If money is no object: public school or private?

Charter schools are a really mixed bag. I have been very involved with them, was part of efforts to set up two in two different places. They have far less regulation than regular public schools (they are part of the school system in a general way), which can be both great in the right hands or awful in the wrong hands. Knowing that something is a charter school doesn't tell you much at all -- which I guess is true of most any kind of school, as we've seen. (Some great public schools, some not, etc., etc.) I'd say the difference is that bad charter schools can be much, much worse than even a bad public school would be allowed to get.

Thanks for that info, soz. I'm only familar with one charter school here -- it is affiliated with the children's museum and is supposed to be really good. It only goes through grade 3 though, which is weird. Students are chosen by lottery and they've already closed the 2006 lottery - so I'm SOL there anyway!

A lot of charter schools, especially those with an innovative/ unusual method of teaching, grow by year. That is, they start with just kindergarteners (say). Then the next year, they have a first grade for the original group of kindergarteners and accept a new group of kindergarteners. Then the next year, second grade. Etc., up to whatever grade they want the school to end up being.

Here's an interesting site: http://www.greatschools.net

I looked up our "excellent" nearby elementary school and found that the test scores are way above average and I also found this:

(July 2005)
"Receives excellent rating because very focused on teaching to benchmarks tests and accomplishes that very well. Changes meet resistance here. High parental involvement. Teachers good, but not up-to-date on current educational methods. Very conservative atmosphere educationally and socially."

(November 2004)
"Teachers are supportive and are truly working for the best interest of the kids. The Principle is NOT of the same mind, however. does NOT work with the parents and views the kids as income for the school and nothing more!!"


Those are the only two parent reviews of the school they had. Neither good.

Whoa, good find, boomer. I looked up my son's school and found tha this has 39% first year teachers versus the state average of 6%, which is interesting. The only review is very positive and mentions the massive community involvement.

39% first-year teachers, wow. That could be bad or good -- mostly good, I think.

No reviews for ours. The other ratings and stuff I'd found elsewhere. (Great school! Test scores about 20% above state average.)

That is, 20 percentage points -- state average is 78%, their average is 98%, etc.

That is very similar to the test scores at our area school soz - 15-20% above the state average.

But that review picked up exactly on what I've heard through the grapevine and what I talked about in my earlier post -- teaching to the test mentality of so many public schools, including this one it seems.

I really don't want that.

I couldn't find statistics on new teacher/old teacher ratio. Where did you find that FreeDuck?

It was on the Teachers/Students tab. They have a breakdown of teachers experience and education compared to the state average.

I'm thinking it's a good thing that they have so many first year teachers and that might explain the enthusiasm I've observed.

Yeah, test scores alone definitely don't decide me.

I've talked to a lot of local parents, though, and they're very enthusiastic/ involved.

I HATE the NCLB and teaach-to-the-test, but I think some schools are better able to get around it than others.

Are private schools exempt? How does that work? I thought it was a collective educational freak-out, not just public schools.

Listening- a very interesting topic

> Let's pretend that the public schools that your child would/does go to
> are excellent.

They used to be pretty good in Stoneham. Now they've gone downhill.
But, sure, let's pretend.

> Would you still consider sending your kid to private school?

Depends on the kid.

Hermione would get a good education anywhere. She went through the
Stoneham system. I offered to send her to a local Catholic girls-only
high school. You'd think I said "Get thee to a nunnery!" No go.
It all turned out well. She graduated from a top-notch college and is now
in a top-notch graduate program.

Clive has what they call challenges. The public system served him well.
(Sometimes it actually does what it is supposed to!) He graduated high
school with an honest-to-God diploma and entered a job-training program.

Nigel is now in a private high school. It's a great school and he loves it.
But I don't think I would have sent him there if Stoneham High School
was as good as it waas when Hermione went there.

>I'm talking for academics here, not for religious reasons -- even if you
>send them to a school affiliated with a religious denomination.

Nigel's school is Catholic, but that's not the reason he's there.

>Did you go to private school? Why?

I grew up in East Boston in the Fifties and early Sixties. There were
Catholic schools all over the place. In those days such schools were
almost completely staffed by members of religious orders so they could
be run very cheaply. I did grammar school at St. Mary's and high school
at Dom Savio (for two years -- the rest is a long story).

>Do you send your kids to private school? Why?

As I mentioned, Nigel goes to a private high school. He gets a good
quality of education and he's among kids who don't think it's uncool to do
well.

>Sub question: If you send your kids to private school and money is an
>object, is it worth the sacrifice?)

I do and it is.

>What is better about private school?

A single-sex environment can help some students focus better. Discipline
can be enforced. In Nigel's case, he works part-time to help pay his
tuition so he has a stake in it. Kids make new friends from different areas
and expand their horizons.

>What is better about public school?

Nigel would tell you "no dress code." It's easier to get to, MUCH less
expensive, and you're with all the kids you've known since at least middle
school. You definitely avoid "elitism."

>Do you think kids in private school recieve a superior education,
>academically or am I stuck in some archaic thinking?

Depends what schools you are comparing. If it's Stoneham High and
St. John's, yes.

>Give it to me straight!

I've tried.

Hmmm. They didn't have that number for our school, just ethnic breakdown, school lunch aid, and teacher/kid ratio.

I tried looking up test scores for the private schools I'm considering and no information was there. Perhaps they're exempt. Maybe it's a public school thing only since the government isn't really involved in private schools, other than liscening them. I really don't know.

I have some questions.

How much do you have to pay for a private school per month?

Why do you think it is better to have young teachers for your children?

Hi George!

You're quite an expert on the picking the right school for each kid. I want to make sure I do the same thing but I really have no clue on how to make that determination.

I think getting the right start in school can make all the difference in a kid's attitude towards school for the rest of their education. I really want to make sure I make the right match.

Your comment about meeting a greater range of people is interesting. I would have thought that private schools were more homogenous than public schools but what my research has been showing is that my presumption is completely unfounded.

Catholic schools are interesting. I wouldn't consider any of the Christian schools around here that weren't Catholic.

There is a K-8 run by the Franciscan Sisters that I'm considering. This school has both secular and religious cirriculums -- the other Christian schools don't.

I don't know if it is better in general but it seems to be working in my son's school. One take is that it isn't necessarily better, but that new teachers flock to good schools. So possibly it is just an indication of a good school. Another possibility is that young, new teachers are more energetic and motivated. I don't really know, but I like my son's school and I'm glad they have young, new teachers who are excited about school and possibly more willing to try unconventional approaches in education.

Hi ul, welcome to the thread.

My child will be starting school next year. The schools I've been researching cost anywhere from $6,000 a year to $16,000 a year.

Even with financial aid we would not be able to swing $16,000 a year - not by a long shot.

$6,000 a year might be doable but we would have to cut a lot of other corners.

I'd be interested to see what others are paying too!

I personally don't really have a preference for young or new teachers. We might have to leave that to sozobe and FreeDuck to explain. For my kid, Mo, I really want a teacher with a lot of experience.

That's very expensive.

I am interested in this thread because I am a teacher, working in a Catholic Private school in Austria.
We try to be not an expensive school, so everyone who wants to attend can do it. We do offer also a reduction when there is need.
The annual fee is about 1500€.

If young teachers seem to flock to good schools, then there must be a lot of fluctuation, I mean, there have to be jobs for the young teachers.

Enthusiastic teachers are a gift to each child.

Enthusiastic teachers are a gift, I just don't think enthusiasm is limited to young teachers.

I think it's great that your school tries to keep costs reasonable. That is not the case here. And that is one of the reasons so many people think that private schools promote an elitist attitude.

It is very expensive but I'm trying not to let that be the main influence in chosing a school. Most schools have financial aid available. I really want to pick the right school. It may turn out that our right school is the public school.

I don't think so either, just that the teachers at my son's school are very enthusiastic and many of them happen to also be young. I can definitely see the value in an experienced and wisened teacher.