In our community there are several different private, charter and public school options. As soon as we moved here last year we had to really consider where we would put our oldest in school because there are so many options, all of which seem great. We had never really looked into private school very much because my husband and I both went to public school and State University and the place we are from, being very rural, didn’t have that many options. When it came to deciding on our daughter’s school however, we wanted to check out all that was available to make the right choice.
In our investigation of Private VS Public Schooling, we learned a lot about the options near us and tried to make our best educated decision. Things that we weighed in the decision were:
Class Size: Our neighborhood elementary schools had a class size of around 20-25 students while the private school we toured had a lower ratio of 15 students per class. The charter school we were interested in also had a very low class size around 15. The thing that deterred our family from the private school in this particular category was by time the kids got to a high school level there were only 5 left per graduating year. I do understand there are many reasons for this, but coming from a larger public school experience this just felt too small in our opinion.
Curriculum: Most importantly in my daughter’s case was the curriculum. I wanted to find a place that celebrated art and technology and taught subjects other than those that were traditional because my daughter seems to excel in these areas. My husband and I graduated with degrees in architecture and computer science so we have a natural tendency to expose her to technology and arts that we didn’t have a huge infrastructure for in our own childhoods. This is something that we both had discussed at length, and are comitted to exposing our kids to different educational experiences that we felt were lacking in the area we are both from.
What I found that was interesting was that at our private school, by time the children got to a middle school age, there was suddenly such a drop off in population that there seemed to be a lack of kids to even come up with certain sporting teams and theatrical/artistic experiences. This was a bit of a concern for us because at the middle school age we both agreed that the extracurricular experiences of sports and the arts become increasingly important to gain confidence, friendship and keep children busy with healthy choices.
Cost: The cost of private school in our area for one child came to around $450/month which did not include books and tons of misc. fees each year. Cost is an obvious, large factor when thinking about schooling choices and if you have multiple children, which at the time we had two and were considering a third, the price over the course of the schooling timeline could really add up. If we budgeted a few things we could consider sending our girls to private school but we would then have to give up other extracurricular activities like supplemental arts, sports and vacations that could provide our kids with exciting learning opportunities outside of our community.
Admission: Admission to public school is a pretty simple process and as I found out from inquiry so was admission to private school. Private school required a few more interviews but all in all, it seemed to be a doable process. What was not feasible was the charter school. We were outside of the physical boundaries of the school and would therefore be subject to a school lottery in order to get a spot in the school and needed to be on a waiting list right away; sometimes it took up to two years. Though the charter school process seemed okay, getting two or three kids into it seemed like a major hurdle. I know this is the case with many charter schools and private schools in other parts of the country as well, but we were underprepared as far as timeline.
In the end, we decided to enroll our daughter in public school. Our district had transitional kindergarten available for her at a different school than our specific neighborhood school and we went for it last year to test the waters. What we found out about the school district we belong to was basically that it is fabulous! It has a large parent-base and a very supportive and active community. We have lots of caring individuals that volunteer often at our schools and the community really comes together to support the school, the students and their future.
As we have just started kindergarten at our neighborhood school, I have been equally happy thus far with the education my daughter has received this past month. The new school nearer to our house that she is attending seems to have the same benefits that she gained in her experience last year. She has a computer lab time each week, she is doing lots of in-class art and seems to really enjoy her new school.
This school is much larger than the private school and charter school we were interested in and so time till tell if the class size is overwhelming to her or a place that she can thrive. One thing that I can really appreciate though is the diversity that she is exposed to amongst her peers from all different areas, and the flexibility of being her personal education champion by enrolling her in things outside of school that speak to her interests as she grows and develops. I would love to be able to travel with all of our kids and get to educate them in more tangible ways throughout their youth. I am hoping, that we will have a fun learning environment to get our kids off to a good life start.
Have you thought about public school VS private school? Homeschool or charter school?
blogger / pomegranate / 3300 posts
My boys are in second grade now and we had to go through the same process several years ago. Our school district is not fantastic (it hurts me to say it because I worked in our district for 5 years) and private tuition wasn’t feasible for us so we opted for public charter.
I had to apply (in triplicate for all three boys) to countless charters and just prayed that we would get in. At the start of school we were not in our top choices but 2 weeks in we got called from my #1 choice and we moved them there. It has been fantastic and I am so grateful that we got in.
It is a stressful situation trying to make sure that a school is a good fit for everyone. And every area and every child is different so it is difficult to get advice.
cherry / 141 posts
We are constantly discussing this. Currently our child goes to a private school but we will keep discussing it every year probably. I’d love to continue on with her current private school but the cost is always a concern
pomelo / 5084 posts
Private school tuition here is the same as daycare – $1750 or so a month. So pretty significant. That said, to get a house in the best public districts would be worse – in the $750,000 neighborhood no question. So we are living in the city and sending out one son to private school most likely!
pomelo / 5084 posts
@Mrs. Train: out of curiosity, you don’t have to reapply every year, do you? Once you’re in you’re in?
wonderful pear / 26210 posts
We’re doing an interdistrict magnet. Private school is something like $35k a year, so it’s not something we can do in the long term.
Our public is okay for elementary, but horrible for middle and high school, so I was looking for a K-8 option and found it at the magnet. So pleased with everything so far.
blogger / pomegranate / 3300 posts
@wrkbrk: once your in you are in. Luckily ours goes to Middle school and they are thinking of opening a high school. So I am keeping my fingers crossed that I don’t have to worry about it again.
blogger / persimmon / 1225 posts
We live in a great district, and my mom teaches at an elementary school at the other end of the city. The closest school to us is walkable and honestly it never occurred to send my kids anywhere but public schools! Great post!
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I just can’t get past the $450 a month- that’s insane! Even with my faculty discount, it’s more than $1000 per month at this school, and we are one of the cheaper private schools in the area.
blogger / kiwi / 675 posts
@Mrs. Train: I’m so glad you ended up at your first choice with all three boys! That’s phenomenal!
@kellyrae: That’s great that she’s getting a great start!
@wrkbrk: So expensive! A lot to think about.
@looch: that’s great, I am concerned about middle school and high school in our area too, they tend to rate average, hopefully we can navigate through it and take advantage of what is good and avoid the mediocre.
@Mrs. Cookie: That’s great that you are in a great school district, so important. Walkable is amazing too. We are in walking distance as well and it has been so nice to walk a few times a week, in fact to walk or drive, we have to leave at the same time!
apricot / 370 posts
my daughter is in 1st grade now. the montessori she was going to went up to kindergarden, and then it’s sister school nearby goes up to 3rd. we thought about continuing her into the 1st grade, with a smaller class size, and familiarity with the style of teaching was a huge plus for private school, but the cost factor and the private only went up to 3rd grade, and the factor that the public school in our area is very good, swayed us to have her in public school. so far she enjoys it, and it’s going well.
blogger / kiwi / 675 posts
@kakimochi: Im really glad that she had a smooth transition. The choices can be challenging with private only going up to a few grades.
@Megan: I know the cost is definitely more on the affordable side which made the choice so much harder. They have a lot of additional fees spread throughout the year, admin, books, computers, etc. that I think raises the price considerably but still.