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I’ve mostly been a reader of forums than an OP. I'm a researcher at heart and I like to get as much info as I can about something before I dive in...Whenever possible of course.
All the reading I have done on the above issue has still not got me as close to a decision as I would like. Please be advised that I will do the legwork as well, visit schools in person, talk to teachers and admins etc, but I do want to utilize this forum to talk to other parents as my experience has been that doing that in person is not always easy or possible.
Okay first thing first, I have a 2 YEAR OLD (This is in caps so you guys know that while I need to know what path I’m taking, this isn’t a hugely urgent... I’m not talking next fall)
I'm trying to decide what I’ll do with her come Pre-K or Kinder. I have always been of the frame of mind that my kids would go to private schools because I did... but I honestly had no idea the sheer craziness that’s involved in private school enrollment especially when there is an element of prestige to the school. I now appreciate my parents putting up with all that to get me a good education because we weren’t rich but they made that sacrifice. I now realize just how big that sacrifice was.
I also have the slight disadvantage (albeit an advantage in other ways) of not having an American education. My dad was an expat (no, we really were NOT rich) and I went to school overseas through high school and came back for college. All the schools I attended used or were modeled after the GCSE curriculum (UK) with some modifications to cater to a diverse (meaning international) student population with IB at the senior level. I have no real knowledge of how the American system works besides what I gather from general knowledge, family, friends etc. I don’t fully know how it works. It’s been years since I’ve been in any kind of school and now that I have a child about to join that same system I have trouble navigating it. I do know that I initially had a hell of a time changing my essentially British education to fit into an American one (English classes were especially annoying, mostly due to grammatical differences) but the one major thing that made an impression on me was how challenged I was NOT.
Most of the college coursework I had to take for the first couple of years were things I had already covered in high school and I was rather annoyed at the idea of having to spend three months re-learning stuff I already knew while paying college tuition. Some classes I felt I should have been allowed to take the final for and move on .... But I was in a small private school in NC and they don’t bend much. Looking back now I should have gone to UNC and I probably would have had more options.... but I digress. This has left me the public school education here is below what it should be mostly because a college counselor I spoke with about my issues told me that the classes I found 'too easy' were necessary in the first years to ensure that the students coming in learned college level skills before taking 'college level' classes.....but.... isn’t that what they call SECONDARY/ HIGH SCHOOL??? Anyway I decided right then my kids were going to school overseas or in privates.
Fast forward 12 years later and apparently going overseas for school is not as feasible as I thought
(I laugh at that thought now, I was so naive) and private schools in Dallas seem to have their own set of problems.
Please don’t bite my head off here but my overall impressions are I either have the choice of a) a religious school or b) an uber-expensive liberal arts non-denominational school. There seems to be a lack of high performing mid-priced private schools here and no performing arts privates at all. (If I’m wrong someone please correct me). There also seems to be a lack of private schools that excel in the sciences....there are few...or one...high performing co-ed schools, (the top three are single sex)
The overall impression I have of the parents that do take their kids to the above listed schools, in my opinion, is that they are a little haughty in most cases, and downright hostile in others especially to those that they deem to not be in their circles that attempt to get into 'their' schools. There's a lot I’ve read from these individuals on threads that scares me.... mostly because I have a very open 'world view'. I understand that some people have to feel like they are better or higher in standing than most; but I just don’t get it…We are not all the same, yes, but human beings…regardless of how much they have or think they know…have the same hopes fears and dreams. We aren’t as unique as we like to think we are. And while I have no romantic notions that all the people of the world should come together and sing kumbaya, I do see the need for diversity... and not in the lip service form but honest to goodness mixed up, one from here and one from there diversity, and decent educational opportunities for all people...regardless of cultural or financial status. One learns SO MUCH from being around or meeting people who are un-like you. I was fortunate to have experienced that and i so badly want that for my daughter. I just don’t see much of it in Dallas area schools. I feel (and again please don’t bite my head off) that DFW in itself is financially and culturally divided and there are clear lines you can draw between the haves and have not’s, and different ethnic groups and their respective schools. There's a lot of talk on these boards of people planning to run away from their current homes into other locations because there are too many apartment dwellers in their schools, a huge Latin population, too may kids from the wrong neighborhoods etc...
Such talk while realistic and sometimes well meaning; scares me. I initially came to city-data to research the school situation here and instead I’m now fearful for my daughter. I’m worried that her choices are either a pretty good ISD ( Plano) that is having the same issues all of Texas is suffering through with school budget cuts, overcrowding, ever changing zones and has a reputation for being too big for its own good, some WASPY religious school that I’m afraid will make my child more narrow minded than I would like or a super exclusive well regarded private school where she will be the 'financial aid kid' because while I’m open to sacrificing a lot for my child's education, 25k a year is nowhere in my budget... and if I have 2 like I’m planning to, 50K is not even feasible... unless I get a huge raise... or run a billion dollar ponzi scheme . My impression is a lot of private school parents resent the fact that they have to pay full tuition which allows other qualified kids that can't do the same attend. I have trouble believing that resentment won’t find its way to my child's school experience. The one 'International’ school I found in Dallas is really a French school which would work if I was planning on moving to France or Canada but since that is not currently an option, I feel a little stuck.
Please offer your opinions suggestions, or critiques... I especially want to know how other non-affluent non-religious parents navigated the private school thing and other people's experiences on how they picked where their kids would learn... public or private. I'm not specifically interested in individual school performance. I am more interested in what swayed people to one school or ISD over another and how your children have either succeeded or had issues with the decisions you made. Also if any of you went public and switched to private or vice versa and how easy that was to do. I would also appreciate feedback from non-native, expat and international/ immigrant parents on their children’s’ educational experiences in DFW.
And last but certainly not least, exactly what ARE your kids learning? I don’t care about sports programs...I’m more interested in academics and the Arts...are these privates worth the $$$? How prepared are your kids in either public or private schools for college level coursework? Assume sylvan learning center does not exist. I haven’t bought a home yet pending my decision so I could use some feedback( when I do buy a home it won’t be in highland park so... yeah, don’t suggest HPISD). Oh and bring on the stats... I love those. I also have no aversion to putting my child in a religious school except where the school is very rigid in their religious or political (these tend to blur these days) views.
E&OE... so please dont correct my spelling... i promise i'm quite eloquent.
Given everything you have said, I would think the International School would be the one to pick. No, you aren't going to Canada or France to live at the moment, but it is a language - well they also teach Spanish as well.
We moved from the UK in 2011. My daughter was six at the time. She went from Year 1 in a UK school into the 1st grade here. She is in a public school in RISD. Her school is heavily Hispanic, but there are other groups there as well. I like the international feel of the school. The fact that the Principal moved to the US as a young child helped my daughter. The Vice Principal is from Peru, and an administrator is from Argentina. There are more there, I am sure.
My daughter is not being engaged at school. Is that because she was taught further ahead in the UK? I do not believe so. It is a different way of teaching. US education tends to be broader and UK tends to be more specialised. My step-daughter who has done her GCSEs and is finishing up her BTEC national diploma, when she was in secondary school she could not do basic things. Education is not great here and definitely not great in the UK. It often depends on where you are, but as a whole I do not believe that it is any better over there, especially in secondary.
Sorry for that rant. Now, have you looked into schools that do the Primary Years IB? That might be a great avenue for you.
Thank you that is really good information... sound like I just went to a 'good' school and it’s not the system as a whole that’s superior. I will definitely check out RISD as I have heard good things about it (and BAD) but since it keeps coming up in these posts I will definitely check more into it.
I'll look more into International school of Dallas. I haven’t done the school tour there yet and maybe I should before making judgements.
I'm surprised at the sheer number of public schools that offer Primary years IB programmes! Another thing for me to look at, thank you very much, like I said before I'm still learning, GREAT POST!
Are these district specific? I've seen a couple I’m interested in but it seems they are very competitive( doesn’t scare me, I’ll at least try) I'll probably call one as well and bombard them with questions but any advice you can give on charter schools will be appreciated.
The Tier 1 publics in the DFW area are a great deal. PISD in particular ranks with the top schools in other areas. The large numbers of programs and large school body offers a lot to most any child. These districts are run really well, even though they send a large part of their money to other districts as part of the state mandated "robin hood" funding scheme.
The Dallas privates range from very good to ok. Having been down that route and having friends who are still there, I can agree that school comes to dominate family life. I am not sure that the majority are "snooty" its just that the dominant parental group at them are geeky and they tend to be reserved. And can come across as cold. Is the cost worth it? I am not so sure. A combination of homeschool, tutors, and using the money for trips around the country and world can achieve a comparable result.
The other schools are a mixed bag. At the end of the day it comes down to teacher quality and student-teacher ratios and then curriculum.
The Tier 1 publics in the DFW area are a great deal. PISD in particular ranks with the top schools in other areas. The large numbers of programs and large school body offers a lot to most any child. These districts are run really well, even though they send a large part of their money to other districts as part of the state mandated "robin hood" funding scheme.
Quote:
Originally Posted by TX75007
The Dallas privates range from very good to ok. Having been down that route and having friends who are still there, I can agree that school comes to dominate family life. I am not sure that the majority are "snooty" its just that the dominant parental group at them are geeky and they tend to be reserved. And can come across as cold. Is the cost worth it? I am not so sure. A combination of homeschool, tutors, and using the money for trips around the country and world can achieve a comparable result.
The other schools are a mixed bag. At the end of the day it comes down to teacher quality and student-teacher ratios and then curriculum.
Thank you for your input.... I’m trying to be logical that’s why I was still open to publics and privates all the same especially since the money spent on private school is daunting. ( my husband did the 13 year math for 2 kids ...even assuming that we a)get financial aid or b) won’t need it in the future and the amount was staggering) That being said we are willing to cut down in other places to facilitate for that....question is do we have to? From reading other threads it almost appears that our family will be well served in a top rated public school... maybe a district with magnets or IB world schools etc. My only concern is whether once you are in you are in or whether this will be a yearly gamble due to all the changes in the DFW school district lately... cause I’m not really in the market to do this yearly for a decade or more... it’s exhausting!
For publics I’m currently leaning towards Plano ISD ( me and the rest of the free world...hence the crowding) or maybe a DISD charter like North hills Prep if we can get in, Any ISD with reputable IB tracks (Coppell ISD is on my radar). The question will be whether I can afford the homes in the better school districts.
For privates Greenhill seems more my cup of tea as does International School of Dallas albeit small, and St Alcuin. My problem with the last two is going to be the commute from wherever and added expense of after school care partly due to the commute. I know I won’t be buying in that area. I wish I knew smaller privates around here but I’m still looking. Someone should start a school bus service for privates too... I bet they'd make a killing!
I am also greatly concerned with the culture at the privates. Like you said the private schools seem to permeate every area of a family's life. While I will be a very involved parent in my child's education, I definitely prefer not to 'keep up with the Joneses' or 'Join the club’. If I go private it seems like not doing that will be a challenge.
Besides, I am a working mom and I doubt I would have the time to do that if I wanted to.
Given everything you have said, I would think the International School would be the one to pick. No, you aren't going to Canada or France to live at the moment, but it is a language - well they also teach Spanish as well.
My daughter attends Dallas International School. It is a great school and my daughter is completely fluent in French, but there are a few issues that you need to consider:
- the Spanish part of the education is not enough. The lower grades get 3 hours per week while the primary school only gets one hour a week (1st - 5th grades). In 6th grade, it pops backup to 3 hours a week. To say they teach three languages is a little bit of a stretch.
- The science curriculum is really poor. They just don't focus on it.
- Math is taught primarily in French. This is all good and well, but things are taught in a different order than American schools so it might be frustrating if you transfer schools, etc.
- the afterschool activities and sports are very limited. It is building and might be there by time your 2yr old is in high school, but for now, the options are quite limited.
I would say go for a tour and make up your own mind. It has been a good fit for us for the past six years, but I am not so sure it is the long-term solution for my child.
My daughter attends Dallas International School. It is a great school and my daughter is completely fluent in French, but there are a few issues that you need to consider:
Quote:
Originally Posted by jennifw
- the Spanish part of the education is not enough. The lower grades get 3 hours per week while the primary school only gets one hour a week (1st - 5th grades). In 6th grade, it pops backup to 3 hours a week. To say they teach three languages is a little bit of a stretch. - The science curriculum is really poor. They just don't focus on it. - Math is taught primarily in French. This is all good and well, but things are taught in a different order than American schools so it might be frustrating if you transfer schools, etc. - the afterschool activities and sports are very limited. It is building and might be there by time your 2yr old is in high school, but for now, the options are quite limited.
I would say go for a tour and make up your own mind. It has been a good fit for us for the past six years, but I am not so sure it is the long-term solution for my child.
OOOh ... that is a problem...I'm one of those "science is the future" folks and that is HUGELY important thing to me. I mean we cannot all be accountants and if my kid chooses the liberal arts route in the future then that’s fine but I think a solid foundation in the sciences is absolutely essential. That's something to think about. I was thinking i could take her to DIS for a while then transfer her out around middle school but from the sound of it that’s a gamble too..
Okay. So that one falls to list #2...I'll still tour it and keep it on my radar but it won't be tops on my list. The reality of it seems like a huge gamble.
OOOh ... that is a problem...I'm one of those "science is the future" folks and that is HUGELY important thing to me. I mean we cannot all be accountants and if my kid chooses the liberal arts route in the future then that’s fine but I think a solid foundation in the sciences is absolutely essential. That's something to think about. I was thinking i could take her to DIS for a while then transfer her out around middle school but from the sound of it that’s a gamble too..
Okay. So that one falls to list #2...I'll still tour it and keep it on my radar but it won't be tops on my list. The reality of it seems like a huge gamble.
I don't think you have to take it off of your list, but just keep it in the back of your mind. We lose a LOT of kids after 5th grade (changing schools when middle school starts) and again at 9th grade (going into high school).
Just message me if you think of anything else. (you might also consider summer camp there when your child is a little older.)
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. My impression is a lot of private school parents resent the fact that they have to pay full tuition which allows other qualified kids that can't do the same attend. I have trouble believing that resentment won’t find its way to my child's school experience. The one 'International’ school I found in Dallas is really a French school which would work if I was planning on moving to France or Canada but since that is not currently an option, I feel a little stuck. 
i promise i'm quite eloquent.
