Public vs Private school

[etteyam]

Since DD1 will be entering VPK this year, H and I have started looking for schools to send her to for kindergarten. The elementary school we're zoned for is decent but we think it's changing (and not in a good way). The middle and high schools are not highly rated at all. So now we're looking into private schools. I seriously had sticker shock upon seeing how much tuition costs! H calculated, for us to send 3 kids to private school, it would cost us over 300K. He thinks, for that amount, we should just buy a house in South Tampa, where the public schools are rated 10. I absolutely love where we are at right now, but I'm also kicking myself for not considering school district when we bought. WWYD?

[amellis2]

You could also look into scholarships so that you can stay where you are. A friend of mine in PA has her daughter is a prestigious all-girls school because she tested well. She's an adjunct professor and her husband is a PhD candidate, so with three kids (middle school, elementary, and pre-school) schooling is not cheap!

I know that a lot of Montessori schools offer a Step-Up scholarship for Kindergarten and up, too.

[moonstone523]

I understand your predicament. We have many years to think about this, but the sticker shock is so real. Some thoughts - For 300k you couldn't buy a house in south Tampa that is as big as yours now. You could send the kids to private middle and hS only. Charter schools? 

We are stuck on our end. I'm a proud public school girl who went to a very diverse (rough?) high school. H is a catholic school kid. We will definitely be sending Sammy to public elementary and will decide on middle and high school when we get there.

[etteyam]

Jan 17, 2014 21:38:55 GMT -5 moonstone523 said:

I understand your predicament. We have many years to think about this, but the sticker shock is so real. Some thoughts - For 300k you couldn't buy a house in south Tampa that is as big as yours now. You could send the kids to private middle and hS only. Charter schools? 

We are stuck on our end. I'm a proud public school girl who went to a very diverse (rough?) high school. H is a catholic school kid. We will definitely be sending Sammy to public elementary and will decide on middle and high school when we get there.

This is most likely what we're gonna end up doing. The only reputable charter school close to us is Lutz Prep. And from what I understand, it's extremely hard to get in. Had we planned ahead, we would have started DD1 in their 3 year old program to secure a spot for Kindergarten.