Public vs. Private
My 5-year-old son is about to enter Kindergarten, and my wife and I are considering the option of sending him to private school. We make a decent combined household income, but we're not wealthy and sending him to private school will put us in debt for years to come.Was wondering how many people on this board have sent their children to private school and struggle financially but still feel like it was worth it.
Nothing is more important than my son's education, but I don't want to teeter on the edge of bankruptcy for the next 13 years either.
Posted by:
hduke
Reply from:
Adri Date: Apr 9, 2008 at 10:35 pm
Reply from:
seattexan Date: May 31, 2008 at 3:57 pm
To everyone replying to this thread: does anyone have an opinion specifically about Washington state? My family has recenlty moved to the Puget Sound area and have mixed reviews about public schools. We have a 2-year-old and are considering having another... but if we have two kids and want to send both to private school, our finances hardly cover the expenses. Any recommendations?
Reply from:
Marge Date: Jun 8, 2008 at 8:49 pm
I have 3 sons and we sent them to a catholic grade school.
After a while it seemed liked I was being nickled and dimed to death.....
I pulled my kindergardener and 4th. grader out and sent them to a public school and let the oldest son graduate with his friends....
Today I'm sorry that I did not keep them there......
To this day you can see the difference in all the boys.....as far as kindness, respect and there overall way they look at life....They all turned out well but by far private school is better......You'll never be sorry......GOOD LUCK
Reply from:
mattnyc Date: Jun 14, 2008 at 7:27 pm
My son is 4 and has been in parochial school since the age of 2. Although I have heard that public schools do offer a slightly better education I'm all for private. You do notice the difference in a child that has gone to parochial school versus private. The way they look at life and the pride they show towards their school is a lot more than what you can appreciate from a public school. I myself was not fortunate enough to be able to go to a private school but now that I've seen it up close I wish I had...I might have turned out better. In public school I felt like a wall flower and only in middle school did I have teachers who actually did something for me or my education and that was probably only because it was some sort of advanced school. I hope I can continue to offer this opportunity to my son. Also for the post about more than one child they do offer discounts for multiple children...something to think about. They also offer scholarships to those who qualify at parochial schools...you get a certain percentage based on your income. Hope I've helped...
Reply from:
sandyj8 Date: Jun 19, 2008 at 2:06 am
I just came across this site tonight and found it very interesting and really appreciated everyone's input. I'm in the midst of starting the "school search." I reside in California but originally from East Coast. Our public school system is considered "good" by state standards, but after middle school (when children are about to enter High School), the problem arises....there is a rush and sense or urgency to get your child into a private school. Advice I have received from parents who have children in public and private school out here is if you can afford it, put your child in private school as early as possible (preschool/kindergarten). Not only because the private schools are so much better, but it's much easier to get in when the child is of kindergarten age. Once a child hits high school age and tries to get into a private school, there may be only a handful of openings (if that) and many, many trying to get in. I did some "investigating" on my own and found that our local public school spends a little over $4000/yr. per student in 2007. Where I'm from back East (and this is dating back to 1999/2000 when I still lived there), our public school spent over $7000/yr. per student. I agree with the others that schools, both public and private, vary greatly especially when comparing state to state. Right now I'm a stay at home Mom. My husband makes a good salary, but even with that the cost of a private school is this area is a great concern. I'm hearing $12,000 and up per year starting at Kindergarten! Yikes! I will returning to the work force to help pay for our daughters education. But the experience and education she will receive in a private institution is priceless!
Reply from:
NoraRuth Date: Jul 17, 2008 at 10:40 pm
Just because you're paying for it, doesn't mean it's better. Ask questions, research testing results for the district & the specific school. Make an appontment to meet with the principal. Ask for a tour, get a sense of the educational climate. You can tell if things are under control. Ask your neighbors about what they've heard. But most importantly, at the end of the year did your child acquire the necesssary skills & strategies for his/her grade level? Peek at the standards for your state. Have you gotten aquainted with what foundational knowledge is expected before they've even arrived at the door? How have you prepeared your child at home? I feel that the same way parents get organized for community sports they should be organized with book clubs, math camps, science trips, & social studies explorations. Put your public library personnel on the track of what you're looking for & let them act as your guide or facilitator. Don't get pacified that your child is all that because you see a couple of A's & B's on the Report Card. Some teachers are 'bullied' & comply just not to ruffle feathers unfortunately. But our children have to compete in the global marketplace. Find out about the different Learning Styles & Multiple Intelligences on various teacher websites. If your child has special needs Public School may be better because of the variety of resources. Unfortunately, there may be a dumping ground of sorts. Meaning because residents are 'taxpayers', the school becomes a glorified daycare because young parents get caught up in themselves & what they perceive they've been denied & provide things in lieu of quality time with their child. Behavior problems ensue & instructional time is greatly diminished. Because that unfortunate child is ill-prepared. the teacher teaches to the middle. This means the mannerly gifted or struggling student does not get what he/she needs because who can consider centers when these unfortunate children have no standard by which to abide. In spite of that, there are some dynamite teachers that soar in spite of the obstacles, reach outside and way beyond the curriculum to achieve greatness. The bottom line: do your homework, pray, and follow your instincts. The school is a community resource. We must take the neglected children & put them under our wing as well. If we don't now, they may make the wrong choices later, so we should assume the role of mentor. Ecah parent can do something. If someone isn't good with math or reading, get a family craft magazine, keyboard, or something that let's the children explore creativity but integrate it into the seasonal curriculum. Help teach money management, character development, cooking/nutrition, or physical education/game strategies. If two parents take 10 students one weekend, the other 8 have a few hours off for either personal errands or planning their agenda. Have a quarterly celebration. Keep it light & fun. Recently I went to a graduation party where the honoree graduated number 7 in her H.S. class. Her group of best friends all graduated well within the top 15. Coincidence, not really. They've all been friends since early elementary. Most were accepted to the top Regional Universities, including Ivy League. Guess what? Our community H.S. always gets negative press from our county newspaper. So no one knows about the stars we have. One family at our church has a father and daughter that graduated with engineering degrees from college. And the son just got a scholarship to a college and interns at a national engineering powerhouse. Yes, all from the local H.S. Public ed is working! Remember it does take a village.
Reply from:
ms.a.alvarez Date: Aug 6, 2008 at 9:00 pm
believe me im going through the same problems, i think everyone is. My daughter is 3 years old and i cant afford daycare or a private school, but i need to work so i think trying to find the best public school it the best posible decision.
Reply from:
Shutterbug62 Date: Oct 16, 2007 at 2:41 pm
Reply from:
irish Date: Jul 15, 2008 at 4:20 pm
I teach in an all girl, private Catholic school. It is an independent school and does not have to follow the archdiocese set curriculm.
My daughter went to a Catholic archdiocese school and I just pulled her out to finish elementary school in the public school setting. Why? Her school is not equipped to deal with different learning styles or students that are advanced or behind. Was the atmosphere and community nice? Yes, but there were still a lot of students that were discipline problems sent there by parents who felt Catholic school would "make them tow the line". Which in some cases it worked, but in others it did not. Were there "mean girls"? Yes, and in every school setting it is inevitable. My bottom line was that I intend to be part of my child's education and I want to make sure that she can have a chance to achieve with the learning style and at the learning level that best suits her abilities. Catholic archdiocese schools don't have the money or amount of teachers necessary to make that happen. However if you have an average student or a sensitive/fragile child that fits into their system, it may be exactly what you are looking for.
Is my independent school the same as my daughters? No! However the tuition is extremely high. It has 5 levels for each subject and turns out very bright young ladies that have the ability to problem solve and deal with all that life might hand them. I do intend to send my daughter to my school for middle school because public middle school in the United States is constantly a mess and being refined and looked out without success. Also, I feel single sex middle school lets the students develop a sense of self-confidence for appropriate successes (sports, the arts, good grades).
Another thought to ponder is that public school students are eligible for a wider amount of college schloarships based on achievement than private school. Good luck -- it is a tough decision and there is no easy answer!
Reply from:
Valerie Baadh
Date: Jul 19, 2007 at 4:29 pm
Henry, I have some experience with this issue.Basically, our experience (with three children going through various combinations of public and private elementary, high school and college) is that it's worth it. We did have the unexpected advantage that our children were spaced years apart, which has helped quite a bit with spreading the expense over many years. When our eldest daughter was a preteen, and beginning to get into trouble (cutting school, etc.) we enrolled her in a local parochial school. She threatened to run away, citing the school uniform as a special grievance, but we persisted, feeling that if she continued as she was headed, she might not even finish high school, much less college, and that it'd be money well spent. She loved it from day one, and was elected a class officer the first week (and subsequently had a complete and happy education.) When our son was ready for school, the local public schools were in particularly poor shape, and we found a private school system (Waldorf) that we liked right away. Although he was a poor student in the early years, he matured well and entered university on an honors track. Our youngest, after 14 years at our local Waldorf school and high school, just completed a hugely expensive private college career which we will be paying for for quite a while, delaying our retirement to do so. Although some might say its a huge sacrifice, we've felt that the rich education they've received is our great gift to them, and that it's been well worth it. All three are happy, well-adjusted and contributing adults, and we know that they've valued their educations as well. Good luck!
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