Consider what the commute is like and your transportation options.

Look at the full year school calendar and think about what it means for you.

Don't let price be the only thing you consider. Everyone in my family independantly agreed that school A was the best fit. Yet, I really pushed for school B and C to save $10,000 a year. In the end we did the math and made school A work. And it so clearly been a good choice.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Also, do not rely on the reputation of a school without further investigation. We found a few schools which have great reputations to be average at best, both in terms of academics and the level of student admitted.

+++1. Exactly our experience.

The reference to finding "a few" schools confuses me. Did your child actually attend multiple private schools, with you discovering repeatedly that each school's great reputation was not deserved? Or maybe you had that sort of bad experience at one school, and you're extrapolating it to assume "a few" schools are similarly situated? Or maybe you are just saying you decided based on school tours that several schools do not deserve their reputations?

More explanation please.

Anonymous wrote:When I was applying for K I sort of thought it was all or nothing.

Now I realize that so many people after a few years realize their children's personality and learning styles and move, adjust, etc.

My children did k-3 in one school, 4- middle in another school and will probably go to a different high school.

People move from private to public, public to private, private to private, public to public, etc.

You can only make the best decision you can when choosing a school for somebody going into K because really you are going on so little information.

I didn't think people thought that far into the future?! How could anyone know what your child will be like 10 years from now? Maybe I am too short-sighted?

[quote=Anonymous]Also, do not rely on the reputation of a school without further investigation. We found a few schools which have great reputations to be average at best, both in terms of academics and the level of student admitted.[/quote]

+++1. Exactly our experience.

The small class sizes were great for our kids during their first years. By fifth or sixth grade, though, both kids felt it was stifling. Kids differ, however, in what they get out of a small class size, so YMMV.

The additional costs besides tuition. We were already strapped and there were costs we didn't anticipate. Winter break camp, spring break camp (only available at our school or other privates and pretty pricey), needing more weeks of summer camp, buying auction items, teacher gifts,

The social implications - the small class size sold us but ulimately it was one of the reasons we left. It was too small and became stifling for our child.

Also, do not rely on the reputation of a school without further investigation. We found a few schools which have great reputations to be average at best, both in terms of academics and the level of student admitted.

Request to visit/sit in on a class or two (especially upper school) to get a feel for how class(es) are taught and the type of interaction that occurs in the classroom.

Honestly just ask for and carefully read the schools handbook before you make your decision. I just wish I'd known to ask for one and I didn't.

Examples please? I can't really understand what you're talking about. TIA.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wish I had asked for and gotten a copy of the handbook. Our school didn't give it to us until after we enrolled. Big mistake.

What did it say that was so bad?

We thought that it was just the basic rules what not to do to stay out of trouble, basically. Since DS is a rule follower we didn't worry about it. It was, but it also had information on policies we would have liked to know before we signed because they were crazy strict and punishments at very young ages were punitive. If we had read the handbook first we would have asked more questions and ultimately not sent DS there.

The social implications of independent/privates. You are suddenly thrust into a situation where you are interacting with in upwards of 30-50 new adults, plus 20-25 children. Of course learning all the names is tough, but hoping that you click and genuinely like the adults is nerve wracking. Some schools social communities are more welcoming than others. I think its important to try to not only envision your child at the school, but also yourself within the community, because it becomes as much your world as it is your child's.

Anonymous wrote:When I was applying for K I sort of thought it was all or nothing.

Now I realize that so many people after a few years realize their children's personality and learning styles and move, adjust, etc.

My children did k-3 in one school, 4- middle in another school and will probably go to a different high school.

People move from private to public, public to private, private to private, public to public, etc.

You can only make the best decision you can when choosing a school for somebody going into K because really you are going on so little information.

Excellent point. The idea of trying to make a 12 or 13 year decision is daunting, but approaching it from the "lets make the best decision for who this kid is right now and then be flexible enough to adjust later" is a healthier way of approaching things.

Our kids attended public for ES and then switched to private starting with middle school. We were really happy with the school our oldest switched to, so when our second child was finishing ES we applied there and a couple of other schools. He got into all 3 and though he liked his older brother's school fine, he really liked another school more. We persuaded him to go to the same school as his older brother. In hindsight, I wish we'd listened to our son. At that age he couldn't articulate why he wanted to go to the other school, but his instincts were right. He and his brother are close, but they are different kids with different needs, which we didn't appreciate sufficiently. They have now graduated from HS and attend 2 very different colleges. At least we got it the second time around.

Anonymous wrote:When I was applying for K I sort of thought it was all or nothing.

Now I realize that so many people after a few years realize their children's personality and learning styles and move, adjust, etc.

My children did k-3 in one school, 4- middle in another school and will probably go to a different high school.

People move from private to public, public to private, private to private, public to public, etc.

You can only make the best decision you can when choosing a school for somebody going into K because really you are going on so little information.

This is a really good point, and reflects our DCs' own moves between schools.