Private School Overrated ??? (Atlanta, Sandy Springs, Alpharetta: movers, daycare, home)

[johnjohnson392]

Hi,

I am looking for parents who have or had their kids go to a private elementary school.

In your opinion and based on your experience, is it worth the money? I have heard that public schools are just as good.

I am looking for an elementary school which is somewhere between Cumming and Atlanta...like near Sandy Springs or Alpharetta...I prefer culturally diverse schools. Max yearly tuition: around 6000 USD.

Which elementary school would you recommend and why?


Thank you

[BobKovacs]

$6,000/year won't get you daycare for a toddler, yet alone a decent private school. You're going to have to up your budget considerably, or go the public school route. Some of the faith-based schools may get down to your price range, but any of the true "private" schools are in the $10k/year and up range.

[CMMom]

Yup; even parochial schools are generally into the five-figure range. Don't think you'll have many options at that price point.

[johnjohnson392]

Originally Posted by BobKovacs

$6,000/year won't get you daycare for a toddler, yet alone a decent private school. You're going to have to up your budget considerably, or go the public school route. Some of the faith-based schools may get down to your price range, but any of the true "private" schools are in the $10k/year and up range.

It's for my 5-year old son.

Anything wrong with the faith-based schools?

[BobKovacs]

Originally Posted by johnjohnson392

Anything wrong with the faith-based schools?

Define "wrong". If you're OK with what they're teaching, I'd guess not. You're not likely to have as "culturally diverse" of a group in a faith-based school, so if that's important to you (you mentioned it in your post), it's something to consider.

[johnjohnson392]

Originally Posted by BobKovacs

$6,000/year won't get you daycare for a toddler, yet alone a decent private school. You're going to have to up your budget considerably, or go the public school route. Some of the faith-based schools may get down to your price range, but any of the true "private" schools are in the $10k/year and up range.

Do you have kids in private elementary school or do they attend public school?

If private, why?

If public, why?

[johnjohnson392]

Originally Posted by BobKovacs

Define "wrong". If you're OK with what they're teaching, I'd guess not. You're not likely to have as "culturally diverse" of a group in a faith-based school, so if that's important to you (you mentioned it in your post), it's something to consider.

What about this one:

Alpharetta International Academy - Montessori School Serving 18 months - 5th grade

[BobKovacs]

My kids attend public schools for several reasons:

1. The schools in our area (Cherokee County) are excellent. Coming from NJ, where the schools are touted as being the greatest in the world, that's saying alot. My girls are doing more advanced work than their cousins in NJ, who are a year ahead of them, and have all of the latest technology available to them in the classroom.

2. I've yet to see the real benefit of attending a private school if you've got a bright child in a good public school district. I knew plenty of kids from public and private schools growing up, and if anything, the private school kids always came off as having a sense of entitlement or being "better than you", while not having anything substantial to show for all the money their parents spent on school.

3. I'm paying for the schools through my property taxes, so I fully intend to use them, and to support them through participation in the PTA and other school functions.

[RainyRainyDay]

I agree with all BobKovacs' reasons, particularly the part about "if you have a bright child in a good school district". That's my situation. I've heard and read plausible accounts of children with special needs of various kinds that have not been well served in public schools and have found much better support in private schools. So although I have not experienced this, I believe it may be necessary to seek out private schooling in those kinds of cases.

My child's ancestry includes a lot of college professors. Her retired-professor grandparents would scoff at the notion that a private K-12 education is any particular advantage in higher education. As far as academics are concerned, the most cost-effective strategy by far is to find a home in a good public school district.

I do believe that the wealthy classes (which doesn't include me) tend to use private school as a place to make contacts. If your parents are movers and shakers in society, it helps for you to go to school and become friends with the children of the other movers and shakers. You grow up with the right contacts in the right circles. So for that class of people, private school tuition is not a significant expense, and the benefits are well worth it.