Is private school worth it?

[Kriii]

I didn't read through all of the replies so I apologize if this has been already stated. I wouldn't assume just because a school is private it will meet your expectations. Look at the public and private schools available and see which best matches your needs. I do think you will find cliques unavoidable no matter where you attend. My child has attended both private Catholic and public schools. Each time my dh has had a job transfer, we have checked out both options and went with the one we felt was closest to our ideal. Best of luck!

 

[Kriii]

Really??? The private school accepts kids expelled from public? Must depend on the school because my DD's school would NEVER accept an student that was expelled.

This is one reason that I did not enroll my child in Catholic schools in the last city I worked in. Our realtor told us this and when I started working in the public schools of that city, I found this to be true myself. The Catholic school in that city needed the business so no one was turned down. Our current Catholic school would NEVER do this though.

 

[LoveBWVVBR]

This is one reason that I did not enroll my child in Catholic schools in the last city I worked in. Our realtor told us this and when I started working in the public schools of that city, I found this to be true myself. The Catholic school in that city needed the business so no one was turned down. Our current Catholic school would NEVER do this though.

Unfortunately, I think that this is the case with many private schools. They need the business, so they take the expelled students with no actual services in place to actually DEAL with students like that.

 

[Tinker'n'Fun]

Unfortunately, I think that this is the case with many private schools. They need the business, so they take the expelled students with no actual services in place to actually DEAL with students like that.

I find out how different cities are everyday on the Dis. We have always had the "expelled" school in our area. All the kids go there. In the public schools, it is three strikes and you are out and into this school. If you fail, are problematic, etc. The school has all the services needed to help these students succeed and get as far as possible in school. I would have just assumed all cities would do the same.

As for our Parochial/private/Jesuit schools, all require an extremely hard entrance exam. And if you get in and your child gets kicked out for some reason, most places have you for the whole years tuition. They can and have taken parents to court to receive the money still owed. Also though, they do work with each family individually and many children get grants so they can attend. Many graduates have numerous endowments that keep the system working.

Wow, I still find it hard to believe that "problematic" students are dumped into a school without the teachers/programs to deal with the situations. I don't believe either of my children's High Schools would have been able to deal with these sitations. Even certain children with IEP's that are intense would not be able to attend as the state is not required to send OT/PT to private schools.

As my mother said, try to learn something new everyday. This is my education today!!

 

[JandT'smom]

At our Catholic High school it states before you even try to enroll that you must be in good a academic and disciplinary standing to be accepted as a student and enrollment has increased a lot in the last two years due to all the cut backs in public schools in our area.

 

[allison443]

I find it interesting that if someone says private schools have higher test scores, or educate students with less funding than public schools, people say, well, private schools can pick and choose their students, can reject students, only take the "cream of the crop", etc. Then at other times people claim that private schools take anyone with a checkbook. I really think it depends on the school. They can vary so much.

Also, I don't think public schools around here can "expel" someone from the public school system (maybe for a felony, but that's probably it). They have "alternative" sites or other options for kids.

 

[meriface11]

i agree with all of the PPs that it all depends on the situation. in terms of cliques, i think that's something that you will find in all schools, but i'll offer some of my own personal experiences in terms of the social aspect.

while i grew up in a very good school district, my parents switched me from public to catholic school in the 3rd grade because they wanted me to have daily religious education. in the 6 years i spent in my catholic K-8 school, i made very good friends, some of which i still have to this day. but i definitely had a lot of social awkwardness and anxiety when it came to interacting with the public school kids in outside activities like dance classes and camp where i always felt like an outsider because most of the kids were already friends from the public school. when it came time for high school, most of the kids from my catholic school went to the local public schools (probably for financial reasons as the public high schools are very good academically and the catholic high school was a lot more expensive than our parochial grammar school). so i basically went to HS alone, where a lot of the kids at my HS went to various different grammars schools together, and a lot of my friends from grammar school also had trouble adjusting socially as they were the outsiders as well. now, academically, i have no doubt that i did better in a private school setting than i would have in public school. but i spent a lot of my childhood and teenage years never really feeling like i fit in. so, that being said, one thing i would consider is what your plans are for high school, and looking into what schools students attend after elementary/junior high. while academics are certainly the priority, social issues can lead to other problems.

 

[ceecee]

That really depends on your area and no one else can answer it for you, especially when they live in a different area than you do. We have excellent (Excellent with Destinction) public schools. Our local Christian and Catholic schools do accept students that have been expelled and it really has lowered their desirablity among the people that would normally choose them. Several offer "scholarships" for the lower income and that also brings in the kids that go to a local public that is unfortunately not the best and many times it is the kids that have been expelled from public schools.

 

[luvthemouse71]

I attended private Catholic school for 12 years..my high school had an excellent academic reputation. My whole first year of college was a piece of cake, because we had covered this stuff already.

There are good public schools too, I'm sure. But, I think the private schools have the edge because they aren't as tied into the whole "one size fits all" approach.

 

[luvthemouse71]

At our Catholic High school it states before you even try to enroll that you must be in good a academic and disciplinary standing to be accepted as a student and enrollment has increased a lot in the last two years due to all the cut backs in public schools in our area.

Same with my high school, I had to take an entrance exam to get in, go on an interview, and have good grades. They didn't take a couple of girls from my eighth grade class, because their grades were poor.

 

[JandT'smom]

That really depends on your area and no one else can answer it for you, especially when they live in a different area than you do. We have excellent (Excellent with Destinction) public schools. Our local Christian and Catholic schools do accept students that have been expelled and it really has lowered their desirablity among the people that would normally choose them. Several offer "scholarships" for the lower income and that also brings in the kids that go to a local public that is unfortunately not the best and many times it is the kids that have been expelled from public schools.

Are saying that by offering a scholarship or finical aid to lower income family's that it brings in a bad element? The Catholic High school my children attend does not except anyone in bad academic or behavioral standing from their prior school but we do offer scholarships and aid to lower income family's who are seeking a good education with the religious values being taught. These "scholarship" kids are great kids from good caring families with parents who are very involved with their children and work hard and are sacrificing to send their kids to a Catholic High School but do not have the financial means that the rest of us have. Thank goodness through acts of kindness they have the chance to attend a school better then what is offered in there neighborhood.

 

[ceecee]

Are saying that by offering a scholarship or finical aid to lower income family's that it brings in a bad element? The Catholic High school my children attend does not except anyone in bad academic or behavioral standing from their prior school but we do offer scholarships and aid to lower income family's who are seeking a good education with the religious values being taught. These "scholarship" kids are great kids from good caring families with parents who are very involved with their children and work hard and are sacrificing to send their kids to a Catholic High School but do not have the financial means that the rest of us have. Thank goodness through acts of kindness they have the chance to attend a school better then what is offered in there neighborhood.

Absolutely was NOT what I was saying. The income level has nothing to do with it, the kid's and parent's attitude that it's okay to not listen to rules and getting expelled is not a big deal to them (my friend teaches at a Catholic school that some parent's can't afford that really want their kids to go to, but one boy was on his 3rd school that year after being expelled for bringing a knife and threatening a student...his tuition was free!).

 

[bigbabyblues]

We have two boys in private school. It's worth it to us, because our public schools (small town, there is not a choice) are among the lowest rated in the state. Our boys have 8 and 9 children in their classes, respectively, and the public schools have 24-28, depending on the grade.

 

[badblackpug]

I find it interesting that if someone says private schools have higher test scores, or educate students with less funding than public schools, people say, well, private schools can pick and choose their students, can reject students, only take the "cream of the crop", etc. Then at other times people claim that private schools take anyone with a checkbook. I really think it depends on the school. They can vary so much.

Also, I don't think public schools around here can "expel" someone from the public school system (maybe for a felony, but that's probably it). They have "alternative" sites or other options for kids.

It does vary from school to school. Some schools who are in need of the money will accept any students whose parents can pay the tuition. Their safeguard is that if the child is a behavior problem, then they can simply expel them and, generally, the tuition is non-refundable.

Other schools will not accept discipline problems no matter what. In my area these are generally the prep schools, who don't need the funds.

I am not sure if it is true for all districts, but here the school can't just expel a student. They are sent to the "alternative" school where children with certain behavior problems go. Oftentimes, though, the parents do not want to "stigma" of their child going to "alternative" school so they pay for their child to go to private school.

 

[hambirg]

Ok. . I'll chime in. I have 3 kids. My oldest went to Catholic school thru 6th grade and my two youngest 1st and kindergarten. I went to public school in a neighboring district that is consistently ranked one of the highest in the state. But we live in the more urban district that isn't so hot. So we sent our oldest to our parish school. That school has 1 class per grade, and they aren't swimming in money like some Catholic schools. What I did love about that school was the community. . .very caring parents, etc. But. . .was it cliquey? You bet. . .my oldest was with the same kids from K-6th. They fought like siblings instead of classmates!! It was sooo bad in 4th grade that my daughter would break down crying everyday after school. I finally asked her and got to the bottom of it. My oldest is extremely bright. . .the smartest in her class, well, the next smartest girl was sabotaging her lunch everyday. . .pouring milk all in it, etc. I guess in a normal situation they would have been friends, but in such a small setting it was a competition. So. . .I went to the teacher. . .he kind of blew it off. . .let the girls work it out. Mind you, I was teaching 4th grade at the time too. . .and was thinking. .. oh h*ll no! It IS your job to deal with this. . .so I showed up at lunch one day. . .that other girl saw me and looked like she swallowed a cat. . .so did the teacher. . .lol! After that he made that girl sit separate from the rest of them.

Ok. . on to my son. He has an August birthday so I sent him to the local public school for half day kindergarten, knowing that I was going to send him to the parish school the next year for full day kindergarten. His public school teacher rocked! She had 2 classes of 25+ students and never slowed down for a second. She had state standards to meet. Behavior problems? Piece of cake. . .she nipped them in the bud in a hawt second and kept moving. When he went to the private school the next year, I can't really say he learned much. I did like the religious part of it. His first grade teacher was suppose to be amazing, but she loaded those 1st graders down with so much homework that now my son was beginning to hate school. Ugh! She even sent "family activity" assignments home each week. Are you serious? I was up late into the night, while he slept, building igloos out of sugar cubes. And this is facilitating learning how???

So, anywhoo. .. I could go on. I ended up sending my kids to public school. After 6th grade I decided I wanted my oldest to have a normal middle school experience. . .6 different classes, real PE, clubs, activities and sports. Our parish school couldn't offer those things. She would have been sitting in one room all day with the same kids and the same teacher. She did great at her public school. ..honors. . .activities and clubs. My two youngest have been doing great. I'll be honest. I think the quality of teachers at the public schools has been soooo much better than what we found in the private schools. They are better educated, more experienced and have to deal with so many more difficult experiences and types of students that they make it look easy. Our private school teachers were kind of spoiled and whiny. And I'm a teacher. . .I honestly thought they were kind of lazy. The concern is that your kids might come in to contact with less desirable kids in the public school setting, I get that. I worried about it too. But what I have found is that my kids do fine. . ..they still have the same parental support and influence they always have. I feel like I'm preparing them more for "real" life.

And you can't just look at test scores. The students who have parents that are even considering private schools are probably already miles ahead of a lot of kids. Here's a cheesy analogy. . .because I used to teach 4th grade and am pretty good at cheesy analogies. Since this is a budget Disney forum. . .lets say teachers are travel agents. You have one agent where all the people who make $100,000+ a year go. They say we want to go to Disney. . she asks them when and then books a flight and gets them ressies at the Poly. The other agent has clients who say we want to go to Disney, but don't even know if they can afford it. She gets them the best deal. . .the cheapest flight and free dining at Pop along with lots of tips how to stretch their dollars. Now which agent is better? The one that simply booked or the one that hunted down deals to make it even possible to go. If the value of the vacation is the test scores. . .well gee. . the ones that were already ahead and easily prepared for it got the highest value vacation. BUT the ones that weren't even sure if they could go made the most progress on the value of theirs. In the end they both got to experience Disney. Not the best analogy. . but I hope you get what I'm saying. It's such a personal choice. . .but that is just my own experience and my 2 cents.

 

[quasar4legs]

I think the most important thing is to find the RIGHT school for your child and family. There is no 'one size fits all' when it comes to education.
Children have different needs, learning styles, interests etc and you have to find an educational environment that can cater for the individual.
For every parent that thinks their school is wonderful their will be another parent that is not happy. Sometimes it is not about the school but the needs of the child.

Good Luck to all trying to find the right educational option for their children.

Hugs
Quasar

 

[poohpcgirl]

My son has been going to Private Christian school since k4 and he is in 3rd grade now. I LOVE it. They are a bit tough, but that is fine with me. Do some research on thier rules and what they are about. Our school will not allow anyone who has low grades coming to our school, or if they have been suspended or expelled from somewhere else. They try to keep out people who don't fit the quality of students they are trying to maintain. It is hard to find a good fit sometimes, but I have been very happy and want to send my youngest in k4. I am not sure how we will afford it, but we will figure something out. They have smaller classes at our school. 15 per class. The public schools in our area are terrible with the quality of education, and big behavior problems. So that is my 2 cents.

I hope you find a fit like we have.

Good luck,
Melissa