Is a K-12 private school education worth the cost?


I would say value is probably in the eye of the beholder when it comes to K-12 private school education. I’m a big advocate for public schools, so it isn’t the right route for me, but I wouldn’t begrudge someone for making that choice.

This article mentions a rise in the number of loans to parents seeking to pay tuition costs. Have you or would you send your child to private school? And in what ways was it worth the financial commitment?

Categories: School
Jennifer Gish

15 Responses

  1. MBAMom says:

    For now, my son goes to private school, and will next year. We chose private school because the public schools are not good in our area. However, my husband and I have pledged not to go into debt to pay for it. If you have to take out a loan, you simply cannot afford it.

  2. crabby old emily says:

    Explore your options! Go visit your public school. Talk to other parents who have children in the public schools. Don’t assume that a school is not good simply because of statistics and reports. It depends on the child. Both of my children were educated from k-12 in Albany Public Schools. I try not to be a reverse snob and judge parents who choose private education for their children, and I appreciate when I am not judged for choosing a a public education.

  3. m says:

    I was a stay at home mom and it was hard, raising four kids on one income. We sent ALL of our children to Catholic school and I would do it all again! What a difference!!!

  4. Josho says:

    My wife and I were both products of the public school system, and both found it lacking in certain crucial aspects. When our girl was born, we started reading about public education and how it came to be designed the way it is. We concluded that it was NOT designed to be the best way for students to learn (or for teachers to teach!); rather, it was designed specifically to be able to move the greatest number of students through the process in the most efficient and orderly way possible, on a schedule that was most appealing to parents.

    We would like better for our daughter’s formative years than simply a highly efficient and orderly process; we would like something that we know will flex more easily to bring out her strengths and assist with her weaknesses. We looked at all the different private school approaches and ended up with a Montessori school…much to the dismay of my wife’s father, a New York City public school teacher for over fifty years.

  5. MED says:

    We are leaving the public school setting at the end of this school and moving to a private school. My daughter has been in public school k-2 and will start 3rd grade in private. We made the choice because the quality of the education in our district has declined every year she has attended public school. With busget issues and class size increases due to teacher cuts, we are unwilling to allow her to be in a class larger than 25 students and next they will be closer to 30 in a class. We also have conserns about bulliing and the quality of the students in the district as well as the teachers and administrators. We have had a year full of bulliing and a principal who gives ineffective a whole new meaning. I have been a room parent and volunteer my time as well. So at this point we feel that our daughters education far out ways the expense of tuition. We can afford to make small budget cuts to allow for this and will be paying her tuition without assistance.

  6. Laurie B says:

    Just made the decision a few weeks ago to switch back to private school. The NYS core curriculum seems to be even more focused on “teaching to the test” rather than critical thinking. It’s kind of sad; we moved to our town for the schools but I don’t feel the teachers are allowed to teach they way they want to.

  7. lizzee says:

    I have not added up what the years in a private parochial elementary school cost us k-5th grade,for our granddaughter but it was money well spent. There was the year of the bully in 4th grade but the teachers did the best they legally could with the situation. There may not have been hands-on science kits for each student but the teachers taught the curriculum and no child was ever left behind. My experiences with the public system,which I am a product of and benefited from greatly, and from which our two kids did quite well in also,is broken. Teachers cannot teach to the best of their ability. They are restricted to teaching to the tests. There is seldom time to grasp onto an educational moment and running with it or going off the ‘grid’with a project or interest that arises in the student makeup of the class. And,woe to the teacher whose class does not perform up to the standards. I have seen principals brought in to school board meetings and nearly threatened with their jobs and teachers called on the carpet for the performances of the students on these tests. Politics has ruined public education and continues to do so with drastic results.

  8. CohoesMom5 says:

    Our children started going to a private school because we lived in a school district that wasn’t the best. We then moved just outside the city limits into a new district that is really good but we kept our children in their private school and they will stay in private schools until after they graduate high school. We would never take out a loan to pay for it and have been saving for school (and college) since before they were born. This is something we really wanted to do for our kids and are willing to make the sacrifices to do it.

    But there is one thing I never thought about when we decided to send them to private school – their school friends will probably not live nearby. The kids will end up with a mix of friends from local sports teams, the neighborhood, and school. Playdates with school friends are much harder to arrange as they may live 15-20 miles away and have different local sport schedules.

  9. Albany Mom says:

    As public school teachers and administrators become more and more micromanaged and told exactly what to teach and how to teach it, I have definitely considered private school. However, don’t fool yourself into thinking bullying doesn’t happen in private school. One of my kid has friends in various private schools, and it sounds like the bullying is much worse there. Part of this is due to the small size of the schools – it is much harder to get away from the people that are bugging you and much easier to fall outside any clique when there are only 15 or 20 people in your entire grade. Part of it is due to money. It seems that children of families that donate a lot to the school are much less likely to be reprimanded than other students.

  10. ChristineV says:

    I am a product of both public and private (Catholic) schools but our son has been in private schools from K-11 and will graduate next year from CBA. It’s been a great experience for him and since all of his elementary school friends came to CBA in 6th grade when he did he’s had a core group of good friends for years. #8 hit on this, but his really good friends came from school and the closest don’t live too far away. Now that he’s driving it’s a non-issue. Also #9 hit on a sad point: children of families who donate a lot of $$$ or are on the board are much less likely to be called out for any infraction.

  11. The cost is so worth it says:

    I am a product of a private school and my daughter has been going to private school as well since Pre-K. I have many friends whose children are attending public school and the same age as my daughter. My daughter is not smarter than those children, but even my friends will admit that she is learning an advanced curriculum compared to their children. She is way ahead of the game as far as reading, math and writing. I think the difference is the small class size, individualized assistance for each child and the lack of testing perameters in the curriculum. Another difference is that the teachers are given the utmost respect from the studentsd and if you dont do this, you are out. Public schools dont have this luxury and have to put up with disruptions in class and this can lead to very scary situations. This is not something which is condusive for a perfect learning environment. She is not being given standardized tests and the teachers are given freedoms they dont have in public schools. I would not trade anything for my daughters education and would pay whatever I have to to assure that she is prepared for college. 100% of all students graduating in my daughters class will attend college and over 50 % attend graduate school. Priceless

  12. maggie says:

    If you had asked me a month ago, I would have said there would never be anything that would get me to take my daughter out of the public schools. I am fully cognizant of their historical failings, having grown up with all but one of the adults in my life having some association with public schools from aide to teachers to administrators to curriculum developers for the State. But the new teacher evaluation system that is going to be inplace for next year requires that all kids get a pre- and post-test in every subject for every grading period for every grade. And teachers have to show that their instruction has lead to improvements. So that means that my child as a kindergartner is going to be required to fail at least four tests a year, if not more. By high school, that will be up to 25 tests per year. What will that do to her love of learning? How can I in good conscience subject her to that?

  13. mb says:

    Both of my daughters went to the same public school as me & my husband did. Although the school has changed a great deal my older daughter is in her 3rd year of college (ST Rose) with an overall 4.0 – so I would say that this particular school (lansingbugh) did a great job with her. My younger daughter is a junior & last report card had an overall average of 98. I hear a lot of bad about all public schools & Lansingbugh is no different BUT if the child wants to learn they do – as with my girls & most of their friends….The only big difference I see with private schools is you do not have the gangs but still have all the problems the other schools have with drugs & sex… + the kids have more money

  14. Parker Moore says:

    I think it is more of a social status indicator, and it can TOTALLY change who your child becomes, mostly in a good way, because private school truly does open up doors that would not otherwise be available. Also, by sending your child to a private school, your putting them in a more focused, small, family environment where they can truly excel.

  15. AH says:

    I went to a private catholic grade school when I was young. My daughter goes to a private catholic school now. This will be the last year for private school. I opened my eyes and toured our neighborhood elementary school. The curriculum was ahead of what my daughter had learned and they had more activities to give the kid’s hands on learning experiences. In my opinion, the catholic schools today are basically high priced public schools. I did not send my children to private school to portray a “status” as many parents do. I was hoping to have my children learn to be good moral and respectful citizens as the nuns had taught me when I was young. Since nuns no longer teach at most Catholic schools, this major element is no longer a factor. This year I was apalled by some of the things that came out of my daughter’s mouth, that she heard from her fellow classmates. There have also been behavioral issues with some of the kids. I questioned what I was really paying money for. Our school is nice, but lacks resources and options for kids. There is plenty bullying as well. I realize if you want to be smart and educated, it can happen in any environment.