Timeline and steps for starting private elementary school (Dallas, Irving: daycare, transfer)

[justsomeguy]

Have a 4-year old that turned 4 after September 1st 2023. So will be 5 years old after Sept 1st 2024.

I don't think the zoned Public School will be an option.

So will likely need to do private or something else like charter or magnet or lottery.

What are the things I need to do and when do I need to do them in order to get kid into a school after daycare is over? We are a non-religious household so looking for something preferably without a hardcore religious bent.

Live in 75244 near Midway/635.

Also will need after-school care since both parents work, any recommendations?

[TurtleCreek80]

Originally Posted by justsomeguy

Have a 4-year old that turned 4 after September 1st 2023. So will be 5 years old after Sept 1st 2024.

I don't think the zoned Public School will be an option.

So will likely need to do private or something else like charter or magnet or lottery.

What are the things I need to do and when do I need to do them in order to get kid into a school after daycare is over? We are a non-religious household so looking for something preferably without a hardcore religious bent.

Live in 75244 near Midway/635.

Also will need after-school care since both parents work, any recommendations?

I’m a little confused by your timeline- are you looking for PK4 for 2024-25 or Kindergarten for 2025-26?

You do have some options within DISD - Prestonwood Montessori is a DISD choice school located near you (Forest & Tollroad area). Not sure which elementary you’re zoned for, but you could apply to transfer into DeGoyler which is great & close by (Northaven & Marsh area). I know they took kindergarten transfers this year. Dealey is the DISD magnet Montessori nearby (Royal & Hillcrest area) - it is quite difficult to gain admissions.

Uplift Northern Hills is an excellent though almost impossible to get into lottery-based charter in Irving not far from you. I’m not aware of any other good charters nearby but they could be out there.

Private school admissions typically start one year before you would start, so right now prospective families are touring schools to submit applications by January for the 2024-25 school year. Most privates take a large number of new students in both PK4 and Kinder years. There are tons of posts on City Data about about the north Dallas private schools so I would poke around the site and make a list of schools’ websites to check out.

Some schools offer after-school care until 6pm or so; others don’t. It a question to put on your list when you’re checking out the public and private options.

[tcualum]

You're a few months late starting the process although you can catch up if you hurry. During Thanksgiving break make a list of schools you're interested in and make tour appointments the Monday after Thanksgiving. You probably won't make the early decisions deadline but you can make the regular decision deadlines if you hurry and are efficient. Since you're behind the curve, I would apply to as many schools as possible.

[Wittgenstein's Ghost]

Originally Posted by TurtleCreek80

Uplift Northern Hills is an excellent though almost impossible to get into lottery-based charter in Irving not far from you. I’m not aware of any other good charters nearby but they could be out there.

I think TurtleCreek means Uplift North Hills Prep, just in case you get to Googling and can't find it. It is indeed a good school, but it is hard to get into. Many, many years ago when I worked for a different test prep company in DFW, we worked with North Hills Prep. I always had a very good impression of both the students and the staff.

[TurtleCreek80]

Originally Posted by tcualum

You probably won't make the early decisions deadline but you can make the regular decision deadlines if you hurry and are efficient.

There are no “early” and “regular” deadlines for Dallas privates; maybe FW is different.

Originally Posted by Wittgenstein's Ghost

I think TurtleCreek means Uplift North Hills Prep, just in case you get to Googling and can't find it. It is indeed a good school, but it is hard to get into. Many, many years ago when I worked for a different test prep company in DFW, we worked with North Hills Prep. I always had a very good impression of both the students and the staff.

Yes. Sorry & thank you for the correction! I briefly lived in a duplex in Dallas’ Northern Hills neighborhood and must have filed the school name in my brain as the same thing

[justsomeguy]

Originally Posted by TurtleCreek80

I’m a little confused by your timeline- are you looking for PK4 for 2024-25 or Kindergarten for 2025-26?

You do have some options within DISD - Prestonwood Montessori is a DISD choice school located near you (Forest & Tollroad area). Not sure which elementary you’re zoned for, but you could apply to transfer into DeGoyler which is great & close by (Northaven & Marsh area). I know they took kindergarten transfers this year. Dealey is the DISD magnet Montessori nearby (Royal & Hillcrest area) - it is quite difficult to gain admissions.

Uplift Northern Hills is an excellent though almost impossible to get into lottery-based charter in Irving not far from you. I’m not aware of any other good charters nearby but they could be out there.

Private school admissions typically start one year before you would start, so right now prospective families are touring schools to submit applications by January for the 2024-25 school year. Most privates take a large number of new students in both PK4 and Kinder years. There are tons of posts on City Data about about the north Dallas private schools so I would poke around the site and make a list of schools’ websites to check out.

Some schools offer after-school care until 6pm or so; others don’t. It a question to put on your list when you’re checking out the public and private options.

Thanks for the recommendations.

Sorry for confusion, to clarify, I meant Kindergarten 2025-2026 school year. (Right? Because she turns 5 after Sept 1 2024. Still get confused about it.)

So it sounds like next ~Summer/Fall I need to start touring and considering schools and have applications in before January 2025, is that right?

Are there any private/charter schools you recommend avoiding, or that you know are super religious? The public school we are zoned to is Tom Gooch. Not sure if that is a good option or not.

[MenardMQ]

Originally Posted by justsomeguy

What are the things I need to do and when do I need to do them in order to get kid into a school after daycare is over? We are a non-religious household so looking for something preferably without a hardcore religious bent.

My advice, coming from someone who sent two children through top privates and also served as chair of the board of a top private school.

Step one, start saving money because it's going to be expensive if you go the North Dallas private school route.

Step Two, do not discount any of the Episcopal private schools in North Dallas like Parish and Good Shepard.. There is no "hardcore religious bent" there, and you'll do yourself a disservice to count those out. Trust me on this. Others to consider (outside of what was mentioned previously) would be Lamplighter and Alcuin.

Step three. Start the process to "play the game" - go visit the schools, meet the administration, network with other parents, all of it. Read through the extensive threads here in this forum on private school admissions. The Dallas private school community is not for the faint of heart. It will be a maddening, subjective, expensive, and high pressure environment.

Good luck.

[tcualum]

Keep in mind that tuition isn't the entire cost. There may be uniforms, spirit wear, activity fees, donations to the Room Parent fund, fundraising drives, etc. Those can really add up.

[MenardMQ]

Originally Posted by tcualum

Keep in mind that tuition isn't the entire cost. There may be uniforms, spirit wear, activity fees, donations to the Room Parent fund, fundraising drives, etc. Those can really add up.

The annual fund
The annual gala
Your bid on the hunting trip to south america
The endowment
A classroom named after your family
The capital campaign for a new STEM robotics building
The middle school graduation celebration run by the parents which will exceed 50K
The other capital campaign for a new kinder facility