Anonymous
05/27/2026 13:14
Subject: If you can afford it why wouldn’t you switch your kids to private with all the terrible things going on
Because STEM and music are better than private, public is part of our community, and we saved a ton that can now go into college. Don’t believe everything you read on here!
Anonymous
05/27/2026 13:13
Subject: If you can afford it why wouldn’t you switch your kids to private with all the terrible things going on
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:There’s no perfect school and some of the problems discussed here are overblown or not applicable
+1
Fearmongering is out of control
A school shooting is my greatest fear right now for my kids.
School shootings occur in private schools too. You'll have to move out of America if you want to reduce that fear.
Out of 134 school shootings from 2000 to 2018, 8 occurred in private schools, while 122 occurred in public schools. https://www.cato.org/blog/are-shootings-more-likely-occur-public-schools
And how many more public schools are there than private schools? Come on, you can do better trolling than this.
Disagreeing or presenting evidence is not trolling; it is called a debate. Throwing around "troll" every time someone challenges you is weak and dilutes the term.
Anonymous
05/27/2026 13:13
Subject: If you can afford it why wouldn’t you switch your kids to private with all the terrible things going on
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:There’s no perfect school and some of the problems discussed here are overblown or not applicable
+1
Fearmongering is out of control
A school shooting is my greatest fear right now for my kids.
School shootings occur in private schools too. You'll have to move out of America if you want to reduce that fear.
Out of 134 school shootings from 2000 to 2018, 8 occurred in private schools, while 122 occurred in public schools. https://www.cato.org/blog/are-shootings-more-likely-occur-public-schools
And how many more public schools are there than private schools? Come on, you can do better trolling than this.
I think there's a direct correlation between basic math ability, IQ and the propensity to create much ado about nothing on DCUM
Anonymous
05/27/2026 13:12
Subject: If you can afford it why wouldn’t you switch your kids to private with all the terrible things going on
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Because MCPS, at least the two elementaries, two middle schools, and two high schools that we experienced, is actually excellent.
We're in a circle that's half private, half public. The privates include Sidwell, Landon, GDS, a couple of special needs privates, and the publics include MCPS, FCPS and DCPS charter schools.
Honestly, education begins and ends at home.
I have supplemented math, science reading and writing, taught cursive, discussed classics and current events, with my children.
My twice exceptional kid (gifted with special needs) received supports and accommodations in MCPS that he would never have received in top privates, and he was also able to take advanced courses that he would never have been offered in SN privates. He graduated with 12 AP courses and high test scores.
My merely gifted child bypassed the conventional acceleration tracks in MCPS to do her own thing in high school, which is not possible to do at Sidwell and other rigorous privates.
So frankly for all of MCPS' problems, I have found ways to make it work for my children. And that's the secret, OP. Whatever you choose for your kids, you need to figure out how to make collective education work for your kids. Otherwise you can homeschool - that can be a great option too. I know a military family whose kids were excellently taught by their mother at home.
I agree with this post. My twice exceptional kid does great in MCPS -- gets access to advanced courses with the supports needed to succeed. We did some supplementation outside for MS, but ES and HS have been great.
+1 but also had an excellent middle school experience.
Anonymous
05/27/2026 13:09
Subject: If you can afford it why wouldn’t you switch your kids to private with all the terrible things going on
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:There’s no perfect school and some of the problems discussed here are overblown or not applicable
+1
Fearmongering is out of control
A school shooting is my greatest fear right now for my kids.
School shootings occur in private schools too. You'll have to move out of America if you want to reduce that fear.
Out of 134 school shootings from 2000 to 2018, 8 occurred in private schools, while 122 occurred in public schools. https://www.cato.org/blog/are-shootings-more-likely-occur-public-schools
And how many more public schools are there than private schools? Come on, you can do better trolling than this.
Anonymous
05/27/2026 13:06
Subject: If you can afford it why wouldn’t you switch your kids to private with all the terrible things going on
Anonymous wrote:My kid is in MCPS because she’s getting a pretty solid education and she has a really great social network of friends and their parents who live in our neighborhood within walking/biking distance. Losing that community would be a very serious negative for switching to private. It’s just not possible to maintain as close of a group/community when not in the same school. Also, kid is old enough to weigh in and strongly wanted to remain in MCPS though older sib switched to private in MS. There were some differences re: academic needs but the bigger difference between the two situations was social.
seems like this thread may have been started by a recruiter from a local private school with all the encouraging of people who have the means to switch to private. Maybe switch this thread to the private school forum instead.
Anonymous
05/27/2026 13:06
Subject: If you can afford it why wouldn’t you switch your kids to private with all the terrible things going on
I went to a private for 12 long years OP, it makes more sense to me academically and socially to send my kids to public school.
Private school is not the end all and be all you think it is, there are definite social disadvantages if you aren't very wealthy, and definite academic disadvantages if you go to a less well funded school.
I've always regretted going private, as I would have been better served by the local publics, even thought they had certain problems. By the time I realized that around age 17, it was too late to switch.
Private school is not the end all and be all you think it is, there are definite social disadvantages if you aren't very wealthy, and definite academic disadvantages if you go to a less well funded school.
I've always regretted going private, as I would have been better served by the local publics, even thought they had certain problems. By the time I realized that around age 17, it was too late to switch.
Anonymous
05/27/2026 13:06
Subject: If you can afford it why wouldn’t you switch your kids to private with all the terrible things going on
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Cost you dumba$$. You really have to ask this?
So you wouldn’t go private even if you could afford due to the cost?
DP. We could afford it if we gave up vacations and extras or didn't save for college. But we are not willing to. The cost is not worth it for us, given that MCPS works fairly well though not perfectly for our family. It's not clear to me that a private would be better -- different problems, but far from perfect. For us, MCPS plus enrichment we provide for our kids still allows us to enjoy the life we want and save for college.
Anonymous
05/27/2026 13:05
Subject: If you can afford it why wouldn’t you switch your kids to private with all the terrible things going on
My kid is in MCPS because she’s getting a pretty solid education and she has a really great social network of friends and their parents who live in our neighborhood within walking/biking distance. Losing that community would be a very serious negative for switching to private. It’s just not possible to maintain as close of a group/community when not in the same school. Also, kid is old enough to weigh in and strongly wanted to remain in MCPS though older sib switched to private in MS. There were some differences re: academic needs but the bigger difference between the two situations was social.
Anonymous
05/27/2026 13:04
Subject: If you can afford it why wouldn’t you switch your kids to private with all the terrible things going on
Anonymous wrote:Because MCPS, at least the two elementaries, two middle schools, and two high schools that we experienced, is actually excellent.
We're in a circle that's half private, half public. The privates include Sidwell, Landon, GDS, a couple of special needs privates, and the publics include MCPS, FCPS and DCPS charter schools.
Honestly, education begins and ends at home.
I have supplemented math, science reading and writing, taught cursive, discussed classics and current events, with my children.
My twice exceptional kid (gifted with special needs) received supports and accommodations in MCPS that he would never have received in top privates, and he was also able to take advanced courses that he would never have been offered in SN privates. He graduated with 12 AP courses and high test scores.
My merely gifted child bypassed the conventional acceleration tracks in MCPS to do her own thing in high school, which is not possible to do at Sidwell and other rigorous privates.
So frankly for all of MCPS' problems, I have found ways to make it work for my children. And that's the secret, OP. Whatever you choose for your kids, you need to figure out how to make collective education work for your kids. Otherwise you can homeschool - that can be a great option too. I know a military family whose kids were excellently taught by their mother at home.
I agree with this post. My twice exceptional kid does great in MCPS -- gets access to advanced courses with the supports needed to succeed. We did some supplementation outside for MS, but ES and HS have been great.
Anonymous
05/27/2026 13:01
Subject: Re:If you can afford it why wouldn’t you switch your kids to private with all the terrible things going on
Because I find the drama a bit overblown, and I've seen my kids get a good education in MCPS.
One is in college now and MCPS prepared him well.
Also, it's not like there aren't downsides of fancy private schools. My friends with kids in those schools struggle with much higher drinking/drug culture than I see in my kids' peer groups in public. It is so striking the difference. Believe it or not, I would prefer my kid to be around public school than private school kids.
One is in college now and MCPS prepared him well.
Also, it's not like there aren't downsides of fancy private schools. My friends with kids in those schools struggle with much higher drinking/drug culture than I see in my kids' peer groups in public. It is so striking the difference. Believe it or not, I would prefer my kid to be around public school than private school kids.
Anonymous
05/27/2026 13:00
Subject: If you can afford it why wouldn’t you switch your kids to private with all the terrible things going on
Maybe stop with the MCPS bashing, OP.
I've been on DCUM for more than 15 years, and public schools have always been excoriated. All of them. And then occasionally there's criticism of privates on the Private school forum, but less, just because parents who pay 70K a year for private typically don't whine unless there's sexual abuse or grave financial mismanagement going on.
The taxpayer-funded schools get the worst of it, not because they're that bad, but because people will have no psychological block at vilifying things they don't directly pay for!!!
So lay off.
Anonymous
05/27/2026 12:56
Subject: If you can afford it why wouldn’t you switch your kids to private with all the terrible things going on
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:There’s no perfect school and some of the problems discussed here are overblown or not applicable
+1
Fearmongering is out of control
A school shooting is my greatest fear right now for my kids.
My kid in private school is the one who experienced a school shooting (not perpetrated by a student or anyone affiliated with the school) so…
It's unfortunate that it can happen anywhere. Statistically, it is still more likely to happen at a public school, though.
Anonymous
05/27/2026 12:54
Subject: If you can afford it why wouldn’t you switch your kids to private with all the terrible things going on
Anonymous wrote:When my child was at MCPS they had a diagnosis of ADHD and dyslexia, and the learning specialist would meet with seven kids at a time and accomplish nothing. With these budget cuts even more reading and learning specalist are going to cut and overwhelmed. I’ve spend years advocating for kids who have diagnosed disabilities in the public schools and although they are legally supposed to do things that their IEP say this is not always the case and things are only getting worse. I agree that there are no perfect situations or schools but if you have the money I would strongly suggest you get out of MCPS, especially the kids who do not have severe learning needs and only need some support. The other thing that some private and parochial schools offer is for you to have specialist come in and meet with your child during school hours, which is so much better for them cognitively. I know this is another added cost at most schools for the parents. But the original poster said if you had the money, which I realize that not everyone does.
Or homeschool if you have the time and money. My ADHD kid learned more during COVID than in any other year. We covered three math grades and raised his reading from below average to solid. Then you can meet with specialists during the daytime. I wish I could've kept it going, but I got called back into the office, and it was also really hard on me to be mom & teacher.
Anonymous
05/27/2026 12:52
Subject: If you can afford it why wouldn’t you switch your kids to private with all the terrible things going on
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:There’s no perfect school and some of the problems discussed here are overblown or not applicable
+1
Fearmongering is out of control
A school shooting is my greatest fear right now for my kids.
My kid in private school is the one who experienced a school shooting (not perpetrated by a student or anyone affiliated with the school) so…