Denver Schools vs CoS schools (2015, buying, public schools)

[otowi]

It is always nice if class sizes can be smaller. Thanks.

[AmeliaPond]

Are class sizes in the springs close to average? My kids (here in Texas) were each in a class of like 25 - 30 kids (5th grade and 7th)

[otowi]

Yes. There are variations but typically they'll be in the range you mentioned - there are some instances when they are consistently smaller by design - like some districts plan for smaller K-3 classes, and certain classes are allowed to go a little larger like electives that there's only one section of in high schools, etc.

[TCHP]

Originally Posted by otowi

Well, that is an illusion - drug problems, etc., are the same in private and public schools.

When I was in school we used to joke that the only difference between public and private educations were the quality and quantity of drugs available.

In all seriousness though...any education, whether public of private, is highly dependant upon the effort put into it by the student. In a private school, the smaller sizes mean the teachers can better influence how much effort those students will put into that effort. By contrast, a publich school teacher has so many competing demands on that effort, that it becomes more student motivation that determines student success.

I am a product of COS D11. I have classmates that are doctors, attorneys, and leaders of higher learning institutions, as well as teachers, engineers, middle managers and fast food workers. We also have those students who died in drug deals, are unemployed, and have practically dropped off the face of the earth to a point that they are unable to be easily located.I'd say we are about average.

My oldest son went to a private school. 15 years later, I have to say that a revisit of his school mates shows a cross section not too unlike my own from the public education system.

[BornintheSprings]

Originally Posted by TCHP

When I was in school we used to joke that the only difference between public and private educations were the quality and quantity of drugs available.

I was never exposed to any drugs at the private school I went to.

[otowi]

Well and I was never exposed to any drugs at the public school I went to. But I am pretty sure the drugs were there at both our schools for those who wanted to find 'em.

[smdensbcs]

Originally Posted by BornintheSprings

I was never exposed to any drugs at the private school I went to.

That's great, but to extrapolate that to suggest private schools are somehow drug-free zones is a bit much to expect those of us with life experience to believe. I was no prude in the late '80's and early '90's as a public-school high-achiever student but I was SHOCKED by the rampant drug-use and sheer volume of indiscriminate sex among a group of private school girls ("elite" all girls private high school) in the large city in which I grew up. It was literally beyond belief the way these rich, rich, rich private school girls were crazy. Now, I could believe that the drugs/sex scene at a Catholic high school or other religious private school could, in theory, be minimized compared to what I witnessed among those high-school girls, but a blanket statement that private schools and drugs/party-life don't go together --- (laughing), no, no a thousand times no is that true. Disgruntled rich kids with access to money, expensive cars, disengaged parents, who know that no matter how badly they behave someone is going to write a $90K annual check for them to go to an expensive private college? That is just a recipe for controlled-substance use. As a not-so-rich kid who had to pay my own way through college I never had the luxury of screwing up and knowing I'd be bailed out, so I didn't screw up. Rich private school kids get bailed out over and over, that's just the way the world works. Ergo, private school kids often have HIGHER rates of drugs and other self-entitled behavior, at least they did in my world.

To their credit, alot (not all) of those private school kids eventually got their act together and went on to fancy private grad-schools and are investment bankers and venture capitalists today, but that's just the safety-net effect of family wealth described above, not because drug use wasn't rampant in their cliques back in prep-school or whatever.

Back to the original question, I continue to understand, based on historical/objective test scores, that El Paso County has at least three of the highest performing districts in Colorado, and that Denver has none, except for one in the Boulder area.

[TCHP]

...and to further expand that, is the reference to Denver county proper or all the surrounding areas included? Arapahoe County, Douglas County, Jefferson County, Adams County, Boulder County, Broomfield County, Gilpin County, Clear Creek County, and Weld County are all in close proximity to what many of us would view as the Denver area.

[DoodlemomCoS]

They didn't say what "Denver" included

[TechMike]

Both the Denver and Colorado Springs areas have excellent public and private schools, and quality varies greatly dependent upon the neighborhood. Pick if you like Denver or Colorado Springs more, then look for neighborhoods that have schools that meet your acceptable standards.