Why do rich people send their kids to private school when the public school options are just as good?

just our experience wrote:

My kids went to a good, but not great, large public HS and were A students. Currently both are attending highly ranked universities. As parents we were able to save money during the K-12 years by sending them to public school, and now our kids will graduate from college debt free because we have the ability to pay for it.

We have many family friends who paid private tuition during the K-12 years. They have little money available to afford college tuition for their kids, and in most cases the kids are attending good, but not great, state universities.

So you didn't send your kids to private school because you couldn't afford it. That's not exactly enlightening. Your post is pointless.

Gega wrote:

I work in a town where the local high school is ranked the most beautiful in the state and one of the most prestigious in the nation. Like 95% of the teachers have a master's degree. At least a dozen students a year go to Ivy League schools. It's an incredible, incredible school.

In the same town is an "academy" that is not as highly ranked and costs over $30,000 a year. As opposed to the completely free high school a few miles down the road. AND PEOPLE FROM TOWN GO THERE! No idea why.

It may have something to do with the fact that graduates from the academy do not inappropriately insert "Like" into sentences, do not describe schools as being "incredible, incredible" and recognize that the "sentence" that you started with "As opposed to" should be contained as part of the corresponding paragraph's first sentence.

Nah , it is the " I don't want my precious white daughter around negroes" factor. That's truly what it is, one of those unspoken things racist never admit.

Nah. There are A LOT of areas where this is not the concern at all, especially given the scenario painted by the OP.

If the local schools are good that means they live in a nice area with a very very very small black population. Now if the schools are terrible nobody would question why you would send your kids to a good school.

Most legitimate responses have been stated. My observations, based from people I know from my metro area--

If truly a large-enough, quality public school, choosing to pony up for a private school seems to boil down to:

athletics/extracurriculars-- ability to be a bigger fish in a smaller pond.

more individualized instruction or emphases on what parents find important or beneficial (including faith or Classical Education)

not getting lost in the school size/bureaucratic maze

some butting heads/disagreement with staff/admin

"bad fit" for student because of bullying, medical, mental-health issues

similarly, family situation (shared custody & parents can afford it)-- location or compromise for custody

looking at college choice-- prime post-educational places will take only X number of bodies from Huge-Suburban-High #449.

rich people be crazy wrote:

I often see rich people send their kids to private schools. Often, the private schools aren’t as good academically as the local public school, which the parents are paying for anyway. Is it for some misplaced “prestige” factor?

What’s in a name, Shakespeare would say. Features and attributes of a thing are the quibbles of philosophers. Money talks. Brain drain. Networks of privilege. It’s who you know. Social cachet. Internal recruitment. Leadership development. Rights of passage. Dinner speeches. Lunch negotiations. Sitting on the board. Legacy status.

the list wrote:

1) fear of minorities

2) fear their child is stupid

3) belief their child is special

4) belief people will think and care that they are poor

I have friends who send their kids to private school and it's not complicated at all. Some of the things you mentioned are correct, but not necessarily to the extent you probably think. Often it is as simple as sending your kid to the school where his friends are, the people in your social circle send their kids and sometimes its just tradition. Sometimes the local public school is better, but often it's not and the reason is purely based on the private school being better academically. There are many good reasons to choose a private school, one, they are almost always better if your kid is a slow learner or gifted and public school tend to be a Walmart of ideas, religions, politics and other influences you might want to keep your kid away from, whereas a private school is more like a Wholefoods.

My kids went to public school, they got a good education and I can't imagine they would have had a better experience at a private school. However, I did consider sending my first kid to a private school because he could read, write and could do math before he went to kindergarten. He was in class with kids who were learning the alphabet and how to count and didn't learn very much in the first 2 years. Because private school class sizes are smaller, teachers can cater to kids who are behind or ahead whereas the only way a public school could do that is by either putting your kid in special classes or skipping them a grade.

Black Doctor ( Formerly Black Med Student) wrote:

Nah , it is the " I don't want my precious white daughter around negroes" factor. That's truly what it is, one of those unspoken things racist never admit.

.....But when daddys not looking she's still going to meet Mandingo in College, public or private background. The sheltered ones always do!

Read "The Underground History of American Education" by John T Gatto who taught in public ('government') and private schools in New York City and New York State. Perhaps the most definitive work ever on where government schooling came from and why and why private schools were actually a reaction against FORCED government schooling. You can probably find it free online as a PDF file. I also recommend The End of Education by Neil Postman, Closing of the American Mind by Alan Bloom, Cloning of the American Mind by BK Eakmen (worked at Dept. of Education), and various others that have been whistleblowers on the truth behind the forced mass schooling. You can also get some facts at sites like:

http://parentpowerindex.edreform.com/

Peace. I taught in private and public/government. I'll take private schools any time over public!

Because they are not, at least not in my city.

quickndirty wrote:

Nah. There are A LOT of areas where this is not the concern at all, especially given the scenario painted by the OP.

If the local schools are good that means they live in a nice area with a very very very small black population. Now if the schools are terrible nobody would question why you would send your kids to a good school.

What you said is true to an extent; however, some of the nation's top public and private schools are fairly diverse.

he Trinity, Spence School Collegiate School, New York City

My kids goes to a private school. Why?

1. She is about 12-18 months ahead of the public kids in our neighborhood since the school is focused on...academics.

2. She has far better social skills as her private school pushes communication/collaboration in class.

3. The school has a very strongly enforced anti-bullying and personal respect philosophy that leads to less cliques and eliminates a lot of undesired "Georgetown Prep" behavior amongst the boys.

4. Troublemakers and d-bags get expelled quickly. No hearings, investigations, diversion programs, double secret probation 8th chances, etc. Screw up and you're out!

5. The campus doesn't need a heavily armed "resource officer" to provide deterrence.

6. Uniforms. You would be astounded at the time savings each morning and the lack of stress it saves both student and parent.

7. Customer service! When I have a question, suggestion, or, concern, I get a reply from the teachers and administrators. I don't get ignored or talked down to.

8. The sports are better because they hire qualified coaches and promote success. Coaching jobs are taken seriously and not just a chance for that math teacher that once finished a charity marathon to score extra stipend money.

9. Technology! The school has embraced and invested in tools to prepare the kids for today's world.

10. I want my child to get an education. Not for the sake of elitism or so that she can get into an elite school rather, I don't want her education to be an afterthought because the local public schools are more concerned with their standardized test scores and being a social services delivery outlet.

The private schools around here have much smaller class sizes, more interesting class opportunities, and the classes themselves do far more beyond the "standard" classroom activities. You can can a great education at either a private or public school...it's what the student themselves make of it.

rich people be crazy wrote:

I often see rich people send their kids to private schools. Often, the private schools aren’t as good academically as the local public school, which the parents are paying for anyway. Is it for some misplaced “prestige” factor?

The public schools in most urban areas of the US are horrible, and it's not the fault of the teachers.

caller outer of double standards wrote:

What a double standard. You can freely bash rich people, but no one would think it was okay to go around saying that poor people “be crazy.”

There are hundreds of posts on this site on this theme that you state nobody thinks it's ok to voice. Hmmmm.

Portland Hobby Jogger wrote:

My kids goes to a private school. Why?

Which Portland private school are you talking about? If it's the one that is known for Galen Rupp I can assure you that its academics are on par with public schools in middle class/lower middle class neighborhoods. There are really only 3 good private schools in the Portland area.

Because if your kid gets into trouble, the private school has private security, and the police doesn't get involved. What happens at a private prep school stays at a private prep school.

Acquaintances are everything bruv...

envoyé à une école privée parce qu’ils pensent pouvoir donner les meilleures connaissances. Bien que ce ne soit pas toujours le cas. Les enfants doivent être donnés à des écoles éprouvées et seulement. Je vous conseille de lire une thèse https://lathese.com/ sur l'importance de choisir la bonne école pour votre enfant.