Recommendation for private schools? (Baltimore: house, neighborhood, buy)

[casualsurfer]

How are the private schools in Baltimore? Any recommendations for private schools that are 6-12 worth looking into? If we can't get into a house within our budget in the areas that are desirable, we might have to get a place that may not have the public schools but relatively good neighborhood and lower cost homes.

Thank you.

[Tinawina]

The independent schools around here are excellent for the most part IMO. It really just depends on finding the best teaching approach, school culture, etc that fits your child and your family.

Do you have a rough idea of what you'd be willing to spend, activities/subjects your child/ren are interested in, types of atmospheres they thrive in (competitive? family oriented? religious? academic?). That kind of information would help.

Also check out this website:
BIS

[MrRational]

Originally Posted by casualsurfer

How are the private schools in Baltimore?

Pricey.

Any recommendations for private schools that are 6-12 worth looking into?

Pretty much any of them.
The difficult part (beyond cost of course) is getting accepted.

If we can't get into a house within our budget in the areas that are desirable,
we might have to get a place that may not have the public schools...

Run the numbers on TOTAL ownership costs (incl taxes). See what you get.

Many in your spot (most?) would buy less house in the better school district...
or accept a costlier comparable house because tuition expense isn't a tax deduction.

[casualsurfer]

Originally Posted by MrRational

Pricey.

Pretty much any of them.
The difficult part (beyond cost of course) is getting accepted.

Run the numbers on TOTAL ownership costs (incl taxes). See what you get.

Many in your spot (most?) would buy less house in the better school district...
or accept a costlier comparable house because tuition expense isn't a tax deduction.

As always, Mr. Rational gives excellent advice.

If my kids were older I'd probably not hesitate to live closer to the city - some of the renovated places in the $300s seem really really nice, and walkable to a lot of places.

I didn't notice the tax portion until you mentioned it and I was shocked to find certain homes with assessments of over $6K, up to $10K a year for a home that's less than $500K. Not sure how that's possible but I did see another thread on this. Lack of homestead tax break, maybe?

Thanks again Mr. Rational. Always appreciate the advice.

[MrRational]

Originally Posted by casualsurfer

I didn't notice the tax portion until you mentioned it and
I was shocked to find certain homes with assessments
of over $6K, up to $10K a year for a home that's less than $500K.

Assessment (and homestead exemption) issues aside...
The mil rate in the CITY is more than twice the mil rate in the COUNTY.
MD Current Tax Rates

If you don't already have some good maps of the area... get one.
Put a BOLD Marker line on the City:County border.

Then run two vertical lines from there north to the PA border.
One line to the west of I-83 and the other to the east of I-83.
That's your target.

Conveniently for you...
both your job and some of the better schools in the state are there.

[Infinite_heights77]

Do you mean independently Afrocentric and Jewish institutions?!

Originally Posted by Tinawina

The independent schools around here are excellent for the most part IMO. It really just depends on finding the best teaching approach, school culture, etc that fits your child and your family.

Do you have a rough idea of what you'd be willing to spend, activities/subjects your child/ren are interested in, types of atmospheres they thrive in (competitive? family oriented? religious? academic?). That kind of information would help.

Also check out this website:
BIS

[Tinawina]

Originally Posted by Infinite_heights77

Do you mean independently Afrocentric and Jewish institutions?!

If that's what works for you!