Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
My husband and I are products of public school but we chose private for our kids for a number of reasons including; smaller class sizes, more attention per student, more support from peers and parents to succeed, not worried about cuts in programs due to state funding, teach to learn not teach to test and that's just to name a few.
We are looking at possibly switching our children to public HS when the time comes just so that they have the experience of being thrown into an entirely new environment before college. The idea of going through from k-12 with the same people does make a bit uncomfortable, but we're willing to see how things go.
As for right now, we're really happy with our choice.
It's a tough decision, and one we are potentially facing now. It's even tougher if moving to the area and trying to determine which public schools are good ones vs not. We're not looking in south Charlotte, but NW Charlotte. West Huntersville/Mtn Island Lake/Belmont/Cramerton areas. Any input on private or public scchools in those areas? Do the private schools typically have buses that pick up at certain locations? The school factor really throws a wrench in the works. Especially with the CMS system.
Just a comment from one who has experienced the public schools, I would recommend being in south Charlotte or Union county for public elementary school and if at all possible look at private schools for middle and high school. The sheer size of the public schools makes them unresponsive to questions/suggestions. I am far from a helicopter parent but at one point I politely emailed the principal at a public middle school about an important issue and never received an acknowledgement even though my request fell in line with their policy. Comments I have received from public school teachers include words to the effect "I just have too many students to keep up with". In hindsight, I wish I had done everything I could to try and place my children in private schools. I just wish someone had told me this when we moved here.
Not to brag, but I have right much edumucation. Private schools are one of the biggest scams going...Something about separating a fool from his or her money. There are lots of terrible kids in private schools, they got in trouble in CMS and rather than go with the thugs in Derita, or whatever the holding pen is now, mom or pop spends the cash and stashes in private schools.
Those citing all the extrinsic factors such as smaller classes, more of this or that, are ignoring, probably blissfully, that if your child is not motivated, internally to learn and ultimately excel, then all the outside stuff ain't gonna madder.
If you believe that going to school is to prepare you for the real world, then you are doing your kids a disservice sending them to private schools.
Finally, even the best from the private schools of Charlotte are generally viewed as ignorant bumpkins the the Ivy League. Of course, if daddy has the cash, those bumpkins do seem to be a lot more intelligent.
If you want to spend a 100K+ on your kids education, put then in public school and travel with them extensively during breaks. They will learn more with you than they can ever learn in public or private schools. Show them the world, different cultures, expose them to ideas, that my friends is how you prepare your children for the 21st century.
Not to brag, but I have right much edumucation. Private schools are one of the biggest scams going...Something about separating a fool from his or her money. There are lots of terrible kids in private schools, they got in trouble in CMS and rather than go with the thugs in Derita, or whatever the holding pen is now, mom or pop spends the cash and stashes in private schools.
Those citing all the extrinsic factors such as smaller classes, more of this or that, are ignoring, probably blissfully, that if your child is not motivated, internally to learn and ultimately excel, then all the outside stuff ain't gonna madder.
If you believe that going to school is to prepare you for the real world, then you are doing your kids a disservice sending them to private schools.
Finally, even the best from the private schools of Charlotte are generally viewed as ignorant bumpkins the the Ivy League. Of course, if daddy has the cash, those bumpkins do seem to be a lot more intelligent.
If you want to spend a 100K+ on your kids education, put then in public school and travel with them extensively during breaks. They will learn more with you than they can ever learn in public or private schools. Show them the world, different cultures, expose them to ideas, that my friends is how you prepare your children for the 21st century.
Have a great day.
My friend, you and I will have to agree to disagree.
I have never known a child who attended one of the big private schools in Charlotte who did not get just a stellar education and preparation for not only living in the "real world" but for competing at some of the finest colleges in the country.
In addition, most of them received at least partial scholarships to those colleges.
I'm a public school graduate and I've had kids who did both public and private.
The level of education from the private school beat that of the public hands down, not even a contest.
Your post sounds like sour grapes, as I know first hand the ENVIRONMENT of a school needs to be combined with that motivation to learn, or the learning gets interrupted, DISRUPTED and otherwise adversely affected. Private schools can generally offer much better learning environments.
Kids are all different and can have many different learning styles.
The important thing is to place your child in the environment that best suits that child's needs.
I also think that they are fine Schools and have a lot of friends that attend both. Your kids will get a great education, I would just keep in mind that there are some great public schools around Charlotte and I think that if a student plugs in, has supportive parents, and builds their resume with extracurricular activities that they can accomplish anything and get into a university of their choice.
Some assume that private schools offer superior everything, justifying their tuition costs. Others contend that public schools provide more real-life experiences or, in some cases, more-developed specialty programs in athletics or science.
BIGGEST ISSUE IS $$$$. The good news for parents is that public schools cannot charge tuition. The bad news is that public schools are complicated, financed through taxes, schools are part of a larger school system, which functions as a part of the government and must follow the rules and regulations set by politicians.
In contrast, private schools must generate their own funding, which typically comes from a variety of sources: tuition; private grants; and fundraising from parents, alumni, and other community members. If the school is associated with a religious group, the local branch may provide an important source of funding as well.
For parents this quickly translates into the bad news: high tuition costs and sometimes an exhausting work calendar of parent-sponsored fundraisers. According to the National Association of Independent Schools, the median tuition for their member private day schools in 2008-2009 in the United States was $17,441. Tuition for boarding schools was close to $37,017. (Of the 28,384 private schools in the United States, about 1,050 are affiliated with the NAIS. Average tuition for nonmember schools is substantially less: Day schools charge $10,841 and boarding schools $23,448.)
Parochial schools are even more affordable. The National Catholic Educational Association reports that the mean tuition for parish elementary schools is $2,607 and $6,906 for the freshman year of secondary school. (Thank you, Pope Benedict XVI!)
The potential benefits of private schools accrue from their independence. Private schools do not receive tax revenues, so they do not have to follow the same sorts of regulations and bureaucratic processes that govern (and sometimes hinder) public schools. This allows many private schools to be highly specialized, offering differentiated learning, advanced curriculum, or programs geared toward specific religious beliefs. There are exceptions to such generalizations — charter and magnet schools are increasingly common public schools that often have a special educational focus or theme. (greatschools.org offers great information on this subjuct)
Which one is more academically rigorous? And can best offer differentiated learning for accelerated students? I'm not interested in a school that (overly) favors alums and siblings to the detriment of its student body.
All I've read on this board or on other sites seems to rate both CLS and PDS as relatively equal - and head and shoulders above CCDS. Am I missing something?
I don't have any reliable insight to these private schools but I will give you a few anecdotes. I can say the my son went to Myers Park and participated in statewide math contests. PDS was always represented, CCDS and CLS not. CCDS is the only private school with an International Baccalaureate program and I know someone who moved there from Myers Park and the parents are very happy with it. CLS I have heard the least about - only that one set of parents thought that the 1rst grade was not rigorous enough. Could be that their kid was gifted so this would be the case anywhere. I personally prefer PDS because I perceive it to be the most politically liberal (perhaps due to it's sizable jewish population)
I believe preparedness of students for college stems from wealth and from education levels of the parents, not whether or not they went to public or private schools.
This times a million!
I went to public schools. In high school I participated in the international baccalaureate program. Myself and the people in my graduating class were more than ready for the college transition without our parents spending thousands of dollars. I feel that in any educational environment the kids can get out of it what they are willing to put in. If education is stressed In the home the sky is the limit.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
