We have decided to send my oldest son to a private Christian school this fall (kindergarten). When my wife and I discussed doing this, we said it was just for kindergarten, after that we would put him into public schools. As of last night, my wife now wants to keep him in the private Christian school.

My question is, has anyone attended private school on here? What are some of the perks/benefits? The principal showed us the test scores...and frankly they weren't much more impressive than the local public schools. This is a K-8 school too. They are talking about going to a HS, but that is years out. Chances are he would have to switch schools when he's old enough for HS.

Help, suggestions......thanks.

I can't speak from personal experiences, nor am I an expert in anyway on the matter. But I think you need to consider how much you are paying in property taxes to live where you live. A major reason they are higher in some neighborhoods is because of the public schools, so if you are paying to live in a good area, with good schools, why wouldn't you take advantage of that? Regardless you'd still have to pay the taxes, so why pay for private school on top of that? If your property taxes aren't that high/schools in your hood aren't great, than private school makes sense.

From someone who grew up in the NYC school system the only advantage I saw for private schooling was smaller class size and individualized attention.

In the end you and your wife know what's best for your children.

I would pay good money to see Snot at the first PTO meeting at a Christian school.

THE4RINGZ;430039 wrote:I would pay good money to see Snot at the first PTO meeting at a Christian school.

LOL! He had to do an interview with his teacher, do some basic testing...then my wife and I had to meet with the principal just for him to get accepted. During the interview....I was sweating bullets. I wanted to say, "listen fucker, you guys have good athletics. He's going to be a big boy, so just accept his ass and let's get on with this so I can go have a cigarette."

Eh, at that age I would say that it doesn't make a HUGE difference. Now if you wanted to go into a debate of public and private high school debate, I can tell you from my public school experiences that I personally would go private, and a lot of my friends feel the same way.

CinciX12;430064 wrote:Eh, at that age I would say that it doesn't make a HUGE difference. Now if you wanted to go into a debate of public and private high school debate, I can tell you from my public school experiences that I personally would go private, and a lot of my friends feel the same way.

Depends on where you are. In lots of localities, the public schools are every bit as good (or better) as the available private option.

I also don't really think it matters until middle school or high school. From my experiences I would recommend a good public school over a private school. Some public schools are very good, and others not so much. I went to Grandview Heights. Very small public school that almost had the "private" feel, without the brainwashing of religious bullshit that doesn't belong in a school. Also was right at the top of academics in the area for public or private schools. Now if your only public options are those large schools similar to Columbus Public schools then defiantly go private. But if you can, smaller public schools can have the same private school effect without the fee.

queencitybuckeye;430066 wrote:Depends on where you are. In lots of localities, the public schools are every bit as good (or better) as the available private option.

I suppose I did overlook the one area in central Ohio i'm currently in because I didnt go to high school here and that is Dublin and Hillard. But for instance down in Cincinnati, unless I am in Indian Hill or someplace like that I might as well just buy my kid an eighth everyday and send him on his merry way to unemployment.

I was public my entire life. Wouldn't trade that in for anything.

Snot - what's your wife's thoughts behind keeping in the private school?

If it's for social reasons (staying with his friends, all your church friends(man, does THAT sound weird with you! ) send their kids there and are pressuring her to do the same), he's going to have to transfer sooner or later. It's only going to get more painful as time goes on.

Academically, it sounds like a wash. There are some cases (like my kid with ADHD) where smaller classes sizes might make a big difference, if they exist). My kids went to Hilliard City Schools - the kids coming in from home schooling and the private school were all over the map. Some were right up there at the top of the classes, but others came in a couple of grade levels behind the rest of pack.

Your family is your own business - but I always felt it was my responsibility to impart religious values in my kids, not the schools.

It all depends on your situation and what the public school district you live in is like. I'm originally from Youngstown, and attended K-12 in private schools. But the alternative for me was the Boardman school system (which isn't bad...just way too big IMO.) I had class sizes of about 15-30 kids in grade school...and had 169 kids in my graduating class in high school. I feel that the education prepared me for college very well...and the teachers weren't just teaching to the test like I've seen happen in a lot of public schools lately.

But what the hell do I know?! I'm a 26 year old dude who didn't finish college and is chasing a crazy dream. So I might not be the best to give input on the education of your child.

hoops23;430102 wrote:I was public my entire life. Wouldn't trade that in for anything.

THIS.

I can't speak from experiencing a private school firsthand, but I have a ton of friends from several private schools in the licking/franklin county area and I just can't seem to justify it, unless your kid is really a good enough athlete to want to take advantage of the exposure many well known private school powers offer (say, DeSales for instance). I know a lot of people who did more with their lives and are more intelligent coming from a public school than MOST of the kids from the private school. A lot of people argue that private schools not only provide a great education but make the kids well rounded too...BULL. FUCKING. SHIT. I've got about 10-12 friends that I consider my "fucked up" friends...you know, everybody's got at least one...people that are so jaded or detached from reality that they can't make it in the real world...and ALL of them hail from a private HS. In my healthy amount of experience, it seems to me you have two groups of kids in a private school. The kids that are the really good athletes and play sports (i.e. the jocks) and the kids that arent. By and large, the kids that are NOT athletes, tend to be your weird ass emo, makeup wearing, black hair/eyeliner/fingernail polish wearing types that think their life is so hard and no one loves them. Like suburban America is the worst life on earth and they hate everything. Now maybe if you're out in the country and there's a small private school out there, or you can find one where the kids don't all look like they're going to the circus, you might consider it. You have those kind of kids in public schools too..not trying to say you don't. But it doesn't seem so polarizing...there are a lot more differing "groups" of kids in public school that I feel help kids fit in to whatever suits them best. In the public school I went to, you didn't have to be an athlete or an emo kid. You could kinda just be yourself and you'd find a group of friends similar to you. From everything I've seen with my friends from private schools, that seems to be a lot harder to do in suburban/inner-city private schools.

Cat Food Flambe';430104 wrote:
Your family is your own business - but I always felt it was my responsibility to impart religious values in my kids, not the schools.

And this, too.

+1

Red_Skin_Pride;430121 wrote:THIS.

I can't speak from experiencing a private school firsthand, but I have a ton of friends from several private schools in the licking/franklin county area and I just can't seem to justify it, unless your kid is really a good enough athlete to want to take advantage of the exposure many well known private school powers offer (say, DeSales for instance). I know a lot of people who did more with their lives and are more intelligent coming from a public school than MOST of the kids from the private school. A lot of people argue that private schools not only provide a great education but make the kids well rounded too...BULL. FUCKING. SHIT. I've got about 10-12 friends that I consider my "fucked up" friends...you know, everybody's got at least one...people that are so jaded or detached from reality that they can't make it in the real world...and ALL of them hail from a private HS. In my healthy amount of experience, it seems to me you have two groups of kids in a private school. The kids that are the really good athletes and play sports (i.e. the jocks) and the kids that arent. By and large, the kids that are NOT athletes, tend to be your weird ass emo, makeup wearing, black hair/eyeliner/fingernail polish wearing types that think their life is so hard and no one loves them. Like suburban America is the worst life on earth and they hate everything. Now maybe if you're out in the country and there's a small private school out there, or you can find one where the kids don't all look like they're going to the circus, you might consider it. You have those kind of kids in public schools too..not trying to say you don't. But it doesn't seem so polarizing...there are a lot more differing "groups" of kids in public school that I feel help kids fit in to whatever suits them best. In the public school I went to, you didn't have to be an athlete or an emo kid. You could kinda just be yourself and you'd find a group of friends similar to you. From everything I've seen with my friends from private schools, that seems to be a lot harder to do in suburban/inner-city private schools.

Couldn't be farther from the truth.

I am not a good athlete. I'm also not an emo kid who feels that suburban American is the worst thing possible. And I attended private school.

There are just as many cliques and groups in a private high school as there are in public schools. If you think there aren't...then you are retarded and a good example of why people should attend private schools instead of public schools.

My wife went to a private christian school from grade 1-12 and I was public all the way. As far as academics I think it is a wash as far as quality of education.

My wife had the same problems at her school as I did at mine, something to think about if that is the concern. The school my wife attended cost her parents about $5000 per/year and it is around $8000 per/year at the present time. We have discussed private school for our daughter and have decided to send her to public school because we feel in the end there will be no difference in quality of education. It all starts with how a child is brought up with solid parenting and the school she goes to whether it's private or public shouldn't make a difference besides the price. We would rather spend our money on a good college after she graduates. That is our opinion.

The only people hating on Private Schools. Especially when it comes to Sports and Academics. Are those not fortunate enough to attend a private school..

sherm03;430126 wrote:Couldn't be farther from the truth.

I am not a good athlete. I'm also not an emo kid who feels that suburban American is the worst thing possible. And I attended private school.

There are just as many cliques and groups in a private high school as there are in public schools. If you think there aren't...then you are retarded and a good example of why people should attend private schools instead of public schools.

I never said there weren't. All I said is that in the several schools I have had experience with, I feel like it's HARDER than in a public school. I don't know where you went to school, but there aren't a ton of big private schools around here, so of course if you went to a big private school there will be more cliques and groups. That's just a simple numbers game. That's why I also said to look at the area and I'll throw in the size of the school in there too.

Education is what the kid makes out of it, in most middle to upperclass neighborhoods. There are obvious drawbacks in poor or inner-city areas where the best teachers and resources are often not available. However, in the OP's situation, most likely they are choosing between a middle/upperclass neighborhood public school vs. a private school.

And retarded? Really, that's pretty low. I graduated in the top 10% of my class in a public school that would hold it's own against most private schools in ohio.

RelsonGracieBJJ;430142 wrote:The only people hating on Private Schools. Especially when it comes to Sports and Academics. Are those not fortunate enough to attend a private school..

I love arrogant people who think because they pay for their kids to go to school, they're better than everyone else. Guess what dumbass, I had the chance to go to 2 private schools for free and said thanks, but no thanks. And if that's the kind of punctuation they're teaching at your private school, I'm open to being the English teacher.

Wow RedSkin.. probably Utica pride. My opinion is NO ONE is better then anyone else. You must be such a real man.

Maybe you should have said yes. Then you could have possbily had a State title..

In the Toledo area, if you want the best education you go to Maumee Valley Country Day School. It's head and shoulders above the rest, but it'll cost you a fortune.

I went to Maumee Valley for one year (left because they didn't have football and missed it too much). And let me put it this way, the books I was reading in eighth grade for Maumee Valley's English class were the same that I read for St. Francis' freshmen year, Cardinal Stritch's honors sophomore year, and Cardinal Stritch's regular English class senior year. I had the same English class four times in five years because I transferred three times haha. My childhood best friend went to St. John's and he read said books his sophomore year there in their regular class. It's just something I found interesting.

In Toledo, if your child is a brain and doesn't mind playing soccer of golf, send him to Maumee Valley. If he likes football, send him to St. John's, St. Francis, or Central. (St. Francis and St. John's are a bit better in my opinion). Toledo Christian and Cardinal Stritch can't quite compete with the opportunities at those schools.

Of course if you're in the public schools at Perrysburg, Sylvania, or Ottawa Hills...you're fine there.

Red_Skin_Pride;430146 wrote:I never said there weren't. All I said is that in the several schools I have had experience with, I feel like it's HARDER than in a public school.

Hmmm...really? Ok, let's dissect this, then.

I can't speak from experiencing a private school firsthand, but I have a ton of friends from several private schools in the licking/franklin county area and I just can't seem to justify it

So your opinion is not based on personal experience...but rather the "tons" of friends that attended several private schools.

I know a lot of people who did more with their lives and are more intelligent coming from a public school than MOST of the kids from the private school.

And I know a lot of people who did more with their lives and are more intelligent coming from a private school. So let's just call that a draw, shall we?

I've got about 10-12 friends that I consider my "fucked up" friends...you know, everybody's got at least one...people that are so jaded or detached from reality that they can't make it in the real world...and ALL of them hail from a private HS.

Ahhhh! These 10-12 must be the "tons of friends from several private schools." Glad you got such a large sampling of experiences from the 10 people you know from private schools.

In my healthy amount of experience,

Pause for laughter here. Healthy experience = 10 friends and your personal experience of nothing but public schools.

it seems to me you have two groups of kids in a private school. The kids that are the really good athletes and play sports (i.e. the jocks) and the kids that arent. By and large, the kids that are NOT athletes, tend to be your weird ass emo, makeup wearing, black hair/eyeliner/fingernail polish wearing types that think their life is so hard and no one loves them. Like suburban America is the worst life on earth and they hate everything.

So technically you said that there were two groups in private high schools...jocks and emo kids. You never said there were any other cliques...and you heavily implied that the only two kids you would come across in a private school are either jocks or emos.

Now maybe if you're out in the country and there's a small private school out there, or you can find one where the kids don't all look like they're going to the circus, you might consider it. You have those kind of kids in public schools too..not trying to say you don't. But it doesn't seem so polarizing...there are a lot more differing "groups" of kids in public school that I feel help kids fit in to whatever suits them best. In the public school I went to, you didn't have to be an athlete or an emo kid. You could kinda just be yourself and you'd find a group of friends similar to you.

Here you further imply that there are more cliques and groups of kids in public schools than private...and that the kids are more "normal" at public schools.

So yes, your argument is retarded. And, like I said before, if you are a top 10% student from a public school, an outside party would look at what you typed and say, "shit, there's some dumb motherfuckers coming out of public schools. Maybe I should look twice at that private school."

I can see the value of private schools if you live in a crap area. However if you live in a relatively nice town, public schools would be just as good as the private ones.

Bubbles, put him in a public school immediately, continue to work with him academically AND athletically, pretty soon the parochials will be knocking at YOUR door.

I went to a public school and will be sending my kids to a public school.