Anonymous wrote:They have grown less because they are less desirable.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Janney is on par with a big 3 private. Yes it is officially 'crowded with 24 students in a classroom for 4th and 5th grade. But anyone who goes there knows that there is rarely a day when at least 2 or 3 kids aren't absent and many of the classes have a student teacher assisting. Shhhh-it's Sidwell/GDS but free. Plus bonus, your kid can easily get into those schools after 6th grade, if that's what you want--but Deal is equally awesome.

I think that Janney and the other JKLMM schools are excellent schools, but they are not on par with "big-3" schools (Beauvoir/GDS/Sidwell) at least at the K level. The teacher:student ratio and general class sizes are better at privates. GDS has a 10:1 student:teacher ratio (two teachers, not a teacher plus an aide or two) with the average K class at 20. There is a dedicated playground for K-2 grade (1-1.5 hours of daily outdoor play), plus PE four days a week, M-TH. They have dedicated teachers who specialize in science, music, reading, and math, and who teach the K class on a weekly or bi-weekly basis; there are also weekly visits in groups of 10 to the library.

I know that the price tag for private school education is steep and controversial, but you do get more individualized attention, smaller classes, more appropriate gross motor play, and other benefits by going the private school route. For some, the $30K price tag is not worth the curriculum, but for others it is.

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Janney also has dedicated teachers for those subjects, has a separate playground for peek and K only, one for 1st and 2nd graders and one with a huge nylon tower à la Sheridan School for 3-5 graders. Yes PE an music are only once a month--but for an extra $150 per 6 week session you can have our hottie PE teacher run your kids until they drop on the heavenly school campus, or have a faculty members walk the kid across the street to Tae Kwon Do Class, or take a Lego™ brick building class (at school), or take french , italian or chinese, etc. Plus class ratios are the same as at private because large classes get 2 teachers--so no, the curriculum at private really is NOT better at private. But once your in private, if that's what you want, you are done and don't have to worry about getting in at 6th grade--except that I have no idea why anyone does that, with the equally stellar Deal awaiting you after Janney.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"but you do get more individualized attention, smaller classes, more appropriate gross motor play, and other benefits by going the private school route."

Really not true, but go ahead and convince yourself of that while I save $2500/month.

Actually it is true, and if you had the 2500 a month, which you obviously don't, you would at least seriously consider the value of private vs public since not at all an easy call. But since you can't afford private, all you can do is act petty and jealous. Right on!