Private, Public, or Homeschool

pmorgan1985@yahoo.com · May 2013

Have any of you started thinking about which option you are going to choose? I have been looking into preschool options, in our area schools are not that great at all. ( We are a military community, on base schools seem to be ok, and there are many options for private schools, which come with the price, then there's the option for homeschooling. So much to think about as a parent! I'm just wondering does anyone have personal thoughts on the quality of education between the private, public, and homeschooling systems.

TiffanyBerry · May 2013

I think it varies widely, depending on your district and your state. Some states (like Washington) have fabulous homeschooling support. Some don't. Some communities have great public schools (like my husband's in California). Some don't. Some parents have an understanding/education in child development and teaching or are otherwise prepared to learn about it so they can teach their children well. Some don't/aren't.

Personally, in my school district, there are things I don't like. And there are some things systemic to public schooling that I don't like. I went to private myself, and would love that option for DD, but at a range of $10k-$30k, it's almost certainly not in the price range for us. DD's in a preschool right now, and our current plan is public school, but we are leaving the home-schooling option open as well.

1026pumpkin · May 2013

We're going with public school. The ones in our area are good, and I plan to supplement as needed at home with extra curricular activities or tutoring if needed.

I feel that private schools are a waste of money unless your publics are really unsafe or over crowded, or if your child has special needs or language or religious factors that could be better addressed at private.

I'm pretty against home schooling unless there is an exceptional reason like illness or families that live in remote areas. I think there are a lot of soft skills, like dealing with jerks, unfair teachers, working in groups, etc and that you get at school and home schooled kids can wind up with a pretty limited view of the world. I think parents still need to take responsibility for their kids' education and fill in the gaps that school leaves, but I think the classroom environment is still important for development.

MrsWindyCity · May 2013

DS is currently at a Montessori and will stay there (either this one, or another one if we move) for 2 more years most likely. After that, public school. It's one of the reasons we're moving out of the city (well, the main reason actually) soon-ish. The school system here totally blows and we don't have the money for a SFH + 2 private school educations in Chicago, so we'll move to a 'burb with a good school district.

memali26 · May 2013

We will be sending our girls to private (parochial) school. Tuition isn't cheap, but it's not near the 10K+ range PP mentioned. For us, the tuition is worth it for the environment they'll be in. Aside from the religious aspect, which is important to us, they just have wonderful teachers and staff and really quality education. DH actually teaches in the school system the girls will attend, and we're very pleased with it.

Public school quality is going to depend a lot on your area. As a substitute teacher pre-kids, I was in a lot of public schools. Some were terrible, and some were great. In the area we are now, they're terrible and we would never consider them for our children.

As far as homeschooling, I'm not against it in general, but I think it's really important to be very prepared going into it, have a great support network, and opportunities in place for the child to interact with other children. I think it can be done really well, but it's not easy. I would do quite a bit of research into it if you're really considering it.

orangecurls · May 2013

I plan on sending mine to a parent participation cooperative preschool. The cost is much lower and I like the idea of helping at my child's preschool. There are a bunch in my neighborhood, but the waitlist is long.

Emilia0101 · May 2013

We are military as well. I find around military bases the schools are less than be desired. We are planning on doing private school in our current location. The cost is about 4 k a year.

dragon_chica · May 2013

You definitely need to just do your research in your area. There are crappy public schools and crappy private schools. Really look into not only test scores (if that matters to you) but the strength of the PTA, how supportive the principal is of the students and teachers, how supportive the teachers are of each other, etc. I teach in a low-income area in one of the poorest areas of my city but our school is ranked #1 in our district with test scores that close to rival those of the richer neighboring districts. A lot of it is because of factors that a lot of parents don't look at. It truly takes a village and if you have a strong home and school support groups then that will make great influences on your child's success.

With that said, DH and I decided to invest in a solid foundation for the kids and enrolled them into a Montessori preschool and will move them to public starting in 1st. So far so good.

TiffanyBerry · May 2013

1026pumpkin:
We're going with public school. nbsp;The ones in our area are good, and I plan to supplement as needed at home with extra curricular activities or tutoring if needed.I feel that private schools are a waste of money unless your publics are really unsafe or over crowded, or if your child has special needs or language or religious factors that could be better addressed at private.I'm pretty against home schooling unless there is an exceptional reason like illness or families that live in remote areas. nbsp;I think there are a lot of soft skills, like dealing with jerks, unfair teachers, working in groups, etc and that you get at school and home schooled kids can wind up with a pretty limited view of the world. nbsp;I think parents still need to take responsibility for their kids' education and fill in the gaps that school leaves, but I think the classroom environment is still important for development.

A good homeschooling state has a lot of opportunities for classroom environment including being in the music, science, art, math, etc. group classes with teachers, not the parents. Along with support from other community organizations, a homeschoolers in WA could spend most of his/her school day being taught by someone other than mom or dad, but the organization of it all falls mostly on parents.

And I would argue, compared to private school, nearly all public schools are badly overcrowded. I grew up with no more than 20 in high school. And usually more like 15 in elemntary. The 30:1 ratios in many public schools today is completely ridiculous.

rjeller32 · May 2013

I am not a fan of the public education system in my area, and if I can afford it, I am going to try private school, or possibly charter. If all else, I wouldn't mind home-schooling I don't think. I went to a very small school, in a town of 400, so the idea of schools with 1k kids is terrifying to me. I just loved the one on one interaction I received in school with my teachers, I think it made me enjoy the school setting a lot more. I still have 6 months until preschool, which I think I am for sure enrolling her into a private one down the street, but after that I have no real plan.

laurakaz13 · May 2013

Military family as well. It really depends where we live. If the public schools are great, of course we'll go with that. Otherwise, we'll go with private school.

I'm against homeschooling completely. That will never, ever be an option. And I don't know who'd do it anyway, as DH and I both have successful careers.

stever · May 2013

DS is in a private preschool now and we're considering having him stay there for elementary. We live in a really good school district so we haven't made up our minds yet, though. If we weren't in a good school district then we'd either send him to a private school, if we could afford it, or I'd homeschool him.

shootingstars00 · May 2013

Private school - like me.

fancynewbeesly · May 2013

And I would argue, compared to private school, nearly all public schools are badly overcrowded. I grew up with no more than 20 in high school. And usually more like 15 in elemntary. The 30:1 ratios in many public schools today is completely ridiculous.

Luckily our district that I teach at isn't THAT bad. They try to keep kindergarten/first/second to about 14-21. Obviously some years are just an abnormally. Last year when all the first grade classes were at 18 each and then the week before school started everyone else remembered to "register" their kids-and within that week all the classes jumped from 18 to 24/25 each.

Reese will be in public. I teach at 2 elementary schools. So she could go to either one, or the one that she is districted for. All 3 of them I would have no problem with her being in. The two schools I teach in definitely have a school pride thing. The principals are very supportive, the teachers support each other--and the kids are for the most part good kids. The other one is my old elementary school. I think honestly it will really depend on the start times, and make our decision that way.

chardonnay24 · May 2013

We're hoping for private. Our public schools suck unless you live in a really nice neighborhood. I don't want to drop half a million on a house so that my kid can go to a decent public school, so we'll stick to private.

Tuitions starts at about $6k - $19k (for pre-k) depending on if the school is religiously affiliated or not. We love the $19k one, but there is no way I'm dropping that much on tuition, although it is one of the only non-religious private schools in our area. Luckily, they have an endowment fund that provides scholarships to most families, so we should qualify for some sort of financial aid.

And I won't homeschool, because I have absolutely no interest in it. I have nothing against it, it's just not for me.

wall0307 · May 2013

They will go to public schools. There are good public schools in our area. I'm also a public school teacher.

rnbeth477 · May 2013

We'll go with public school. There are some really great schools in our area, so I'm not concerned.

sucredee · May 2013

Definitely private school. DH did private all the way as did his kids (who are on college now). I grew up abroad where HS is basically prep school and most importantly, the public schools here suck.

My niece (whom we are raising) is graduating from public school and it was an absolute joke. We would've put in her in private school but when we got her 4 years ago she was too far behind to be able to do that. 50% of kids that go to college need remedial classes (In both our districts). Her younger sister is in private school and will be going to private catholic school in another year (luckily Their grandparents, DH's parents, are paying for their education).

i know a few people here whose kids went to public school her and they did fine but there are several that regret sending their kids to public school (our nearest private school is 45 minutes away)

DD will start private school once she is 4.

I would never consider homeschooling because I would suck at it. I wouldn't have the patience and DD would probably do better at school. I have nothing against homeschooling if people really do it right. I see several patients who are being "homeschooled" by their uneducated loser parents, which means they just have more time to play video games and get pregnant. One of my friends is homeschooling all 3 of her kids. She is super smart (she gave up working as an internist to do this) and and is doing a great job. She sent her oldest to private school for HS. I admire her, I couldn't do it!

Lovfer · May 2013

I was considering homeschooling DS, but would not be opposed to public school if its a good one. We were kind of forced into the area we live in now and I don't know much about the schools here. How do I go about researching that?

spring_time · May 2013

As a public school teacher, I strongly support public education and will be sending my children to public schools. We purchased our home with the school district in mind. There were several cheaper, more beautiful houses in our area that we excluded based solely on the school district. If I were not able to live in an area with a strong public school system, I would probably still find a way to send my kids to public schools through a school of choice program or a charter school.

I do not like the idea of private schools for us. To me, it is a way of making sure a child is around the "right" people. There is very little diversity in terms of socio-economic status, race, and even personal beliefs and values. I think a large part of education is being exposed to people different than yourself. However, this is based on the fact that my area has extremely good public schools, and the people sending their children to private schools are not doing it for academic reasons. My opinion would probably be different if the area lacked excellent public schools.

Homeschooling is not an option for us, even with my teaching degree. I don't have the motivation or the discipline to do it properly. Again, I think education is more than just what is taught in the classroom and I want my children to have those experiences.

I also agree with the pp who said parental involvement is the key to success. I teach in one of the worst school districts in the US, and see students achieving daily in spite of the abysmal conditions of the district. The difference always comes down to the parents.

spring_time · May 2013

Lovfer:
I was considering homeschooling DS, but would not be opposed to public school if its a good one. We were kind of forced into the area we live in now and I don't know much about the schools here. How do I go about researching that?

You can find information about test scores pretty easily online. However, I would warn you that test scores do not tell the whole story. I would encourage you to actually visit the school where you will be sending your children. My school posts terrible test scores, but the test scores do not show that 70% of our students are English Language Learners. They also do not reflect the fact that our children are being taught bilingually. They do not show the soul and heart of the school that you feel immediately upon entering the building. The greatest indicator of success is the amount of parental involvement.

KellyD01 · May 2013

Our kids will all go to a parochial school. We're incredibly lucky that it's going to cost a mere $50/year K-12. DH teaches for the diocese and one of the perks they offer their employees is free K-12 education. We just have to pay the registration fee. Of course the cost of the uniforms makes me want to cry.

I'm not a homeschooling mama... Never will be. I have friends that do a FABULOUS job homeschooling their kids, I do not have the patience for it however. Our local PS is very small. K-12 is all in one building and it's not a very good school. I'm very thankful that we don't have to look at sending them there.

EDWHIP · May 2013

We think about this issue all the time. We live in a town with average public schools, but there is tons of diversity- economic, racial, etc. One thought was to move to the next town over, which has top rated public schools, but the property taxes are outrageous and the community is not diverse. We decided that we are going to stay put and see how the public schools go. If there are any problems, we will switch to private using the money we would save in property taxes. Like a PP said, most of it is about parental involvement. I plan on keeping DD busy with extracurriculars and summer camp.

Angela814 · May 2013

We have an excellent public school system here, so I never considered anything else.

mexicolombiana · May 2013

spring_time:
As a public school teacher, I strongly support public education and will be sending my children to public schools. We purchased our home with the school district in mind. There were several cheaper, more beautiful houses in our area that we excluded based solely on the school district. If I were not able to live in an area with a strong public school system, I would probably still find a way to send my kids to public schools through a school of choice program or a charter school.
I do not like the idea of private schools for us. To me, it is a way of making sure a child is around the "right" people. There is very little diversity in terms of socio-economic status, race, and even personal beliefs and values. I think a large part of education is being exposed to people different than yourself. However, this is based on the fact that my area has extremely good public schools, and the people sending their children to private schools are not doing it for academic reasons. My opinion would probably be different if the area lacked excellent public schools.
Homeschooling is not an option for us, even with my teaching degree. I don't have the motivation or the discipline to do it properly. Again, I think education is more than just what is taught in the classroom and I want my children to have those experiences.
I also agree with the pp who said parental involvement is the key to success. I teach in one of the worst school districts in the US, and see students achieving daily in spite of the abysmal conditions of the district. The difference always comes down to the parents.

I really like this answer and agree w/most of it. I'm not a teacher but i went to public schools my whole life as did my brother and husband. Granted, we were in gifted schools and some of the best in the city, but that's the "plan" for our girls. If they can't get into a good gifted public school then they will go to the local public school for grammar school and again hopefully get into one of our city's really good public high schools. I think the difference always comes down to the parents. I was a product of great public schools and really believe in the good ones. Also we absolutely bought our house thinking of school districts. If all else fails and my girls don't get into a gifted program the school close by is great.

Finally I'm all about diversity and I grew up knowing such a diverse group of kids from all kinds of socio-economic backgrounds and cultures. I want my kids to have that. IMO local private schools especially parochial schools lack diversity and a broad exposure to different cultures.

WestCoastMommy · May 2013

We did private preschool and are going with public for K-12. We are in an award winning school district t so no need to go private.

momofmanyinthemitten · May 2013

Our public schools are pretty good. The nearest private school is a hike for us, so I'm not even considering it, as I would not like to bundle up babies to take in the snow twice daily. There is a huge homeschooling population and a ton of support for them in our area, so I'm seriously considering it. I am thinking about sending DD to the Montessori preschool, which is just across the street from us, and make our decision based on how she does there. I have several friends who started their kids in the public schools and either moved to homeschooling or are planning on it.

kenyakeetah · May 2013

We are going. To be homeschooling with no curriculum (unschooling to be exact) we will likely use a few course books butwill see how it goes. We looked into a lot of options and we have one public school and a few private schools we like but we felt homeschooling is more the way for us.

I think it really depends onthe schools you can go to and what your school ideals are as a family

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