<p>Wouldn't they be better than a prep school? I mean, you still get a great education but you don't have to pay for it.</p>
<p>I dunno. I'm pretty cynical when it comes to the whole prep school thing. I went to a run-down public high school and I still got into a selective college. Private school just doesn't seem worth the money.</p>
<p>"Diff'rent strokes," said Willis.</p>
<p>My S will be going to a public magnet school, but -- for him and for us -- it's not better than the BS he was hoping to attend but didn't get enough aid for. We think the BS might actually be the ideal environment for him. So much so that we're willing to make tremendous sacrifices to make it possible. Then again, not so much that we'd break ourselves.</p>
<p>That's from someone for whom the money is a factor.</p>
<p>There are many people who don't even factor in cost when it comes to choosing what school is best for themselves (or their child). So your point -- which doesn't go beyond "A magnet school's free!" -- doesn't even begin to consider "fit" -- at least not outside of how it fits someone's wallet.</p>
<p>How can you say a school -- or a type of school -- is better than a prep school without even broaching the subject of "fit?"</p>
<p>That's not the point. Where I grew up you only had ONE option: the local, underfunded public high school. If you don't fit in, too ****in bad. You were forced to fit in regardless. But none of it mattered because I still got into a prestigious university that I LOVE, which makes me wonder why people spend a college tuition's worth of money to attend a private high school when you could get the same education for free, just in a crappy, run-down building. It makes more sense to save the debilitating tuition costs for college. Same as if I were planning on going to grad school, I would go to a much less expensive public college right now.</p>
<p>It worked for you. Then you seem to extrapolate your personal experience to make a universal and somewhat absolutist point.</p>
<p>Are you saying that the public school experience you described works for everyone? I think there's plenty of research -- and many more case studies to outnumber yours -- that say otherwise.</p>
<p>Naw, I'm not saying my case works for everyone. But do I think most kids NEED a private school education to succeed? Hell no. I think there is a small minority of students who could only succeed in life if their parents paid $30,000 or whatever a year for tuition. Basically, my point is that private school is wholly unecessary if all you want if your goal from it is to get into Harvard or something.</p>
<p>The grand majority of kids in my school go to state schools. But I got into a prestigious university and another girl just got into Yale. You can get into these schools if you are motivated and passionate. if you have those qualities it doesn't matter what sort of school you go to.</p>
<p>There are just too many factors that need to be taken into account for how anyone gets into the college of their choice if they're lucky enough to do so. And there are MANY different roads to get there. This really all comes down to choice. Some public schools are fine and some boarding schools would not be suitable for everyone. I think it's more a matter of how you want to spend your time, what kind of an experience you are looking for, how you feel in any given academic environment and where you fit and will thrive. One size doesn't fit all.</p>
<p>I don't think anyone here ever said MOST kids NEED a private school education.</p>
<p>And I doubt any of the kids in the schools discussed here would fail in life without it, either.</p>
<p>I think you may have missed the point of boarding school. It is the whole experience that makes it worth the money. Yeah you can take AP Calculus at a great number of mediocre public high schools and at boarding schools. I doubt that you will get nearly the level of personal help in class or especially outside of class in that publid school. You can participate in sports teams, artistic endeavors, clubs, etc in both situations. It is the quality of the staff and the integration of the whole environment that makes for a better education at these great boarding schools.</p>
<p>You can get a steak dinner at Denny's. I doubt you would enjoy it as much as one at Ruth Chris or any of the other 5-star restaurants in your city. The Denny's is more likely to have a poor eating environment and surly wait staff. The steak, while cut from the same part of a cow and containing the same nutritional value, may be "comparable" but the Denny's steak will not be the top choice and probably prepared by somebody who was flipping burgers at Wendy's 2 months ago.</p>
<p>So while you would not starve to death eating at Denny's and would not walk away hungry, I would doubt that most people can get the same eating experience and enjoyment there as you would at a fine restaurant. To the degree that you appreciate the better environment, preparation, and wait staff, you will enjoy the steak from the expensive restaurant more than the Denny's dinner.</p>
<p>Likewise to the extent that you can appreciate (and utilize) the better facilities, smaller and more intimate classes, and integrated lifestyle, you will get more out of a boarding school education.</p>
<p>If all you care about is filling your stomach, Denny's is fine. If all you care about is getting educational certification (diploma, AP scores, etc), public schools can be fine.</p>
<p>I found one private school that sent 50% of the senior class of 200ish students to Ivys'. Wealth and priveledge count. Tuition to the school is about $27,000 a year.</p>
<p>This may be piling on, but the benefits I expect my daughter to receive from attending boarding school have very little to do with what college she gets into (and obviously there is the argument out there that it can make it tougher for that). They are much broader than that and while some of them will have short term impact (next five years) on her life a lot of them are things where my wife and I expect the benefits to be realized over a much bigger and longer part of her life. And they are things that I don't think she would get at the local public school which she has been attending (a pretty good Westchester County NY public school).</p>
<p>amen to what Biffgnar said...the very LAST consideration our family used in deciding to send our child to bs was her chances to get into an Ivy-league school. For those whose focus is on "what college can I get into if I get into this bs?" - I say, what a narrow, sad way to look at a life-changing, life-broadening experience.</p>
<p>I'm with biffgnar (and others). My son is attending a good Westchester County public school, which routinely sends kids to HYP and other selective colleges. He applied to three private HS, but was waitlisted, so it looks like he will have to attend the public school at least next year. If our goal were to have him attend any particular college (say, Harvard), then he would be much better off in the public school, where he stands out academically. But we are concerned about his education during the next few years, and we believe that the private schools are much better academically, and much better for personal development.</p>
<p>If you look at the posts on this board, you will notice that there are some that see this as a gateway to college, and other who see it as a college experience within itself, as I do. I can gorge myself with information and learn from amazing, engaged faculty, play rare sports, enroll in interesting electives (instead of Child Care 101, I can enroll in Nabokov or Why Are Poor Nations Poor?), and be surrounded by challenges and opportunities 24/7. Indeed, it is worth $80,000+ for 2 years.</p>
<p>going to a top BS is a privledge, not a need, if that helps you understand why some kids choose to go to a good BS for the experience even if they dont HAVE TO</p>
<p>
[quote]
when you could get the same education for free,
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Are you kidding me? The education at prep schools is so much better than at most public schools.</p>
<p>one thing I have always wondered about with this type of discussion is this- if absolutely everyone had a choice whether to go to a top boarding school or public school, whether these discussions would even exist.</p>
<p>If everyone had the choice to go to boarding school they wouldn't be as good as they are today.</p>
<p>Heh. I knew this would get a lot of responses. Anyway, as someone who has had to scrimp and save her whole life, and is worrying about how she's going to pay for her four-year undergrad education, I can't even fathom spending $80,000 + on a HIGH SCHOOL education. And some even do it from middle school to high school. That's more money than I've seen in my life, and you've still got college and grad school to worry about. Sorry, but the extra bit of personal help you get, the nice facilities, and the variety of classes you get to choose from are nice, but I don't think they justify the cost. Unless you're a millionaire. Then spend your money of whatever you like, and thank God you have the luxury to pay for a top-notch education without batting an eye.</p>
<p>Hey, a lot of us are not millionaires with kids in boarding school. Personally, we're still in the 15% marginal tax bracket, if that tells you anything about our economic status. </p>
<p>If a kid has the talent, drive and resolve to achieve at the highest level in multiple areas (athletics, arts, leadership, etc) besides the academics, there is FA available very much like college FA. I won't kid you about it not being a sacrifice still financially, but the leverage you get with a boarding school education (especially over marginal public schools) is well worth the net cost (after FA) of a boarding school education.</p>
<p>It is all in a family's priorities...</p>
<p>Yeah, I'm not denying it's different for everyone. If you can get financial aid, great. But I know people who drop loads of money for their kids to attend private school w/o FA and they don't seem to really be getting a better education than me. Sure, better facilities and teachers, but they're still ignoramuses. My desire to learn is higher than theirs and no expensive education changes that. </p>
<p>And I'm not saying everyone who attends a private school is an ignoramus.</p>
<p>While I have no doubt that most private secondary schools provide a superb education to their students, I'll make two observations based upon my own experience. First, as a Duke graduate, I came from a public high school (and a rural one at that) and found myself well prepared for Duke's academic challenges. Other students from that same high school attended many top flight colleges and universities, including those in the Ivy League. Last time I looked at the statistics, my recollection is that the majority of students at the most selective colleges and universities still come from public high schools. While this certainly isn't an endorsement of the quality of all public high schools, it indicates to me that many of them continue to do a fine job of preparing their students to compete and to excel at the most competitive colleges. Second, my daughter is graduating this year from a top magnet school in Connecticut where two thirds of the applicants are turned down. Many of the school's graduates go on to top colleges. My daughter has received a stellar education for which I am indeed grateful, local property taxes notwithstanding. At least for her, a private secondary school would have been a huge waste of money.</p>