HPISD vs. North Dallas Private Schools (Houston, Plano: fit in, lawyers, house)

[lynnsl]

We intend to move to Dallas soon, but are struggling with the school decision. Our kids are young -- one pre-k and one kindergargen. We can either afford to purchase a house in HPISD or spend less outside of that district and send the kids to private schools. We cant afford to do both at the same time.

Our question -- are the ESD, Lamplighter, St. Marks, etc. worth it? They seem to run approx $20k-$25k per kid, per year. We could afford that if we stayed in a reasonable house budget -- and would do it in a second if we thought that it would materially have a positive impact on our kids. The enviornment, academics, extracurriculars, etc. all seem very impressive. But it also seems that HPISD offers quite a bit of that. Can anyone speak to the two options comparatively?

We looked at Southlake Carroll ISD, but found it to just bee too large for our liking. We are interested in small class sizes, low student to teacher ratio, and a strong community feel among students and parents. We are Catholic, so the parochial schools are definitely an option, we just arent sure whether they are as academically rigorous in the lower grades (Cistercian and Jesuit would both be top choices for the later years).

Thanks in advance for opinions!

[Grainraiser]

HPISD has one of the best school districts in the state. I see no reason to send your kids to private school if you live in Highland Park. To me the answer is easy unless sending your kids to a school with almost zero diversity is important to you.

[TurtleCreek80]

I am a second generation HP graduate (both my parents are also alumni and my grandmother taught in the district). If you can afford HP/UP, I say go for it over private schools.

There are far more opportunities in a class of 350-450 students than in a class of 90-100 at a St Marks or ESD. More athletic teams, more clubs and extracurriculars, and more academic opportunities.

I also really appreciate how I spent 13 years with about 70 kids from my elementary school and then 7 with the rest of my grade (middle school used to start in 6th vs 5th today). It gives you a chance to branch out as you grow into your adolescent self, whereas in a private school if your child doesn't fit in in Kindergarten, he/she is kind of up a creek until graduation.

My teachers in HPISD -particularly in elementary school and my AP teachers in high school- are memorable and really made school fun. They push you to exceed; it's expected.

I will say that a decade after graduation, I am even more appreciative of my HP education. My classmates are the smartest and most talented & driven group of people I have ever been around-- and are also still some of my best friends. We share a bond and are now at the point when we are beginning to support each other at parents' funerals. A classmate died in the past year or so and we all pulled together again in her memory. My class boasts a MLB pitcher, two musicians with recording contracts, budding local politicians, an editor at Teen Vogue, many many lawyers and doctors, a few ministers, an actor who has already won an Emmy, an accomplished chef, and many others who are experiencing career successes in NYC, LA, Chicago, Boston, Dubai, London, Dallas, Houston, etc. Also, about a half dozen are currently teachers in HPISD. A girl I went to elementary school with is now teaching Kindergarten with our Kindergarten teacher!

It is a district that expects excellence in academics and athletics, encourages (requires at the high school level) giving back to the greater Dallas community, and fosters camraderie and lifelong friendships. Negatives would be the funds it takes to have "excellent" kids (tutors, SAT prep classes, private athletic lessons, athletic club teams, etc). Also the pressure to be perfect- girls tend to all dress the same, starting in 1st or 2nd grade, they all wear the same clothes to blend in together. By high school that can mean "needing" Ugg boots or Tory Burch flats or whatever the cool thing is to fit in. Many kids grow up going to the same summer camps (Longhorn, Mystic, Waldemad, Kanakuk/ Kanakomo) and going on ski trips/ beach trips/ retreats with the big local churches (HPPC, PCPC, PCBC, HPUMC). All of these things take money- a lot of it. But this entire paragraph is reflective of the private school kids, too.

One last thought- the Park Cities are incredibly safe. It is one of the last neighborhoods where you see groups of kids out riding bikes, walking to the park, etc without parents starting at age 8-9ish. All your kids' friends (esp in elementary school) will live very close to you. Many homes are within walking or biking distance to the elems and lots of kids walk/bike to school independently. If you choose the private school route, your kids' friends will be scattered from East Dallas to Plano to Kessler Park in Oak Cliff. The schools draw heavily from North Dallas, but not exclusively. You will be driving all over kingdom come until your oldest turns 16.

[lynnsl]

Originally Posted by Grainraiser

HPISD has one of the best school districts in the state. I see no reason to send your kids to private school if you live in Highland Park. To me the answer is easy unless sending your kids to a school with almost zero diversity is important to you.

Just to make sure that I understand you...

you are suggesting that the HPISD is diverse????

We would love to have our kids experience diversity, but not at the expense of the quality of their education.

By the way, we are first generation Mexican...

[pepper131]

I've always found the stats on greatschools.net to be very accurate.

Student Teacher Ratio Highland Park High School - Dallas, Texas - TX

[Lakewooder]

You should look into the Lakewood / M-Streets areas - small town atmosphere like HP but with more diverse schools. Not everyone in the schools is going to be a super-achiever but there is a large group of them.

[lynnsl]

thanks all... curious if anyone has direct experiences with the private schools vs. HPISD and could speak to the differences?

[Grainraiser]

Originally Posted by lynnsl

Just to make sure that I understand you...

you are suggesting that the HPISD is diverse????

We would love to have our kids experience diversity, but not at the expense of the quality of their education.

By the way, we are first generation Mexican...

To be clear the only negative about HPISD is the lack of diversity. The district is about 99% or more white. Having said this I still must say that the public school education offered by the district is top notch. It would certainly rank in the top 5 in Texas.

[TurtleCreek80]

Said another way- your kids would be THE diversity in HPISD.

But I don't think that's a bad thing. I learned so much about other cultures & colors of skin growing up in HP because you have a real and personal connection. It's not "Hispanics", but Sam and Juan. It's not "Jews", but the girl who sits next to you in History class and is in your study group. We had blacks, Hispanics, Chinese, Indian, Jewish, and Muslim kids in my class at HP.

Because the minority population is so small, they assimilate and are part of the greater HP population than at larger schools with a bigger minority presence, where you tend to see all the blacks/ Asians/ etc keep to themselves and not have friend groups that look like the UN.

And hey, at HP, as long as your kid gets a new car on his 16th birthday, he's way cooler than the lily white classmate that's stuck driving a 1990 Volvo!

[lynnsl]

Thanks again to everyone, but back to my original questions.... any perspectives comparing HPISD to St. Marks or ESD? Lamplighter? So hard to get a sense of these schools vs. HPISD for us....becuase the private school tours are pretty broad and HPISD doesnt really have tours. For us, its a really distinct decision whether to spend the +/- $1mm to move in HP, but never have to worry about tuition.... vs. spend half that in some other N. Dallas neighborhood (think "Disney streets) and send our kids to somewhere like St. Mark's, at a cost of $45-50k per year for 12 years...big investment, but nothing is as important to us as their education...we are both self-made and believe that school/especially early years is so critical for long-term learning, etc.

Can anyone compare these options? Or the parochial school options?