Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What the private schools has simply done is priced themselves so that only the top 5% maybe can afford to pay full freight. The schools then raise money to fund FA programs for lower income students, which is great obviously. These schools face 2 choices. First, they can continue to hike tuition. As tuition goes up, the percentage that can pay full freight gets smaller, the need for FA increases, the fundraising pressure increases on the decreasing percentage that can contribute significantly. These schools end up with only the top 1% at most paying full freight, with a few lower income kids. Or, second, these schools can get control of their expenses and program creep attitudes, and reduce tuition. By doing so, maybe the top 20% can pay full freight, which broadens the full paying applicant pool.

My DC attends a Big 3 school. Only about 26% of families get any FA, the remaining 74% are paying full and that is at 30K a year. Your numbers are way off.

Anonymous wrote:What the private schools has simply done is priced themselves so that only the top 5% maybe can afford to pay full freight. The schools then raise money to fund FA programs for lower income students, which is great obviously. These schools face 2 choices. First, they can continue to hike tuition. As tuition goes up, the percentage that can pay full freight gets smaller, the need for FA increases, the fundraising pressure increases on the decreasing percentage that can contribute significantly. These schools end up with only the top 1% at most paying full freight, with a few lower income kids. Or, second, these schools can get control of their expenses and program creep attitudes, and reduce tuition. By doing so, maybe the top 20% can pay full freight, which broadens the full paying applicant pool.

Anonymous wrote:Is it ethical for private schools to keep raising tuition (and eventually pricing out most the middle class families), to provide financial aide to a small number of very poor families?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What the private schools has simply done is priced themselves so that only the top 5% maybe can afford to pay full freight. The schools then raise money to fund FA programs for lower income students, which is great obviously. These schools face 2 choices. First, they can continue to hike tuition. As tuition goes up, the percentage that can pay full freight gets smaller, the need for FA increases, the fundraising pressure increases on the decreasing percentage that can contribute significantly. These schools end up with only the top 1% at most paying full freight, with a few lower income kids. Or, second, these schools can get control of their expenses and program creep attitudes, and reduce tuition. By doing so, maybe the top 20% can pay full freight, which broadens the full paying applicant pool.

So basically the middle class is priced out of the 25 to 30K + schools.

Yes. The general consensus is that with limited financial aid dollars, schools cannot provide enough financial aid for the middle class (and even the upper middle class) to send their children to the most expensive DC private schools comfortably. By comfortably, I mean, being able to save for retirement, college, etc., while sending your children to these schools. The limited financial aid available will go to the poorest of the FA applicants, which makes sense, but nonetheless leaves an unfortunate situation. This also implies that schools will only have economic diversity if the middle class (including the vast majority of government employees) is willing to make questionable tradeoffs like not saving enough for retirement, and if one assumes that the poorest wouldn't have saved for retirement anyway. Very sad. I hope that schools can find a way to diversify the student body economically.

Anonymous wrote:Which school 14:34?? We did independent schools for K- 8 and with college staring us in the face opted on a cheaper option for HS ( catholic). We are happy... DD is getting straight As and seems challenged.. Nice kids too. I cant imagine spending 120k++on HS. all the 35k schools were great but not necessarily 20k greater than the option we had w the catholic school. Some of the pricier schools had MUCH smaller graduating classes and that turned DD off. She wanted a big school after yrs of being in small classes.. She didnt see the small school as a true HS experience and I sort of agree. I was not significantly MORE impressed with the 35k+ options and didnt see what I would be paying so much for

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What the private schools has simply done is priced themselves so that only the top 5% maybe can afford to pay full freight. The schools then raise money to fund FA programs for lower income students, which is great obviously. These schools face 2 choices. First, they can continue to hike tuition. As tuition goes up, the percentage that can pay full freight gets smaller, the need for FA increases, the fundraising pressure increases on the decreasing percentage that can contribute significantly. These schools end up with only the top 1% at most paying full freight, with a few lower income kids. Or, second, these schools can get control of their expenses and program creep attitudes, and reduce tuition. By doing so, maybe the top 20% can pay full freight, which broadens the full paying applicant pool.

So basically the middle class is priced out of the 25 to 30K + schools.

Yes. The general consensus is that with limited financial aid dollars, schools cannot provide enough financial aid for the middle class (and even the upper middle class) to send their children to the most expensive DC private schools comfortably. By comfortably, I mean, being able to save for retirement, college, etc., while sending your children to these schools. The limited financial aid available will go to the poorest of the FA applicants, which makes sense, but nonetheless leaves an unfortunate situation. This also implies that schools will only have economic diversity if the middle class (including the vast majority of government employees) is willing to make questionable tradeoffs like not saving enough for retirement, and if one assumes that the poorest wouldn't have saved for retirement anyway. Very sad. I hope that schools can find a way to diversify the student body economically.

Anonymous wrote:We have 3 kids. Income up and down. No FA. We live tight budgets in most areas, but school is a priority. We switched early on from the 30K schools to a mix of more moderately priced schools - including independent Catholic schools. (We are Catholic). It was hard to leave at first, but honestly, we find these schools are a better fit for our kids. I'm sure folks on this board would dispute the academics, but we found them stronger at the schools the kids are now. The number of non-catholics depends on the school, but I wouldn't let that stop you from applying.

Good luck with your search!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What the private schools has simply done is priced themselves so that only the top 5% maybe can afford to pay full freight. The schools then raise money to fund FA programs for lower income students, which is great obviously. These schools face 2 choices. First, they can continue to hike tuition. As tuition goes up, the percentage that can pay full freight gets smaller, the need for FA increases, the fundraising pressure increases on the decreasing percentage that can contribute significantly. These schools end up with only the top 1% at most paying full freight, with a few lower income kids. Or, second, these schools can get control of their expenses and program creep attitudes, and reduce tuition. By doing so, maybe the top 20% can pay full freight, which broadens the full paying applicant pool.

So basically the middle class is priced out of the 25 to 30K + schools.