Private and Public School

[JoeP]

We're fortunate in that we live in a very good school district. Actually, virtually all the schools in my county are very good. Say what you will about teachers unions, but they do a great job and we have very high graduation rates as well as a huge number of sports.

We believe in public education because it works well. I'm not convinced we'd see enough of a difference in educational outcome to justify $30k-$50k a year for 14 years.

[riverwed070707]

I'm going to take a different angle. We sent our DD to private preschool and are considering it for grade school as well. The difference for us is teaching style and being able to develop their own curriculum without the iron fist of the government telling them how they have to teach. DD's performance isn't based on standardized testing and how many hours of homework she puts in. Her education isn't planned according to a checklist. While we don't spend anywhere near $30k, its worth every penny.

... otoh, if it did cost $30k, she'd be out of luck lol

[disneysteve]

What I don't get is if you can afford to spend that kind of money for school for your kids, why can't you afford to move to a better neighborhood? I wouldn't want to live in a town that had schools that were so bad that I wouldn't send my kid there. That was definitely something we considered when we bought our house even though we didn't have a kid yet at the time.

Because for some it isn't about academics alone.

dawnwes, are you referring to things like religious education? I do know many people who send their kids to private school for that purpose so it isn't about where they live or the quality of the public schools. It is to get them a different experience that isn't available in public school.

Wow - $120/hour for tutoring?? When I was tutoring, I charged up to $30/hour

The going rate in our area is $60-70/hr for tutors. That's what we've paid for our daughter. Of course, that is only an hour per week for part of the year so maybe a couple thousand dollars total if that, and it was only twice - once for a math class she was having some difficulty with and once for SAT prep.

[Decatur]

Worth it to us

We send our son to a private school. This is a religious school so the coat is somewhat less then true "private schools. We paid $6,000 a year for grades 2 -8 and will pay $12,000 a year for high school. There are two thimgs any private school has over public schools:
1) ALL of the parents care. I know most people reading this care about there child's eduaction, but not everyone child at a public school is that lucky.

2) If a child is distruptive, the school can through them out. Not easy in a public school.

Once you eliminate that lower level, the teachers can pay atention to the students that want to learn.

For us, this has been the right choice. I went to public school and when we were first thinking about this, my reaction was It was good enough for me, why not for my son? I realize each of us has to make these choices for ourselves. We have plenty of friends who's kids go to public school. That is the right choice for them. I now have no doubts this was money well spent for us.

[FrugalTexan75]

Wow - $120/hour for tutoring?? When I was tutoring, I charged up to $30/hour (and most of them were actually closer to $20/hour.) Wonder where the parents were who were willing to pay that much???

[dawnwes]

There are some schools in that price range, but there are many private schools that are not that high in price.

Many private schools can be found in the 8K-15K range, even where I moved from in Los Angeles.

Spending $30K per child per year is out of my range for sure.

I can't help but wonder is private school worth it? I am in an affluent area and parents here spend a lot of money on their kids. I am not in the majority nor did I ever think this possible. But I have to know does anyone on this board send their kid to private school k-12? If so how much did it cost?

Currently the average preschool where I live is $30k for motessori and other "prep" preschools. Then $30k for k-5 and $40k 6-8 and $45k 9-12.

Then I find out that on top of this these private school parents are paying for private tutors all summer at $120/hr (I looked at tutoring), tons of coaching, etc.

How do people afford this? How much money do you have to be making to afford this? $250k? Is that enough? More like $500k?

[dawnwes]

Because for some it isn't about academics alone.

What I don't get is if you can afford to spend that kind of money for school for your kids, why can't you afford to move to a better neighborhood? I wouldn't want to live in a town that had schools that were so bad that I wouldn't send my kid there. That was definitely something we considered when we bought our house even though we didn't have a kid yet at the time.

[Joan.of.the.Arch]

Look what I just came across--

"While the economy has had an impact on the cost of private school, tuition is still rather expensive at the bigger names. According to Forbes, the median national tuition cost is $16,970/year. Taking inflation into consideration, this is still considered 79% higher than the median cost twenty years ago. In the Northeast, the median cost rises to $23,000, and is another $10,000 or more with boarding costs.

Middlesex School, Concord Academy, Hotchkiss School, and Lawrenceville School take the top ten due to the price tag, at a staggering $30,000+ a year.

What makes the price tag worthwhile? According to Kennedy, who sent his daughter to private school in 1987, “If my daughter is capable of reading five Shakespeare plays in a year, I want her to be able to do that. At a public school she may have read one. They really work those kids hard academically.” Kennedy’s daughter went on to be a Harvard graduate."

from http://www.k12directoryofschools.com...n-america.aspx

[MoneyTips4U]

I never really understood "private" schools. My parents were always lower middle class and I grew up with them telling me that I would be responsible for my own college. I was never in an excellent school until the second half of high school.

My family moved to a small condo in town where the average income was over 100k a year, so the public school system was fantastic. I graduated from there and am now putting myself through college.

I attest to the fact that while private schools are probably better than public schools, a person's success in life comes largely from their motivation level. Regardless of the school you are in, you can stand out if you push yourself to do so (leading to a great career down the road).

[disneysteve]

What I don't get is if you can afford to spend that kind of money for school for your kids, why can't you afford to move to a better neighborhood? I wouldn't want to live in a town that had schools that were so bad that I wouldn't send my kid there. That was definitely something we considered when we bought our house even though we didn't have a kid yet at the time.

[Blessed]

Our alternative was to move 32 miles from our jobs so the kids could be in an exceptional school system.

[Baby_nurse]

30k for preschool?
I hope they are providing solid gold crayons.

[feh]

I think it depends on the gap (if one even exists) in quality between your public school and the alternatives. Where I live we have very good public schools, so going the private route was never a consideration.

[Joan.of.the.Arch]

I suppose if I thought the school was really, really good I might send my children there if I had the money. But what a big if! $30k, whew! No, I have never known anyone who paid anything like that for private schools. That world is probably a bit separate from my own.

[TBH]

Where I live most middle class people send their kids to private school. I know people who are about to lose their houses because they can't afford it, and yet they still send their kids to private school. We do not, and we are in the extreme minority among our friends. We figure that instead of private school tuition, we can afford to save for college, pay for educational summer camps and the occasional educational family trip.

I also have no idea how people afford it.