Parenting Club - Parenting Advice, Parenting Message Boards, Baby Message Boards, Pregnancy Message Boards, TTC Messge Boards
Shop for Baby Items | Parenting & Family Blogs

Public vs Private


Maddie&EthansMom wrote: Need and want opinions on this matter. thumb.gif DH wants to send our kids to Private. I want to weigh the pros and cons. I really want what is best for them. Maddie starts kindergarten next year. I am clueless on what to do. My cousin started her little boy in private and switched him to public. When he got to public school he was behind. I've heard this on more than one occasion. Anyone else? DH and I both attended public schools.

gr33n3y3z replied: Our 2 older boys went to Private school
Rick went to 3rd grade and John went for kindergarten
We decided to pull them out for $$$ reasons and put them in Public school
Now Rick had to go to summer school all summer to catch up to public school kids
John had no problems but he only came out of kindergarten But you have to understand our public school here in town at the time had 119 kids 1st - 8th grades Now our school has 72 kids 1st - 8th
So I feel we should have let the boys go to public school right from the get go.
Now Erin and Katie started public school right from the start and they are both doing good.
But diffrent states diffrent school Its a hard choice to make
I would check the rankings of the schools in your area.

kit_kats_mom replied: We are leaning more toward homeschooling as time passes and I meet more awesome kids who are homeschooled. However, if we do decide to not do that, we will send her to public school.

jolene555 replied: we have been discussing this for a while, now, and we still have years before it's an issue. i went to catholic school all my life, and would love to send the kid(s) to one, as well. barry went to some public, some upscale private, all over. around here there are certain towns with awesome public schools and others that are more like prison preperation camps. my current opinion is to send them to public schools k-8 and then find an amazing private prep high school, that we will be able to afford having saved so much in the grade school years. i really don't like public high schools for some reason.

redchief replied: I think you can get school report cards for most every school in the country at the DOE website... I'll see if I can find a link to post smile.gif

redchief replied: In Texas, they only rate public schools... You will have to rate the private schools on your own. Best way we've done it is word of mouth. Parents talk, especially about the schools our kids go to smile.gif

This is the link for Tex. DOE Acountability site:

http://www.tea.state.tx.us/perfreport/account/

aspenblue1 replied: most of the private schools around here seem to actually be harder than the public. I am not sure what we are going to do guess it depends on the money aspect at that time but I think I would rather her go to private school from what I have seen around here.

5littleladies replied: I went to private school. I liked it. What I was learning was generally ahead of what my friends in public were learning. Private schools use so many different curriculums so it really depends on the school. If we were not homeschooling (which I love!) we would try and find a private school to send our kids to. I'm just not impressed with the public school system these days.

A&A'smommy replied: it completly depends on the school and where you place that live... I don't know what we will do....

DansMom replied: I agree that it totally depends on the individual schools where you live, public or private. I went to a private alternative school, and was way ahead of the public school kids in most subjects (except math). I was totally prepared for college, but didn't even receive a grade until college. The public schools just weren't that good where I grew up. Here where we live now, the public schools are great---and the private schools are great. We aren't likely to spend the money on private school for that reason, but we will enter the "lottery" to get into the alternative public school system---I just like the idea of smaller class sizes and less rigid structure, especially in the early years. The alternative public school is so popular, I don't know why they don't expand it to the other schools.

We also have a host of charter schools to pick from. I'll have to do some research. DH favors the public school system.

ediep replied: I am a public school teacher......that being said, I really feel strongly that it depend on the school in your area.

I WOULD NOT send Jason to private school if I though that he had any sort of special needs, was classified, or had any type of learning disabilities. Of course, these things don't always present themselves until later on..... I feel the private schools around here are not qualified to deal with students with special needs. Many private school teachers aren't even "teachers" they are just experts in their field. My dad taught in a catholic HS for 15 years and he never went to college for teaching. He is a retired pharmacist, so he was hired as a science teacher. He is also a deacon in the catholic church so he was able to teach religion. I love my dad dearly, and he turned out o be a great teacher, but not everyone is cut out for teaching.

We are very lucky that the public schools here are excellent. I went to the schools in this district when I was in elementary school, and I student taught in the middle school. I substituted in the district and My sister is a teacher in this district as well.

As long as we are still living in this town Jason will go to public school

coasterqueen replied: This is a sore area for me because my SIL and I have very GRRRRR differing opinions on this. She thinks her children will be much more "well-rounded" in life than mine will ever be because we are thinking of sending Kylie to public and hers are going to Montessouri. rolleyes.gif Can I say S N O B!!!!!!!!!!! tongue.gif

Anyways..it does depend on the area. If we lived IN Springfield I would not dare send my child to public schools. But we are outside the city limits and our children will go to a smaller town school. The same one DH, I and....oh yeah his sister went to school. Hee hee....sorry had to throw that in there wink.gif. We chose to live in this school district for that very reason. We love the district....for the most part and most of the teachers are ones that we went to school with so we know them.

If Kylie goes to private it will only be so she can start K at 5 instead of 6..that's it. I like to think what the school doesn't teach my child...I should be. We rely too much on the school districts to parent our child (this is where I see private trying to make up more the parent) and I feel it's my responsibility to teach her things as well.

I have nothing against them..it's just in our area they are not anything but a STATUS symbol. It's pathetic. I didn't realize it til I got into politics. If you went to a certain school around here you are "in" baby. I mean you are only talked to if you went to the particular private schools around here and it's sickening. I actually thought about sending Kylie to these schools just in case she stays around here...because in this city...she'll need those connections to make it in this business...especially as a female. rolleyes.gif mad.gif

jcc64 replied: I completely agree that it depends on the schools in the area, as well as your own particular goals/needs. I would strongly suggest that you speak with lots of parents of kids that attend the public school your kids would attend. Try to seek out people whose values/educational philosophy closely reflect your own.
In my own area here in NY, the kids that transfer in from private schools are invariably behind, fwiw.
Just a few things to think about when making your decision, Aimee. Private school teachers are paid A LOT less than public school teachers and sometimes aren't even completely state certified.( my mom was making $90K in public school, and when she "retired" and spent a few years teaching in a private school, she was the highest paid teacher at $30K)
Where do you think the higher quality teachers would go?
Private schools that boast about higher test scores and better college placements are permitted to be selective about their student body. Public schools have to accept and provide for EVERYONE, including those with severe discipline and/or learning problems. This may alter the performance data for the school, kwim?
Kids with special needs are better served by well funded public schools, as mentioned my Jason's mom.
Private schools often struggle economically, and may have inferior facilities and/or services.
Generally speaking, public schools offer more in the way of diversity, if that's important to you, and obviously, they're free.
I'm speaking in general terms here, guys. This has been my own particular experience. I know there are fabulous private schools and horrible public schools.

DansMom replied:

To me "well-rounded" means meeting and interacting with other kids from diverse backgrounds and walks of life---she's more likely to get that at public school, I would think wink.gif

coasterqueen replied:
Yeah...that's probably a poor choice of words on my part. She thinks her children will be smarter I guess is what I should say. She also thinks that public schools "hold" children back and don't push them to strive for more. She thinks private schools won't do this or haven't in the case of her children.

Although...her son was in Montessouri for 3 years before anyone realized he is dyslexic. rolleyes.gif

Oh and because Montessouri teaches kids in Kindergarten how to speak other languages..public schools don't. I'm not sure learning another language at 5 is a big thing but to her it is I guess. rolleyes.gif

I'm telling you it's her rich snobbish mentality that has her thinking this way. Before she was rich her mentality was totally different.

DansMom replied: I have a coworker who moved her kids from Montessori to public last year (they were 8 and 10 years old). She said Montessori was great in the beginning (preschool), but she didn't think it was serving them well at this age---not enough in the way of sports and music programs, for one thing. They've been thriving at their public school.

Is this the same sister who spent too much money on her house? I think I'm getting a clear picture of her mindset! laugh.gif

coasterqueen replied:
Haa haa. No that was my sister who spent too much money on her house. biggrin.gif

My SIL is 100x worse when it comes to things. She dare not shops at Target or Walmart.......and everything she buys has to be the BEST. It's just so weird because when she was dirt poor she always said she wouldn't be a snob if she ever got rich and well...it didn't turn out that way. tongue.gif I was always fine with her "ways" until she dissed me for wanting to send Kylie to the same public school she grew up in. And what's funny is our school district is a pretty rich school district. The kids there drive nicer cars than I do. unsure.gif

maestra replied:
This would also depend on the public school you go to- Many public schools offer dual language (also called dual immersion- where the child spends part of their day immersed in a second language) or bilingual classrooms. We use a lot of Spanish in my room (not for instruction, but conversationally) since 18 of my 19 kids speak Spanish. The other kids can't help but start to pick it up. Ask your local school district if any of its schools have dual language or dual immersion programs. When we were researching them, we found schools in some of the oddest places!


Also- please do not rely on the department of ed rankings for your area to see if your local school is good or not. These rankings are based on a test taken one week in the year (or in Az, two tests). That is terrible. Did you ever not do well on a test when you were in school? Children receive these tests almost every day, all morning long, for a week. How well would you do under this pressure? The teachers are under immense pressure for the students to perform well. Better scores (which equals a better ranking) doesn't necessarily mean better teaching, it just means that those teachers teach to the test.

If you really want to assess the public school in your area, talk to the parents, and go there. Ask to observe in classrooms- they will let you. Talk to the teachers. How happy are they there? If the majority are not- there's a problem.

As for Jaci- she will go to public school. But she will get a variance and good to my school (a variance lets you attend another public school when you don't live in the area of that school, as long as there is room). I want her close by, it will be easier with driving, and I already know who I want her to be with. rolling_smile.gif Here, the private and charter schools (and in most states) are not as well regulated as the public schools. As other posters have said, you don't even have to be certified as a teacher to teach there. I had to prove that I was a "highly qualified" teacher, backing it up with classes, grades, and experience. Those teachers don't.

Just some things to consider.

Boys r us replied: I am happy to say that my kids go to public school. Now if I lived in an area where the public school systems weren't as awesome as the one in my area..I would consider private.

Jamison'smama replied: We moved to an area for the schools so Jamison will attend public schools at least through grade school. I went to private schools and loved them for many reasons but the aren't for everyone.

Aimee, my SIL sends her kids to Greenhill in Dallas and it is AMAZING!!! If we lived nearby I would love to send her there--very diverse and it seems like an excellent school.

MomToJade&Jordan replied: You have gotten some really good advice here Aimee. Personally I lean more towards Public, probably because I went to a Public school for my education. At this present time if Jade were school age I would be homeschooling her. The base school is not very good and the students always tend to be a year behind when they transfer to a new school. Most bases will have a school to send your child to so we will really have to look into them where ever we go.

Maddie&EthansMom replied:

Greenhill is exceptional (and very elite!!) DH would LOVE to send our kids there! biggrin.gif However, it is too far for us to drive (ya know?). rolleyes.gif

I will admit DH is more into the 'status' than I am. I want them to have a good education as well as attend a school with a good reputation. Karen I like what you said about the parents teaching the children as well. This is an important point that we don't want to overlook. Parental involvement is VERY important to me and DH and we plan on being involved every step of the way. thumb.gif

I have heard nothing but good things about the (public) school district here. The size of the classrooms may be a problem since McKinney is the fastest growing city in the US to date. rolleyes.gif They are throwing up elementary schools as fast as they can and I will give them credit for that. The elementary school Maddie will attend is one of the oldest schools in town and very well established. The things I have heard about the private schools are similar to what you all are saying. I'm sure she will attend public school when the time comes. happy.gif

Besides the cost of private school here is no laughing matter. ohmy.gif

Mommy2BAK replied: I am finising up my teaching degree right now and I plan to teach at the private christian school in our town. We plan to send our chilren there as well. DH and I attended this same school and so did all of our siblings.
The public schools in our area are completely out of control, and way too over crowded.

Alice replied:
My own experience has been different.

I spent 20 years teaching in Catholic schools. I loved every minute of it. I loved that there were moral absolutes. I loved that there were no serious interruptions. I loved that kids did their homework or spent time in Academic Detention after school to do it. I loved that when we were forced to go to a funeral for a diseased student or teacher (brain cancer, MS, accidents, TWA flight 800.....), we were allowed to say "God"

For the record: when I retired, my salary was $65,000. I was Math department chairman, and received and extra stipend for that, as well as one for coaching debate. I am NY state certified, and have a Masters +3 credits. I have been offered several public school jobs for which I have NOT applied, as well as one teaching in a local university.

To say that the qualified teachers head to public schools (leaving the unqualifed ones in private school) is unfair to both of us. I'll put my qualifications up against anyone in public schools. And the implication of your statement is that public school teachers are in it for the money... another gross injustice.

You're right that Catholic school data is skewed upwards because they don't serve kids with learning problems. But they don't pretend to. Their data is skewed because their student body is. 99% of the kids I taught went on to college. Their choices ranged from local community colleges to Ivy league.

The school where I taught has a waiting list. They have all the kids they can handle. While everyone struggles economically, they had no problems paying their bills. The grounds are beautiful, because the religious community that runs the school lives there... this is their home and it is kept up beautifully. There is no graffiti. There are flowers everywhere. There are koi ponds and a greenhouse. And they've done all the work themselves. This is not some upscale prep school. It's a catholic high school in the suburbs, 40 minutes from Manhattan.


Send your kids to whichever school is right for your family. But don't discount Catholic or other private schools because of generalizations which might not fit the schools you're looking at.

Kolesmom replied: I attended a private school K-12, my husband attended public school K-12. I loved my school and he hated his. He had 238 in his graduating class, and I had 17. We have decided to send Kole to the private school I attended (grandparents will help with tuition). We chose to do this so that he can get more one on one time with teachers, because the classes will be smaller. It is also a close knit school where just about everyone knows everyone else and their parents. I really loved and and love the fact he will be going to my alma matter.

Hillbilly Housewife replied: Wow, touchy touchy! lol

I'm going to send MY kids to a french catholic school.

Why? Because, there isn't all that inter-faith gang stuff going on - everyone is on the same wavelength as far as faith is concerned. Most catholic schools are very multicultural - as long as the students are CATHOLIC (or christian)

The ONLY reason, because I am NOT catholic, I am an atheist, is that "I" have noticed, through the years by observance and friends etc.... is that is SEEMS that in public schools vs. catholic schools (not private, public catholic), there SEEMS to be more violence, more vandalism, lower grades, a bad reputation, in public schools. Maybe it's because of the inter-faith, for ex: muslim students vs. jewish students (just an example, not meant to knock anyone...) and the strong feelings each person holds towards their faith, and the conflict that arise between them.


No offense, but I would NEVER send my children to an environment where they STATISTICALLY could be in more danger. Sure, crap happens everywhere.... but if there is a higher chance that my son will be stabbed over some interracial or interfaith conflict at a school covered in graffitti, darn tootin I will send him to a catholic school, even if I don't necessarily agree with their morals.

The high scool "I" went to, was semi-private when I went there. I needed to have a 75 grade average to GET IT. There was a uniform. Very good school. My "religion" class was not a bible lecture - it was a learning experience, about ALL different religions around the world. We learned about the Q'ran, Judaism, Sihk, Buddism...you name it, we learned it. And yes, we ever learned about Christianism, but like I said, not a bible lecture - we were encouraged to express what WE thought about religion as we have been raised to learn it, and why do you agree/disagree.

In any case.... I think that it is simply a matter of OPINION, and every parent knows best which school (if any - homeschooling) if best for their child.

I looked into Montessori. There is one not far from my house. As far as cost is concerned, that would not e an issue - the issue I had with it, is that the whole day is structured learning. WHile that might be ok with some... although my kids are smart (at least I thin kthey are... tongue.gif ) I DO enjoy seeing them PLAY. They can learn when they are ready to....they're still innocent, let them PLAY.

My2Beauties replied:
See we must live in total opposite worlds then! In Ky the private schools have way better facilities and the teachers are paid at an average of $20k moer per year, My best friend just gradauted with her deree in Education and she wants to teach high school kids. Her starting salary in public school will be about $25k here, private school ranges from $35-45k depending on which school you teach at! The public schools here are terrible, I alwasy cut class, barely did any work, and got through school with a 3.5 GPA and graduated 26th of 212 kids...I didn't do a thing sad.gif Maybe I was just way ahead of the other kids but to be honest my experience with public schools was not a good one. There are tons of violence in the public schools here as well! The private school children are way ahead of our public schools and in Louisville they receive the most college scholarhips every year. They average well above the scholarships received from our public school children! So Aimee, it really does depend on your area...I would say do lots of research!

My2Beauties replied: Iu can't believe I didn't look at the original date on this post...November 11th 2004...golly gee I'm behind! laugh.gif

3_call_me_mama replied:
same here... can't really afford the private school, but really want to homeschool

iluvmysweetiepies replied: I send my kids to a private Catholic school. In our area, our school is way ahead of the public schools, so I guess it depends on the school and the area.



I agree. I've heard SO many bad stories about things that have happened at our public schools; there's no way I would send my kids there. I like the fact that at the Catholic school they attend they have smaller class sizes, are taught more about their faith (and other faiths as well) and there is less violence. I also know that they are recieving the best education possible. In our school they are several grades ahead of public school in many subjects. Ashlyn is in 8th grade and taking freshman year Algebra. There is also a difference in grades between public and the school they atttend. 90%-100% is an "A" in public schools and 94%-100% is an "A" at their school. The school they attend prepares them better for high-school and college IMHO.

It really depends on the schools in your area. I've heard of some really great public schools too. I'm mostly leary of the public middle schools LOL. But for us, I love the school they attend!!

Amanda8 replied: We are going to put the kids in public school for the first few years and then switch them to private school. We do not want the kids going to public high school.


CommunityNewsResources | Entertainment | Link To Us |Terms of Use | Privacy PolicyAdvertising
©2024 Parenting Club.com All Rights Reserved