Anonymous
Post 01/16/2025 12:47     Subject: Anecdotally seems like applications are up this year across schools
Anonymous wrote:We're applying to privates because we gave public a try and it's just not working. I cannot wrap my head around the idea that I send my child to school all day and then I have to do quite a bit of supplemental work at home. The time and money I spend on supplementing public education is frustrating, I might as well try to get my kid into a school that actually teaches and get our evenings back.

When I raised my concern that my kid isn't getting much out of school and asked what options there were for kids working well above grade level, they just shrugged and said they don't do acceleration in elementary school.


Our kids are in private and honestly, what they get out of the school day is hit or miss and we’re in the maybe 10-15% of parents who don’t supplement for math, and sometimes it shows. Even if the instruction was sufficient, nothing is enough for most of the parents of my kids’ classmates, and they won’t be satisfied until they are sure their kid is the best as measured by some standard that might not even exist. There’s an entire secret culture of parents going to teachers and division heads and arguing that their kid isn’t sufficiently challenged, and then the school throws all sorts of extra attention and work at the family to keep them happy. We realized way too late that this is a way that kids get marketed by parents to the school, which eventually believes them and earmarks those kids for special opportunities, pushes their path into higher level courses, or prioritizes them for college apps or HS exmissions depending on the type of school (have kids at k-8 and k-12).

I’m a product of public schools and am astounded at how much time during the school day is spent on meaningless fluff and transitions, plus the curriculum is all over the place. Some years are great if you get a strong teacher who really takes ownership over their grade curriculum, but other years you’ll end up with a real dud and in June you’ll wonder what happened to the year. What the curriculum guide says vs what actually gets done varies, and sometimes the curriculum guide represents a vision for the future and/or marketing and accreditation rather than what actually happens.

Privates are also just as stretched and challenged by behavioral problems as publics, it’s just less visible.

Apply but be ready to play the game and don’t come in with any illusions.
Anonymous
Post 01/16/2025 11:53     Subject: Anecdotally seems like applications are up this year across schools
Anonymous wrote:We're applying to privates because we gave public a try and it's just not working. I cannot wrap my head around the idea that I send my child to school all day and then I have to do quite a bit of supplemental work at home. The time and money I spend on supplementing public education is frustrating, I might as well try to get my kid into a school that actually teaches and get our evenings back.

When I raised my concern that my kid isn't getting much out of school and asked what options there were for kids working well above grade level, they just shrugged and said they don't do acceleration in elementary school.


Stay away from NCS if you don't want to pay for a math tutor once you get past 6th grade.
Anonymous
Post 01/16/2025 11:47     Subject: Anecdotally seems like applications are up this year across schools
We're applying to privates because we gave public a try and it's just not working. I cannot wrap my head around the idea that I send my child to school all day and then I have to do quite a bit of supplemental work at home. The time and money I spend on supplementing public education is frustrating, I might as well try to get my kid into a school that actually teaches and get our evenings back.

When I raised my concern that my kid isn't getting much out of school and asked what options there were for kids working well above grade level, they just shrugged and said they don't do acceleration in elementary school.
Anonymous
Post 01/16/2025 09:37     Subject: Re:Anecdotally seems like applications are up this year across schools
Same boat here. We would rather stay put than move. We have strong community ties and close friends who live near by. We're opting for private to keep that and get the education we want for our kid.
Anonymous
Post 01/16/2025 09:15     Subject: Re:Anecdotally seems like applications are up this year across schools
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:This is not a political post. Just a possible factor. Families may be hedging their bets because of the uncertainty surrounding what will happen in the public schools if the Dept of Ed is gone. Will that result in upheaval in the local schools? With guardrails removed, will schools perceived to be slipping slip further (at least in the short term)?


After everything thrown at local schools with the wokery of the last 10 years? Doubt it.

Local schools are much more governed by the state Dept of Edu than any federal one.

However, I do wonder if the tripling of mortgage rates is causing more people to stay put instead of moving for better schools, and thus looking at the private options. It's so expensive to buy and sell these days that if you have one kid it may be more convenient to go private.


I think you have a good point with the bolded. If people bought when first engaged or married they might have figured they would move to a bigger place/better district once their kids are older but now realize it's better to stay and just find a reasonable private. I know more than a few people in this situation.


We are in this scenario. We were fortunate to buy our modest ”starter home” in our very early 20s and were told we would need to move to a better area when we have kids. Ten years later, it’s turned into our “forever home” and are pursuing private school.


This was our situation. We bought at the right time with great mortgage rate. We have since doubled our HHI and the value of our home has also increased twofold, but moving to a desirable MCPS option would have been way more expensive than paying for private.


We’re in a similar boat. Almost bought a house in a better school district but got scared by the interest rate. However, biggest reason we didn’t move was because we didn’t want to leave the community we built around us. It’s not so easy to move after you’ve formed close bonds and relationships with people who live near you. No one warned me about that. So kids now go to private and we make the school commute work.
Anonymous
Post 01/16/2025 09:10     Subject: Re:Anecdotally seems like applications are up this year across schools
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I know a lot of people are bailing in FFX county for high school. Local schools just keep going downhill. Combine that with uncertainty regarding redistricting and people are being safe. Going to be an interesting cycle for sure.


+1. FCPS is run by a bunch of woke cretins who have done everything in their power to send higher-income families fleeing to private schools. The demand for solid alternatives will exceed the supply until more reputable private schools open.


Woke teachers are also in private school.


Not in Catholic schools, for the most part.

Moreover, for the non-Catholic private schools that decide to waste resources on woke nonsense, they: (1) have sufficient resources to waste on woke nonsense without detracting from their core academic rigor; (2) don't tolerate violent/disruptive behavior from students out of fear of being labeled you-know-what; (3) aren't flooded with recent arrivals from foreign countries (often of dubious legal status) with all the behavioral and language issues that come with that. So, any woke nonsense in these non-Catholic schools is just window dressing.


Nope they just tolerate and sanction that behavior from clergy.

It's almost like everyone going "woke" is just an awareness of trying to treat all people in our society as equal humans. Wild.


Lady, that jumped the shark years ago. Get real.


Like many, many years ago, right? Jesus walked around being all woke and trying to make people feel guilty about seeing others as anything other than a brother or sister, but he hasn't been around for like two millenia now.

I'm very happy that the Catholic schools my kids have attended have been ultra-woke. It is a necessary result of living the gospels for those that are Christians.


Jesus wasn’t this kind of woke. Admission to competitive public/charter programs being manipulated to get preferred racial outcomes. Activities grouping kids by race to teach lessons about being oppressor or oppressed. Schools not being obligated to share mental health information about students with those students’ own parents when it concerns gender identity. You really have to be living under a rock at this point to think there aren’t things to be concerned about here.
Anonymous
Post 01/16/2025 08:51     Subject: Re:Anecdotally seems like applications are up this year across schools
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I know a lot of people are bailing in FFX county for high school. Local schools just keep going downhill. Combine that with uncertainty regarding redistricting and people are being safe. Going to be an interesting cycle for sure.


+1. FCPS is run by a bunch of woke cretins who have done everything in their power to send higher-income families fleeing to private schools. The demand for solid alternatives will exceed the supply until more reputable private schools open.


Woke teachers are also in private school.


Not in Catholic schools, for the most part.

Moreover, for the non-Catholic private schools that decide to waste resources on woke nonsense, they: (1) have sufficient resources to waste on woke nonsense without detracting from their core academic rigor; (2) don't tolerate violent/disruptive behavior from students out of fear of being labeled you-know-what; (3) aren't flooded with recent arrivals from foreign countries (often of dubious legal status) with all the behavioral and language issues that come with that. So, any woke nonsense in these non-Catholic schools is just window dressing.


Nope they just tolerate and sanction that behavior from clergy.

It's almost like everyone going "woke" is just an awareness of trying to treat all people in our society as equal humans. Wild.


Lady, that jumped the shark years ago. Get real.


Like many, many years ago, right? Jesus walked around being all woke and trying to make people feel guilty about seeing others as anything other than a brother or sister, but he hasn't been around for like two millenia now.

I'm very happy that the Catholic schools my kids have attended have been ultra-woke. It is a necessary result of living the gospels for those that are Christians.
Anonymous
Post 01/16/2025 08:23     Subject: Re:Anecdotally seems like applications are up this year across schools
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I know a lot of people are bailing in FFX county for high school. Local schools just keep going downhill. Combine that with uncertainty regarding redistricting and people are being safe. Going to be an interesting cycle for sure.


+1. FCPS is run by a bunch of woke cretins who have done everything in their power to send higher-income families fleeing to private schools. The demand for solid alternatives will exceed the supply until more reputable private schools open.


Woke teachers are also in private school.


Not in Catholic schools, for the most part.

Moreover, for the non-Catholic private schools that decide to waste resources on woke nonsense, they: (1) have sufficient resources to waste on woke nonsense without detracting from their core academic rigor; (2) don't tolerate violent/disruptive behavior from students out of fear of being labeled you-know-what; (3) aren't flooded with recent arrivals from foreign countries (often of dubious legal status) with all the behavioral and language issues that come with that. So, any woke nonsense in these non-Catholic schools is just window dressing.


Nope they just tolerate and sanction that behavior from clergy.

It's almost like everyone going "woke" is just an awareness of trying to treat all people in our society as equal humans. Wild.


Go talk to Gilman, and Hollywood, and various other powerful institutions, and people’s own relatives, and then, sure, go back to your anti-Catholic bigotry pretending like whatever organizations you support are magically immune from the same problems.
Anonymous
Post 01/16/2025 08:19     Subject: Re:Anecdotally seems like applications are up this year across schools
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I know a lot of people are bailing in FFX county for high school. Local schools just keep going downhill. Combine that with uncertainty regarding redistricting and people are being safe. Going to be an interesting cycle for sure.


+1. FCPS is run by a bunch of woke cretins who have done everything in their power to send higher-income families fleeing to private schools. The demand for solid alternatives will exceed the supply until more reputable private schools open.


Woke teachers are also in private school.


Not in Catholic schools, for the most part.

Moreover, for the non-Catholic private schools that decide to waste resources on woke nonsense, they: (1) have sufficient resources to waste on woke nonsense without detracting from their core academic rigor; (2) don't tolerate violent/disruptive behavior from students out of fear of being labeled you-know-what; (3) aren't flooded with recent arrivals from foreign countries (often of dubious legal status) with all the behavioral and language issues that come with that. So, any woke nonsense in these non-Catholic schools is just window dressing.


Nope they just tolerate and sanction that behavior from clergy.

It's almost like everyone going "woke" is just an awareness of trying to treat all people in our society as equal humans. Wild.


Lady, that jumped the shark years ago. Get real.
Anonymous
Post 01/16/2025 08:15     Subject: Re:Anecdotally seems like applications are up this year across schools
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I know a lot of people are bailing in FFX county for high school. Local schools just keep going downhill. Combine that with uncertainty regarding redistricting and people are being safe. Going to be an interesting cycle for sure.


+1. FCPS is run by a bunch of woke cretins who have done everything in their power to send higher-income families fleeing to private schools. The demand for solid alternatives will exceed the supply until more reputable private schools open.


Woke teachers are also in private school.


Not in Catholic schools, for the most part.

Moreover, for the non-Catholic private schools that decide to waste resources on woke nonsense, they: (1) have sufficient resources to waste on woke nonsense without detracting from their core academic rigor; (2) don't tolerate violent/disruptive behavior from students out of fear of being labeled you-know-what; (3) aren't flooded with recent arrivals from foreign countries (often of dubious legal status) with all the behavioral and language issues that come with that. So, any woke nonsense in these non-Catholic schools is just window dressing.


You sound racist. I wish people would stop using the word “woke” and just say exactly what it is you don’t like that they’re supposedly teaching or tolerating.


DP. Classic woke response!
Anonymous
Post 01/16/2025 06:21     Subject: Re:Anecdotally seems like applications are up this year across schools
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I know a lot of people are bailing in FFX county for high school. Local schools just keep going downhill. Combine that with uncertainty regarding redistricting and people are being safe. Going to be an interesting cycle for sure.


+1. FCPS is run by a bunch of woke cretins who have done everything in their power to send higher-income families fleeing to private schools. The demand for solid alternatives will exceed the supply until more reputable private schools open.


Woke teachers are also in private school.


Not in Catholic schools, for the most part.

Moreover, for the non-Catholic private schools that decide to waste resources on woke nonsense, they: (1) have sufficient resources to waste on woke nonsense without detracting from their core academic rigor; (2) don't tolerate violent/disruptive behavior from students out of fear of being labeled you-know-what; (3) aren't flooded with recent arrivals from foreign countries (often of dubious legal status) with all the behavioral and language issues that come with that. So, any woke nonsense in these non-Catholic schools is just window dressing.


Nope they just tolerate and sanction that behavior from clergy.

It's almost like everyone going "woke" is just an awareness of trying to treat all people in our society as equal humans. Wild.
Anonymous
Post 01/15/2025 23:07     Subject: Re:Anecdotally seems like applications are up this year across schools
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:This is not a political post. Just a possible factor. Families may be hedging their bets because of the uncertainty surrounding what will happen in the public schools if the Dept of Ed is gone. Will that result in upheaval in the local schools? With guardrails removed, will schools perceived to be slipping slip further (at least in the short term)?


After everything thrown at local schools with the wokery of the last 10 years? Doubt it.

Local schools are much more governed by the state Dept of Edu than any federal one.

However, I do wonder if the tripling of mortgage rates is causing more people to stay put instead of moving for better schools, and thus looking at the private options. It's so expensive to buy and sell these days that if you have one kid it may be more convenient to go private.


I think you have a good point with the bolded. If people bought when first engaged or married they might have figured they would move to a bigger place/better district once their kids are older but now realize it's better to stay and just find a reasonable private. I know more than a few people in this situation.


We are in this scenario. We were fortunate to buy our modest ”starter home” in our very early 20s and were told we would need to move to a better area when we have kids. Ten years later, it’s turned into our “forever home” and are pursuing private school.


This was our situation. We bought at the right time with great mortgage rate. We have since doubled our HHI and the value of our home has also increased twofold, but moving to a desirable MCPS option would have been way more expensive than paying for private.


Wow there’s a lot of us. We never intended to stay long-term but have a 2.5 percent interest rate and home prices in areas in MoCo with “good schools” have skyrocketed, coupled with the crazy interest rates. And what’s more, after speaking with several friends and visiting schools in person we’ve realized MCPS really isn’t great. They’ve been resting on their laurels since the 90s. We moved to private two years ago and that’s where we’ll stay.