not "best in the country", as FCPS tries to tout, but good.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You are missing the “why”. My kids grade in APS HS will have over 800+ kids next year. It will be even bigger when our younger kids get there and they already are freaking out about space.

We’ve been in public k-8. The academics have been excellent, but there are issues that come with size. I agree academics aren’t necessarily better at privates, but that’s not why we are sending our kids to private. Pretty fed up with APS at this point and their lack of foresight. And the focus groups upon focus groups to try to appease are endless with not much coming out of it.

Not everyone leaves because of academics.

+1

And why judge?

I'm curious what problems you think come with size. I used to think big schools = problems (my own parents enrolled me in a private HS to avoid an large public HS). But my kids have gone to very large elementary and secondary schools in FCPS and I have changed my mind. These schools have been good at making it feel like there are smaller communities within schools and the size brings some real advantages--more varied classes--my kids could pretty much take any art form, have any extracurricular, choose among many languages etc. They also have wider networks of friends (in my "good" mid-sized private HS it got insular quick and kids would feel utterly destroyed by a fight with friends or a break up in part because everyone knew and there was no avoiding a clique).

My kids also formed great relationships with teachers despite the size. The main downsides I think was there was a lot more competition for teams, roles in plays, leadership opportunities and there is limited personalized college counseling. The latter can be gotten privately and as such sidesteps some of the weirdness of private college counseling where one kid is tagged to be recommended for a particular school so other kids are steered away from it.

I have an SN kid and no way he will get that much support in private school like he does in public. They won't even consider his IEP and will make us pay more $$$ for additional services. So I am saving my sweet pennies to when he goes to college.

To avoid crap like this https://www.nbc12.com/2020/01/14/rainbow-shirt-cake-lifestyle-violation-student-expelled-private-school/

Anonymous wrote:You are missing the “why”. My kids grade in APS HS will have over 800+ kids next year. It will be even bigger when our younger kids get there and they already are freaking out about space.

We’ve been in public k-8. The academics have been excellent, but there are issues that come with size. I agree academics aren’t necessarily better at privates, but that’s not why we are sending our kids to private. Pretty fed up with APS at this point and their lack of foresight. And the focus groups upon focus groups to try to appease are endless with not much coming out of it.

Not everyone leaves because of academics.

+1

And why judge?

Anonymous wrote:My child is already very privileged and very coddled. I don’t want to send them to an environment where all day long they are essentially given the message that they are special just by virtue of being in a financially well-off family. Our public school is full of pretty well off kids, too, it’s true, but there will be more of a mix. A larger school like our public will also afford more options for electives and extracurriculars. Finally, while we can afford, it we are not billionaires and we would prefer to put that money either towards college, retirement, or a nest egg for our child when they are a young adult. I’m sure public school would be a nice experience in many ways, but I’m not sure if it’s worth the price.

We wouldn’t be able to send ours to our public HS if that was the criteria. Low diversity, HHI and parents up the teachers/admin ass about snowflake all of the time.

Anonymous wrote:We have a great public school and our kids don’t have any special needs

They’re doing well in school and we’re saving a huge amount of money. We’ll definitely be able to send them to whatever college and grad school they want. Plus probably give them down payment money. Why fix what isn’t broke?

We can do that and private. But, I agree, it’s better to stay public if college savings are impacted.

You are missing the “why”. My kids grade in APS HS will have over 800+ kids next year. It will be even bigger when our younger kids get there and they already are freaking out about space.

We’ve been in public k-8. The academics have been excellent, but there are issues that come with size. I agree academics aren’t necessarily better at privates, but that’s not why we are sending our kids to private. Pretty fed up with APS at this point and their lack of foresight. And the focus groups upon focus groups to try to appease are endless with not much coming out of it.

Not everyone leaves because of academics.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why would I send my kids to w WCAC school when they aren't Catholic, and can get a better education at several public schools in Arlington and Fairfax.

Fairfax maybe, but not Arlington

Are we talking O’Connell or Paul VI (certainly no better than APS) or Potomac, GDS, St. Albans or [b]Sidwell (clearly superior to any area publics except TJ)?

I would argue this. Personally, I feel like these schools are massively overrated.

You’ll have to do better than share your feelings. Basis for your opinion?

DP. I fairness, the person who said the schools are clearly superior didn’t provide any reasoning behind her opinion either.

We have a great public school and our kids don’t have any special needs

They’re doing well in school and we’re saving a huge amount of money. We’ll definitely be able to send them to whatever college and grad school they want. Plus probably give them down payment money. Why fix what isn’t broke?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why would I send my kids to w WCAC school when they aren't Catholic, and can get a better education at several public schools in Arlington and Fairfax.

Fairfax maybe, but not Arlington

Are we talking O’Connell or Paul VI (certainly no better than APS) or Potomac, GDS, St. Albans or [b]Sidwell (clearly superior to any area publics except TJ)?

I would argue this. Personally, I feel like these schools are massively overrated.

You’ll have to do better than share your feelings. Basis for your opinion?