Anonymous
04/26/2025 13:56
Subject: Regretting private high school investment because of colleges want more public school graduates
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Been told by our college counselor that this year colleges are turning away from selecting most private high school kids because of their privileged education. That you now have a better chance coming from a public high school with good grades and top scores and activities. There’s no advantage anymore paying more money for private. None at all.
So for those of you looking to go private, don’t waste your money. Your private school kid, despite top gpa and test scores, will probably will be bumped in favor of someone from a good public school.
Regrets, regrets, regrets…
Total BS.
People do what they have to do in order to get the competition out of the way.
Anonymous
04/26/2025 13:08
Subject: Regretting private high school investment because of colleges want more public school graduates
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:There are bunch of drama queens on this thread.
Public schools are not unilaterally in shambles people, come on. Ask any parent or kid at a higher achieving school in MCPS or FCPS or at Walls or similar and you will see: high achieving kids anywhere have similar outcomes. Account for wealth and SES, even more so.
The PP touting a 30% ivy admit rate would find that a similar demographic of kids at NCS and Churchill, or Bullis and Whitman, are going to have very similar outcomes.
Public schools are great for some kids, and the more people who send their kids to public school the stronger our schools are for it as a public good. That said, opting out for private schools is better for some kids and I don't wholly begrudge that, but you are being dishonest if you think that private schools aren't part of a larger societal problem, or that school shootings can only happen in public schools.
Do what is best for your family. But you're ignorant and short-sighted if you think private school alone is going to get your kid into Yale, or if you think dumb kids from public school took your kid's spot, or if you think all public schools are bad and all private schools are better. Be a little more honest and rigorous in your analysis.
Genuine question - how are privates a part of a larger societal problem?
Using Fairfax County as example, there are nearly 100 private schools with over 20,000 students enrolled. The average cost to educate a student in FCPS is $19,750. If we got rid of privates, these +20K students would cost FCPS another $400M and that doesn’t include cost of building additional classrooms. These private school families are already paying property and state income taxes that fund the public schools so, you can’t expect them to pay more. If anything, they are freeing up resources for public schools students.
I think you know but if you genuinely don't, I can explain.
The majority of parents who choose private school are weathier, and relatedly, value education. Basically all of the high-risk, low-SES, underperforming kids in the country attend public schools. Opting out of public school makes public schools lose resources, affects the demographics of a school or system, and perpetuates a growing divide. It's a classic example of valuing individuals over communities, which we would probably ALL do, but it's not good for society. To. be fair, moving to a "good school district" which almost always has higher priced housing is the same concept. We made this choice, so I am not attacking anyone. But all of us are smart enough to recognize that these things create problems, specifically for disadvantaged black and brown kids at scale.
Anonymous
04/26/2025 12:04
Subject: Regretting private high school investment because of colleges want more public school graduates
Anonymous wrote:Been told by our college counselor that this year colleges are turning away from selecting most private high school kids because of their privileged education. That you now have a better chance coming from a public high school with good grades and top scores and activities. There’s no advantage anymore paying more money for private. None at all.
So for those of you looking to go private, don’t waste your money. Your private school kid, despite top gpa and test scores, will probably will be bumped in favor of someone from a good public school.
Regrets, regrets, regrets…
Total BS.
Anonymous
04/26/2025 12:01
Subject: Re:Regretting private high school investment because of colleges want more public school graduates
I didn’t waste my money. My kid got a MUCH better education in private school. I know because I teach at the public HS he is zoned for. The difference in academic and behavioral expectations is night and day.
Anonymous
04/26/2025 11:55
Subject: Regretting private high school investment because of colleges want more public school graduates
If anything, public school families should encourage more families to move their kids to private to free up the limited resources available.
Anonymous
04/26/2025 11:49
Subject: Regretting private high school investment because of colleges want more public school graduates
Anonymous wrote:There are bunch of drama queens on this thread.
Public schools are not unilaterally in shambles people, come on. Ask any parent or kid at a higher achieving school in MCPS or FCPS or at Walls or similar and you will see: high achieving kids anywhere have similar outcomes. Account for wealth and SES, even more so.
The PP touting a 30% ivy admit rate would find that a similar demographic of kids at NCS and Churchill, or Bullis and Whitman, are going to have very similar outcomes.
Public schools are great for some kids, and the more people who send their kids to public school the stronger our schools are for it as a public good. That said, opting out for private schools is better for some kids and I don't wholly begrudge that, but you are being dishonest if you think that private schools aren't part of a larger societal problem, or that school shootings can only happen in public schools.
Do what is best for your family. But you're ignorant and short-sighted if you think private school alone is going to get your kid into Yale, or if you think dumb kids from public school took your kid's spot, or if you think all public schools are bad and all private schools are better. Be a little more honest and rigorous in your analysis.
Genuine question - how are privates a part of a larger societal problem?
Using Fairfax County as example, there are nearly 100 private schools with over 20,000 students enrolled. The average cost to educate a student in FCPS is $19,750. If we got rid of privates, these +20K students would cost FCPS another $400M and that doesn’t include cost of building additional classrooms. These private school families are already paying property and state income taxes that fund the public schools so, you can’t expect them to pay more. If anything, they are freeing up resources for public schools students.
Anonymous
04/26/2025 11:26
Subject: Regretting private high school investment because of colleges want more public school graduates
Private school can be a huge boost to college admissions for a certain type of kid. In particular, a people (teacher) pleasing, smart, always do well enough to get as a decent student but not motivated to do more, etc type. That kid does to NCS and ends up top 25% and gets into UVA; that kid goes to Deal and ends up at Alabama. Some kids need a cohort to try.
Other kids are completely different. There are hugely motivated pointy kids with a specialist area who probably do best coming from a public where they super stand out in that thing and there are fewer pointy kids competing for teachers’ attention.
Other kids are completely different. There are hugely motivated pointy kids with a specialist area who probably do best coming from a public where they super stand out in that thing and there are fewer pointy kids competing for teachers’ attention.
Anonymous
04/26/2025 11:25
Subject: Regretting private high school investment because of colleges want more public school graduates
We would have spent $300K on private school education by the time our DD is done. If it were only about increasing her chances of getting into elite colleges, we would have sent her to our good public and spend the money on tutoring and test prep. I know it’s hard for some people to comprehend spending that kind of money on smaller class sizes, more attention and support for teachers, better programming, nicer facilities, like-minded families, and safer environment.
Anonymous
04/26/2025 11:19
Subject: Re:Regretting private high school investment because of colleges want more public school graduates
Anonymous wrote:Best chance for unhooked admission at HYPSM is public school.
Full stop.
Only if you add "in a rural community". And then have the natural ability and drive to get yourself a better education than the rural school provides.
Anonymous
04/26/2025 11:10
Subject: Regretting private high school investment because of colleges want more public school graduates
Why would you believe some dumb counselor OP? Look at the numbers instead. What school gave you such bad advice? Post here so people can avoid.
Anonymous
04/26/2025 11:07
Subject: Regretting private high school investment because of colleges want more public school graduates
There are bunch of drama queens on this thread.
Public schools are not unilaterally in shambles people, come on. Ask any parent or kid at a higher achieving school in MCPS or FCPS or at Walls or similar and you will see: high achieving kids anywhere have similar outcomes. Account for wealth and SES, even more so.
The PP touting a 30% ivy admit rate would find that a similar demographic of kids at NCS and Churchill, or Bullis and Whitman, are going to have very similar outcomes.
Public schools are great for some kids, and the more people who send their kids to public school the stronger our schools are for it as a public good. That said, opting out for private schools is better for some kids and I don't wholly begrudge that, but you are being dishonest if you think that private schools aren't part of a larger societal problem, or that school shootings can only happen in public schools.
Do what is best for your family. But you're ignorant and short-sighted if you think private school alone is going to get your kid into Yale, or if you think dumb kids from public school took your kid's spot, or if you think all public schools are bad and all private schools are better. Be a little more honest and rigorous in your analysis.
Public schools are not unilaterally in shambles people, come on. Ask any parent or kid at a higher achieving school in MCPS or FCPS or at Walls or similar and you will see: high achieving kids anywhere have similar outcomes. Account for wealth and SES, even more so.
The PP touting a 30% ivy admit rate would find that a similar demographic of kids at NCS and Churchill, or Bullis and Whitman, are going to have very similar outcomes.
Public schools are great for some kids, and the more people who send their kids to public school the stronger our schools are for it as a public good. That said, opting out for private schools is better for some kids and I don't wholly begrudge that, but you are being dishonest if you think that private schools aren't part of a larger societal problem, or that school shootings can only happen in public schools.
Do what is best for your family. But you're ignorant and short-sighted if you think private school alone is going to get your kid into Yale, or if you think dumb kids from public school took your kid's spot, or if you think all public schools are bad and all private schools are better. Be a little more honest and rigorous in your analysis.
Anonymous
04/26/2025 11:06
Subject: Regretting private high school investment because of colleges want more public school graduates
OP’s post was so factual and persuasive, we’re pulling our child from private immediately.
Anonymous
04/26/2025 10:59
Subject: Re:Regretting private high school investment because of colleges want more public school graduates
Best chance for unhooked admission at HYPSM is public school.
Full stop.
Full stop.
Anonymous
04/26/2025 10:59
Subject: Regretting private high school investment because of colleges want more public school graduates
Anonymous wrote:The outcomes at the DC area private schools have been pretty stellar — I don’t think anyone at our school is unhappy with their outcomes.
Same! We would do it again.
Anonymous
04/26/2025 10:53
Subject: Regretting private high school investment because of colleges want more public school graduates
I mean. You have to ask yourself
About the counterfactual. Your kid in public school
Probably would have gotten the same college outcome. The main difference is that you would have saved more money. Maybe in private the kid had a better social
Experience.
About the counterfactual. Your kid in public school
Probably would have gotten the same college outcome. The main difference is that you would have saved more money. Maybe in private the kid had a better social
Experience.