ROBS all rich kids? (Mercedes, Katy: fit in, home, middle school)

[FrugalGerman]

My son has received an offer to attend ROBS for this coming school year. We obviously love the school (wouldn't have applied otherwise!), but now I'm starting to get concerned about the demographics there. We can afford the school, we're quite comfortable financially, but we are far from ridiculously well off, and my husband and I both work to keep us comfortable - guess my question is: will my son be the 'poor kid, odd man out' if he goes there? Since we're not über wealthy and he has two working parents? Or are there more PLUs there than it appears from my vantage point?

[KatieKennedy]

My daughter graduated from ROBS last year. She never felt out of place, and we are not rich. Most of the parents of students there are not ultra wealthy. However, most can afford the school because they work hard. My husband and I both work full time, and many other parents do also. I will not deny that there are some uber wealthy kids and parents there who hail from River Oaks. These are the folks that give mega bucks to the school and have the football field, etc. named after them. However, there are plenty of others that hail from other parts of town and give the school $100 for the annual campaign. You will see some Porsches, Mercedes, and Maserati's in the car pool line, but you will also see plenty of Hondas, Toyotas, minivans and SUVs. ROBS has an after school care program that stays open until 6 p.m. The ASC program is great and is used by a lot of working parents. My daughter made great friends in the after school group. Please feel free to PM me if you have more questions.

[FrugalGerman]

Thank you! That makes me feel so much better! I have no issue with our son attending a school where some of the kids are part of the 'super haves' (let's face it - it's just reality that there will always be those in this world that have more), as long as there are also plenty of those that are more like our level of income (and it sounds like there are). Hard to fit in if you're the outlier! Overall did you find the parents and children welcoming? And were you happy with the academics and your daughters level of preparedness for high school? To be honest the reputation for academics is one of the big reasons we applied there, so would be good to get a parent perspective on whether they are as excellent as they appear!

[KatieKennedy]

You are right that there are always going to be "super haves" in this life. The school is very welcoming. They assign a buddy child and parent to each new student family. My daughter's buddy ended up being one of her best friends. The parents are very involved with the school so there are lots of chances to meet other parents. We were very happy with the academic rigor. My daughter came to ROBS from public school, but was able to adapt quickly. She took honors classes at ROBS and did very well. The teachers are excellent. She gained admission to a very selective private high school. She has made straight A's in high school so far and is taking honors and pre AP classes.

[KatieKennedy]

At ROBS, like at any private school, there are lots of moms that do not work outside the home. However, there are plenty of moms that work full time or at least part time. Lots of the moms hold professional positions such as lawyer, doctor, etc. Many of the school's teachers also have children that attend.

[FrugalGerman]

Thanks again for the great info and perspective. Did you find that there was a difference between public and private school re:academics and environment? And if you don't mind sharing, can I ask what public school she attended?

[KatieKennedy]

My daughter was at a great public school, West University Elementary, from K-4. She was in the gifted/talented program there so the academics were fairly similar to ROBS at those levels. WUES was a lot bigger than ROBS, and the class sizes were larger. It was a bit more diverse. The parents were very involved there just as at ROBS. The academic disparity between public and private became evident in the middle school years. For example, all the kids at ROBS start algebra in 7th grade. In the middle school there is a very intensive Spanish language program, and honors classes are available in math and English. team sports are also emphasized.

[Vicman]

Originally Posted by KatieKennedy

My daughter was at a great public school, West University Elementary, from K-4. She was in the gifted/talented program there so the academics were fairly similar to ROBS at those levels. WUES was a lot bigger than ROBS, and the class sizes were larger. It was a bit more diverse. The parents were very involved there just as at ROBS. The academic disparity between public and private became evident in the middle school years. For example, all the kids at ROBS start algebra in 7th grade. In the middle school there is a very intensive Spanish language program, and honors classes are available in math and English. team sports are also emphasized.

When I was in middle school at a public magnet, 7th grade students had the option to start Algebra at 7th grade, but only if you did well in 6th grade math.

[PedroMartinez]

Think of the connections your son could make that could possibly benefit him down the road.

I wouldn't worry about him being the "poor kid"; however, there is the chance he may felt a bit excluded if he hangs out with the ultra-wealthy kids who start talking about ski trips to the alps or what kind of cars are in dad's collection. The thing is, any kid can feel excluded in just about any school. If your kid went to Katy High School and his friends all made the football team and he didn't, that would probably be the same feeling.

If you can afford a great education, do it.

[texasroots77]

I have several friends whos kids attend ROBS. Among them are stay at home moms and working moms. They all live well but none IMO spoil their kids. They are all happy with the academics and faculty.