westminster vs lovett pre-first/kindergarten (Atlanta: houses, elementary school, assess)

[schoolATL]

I hear a lot of people say that Lovett and Westminster are very similar schools, but when I visited both of them for open houses and tours, they seem to be very different. I'm not from Atlanta so I have no affiliation with either school, but want to know which school really is better overall? We have a child we are applying out for kindergarten/pre-first this year and I'd like to know what others think is the better school. Anyone who can share experiences at each school would be wonderful and so helpful. Does your child love the school? Do you, as the parents, love the school? Why? What makes each the school special? Etc. Any info would be great!

[LovelySummer]

If you do a search you will find more info than you ever wanted. They are not all that similar, just usually similarly considered as a candidate school by some parents, so they tend to fall in the same group by some.

[PeteATL41]

Which one did you like better when your toured? See which one you child feels more comfortable at when they do the observations...You'll get a lot of different opinions here, but not many objective ones...pragmatically not many kids get into both for pre-first/K especially with all of the legacy and sibling applications and not much empirical data on the kids.

[lastminutemom]

They are very different schools. However, when some parents apply their children to private schools, the end goal is admissions. Thus, they cast a wide net and hope that whichever acceptances they get will fit the child/work for the family.

I don't necessarily think one is better than the other, especially for elementary school, but they have different feels.

Apply to both if you liked each of them and then see what happens in terms of admissions.

[AtlJan]

Originally Posted by schoolATL

I hear a lot of people say that Lovett and Westminster are very similar schools, but when I visited both of them for open houses and tours, they seem to be very different. I'm not from Atlanta so I have no affiliation with either school, but want to know which school really is better overall? We have a child we are applying out for kindergarten/pre-first this year and I'd like to know what others think is the better school. Anyone who can share experiences at each school would be wonderful and so helpful. Does your child love the school? Do you, as the parents, love the school? Why? What makes each the school special? Etc. Any info would be great!

The school that is the better of the two is the one that offers your child admission.

[Atlanta48911]

One major issue at Lovett is that in the Lower School (elem), there is a very high teacher-turnover rate and many of the teachers do not have a degree in education (not even a BA). Additionally, they hire teachers who have have little to no teaching experience.. So don't just focus on the Pre-K & K teachers and classrooms when you take the tour; observe, question, and assess the quality of the 1st thru 5th grade teachers- especially the co-teachers. Because in a very short time, your child will be in those classes. I personally am not interested in having my child taught by someone with no degree in education and no experience teaching. The high turnover is also a red flag. This year alone, Lovett has hired 20 brand new teachers (there are only 70 lower school faculty members total). That is the norm there. Many of the other teachers have only been there for a year or two- go look at the LS staff on their website.
At Pace, Paideia, Westminster, etc...the elementary school teachers are highly educated/experienced and have worked at the school for decades. These are the teachers you want building your child's educational foundation- the ones who have the passion, dedication, intelligence and desire to be great educators; they are a part of the school's fabric. At Lovett you will find a lot of 23, 24, 25 year old pretty white girls who are basically being trained to be teachers by Lovett at your child's expense.

[AnsleyPark]

We chose Westminster for its academic rigor.

[JoeP]

One major issue at Lovett is that in the Lower School (elem), there is a very high teacher-turnover rate and many of the teachers do not have a degree in education (not even a BA). Additionally, they hire teachers who have have little to no teaching experience.. So don't just focus on the Pre-K & K teachers and classrooms when you take the tour; observe, question, and assess the quality of the 1st thru 5th grade teachers- especially the co-teachers. Because in a very short time, your child will be in those classes. I personally am not interested in having my child taught by someone with no degree in education and no experience teaching. The high turnover is also a red flag. This year alone, Lovett has hired 20 brand new teachers (there are only 70 lower school faculty members total). That is the norm there. Many of the other teachers have only been there for a year or two- go look at the LS staff on their website.
At Pace, Paideia, Westminster, etc...the elementary school teachers are highly educated/experienced and have worked at the school for decades. These are the teachers you want building your child's educational foundation- the ones who have the passion, dedication, intelligence and desire to be great educators; they are a part of the school's fabric. At Lovett you will find a lot of 23, 24, 25 year old pretty white girls who are basically being trained to be teachers by Lovett at your child's expense.

You must feel strongly to have joined city data to make this comment.

I would suggest everyone do a lot of research for any of these schools - as $20K+ for that age is a lot of money. A lot.

[aries4118]

Originally Posted by JoeP

...

I would suggest everyone do a lot of research for any of these schools - as $20K+ for that age is a lot of money. A lot.

A-to-the-men.