If you could afford it...would you send your DC to a top school that costs $$$$

Ok, so there is a really great school near us here in NJ. It is really well-rated....it is coed for nursery school, and then becomes all-girls through 12 grade. We have friends with 5 girls in their family who attended and they all went to Ivy League schools. Well, I am going tomorrow morning to check it out.

I told DH the price and he was actually angry...which I don't blame him for....but I asked him, "what is more important than education?" and he really didn't have an answer.

Anyway...let's say you could afford it...would you send your child to an incredibly outstanding, yet incredibly expensive school? At a glance it's $12,000/year for nursery and $30,000 for middle school/high school.....huge investment....thoughts??

eta: DH and I are both public school kids...he went to an Ivy League school and he thinks the fact that he was such a great athlete got him in...just wanted to add that b/c I realize you don't have to go to a private school to get in to a great college

Message edited 12/14/2009 3:55:31 PM.

Re: If you could afford it...would you send your DC to a top school that costs $$$$

If I could afford it with no problems, I probably would send her if it was as well-rated as you say.

Re: If you could afford it...would you send your DC to a top school that costs $$$$

I would only do it if my public school not good.

But I'm a public school kid

Re: If you could afford it...would you send your DC to a top school that costs $$$$

Now that I have that out of my system, YES, if I was wealthy and could afford that without going broke, sure I would

that said, I would never be able to afford something like that

Re: If you could afford it...would you send your DC to a top school that costs $$$$

Re: If you could afford it...would you send your DC to a top school that costs $$$$

I think if I really had that type if money, I wouldn't be so by it.

I think I would because there is nothing more valuable then a good education.

I expect to have this battle in a few years as DH is a public school kid and I'm a catholic school kid.

Re: If you could afford it...would you send your DC to a top school that costs $$$$

Posted by KateDevine

I would only do it if my public school not good.

But I'm a public school kid

Re: If you could afford it...would you send your DC to a top school that costs $$$$

I came from an education is everything family.

We all went to Catholic school...they had 3 in Catholic HS and went those years without a car to help pay for tuition.

In the long run, we did all get scholarships to college.

DH talks the talk, but won't walk the walk.

We have a really great private school about 15 minutes away.

You have to pay full price for TK, 12000...then in kindergarden you can apply for financial aid.

We live in a really great school district.
DH looked at me like I was nutty.

I would pay, definitely.

Re: If you could afford it...would you send your DC to a top school that costs $$$$

I think it depends on the public school options... In many districts in upper middle class areas-- the public schools are amazing with high ivy league rates.

I would maybe do it for nursery school and continue with some extracurricular classes that would build upon some of the extras DC would get in this school if the public schools were sufficient.

The other thing that public schools bring is a bit of diversity (depends where you are though), and that can teach tolerance and open-mindedness outside of the classroom that you may not get in a private school setting.

Re: If you could afford it...would you send your DC to a top school that costs $$$$

Posted by jambalady

Posted by KateDevine

I would only do it if my public school not good.

But I'm a public school kid

I agree. I'm a public school kid and not the best public school either and I think I did pretty well in life.

Re: If you could afford it...would you send your DC to a top school that costs $$$$

Yes- Without a doubt in my mind

Re: If you could afford it...would you send your DC to a top school that costs $$$$

No, I wouldnt consider it, but only bc we live in a really good school district so there isnt a need for it.

Re: If you could afford it...would you send your DC to a top school that costs $$$$

No way, not unless I was super, super wealthy. I'm talking like making $10 million a year wealthy.

Paying that kind of money for education doesn't guarantee anything.

Re: If you could afford it...would you send your DC to a top school that costs $$$$

Absolutely.

Re: If you could afford it...would you send your DC to a top school that costs $$$$

First of all, no way would I ever send my kid to an all boy or all girls school, that's just not something I believe in. I understand some people do and that's fine, there's nothing wrong with it, I just don't like it.

And even if I could afford it I don't think I would. There are other things that I think the money would be better spent on.

Re: If you could afford it...would you send your DC to a top school that costs $$$$

Posted by Ophelia

Posted by jambalady

Posted by KateDevine

I would only do it if my public school not good.

But I'm a public school kid

I agree. I'm a public school kid and not the best public school either and I think I did pretty well in life.

I have a TON of friends (yes, MANY) that all came from NYC public schools that went all Ivy...Yale, Brown, Cornell, UPenn. and many of them were from immigrant families.

that's why I don't see myself doing it.

Re: If you could afford it...would you send your DC to a top school that costs $$$$

Probably not that type of school.

I am Catholic school educated. I would like to send my child to a Catholic school for reasons other than just the academics. However, I think kids in a school that is that $$$ are sort of being educated in a bubble. This might be prejudiced, but my impression of schools like this is that the students are sheltered in many ways and I am not sure it's the environment that I would want my child educated in.

Re: If you could afford it...would you send your DC to a top school that costs $$$$

Posted by KateDevine

Posted by Ophelia

Posted by jambalady

Posted by KateDevine

I would only do it if my public school not good.

But I'm a public school kid

I agree. I'm a public school kid and not the best public school either and I think I did pretty well in life.

I have a TON of friends (yes, MANY) that all came from NYC public schools that went all Ivy...Yale, Brown, Cornell, UPenn. and many of them were from immigrant families.

that's why I don't see myself doing it.

To further that...

My SIL is 16 and goes to a very $$$$$$$$$$$ private school and I canNOT even handle the sh1t they get away with there. And allll of the keeping up with the joneses, its appalling to me.

Re: If you could afford it...would you send your DC to a top school that costs $$$$

My cousins went to a school like that, down in McLean, VA (wealthy suburb of DC). They could definitely afford it- parents are both doctors. They started in preschool.

However, they left after a few years. For two main reasons:
1) They did not click with the other kids, they found them to be snobby and elitist. My aunt also could not stand 90 % of the parents she met.
2) Their public school system was excellent. They figured that since they paid the high taxes to live in this renowned district- they should utilize it.

Both of my cousins then went to public school for the duration. Both went on to excellent colleges. One is a successful attorney, and the other is a nurse with a masters degree.

Re: If you could afford it...would you send your DC to a top school that costs $$$$

If I could afford to pay all the way through HS, then yes.

Let's face it, most of us are paying on average $1000 per month (IE: $12K a year) for daycare. Somehow we find it and shell it out. If you can continue to pay it, and aren't just counting the days for full day kindergarten in an effort to reduce child care costs, then go for it.

Re: If you could afford it...would you send your DC to a top school that costs $$$$

Nope.

I supplement their education by working with them at home and with real world experiences. I am pretty parsimonious and unless the public school system where I live absolutely sucked I wouldn't see the real value in spending that kind of money on a designer education.

I think I'm kind of turned off by elite schools because my friend went to one and had the worst experience. He was wealthy - but the kind of people who went to his school were in a whole other stratosphere of rich and he felt like the 'poor kid' every day of his life there - plus he was artsy so that didn't help! I think you'd need a really good sense of self confidence to survive in that kind of competitive (academic and social) environment.

Message edited 12/14/2009 4:14:08 PM.

Re: If you could afford it...would you send your DC to a top school that costs $$$$

The school next to me has programs, trips, speakers...

Honestly I would hope we were the diversity they needed Josh being the spanish student.

I really don't even think in terms of college, more so for the experience of now.

Re: If you could afford it...would you send your DC to a top school that costs $$$$

Re: If you could afford it...would you send your DC to a top school that costs $$$$

Not if you live in a really great school district. Coming from a public school guidance counselor, it is all about the student and parent in terms of the education you get, IF you are in a good district.

Re: If you could afford it...would you send your DC to a top school that costs $$$$