Private school ever worth it?

[FIREseeker]

It's expensive. And I read in Money magazine a few years ago that people who graduate with an ivy league degree barely fend any better than those who go to a public university. It seems that worth ethic beats connections in the end.

But what about sending your kids to private school? Worth it? People are calling me cheap because I don't think it's necessary one bit.

EDIT: And yes, I shouldn't care what other people think but I really want to know if it's worth it or not.

[moneybags]

Is it not necessary, but I'm a fan of private schools. I think of you match your student to a school that is the right fit, they have a better chance at success. In my opinion, colleges are not a one size fits all. Both my kids chose small private schools. They can end up costing the same as a state school when you factor in scholarships.

[FLA]

I They can end up costing the same as a state school when you factor in scholarships.

I agree if it comes down to state school price and she isn't getting a good financial aid package at the state school. If everything were a whole lot cheaper at a state school and good financial aid, I would steer her there. If still wants private, she would need to make up the difference in student loans.

My DD is obsessed with "the good schools" but not for undergrad, she plans state school for that. She's already planning an MBA at an Ivy, lol. "because mom, no one cares about your undergrad as long as you did well. They only care where your MBA is from." I love being schooled on, well, schools, by a 16 yr old, lol. Somehow in the last few years, I've lost all ability to have an educated opinion, pretty soon she will think I am so dumb that she must speak slowly and use hand gestures

[avil_saver36]

If you were unfortunately stuck in a bad school district, you don't have a choice.

I would however choose a small house in a good public school district to begin with. The obvious advantage with the public schooling is that you get a "rebate" on your county and property taxes. The houses in good public school districts also hold their value and it can also increase faster over time.

Good public schools are better for the kids than private schools in our experience even if you took money out of equation. This is especially at an early age. However depending upon the child's potential, private schooling might start making sense starting middle school going up to high school. In some counties (like ours), there are special classes for "gifted and talented" kids, so sometimes counties themselves give above average kids an opportunity to learn more and faster. Make sure you check out such programs in yours as well as adjacent counties.

[phantom]

When it comes to college, my experience is similar to moneybags. When I went to college, I considered 3 schools, 2 private and 1 state. One of the private schools offered scholarships that made the price about the same as that of the state school, and the program there seemed more what I wanted than the program at the state school, so I choose that school. The other private school was my first choice, but didn't offer any scholarships at all, and it would have been almost 3 times as much as my other options. So, sadly, it was totally out of the question.

I've known many people, including my husband, who went to the state school that I was considering. My impression is that the quality of their educations is pretty similar to that of my own. But, I still think the school I choose was a better fit for me. I think a better fit or a better education can be worth a little more (maybe 10%), but not a lot more (like 200% or 300%).

Of course, I often find myself wondering how much longer any college is really going to be "worth it." I have a hard time putting money in my own daughter's 529 because I'm hoping that in 18 years when she's done with high school, there will be better choices for further education out there.

[FLA]

When it comes to college, my experience is similar to moneybags. When I went to college, I considered 3 schools, 2 private and 1 state. One of the private schools offered scholarships that made the price about the same as that of the state school, and the program there seemed more what I wanted than the program at the state school, so I choose that school.

.

I was similar, chose private, financial aide was great. I wanted that small town, small class sizes kind of place. I wasn't ready for a ginormous state school with hundreds of people in my classes.

[feh]

OP - not sure if you're talking about private school for K-12, or college...

For K-12, I think the answer to your question is "what is the alternative"? In other words, how good is your local public school district?

It is true that when demographics are taken into account, private schools (on average) are no better than public schools.

[LivingAlmostLarge]

Depends on k-12 or college? Depends on child, their personality and needs. Too many factors to say this is the 'only' choice. My sister had 3 kids and two went to public schools k-12 and 1 (middle) went private becauses of ADHD and he needed smaller classes. So you do what fits your kids and you.

[moneybags]

I love being schooled on, well, schools, by a 16 yr old, lol. Somehow in the last few years, I've lost all ability to have an educated opinion, pretty soon she will think I am so dumb that she must speak slowly and use hand gestures

Typical life with a teenager; luckily they outgrow that phase and will value your opinion one day. Also, be careful not to use electronic gadgets too slowly in her presence

[disneysteve]

For K-12 I'd say no, but I would never live in a place where the public schools were so bad that I wouldn't send my child there. That was a major consideration when we bought our house.

That said, we did send our child to private kindergarten but it was because at the time our town only had half-day kindergarten and we wanted her in a full-day program. That was really the only reason.

For college, I agree 100% with moneybags:

I think of you match your student to a school that is the right fit, they have a better chance at success. In my opinion, colleges are not a one size fits all.

Having recently gone through the college selection process, this is absolutely true. Every school, public or private, has it's own unique feel and you need to find the one where your child will fit the best. For some kids, a state school with 50,000 students is great. They want that energy and environment. For our kid, she would have gotten totally lost in that setting. She needed to be in a smaller, calmer, more personal setting, so she/we chose a smaller private school.

As for cost, it really isn't the huge deal that everyone makes it out to be. For us, we're spending about $31,000/year. The big state school would have been about $26,000/year. Not to say that $5,000 isn't significant but it's not enough to consider putting her in a school where she wouldn't be happy and thrive both academically and socially.

[corn18]

For K-12 I'd say no, but I would never live in a place where the public schools were so bad that I wouldn't send my child there. That was a major consideration when we bought our house.

That said, we did send our child to private kindergarten but it was because at the time our town only had half-day kindergarten and we wanted her in a full-day program. That was really the only reason.

For college, I agree 100% with moneybags:

Having recently gone through the college selection process, this is absolutely true. Every school, public or private, has it's own unique feel and you need to find the one where your child will fit the best. For some kids, a state school with 50,000 students is great. They want that energy and environment. For our kid, she would have gotten totally lost in that setting. She needed to be in a smaller, calmer, more personal setting, so she/we chose a smaller private school.

As for cost, it really isn't the huge deal that everyone makes it out to be. For us, we're spending about $31,000/year. The big state school would have been about $26,000/year. Not to say that $5,000 isn't significant but it's not enough to consider putting her in a school where she wouldn't be happy and thrive both academically and socially.

Another agreement with this. The biggest difference in price for schools has been out of state public schools. Those start at private school levels but they are very stingy with scholarships. Out of state private schools seem to charge the same regardless of where you live and offer enough scholarships to make it close enough like DS said.

Another thing we are looking at is the diversity of the academic program. My daughter doesn't know what she wants to do, so she may be undeclared when she starts college. Not every school is good at every topic, especially engineering (which she does have an interest in). And I told her I'm not going to pay $40,000 / year while she figures it out. So we have to find the intersection of low cost, diverse academics, good fit for DD. We've found one candidate so far (Ohio State).

Tom

[Fishindude77]

There is a college in my state (Butler University), that several friends children have attended. All of the kids I am aware of that got their college education at Butler stepped into great jobs, while kids attending the state schools haven't fared as well.

In some cases, I would say that private schools are most definitely a good move.

[dawnwes]

If we are talking about college, here is something else to consider.

Most private schools often more scholarships and grants than public schools. I have several friends whose kids attend private schools for around the same cost (or even less in a couple of cases) than the public schools.

I have one son who really would do best in a small private college.

There are all sorts of reasons different people choose different colleges. Cost is only one factor.

There are also more definitions of success than merely financial.

[disneysteve]

As for cost, it really isn't the huge deal that everyone makes it out to be. For us, we're spending about $31,000/year. The big state school would have been about $26,000/year.

Most private schools often more scholarships and grants than public schools. I have several friends whose kids attend private schools for around the same cost (or even less in a couple of cases) than the public schools.

I wasn't really clear in my post but I meant exactly what dawnwes said. DD's private school is a lot more expensive than the state school on paper, but after her scholarship and grant, the price is pretty close. At the state school, she'd be paying "list" price just like everyone else. She's getting just over $20,500 this year. So when looking at private schools, don't be scared off by the "sticker" price. Almost nobody actually pays that price.

[FIREseeker]

There is a college in my state (Butler University), that several friends children have attended. All of the kids I am aware of that got their college education at Butler stepped into great jobs, while kids attending the state schools haven't fared as well.

In some cases, I would say that private schools are most definitely a good move.

Was it because the school had a good reputation or because alumni hooked them up? Probably both but I'm interested to hear about the networking aspects.