CP: Private or Public School?

VeilSdeGTO

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[Poll]

VeilSdeGTO

DH and I were talking about this yesterday. He is all for public, but after teaching in both and having attended both, I'm really leaning towards private school for her, at least in the high school setting.

What are you thinking for your LO?

ColleenS629

I went to public and teach in public so I am very scared to send my kids to public (at least for middle and high school). My brother went to private, though, and it wasn't any better in terms of sex/ drugs/ etc... in fact, there were more drugs at his school. I want to just keep my kids in a bubble so they aren't influenced by all the bad kids haha!

amu1234

Both DH and I products of the public school system and I'm a teacher/Guidance Counselor in a public school. We plan on having our LO attend public school.

jinx75

DD starts private school in August in their K3 program...this school goes all the way to 12th so hopefully both she and her sibling will be able to attend this school for all of their education.

RunSchwartzRun

This is a huge discussion at my house right now since DS will turn 5 in September.  He will attend a public Pre-K, but then we don't really know.  DH went to private school and is very against public schools.  I went to a mediocre, small town public school and despite that I feel like I turned out ok, and like to point out to DH that I make more money and had a full ride to grad school.  It is such a hard decision financially and emotionally for us though.

Froggy76

We live in a great school district, so I assume we will use the public schools.  DH and I both went to public schools.

Now, if she has special needs or if we move to a school district that's not as good, I would certainly consider private schools.

Gummybear

I went to private all the way through, DH went to Catholic until 8th grade and then public.

I grew up in a horrific school district, so it was really a no-brainer for my parents. DH grew up in a very wealthy, top-rated school district, so, same for his parents.

DD will def. start kindergarten at our local Catholic school, which is excellent. I am not a big fan of our school district, it's highly rated, but for high school, it's just too big. We may move (with SD being a top factor in where we buy). Otherwise, it will be private school.

haziedaze

I grew up in an urban district with lots of problems so I went to private. DH did well in public school and we bought in a good district so we're planning on public, at least initially. The California schools have lots of issues so we'll see. We may go private for high school.

Eris-Alexis

Since we live in the middle of a big city, if I could afford private school I think our LO would go there.  But at this point it is looking like it will be public school.  We will probably have to move to the 'burbs for a better school system.

jertie

Both DH and I went to public school and did fine.  We're in a very good school district, but I still would prefer to send LO to private school.  The only problem is that there are no private schools close to us, so if we decided to go that route we'd be looking at a drive (one way) easily over an hour.  We're also not religious at.all, so sending LO to a religious based school would be out of the question.  Oh well, we've got a couple of years to figure something out...

martinimomma

DH and I both attended our local Catholic schools as we grew up in areas where the public schools were (and are, sadly) in a shambles.  In the area we live now, the public schools are very well regarded, but we both like the idea of sending LO to the parish school.  I think they can make their own decision about HS -- particularly as the public high school in our district is top-notch and it would be almost a waste for them not to attend!  (never mind the taxes we pay to support said school - I'd like to get some payback on that!)

Mrs.Albie

I'm actually thinknig a mix of both.  I don't know of any private elementary options, but there is a private high school in the area that I would like to send my kids to.   

books4brooke

I lived in a great public school system and had an incredible education.  I spent one year living with my dad here, and the schools were an entire year behind academically.  I've since worked in the schools here.  We will send our children to private school, unless they go to a charter school (which is public).

iluvmylab

I'm not a fan of the school district in our town, but I teach in another suburb and the schools are awesome.  I went to Catholic school and want our LO to do the same, at least for elementary school, but we'll have to see about the cost and etc.  If LO goes to school in the district I teach, we'd always have the same holidays and the district would bus them right over to my campus for me.  We have a group of students who watch the teachers kids for the last 30 minutes of our day since we get out later.  It would just be really easy.

rock-elle

I think for us its a matter of cost.  I went to private and would love that for LO, but we'll see but I think public will be ok also.  DH went to public school ITM.

ambs21

I attended both in my years of education!  When we moved back to TX, I chose our house based on school district (and even the zoning as to which elementary school within that district), so it's public school for our kiddos.  I think there are both public and private schools that offer both excellent and atrocious educations.  I don't think there is a right answer as long as you do your research and choose what works best for your family!

JoAnna914

Both DH and I were public school kids, but with very different experiences.  We currently live in a district that is not so great, and we will probably send our kids to private school.  But even if we lived in a better district, we would probably opt for private school because I have fundamental problems with the way the standardized testing has monopolized our state curriculum (which is, of course, no reflection on the teachers, many of whom are fine professionals).  If that changes in the near future, I would consider relocating to a district that we were comfortable with.

Karen1998

Not sure yet.  It depends on if we stay where we are and if the schools here still suck as bad as they currently do.  I'd prefer that he stay public, but that really depends on the school and staff.  I'm currently unimpressed with the quality of teachers here.

I went public all the way and DH went public until high school.  Since our LO is a boy, DH is quite set on private (Jesuit) for high school as that's what he did.  I'm okay with that as his school was miles better than mine, even though mine was supposedly "the best" and very much "the best for college prep."  Boy was college a surprise for me!  I could no longer loaf and do my homework in my other classes and still make As in all AP and honors courses...  College is really not the time to learn how to actually study.  DH had a much easier time as he learned that earlier.  I have to say that I'm really impressed with the level of education you get at a Jesuit school. 

ravenorchid

We're not sure. We both went to public school, but my school was really great and they are very mixed in the city. I'm a little worried about the school situation actually, but I know we'll have a few years before it's an issue. We're hoping he can maybe get into a gifted and talented program at a public school.

jenniann87

I went to private from Kindergarden all the way through high school. FI went to private school for K-8 and then public high school. Right now SS goes to public school and we are really unhappy with the system in our city. But BM isnt willing to send him to private schooling (long story) but this LO will be going to private schooling.

TeacherVicky

Can I ask what may be a really stupid question here, especially coming from a teacher?? Help me fully understand your education system (by your, I mean US)...

Here, we have public school boards and catholic school boards, all of which belong to the public school system (funded by the government). The main difference being that if you are part of a catholic system, the student has to have a certain amount of religious credits to graduate and of course, the schools offer catholic celebrations.

We also have private schools which are not governed by the same policies as all of our catholic and public schools.

So, when you speak of private schools, do you speak of catholic schools? Public schools are just public schools?

rvandiver0705

I apologize for the book I'm about to write. 

DH and I went to public schools, but neither of us feel like we were challenged the way that we should have been.  Too many kids now are let into the "gifted" programs who don't really qualify for the program (my parents work in education and deal with it all the time).  We both feel like sometimes public schools fail kids who have very high IQs.  Just because a child can figure out things faster than his or her peers does not mean that they are really learning how to learn in different ways, how to listen, how to study, etc.  There is more to school than just the information being presented; children should also learn how to continue learning for the rest of their lives.

My father, who runs the special education department in one of the largest parishes in the state, says that it is very likely that our children will at least match our intelligence, and so we will be getting all of our kids tested at a very early age.  His opinion is that knowing our kids potential will really help us in creating reasonably expectations for their future successes.  That way, if we have a child with a high IQ, we can plan to have the needed support in place, the same way we would if we had a child with a low IQ.  If we have a child with an average IQ, we can make sure not to put too much pressure on immediate understanding and more on hard work.

That being said, we live in a county right now with amazing schools, and so I would send our kids to public school here.  If we move to a place with schools that are not as good, we would definitely send them to private school.

fightingravity

I grew up in a small town with terrible public schools (I could read before entering KG -- when my parents asked what I would do while the other kids were learning to read, they were told I could sit quietly in the corner and read to myself. Which I would probably have enjoyed but which is not exactly education.)

So, I went to private montessori school until 8th grade, then prep school, then a private college. MH grew up in a similarly rural area and went to private schools starting in 5th grade.

I am not impressed with the public education system in our city. 

We will have a LOT of trouble affording private school all the way through unless something major changes with our jobs. I think we will probably move out of the city and into a district that has good public schools and send our kid there until HS, when I think it's worth going the private school route. I was very well prepared for college after going through a rigorous private HS.

Laura23FP

For me and my husband, our kids will go to public schools.  I don't think there is anything wrong with going to a private school, but I can not see paying for my kid to go.  I also think it depends on each individual area. My husband went to private school, as did a number of my friends.  I went to the public schools. 

From our personal experiences, the private school kids had just as much if not more instances of drug use, promiscuity, bad grades, bad teachers, etc.  They just did a better job of covering it up with their parents $$.  The kids and parents who went to the private schools always had their noses in the air to everyone else.  It was very stereotypical.

My experience in public school on the other hand, I had a lot more options of classes to choose from that the private schools could not provide.  I also had a more diverse group of friends (racially, religiously, lifestyle, income etc.).  So I guess I would say I ended up with a lot more "street smarts" then my private school friends.

Again, nothing wrong with going to private schools.  But based on where we live, I would much rather have my children in public schools.

Froggy76

TeacherVicky:

Can I ask what may be a really stupid question here, especially coming from a teacher?? Help me fully understand your education system (by your, I mean US)...

Here, we have public school boards and catholic school boards, all of which belong to the public school system (funded by the government). The main difference being that if you are part of a catholic system, the student has to have a certain amount of religious credits to graduate and of course, the schools offer catholic celebrations.

We also have private schools which are not governed by the same policies as all of our catholic and public schools.

So, when you speak of private schools, do you speak of catholic schools? Public schools are just public schools?

I consider Catholic schools private in the US.  Most private schools in my area are Catholic schools.  As far as I'm aware, there is no government funding in the US for Catholic schools, but I could be wrong.

Gummybear

TeacherVicky:

Can I ask what may be a really stupid question here, especially coming from a teacher?? Help me fully understand your education system (by your, I mean US)...

Here, we have public school boards and catholic school boards, all of which belong to the public school system (funded by the government). The main difference being that if you are part of a catholic system, the student has to have a certain amount of religious credits to graduate and of course, the schools offer catholic celebrations.

We also have private schools which are not governed by the same policies as all of our catholic and public schools.

So, when you speak of private schools, do you speak of catholic schools? Public schools are just public schools?

In this area, there are basically 4 types of school:

Public: Anyone who lives in the district can go. Completely funded by taxes/gov't. No tuition.

Charter: Usually smaller, more specialized, also funded by gov't and private donation. Lottery system to attends. No tuition.

Catholic: These are NOT funded by gov't and are are supported by tuition and the church(es) which they are affiliated/the archdiocese itself. Divided by parish for elementary, and high schools are drawn from several parishes. Tuition is usually between $2-5,000/year. Anyone can attend but the schools can also kick you out for behavior/academic issues.

Private: These vary with religious affiliation, if any at all. No gov't funding at all, supported by tuition, private donation, grants etc. Draw from all over the area/anywhere. Tution usually ranges from $5-25,000 a year. Usually require an entrance exam to atternd.

itsmegin

DH and I both went to public, and the schools in our area are pretty good (for CA, which isn't saying much) but we plan to home school.

Even though we both turned out okay and both ended up going on to get master's degrees, we feel a lot of time was wasted in school catering to the lowest common denominator and we can do a better job at home.

I remember at my "good" school spending time in class doing guided meditation, having my teacher's friend who was a manicurist come in and talk about her job, having my teacher's chiropractor come in and check our backs, and watching a lot of videos, and I was in mostly AP/Honors classes. Plus I know I personally wasted a lot of time worrying about boys, clothes, etc. We'll make sure she gets socialized through groups and extra curricular activities.

Clerk9

I SSed because this is something we're wrestling with, too.

DH & I both went to public schools &, further, DH, MIL, SIL & my mother are all public school teachers.  I would REALLY like to send our LO to a good public school.  But DH & I have experienced the gamut of what public schools have to offer, & I don't want our LO getting the short end of the stick educationally.  I was in an AMAZING gifted program in early elementary school in urban NYC & then a good school district in suburban NJ.  DH went to school around here, in a rural environment, & despite going to the best school in the area, he felt like he wasn't remotely prepared for college (although he did extremely well & has a master's degree).  And even though I went to the best public schools in my hometown, when I got to college (a very competitive one) it was apparent to me that I'd missed out on a lot of opportunities (most of my classmates had many more AP options than I did, for example).

Although we're still going to be paying off OUR student loans (until after we die, FFS) & I don't know how we could afford it, I am NOT going to let our LO wither in a sub-par school district.  DH has tried to say that we could supplement by providing extra instruction at home, but I don't see how we'll have the time to provide everything I want LO to be able to have available to her.  

So, long story short, right now I'm thinking we're either going to move to a bigger town/better district, or consider shipping LO to the closest good private school (which will probably be 1h+ away--errgh).  I don't feel like we need to do this immediately, I think she'll be fine in elementary school, but definitely before the college prep years begin.

Sorry this is so long, but it's a big deal & something I've put a lot of thought into!  

BritanyV

I went to private school from K-3rd grade then went to public school.  Dh went to some public school but was then home schooled. 

We would like for ds to go to private school but if we can't afford it, he will have to go to public school.    So right now, it's kind of up in the air.

damabo80

We chose our house because it feeds into one of the best public schools in GA.

I went to public, DH went to private (but because the public schools his family lived near were crap).

Most of the private schools around here are religious, and I don't want LO to be exposed to religion in a peer pressure/school setting.

salt78

I went to private all girls school my entire life until senior year when I requested to go to a public school. I HATED private school and I wouldn't subject my child (especially if we have a daughter) to the kind of environment that I dealt with. The teachers were just as good in the public school and my grades improved a lot while I was there because I was so much happier.

luvmyducks

I went to public but DH went to private Catholic school and that is what our LOs will do. I was in the top 10% of my graduating class and felt very smart leaving there. When i got to UofO it was a major eye opener for me. I still did well and know I'm smart, but public school did not prepare me at all. Plus, I like that they will have uniforms K-8th grade. Hoping the Catholic HS here adopts them by the time LO goes there also.

MrsAtch

I went to a semi-private school (local students can attend for higher taxes but there were 200+ boarding students) and I had a fabulous education. My DH went to public school and I'm amazed how well he turned out. We specifically looked at SD when we were buying our house and are in one of the best districts in our area. That said, we would consider a private school if the population was big enough and we felt like it wouldn't completely shelter our child. (There are a lot of religious and very small private schools around here and I think that it can be crippling socially to have so few peers). If we could afford for me not to work I would home school because in the southern Maine area there is an INCREDIBLE network for home schooled children, with activities and joint learning experiences offered every day of the week.

MCH77

DH and I both went to both.  Really it will depend on where we buy a house.  We live in an area with some amazing public schools and some not so good.  We are open to either.