This is not the place for: "I wouldn't send my kid to private school".
I want to know if you sent your kid to private school (Catholic, secular, etc) for Elementary and Middle, would you consider public for high school or would you keep them in private high? And why?
Do you have experience with this from when you were a kid?
pomegranate / 3565 posts
I would continue on with private school. I went to catholic school from K-12 and an all girls school for 9-12. The plan is the same for my kids. I feel like if you want that private experience for your kids why stop for high school? If anything, influences are stronger at that age. Not saying that bad kids aren't in private school, but in my experience it's definitely different.
squash / 13208 posts
This was me.
I went to Catholic school (K-8) and then once in HS we could choose public or private. Oddly enough out of the 18 kids in my 8th grade class only 4 went to Catholic HS.
It was a little scary for me at first going from such a small school to a bigger one but it worked out great in the end - no regrets!
Side story - I was so convinced that everyone was going to try to get me to do drugs - I mean, terrified! When I pulled up that 1st day I saw a sign that said "drug free zone" and I was like "Whew, thank goodness" 
pomelo / 5866 posts
@Mamaof2: Lol! Something like a sign can be so comforting. Now I understand why the schools made us put up Bully Free Zone signs.
hostess / wonderful persimmon / 25556 posts
@Mamaof2: hahaha. That's so funny. In the area where I grew up, it seemed like the private high school kids had more access to drugs than the public kids. More money, maybe?
squash / 13208 posts
@808love: yes at that age it sure made me feel better!
@mediagirl: true!
grapefruit / 4400 posts
Not me personally, but two close friends went to Catholic school school K-8, and then chose public high school. They liked it better-- more diversity, more options for extracurriculars and activities/clubs, and just a change in scenery (they were tired of the same old crowd after 9 years, I guess). I do have one friend who went to Catholic school K-12 and was OK with it, but wished her parents had let her have a more "traditional" high school experience.
honeydew / 7504 posts
It happened all the time in my public school district where I grew up. Kids went to the local Catholic elementary and middle school, then transferred into our high school.
pomegranate / 3272 posts
I went to Catholic school from 1-8 grade and then to the Catholic HS for freshman year. We moved states the summer after my freshman year (it sucked!) and I visited both the local Catholic and public HS. For some reason, I HATED the Catholic HS and went public. I really loved the HS that I went to my freshman year.
pomelo / 5660 posts
Our neighbor sends his kids to gifted private school, Nysmith and then sends them to a gifted magnet public high school, Thomas Jefferson HS. His kids are mini geniuses.
cantaloupe / 6206 posts
Depends on the high school. I went to a very high-quality public high school that always gets ranked nationally for test scores, etc. MANY kids in my class went to private school through 8th then came to public to get the most out of the programs and education offered there.
wonderful pea / 17279 posts
If we started them off in private we would likely continue in HS, unless a public HS afforded them an opportunity the private did not. For example team sports or some type of academic magnate program.
Half of the kids I went to elementary school with went to private for middle and high school. I don't know anyone that switched from private to public for HS unless they were failing out of private or had behavior issues.
pomegranate / 3127 posts
If I could, I'd do private in the early years and public HS. There are many decent HS here, but the problem is making it that far. It seems, from my family's experience, that in the early years the public school system can neither teach the basics properly nor give a child a love of learning - in fact, once you've been through it any love of learning you had is likely to be destroyed. A self-motivated kid can still get a great education, but DS for example is more influenced by peers and probably not gifted enough to test out of the system - not a good combo.
pear / 1648 posts
I went to Catholic school K-12 (K-8 grade school, then 9-12 HS). I liked it fine, although I think I might have benefited from public HS in some ways. For instance, you couldn't avoid a sub-par math teacher - if you were going to take geometry, this was the only teacher for the course! (500 students vs 1500+ at the public HS)
About 1/4 of my grade school friends went to public HS, and I think they were just as happy as those of us at the Catholic HS. I think we were a little more insulated, mainly because everyone had known each other for years and it was a very supportive environment.
I wouldn't worry too much about it whatever you decide.
pomegranate / 3791 posts
@Mama Bird: What a shitty generalization to make about public schools and teachers.
eggplant / 11861 posts
@Mama Bird: I'm so sorry that you feel that way, as a first grade teacher it is my goal to not just teach them the standards but light the fire for learning and for their own passions!! I also know I'm not the only teacher that feels that way!
Hope you come across other teachers that feel the same and can show you otherwise!!
pomelo / 5298 posts
I was a public school kid, but I did notice in the area I grew up, there were a fair number of options for religion based education (catholic or lutheran) through 8th grade. But for high school years there was only one school of each and it wasn't in "town". I would guess the reduced access to the private high school influenced some families to put their child in the public high school.
I wonder why there are (were?) so many more options up through 8th grade but considerably less for high school.
cantaloupe / 6206 posts
@Mama Bird: Wow 
I had a phenomenal experience with public school in elementary and middle (and high). I went to Harvard so I guess they didn't completely destroy my love of learning?
squash / 13208 posts
@MamaG: I wonder that too - if I had continued to Catholic HS it would have been a 50 min bus ride one way - ugh!!! The K-8 school was 5 mins from my house!
eggplant / 11861 posts
In my area there are a few very good private Elem and Middle schools, but only 1 private HS and it is a lotto to get in, so many do go to Public HS we have a few that are great!!
pomegranate / 3127 posts
@wonderstruck: @FaithFertility: @JoJoGirl: to clarify - I mean the NYC system specifically. And again, this is just based on close family experience - out of 8 siblings, cousins and nephews who went through it, 5 dropped out at various points, and none of them are particularly dumb.
And it's not the teachers, it's the environment and the way the system is run. I definitely appreciate teachers who care!
hostess / wonderful persimmon / 25556 posts
@MamaG: that's the same way it is here. There are a considerable amount of K-8 private schools but the number drops drastically when you look for high. We think we want to send our lo to a private elem and middle but to be honest, the cost of high is prohibitive unless something changes in the future. My husband did public K-8 and Catholic high and was happy with his experience so this would be the opposite for our kid.
hostess / wonderful grape / 20803 posts
I went to Catholic grade school and jr. high and then public high school. It was fine curriculum wise...though I think socially it was a little hard on me at first....just because the public school kids have gone to school together their whole lives.
coconut / 8472 posts
I think it depends what the motivations for private school are. We've debated sending DS to private school. There's a reasonably priced, nice looking school really close to our house. Our town elementary school has been dipping in the Great Schools rating, so we've debated sending him to private school. But the school that's nearby because girl-only at 9th grade.
pea / 21 posts
I agree with the PP that it depends on the reason for private school. I think if it's a parochial/religious school, then continuing private makes sense. In our case, if DD goes private in our current neighborhood, it will be to attend a private gifted school as our (excellent) district's gifted enrichment program doesn't begin until 3rd grade . After 8th grade, she will likely attend the public HS as it has ample accelerated and AP programs available.
In our old neighborhood, we would have likely done the same, regardless of giftedness. In that area, the elementary schools were lacking, but the HS drew from a larger area and had a good reputation.
grapefruit / 4584 posts
@mediagirl: Yup! The Catholic school dances/parties were the best place to get into all sorts of trouble! 
I know many people who went to private elementary/middle schools, and public high school. Primarily because the public high school offered better diversity, enrichment programs, etc. If we go the private elementary school route for my kids, I'd most likely make the transfer at middle school though. I think that's an easier/better time to transition than high school.
pomelo / 5257 posts
I think it completely depends on the schools, so it's hard to say. If the elementary and middle weren't great, but there was a good public high school, then probably! Or vice versa (public for the first years and private later). I went to all public because the schools were great in my area, but if they hadn't been, I'm sure that might have been different.
@BandDmommy: Hey, you're from where I grew up! My H and I went to TJ
grapefruit / 4584 posts
@Mama Bird: It makes me sad to hear this...we are also in NYC and debating whether our daughters would be ok in the public school system for a few years. I don't think it would stunt her learning-wise if she's in the "wrong" public school (because we all know there are "good" ones and "bad" ones) for, say, Pre-K through 1st grade, but I'm very worried about just what you said - what could it do to her love for school/learning if there's too much focus on academics/too much time spent disciplining/a multitude of other factors....sigh...
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