<p>How can people say that a private school helped them more than a public when they never attended the public in the first place? Unless I'm mistaken, you can't attend two schools at the same time ...</p>
<p>Happy Charity Child here ... It's what YOU make of your education. If you have what it takes, you will be just as well off at a public school as you would at a private.</p>
<p>I attended both. It's not even close in my book.</p>
<p>nope, I hated the people at private school in general. (I went to one for two years). I just preferred the atmosphere or my public school better, and my public school is a top 100 USNR high school, and is pretty small...</p>
<p>For college admissions, I'd say go to a top public... Colleges want people in the top ten percent of their class (which, for top colleges, is 90%+)... The people who aren't in that 90% range are usually developmental admits, legacies, URMs, etc...</p>
<p>some privates aren't worth the money. at some privates, top 5% virtually guarantees ivy admission. at public school it takes a lot more than top 5%</p>
<p>OP - We are in NJ also.<br>
zotan - our older daughter went our local public school for 6 months when we first moved to NJ from NYC. We felt our daughter in 2nd grade was spending too much time to prepare for standarized tests, because that's how many teachers were rated on. We missed private school's individual attention and its ability to create its own curriculum.</p>
<p>Our daughter(s) were lucky enough to be accepted to one of the top private day schools in NJ. Their school gets ~30% of kids into top 15 schools. College counseling is much better than local public schools- 30 kids/CC. The school's CCs have direct access to many college adcoms. College admission aside, my daughter was very well prepared for college - study skill and time management were taught starting 5th grade. Many (not all) of my daughter's friends from public schools with 4.0 GPA were overwhelmed with college courses. They said they never had to work for their grades before and couldn't understand why they were getting Cs in college.</p>
<p>It was a hard decision to put our kids in private school, because we live in a good school district. But for us personally, we think it was money well spent.</p>
<p>Zotan and Charlie's World are right when they say, "Go where he is happiest" and "It's what YOU make of your education." </p>
<p>I am unfamiliar with the intense public/private/boarding school scene in the North East, but I vote for public school. Sure, some people don't care about learning, but these people don't usually sign up for AP or Honors classes. </p>
<p>High school is what you make it.</p>
<p>Public School for the win.</p>
<p>I say public. Public school is more like the real world. You can get a good education at a top public school.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Class schedules would be about the same with an equal number of AP's. My wallet would be much happier and he would have more time on his hands for a job, community service, eagle scout project etc.
[/quote]
IMO, depends on what area you live. How good your public school is, how good the prep school REALY is. Are there any number of ivy acceptance every year in your public school? How self motivated your son is? I was leanned to send my kid to a very good prep school four years ago for the very same reason you are considering now. But since we have a really good public HS, my H's point was "if the kid was mediocre or lack of self driving then send him to the prep let them push him. Otherwise let him hack the competetion in the public school. Did you see a lot of the intel science finalist came from NYC public schools?". My kid's told me "save the money for my college." They convinced me....and I'm glad the result proves I was wrong. It really depends on how competetive/good your public school is.....some of his middle school classmates who went to the good prep school transfered back to his HS at sephmore or junior year. But there was couple in the HS transfer out to a boarding school in a neighbore state, guess it is really a prestige one? But last checked that boarding school's profile has the comparible SAT school as our HS.</p>
<p>ETA. oh the only thing missing I guess was the college console and PTO stuff, but we really don't have time and don't know how to get involved. And the kid got enough infomation from this board or internet nowadays. So by the end, guess we diddn't miss anything.</p>
<p>When will people learn that it's ultimately the student, not the school, who determines what colleges will be available to him.</p>
<p>Cencible:
I think you have a miscalculation here. If your public is mediocre and your private is elite, they will not offer same number of APs. Mediocre publics offer 2 or 3. Elite schools offer 15. I would assume your public is actually an above average NJ public.
Then, the val from this school indeed has chances in the Ivies. But he will also be in the top 10-15% in any school. Same is more or less true for top 1-2% in such publics. They will make top 20% in any selective school. And top 20% from elite privates have a good shot at top colleges.
Those who just make 10% in publics usually do not go to Ivies (or go there DESPITE of it, due to having other major hooks). These kids will be average in elite privates - also no chance at the Ivies.
So chances are te same. Education is better in a private school. Whether the difference is worth the price, your call. But keep in mind: there may be issues if a kid from elite private ends up in Rutgers.</p>
<p>It was good to hear so many differing opinions! Ultimately, it is up to him. Hopefully, it will end up great, whichever way we go.</p>
<p>citymom: our local public offers 16 AP's. As someone said earlier, is it better to crush the competition at public and finish 1st, or kill yourself at private and be in the top 20. Just thinking alot of students/parents had to make this decision already and wondered if they feel if they made the right or the wrong decision. Did it make any difference in their college choice or acceptance. A little early to think that way...really just wanted other opinions! thanks</p>
<p>if you think your child could make top 10 or seriously compete for a val at a top private, it's worth it. a lot of kids underestimate their competition at these schools. my friend went from public middle school to Exeter. he didn't do so well,
average in his class. you're dealing with the wealthiest, most educated, and most ambitious kids out there. if you're choosing between top half at a private or val at a public, choose public.</p>
<p>OP, if your public offers 16 APs then it must be one of top ranked public HS in NJ. The other factor you might need to consider could be how well rank is your son in middle school class? How well in general his middle school classes doing at your public HS historically? </p>
<p>I can only speak of our experience, up till my kid's year, despite we have a very competetive public school, almost half of our middle school graduates went to private preps each year. These mostly are good students but rarely the top ones. Most top ones went to the public here. (Things may have changed in recent years, since more and more professional middle class families have been moving into the town, so I would guess less and less go to private). There is no deny that private schools may have better education in a sense of better culture and coach at social skills, more attention from GCs (this was another reason I leaned to send my kid to the prep). From the statistics they may have higher addmitts to top ivies. But you also need to consider if those addmitts could be 'legacies'. On the other side if your kid can make it better than these legacies in private he might be able to take a 'rider' with them in ivy addmittion.....the other factor is the kid (or any one) tends to work even hard/better if they are in the top pack. If he is endup in middle pack in a comparable private, then top pack in public is a much better place for him, imo.</p>
<p>I attended both public and private in high school. Then both private (Stanford) and public (UCLA) in college... then UCLA MBA.</p>
<p>My estimate is that a middle of the class student at a good prep school (Harvard-Westlake is the most known in LA), say a kid ranked 135 out of 270 at HW, would be top 3-4% at a good public High School. I think any of the top 25 at HW would be Val or Sal at any public school in LA, including the Charters and the schools in affluent areas of Orange County, Palos Verdes, Manhattan Beach, Malibu, Pacific Palisades, South Pasadena, San Marino, etc.</p>
<p>I also think the student at HW will do 4-5 hours of homework daily including weekends vs. 2-3 for a public high school student getting mostly As. Why? Because the HW student has to just to keep up. 2-3 hours per day gets a public school kid a sure A. 2-3 hours gets a HW kid a C or worse because they either wouldn't be finishing all the assignments, or they complete them shoddily.</p>
<p>Now, a public school student can study another couple of hours beyond the amount necessary to get an A in a good public school, but, como on... who has that kind of discipline at age 15?</p>
<p>IF a student/parent elects public school, I would highly recommend intense involvement on the part of the parents -- There must be structure that pulls the student away from 3-4 lazy, wasted hours per day with fellow public school students who are (likely) more concerned with social life and TV than learning. Structred auxiliary activities like:</p>
<ul>
<li>Auxiliary reading lists.<br></li>
<li>Occassional private tutor to guide extra-class work or supplemental homework from the same textbook.<br></li>
</ul>
<p>Then in 10th grade, 2-3 AP classes. In 11th, another 4-5 AP. 12th another 4-5 AP.</p>
<p>But say 50% (or more) of the students at a top private school apply to HYP etc, how many are going to get in?</p>
<p>My point being that the Ivies spread the acceptances around. They don't bestow them on 50% of the students in any given top private school.</p>
<p>
[quote]
IF a student/parent elects public school, I would highly recommend intense involvement on the part of the parents -- There must be structure that pulls the student away from 3-4 lazy, wasted hours per day with fellow public school students who are (likely) more concerned with social life and TV than learning. Structred auxiliary activities like:</p>
<ul>
<li>Auxiliary reading lists. </li>
<li>Occassional private tutor to guide extra-class work or supplemental homework from the same textbook.
[/quote]
We did non of such thing. </li>
</ul>
<p>
[quote]
Then in 10th grade, 2-3 AP classes. In 11th, another 4-5 AP. 12th another 4-5 AP.
[/quote]
A few in our public did more than this.</p>
<p>The point is if the public and the prep offer the similar level of acadamic curriculums. And the kid is strong self motivated. The public school could've save $140k during four years. Well, if the money is not hard earned, I'd send the kid to private prep. But I think non cc poster's money is not hard earned. Otherwise they must hire someone doing their posting. jk.</p>
<p>My two cents worth:
16 AP Classes offered is good as long as they are being taught well. If the kids at your public high school are getting 4's and 5's on AP tests, this is a GOOD public high school. Being an Eagle Scout and in the top 5% of your graduating class at a good public school is great for elite college admissions. If this public high school sends a few kids to HYP every year, go with the public. I would especially recommend this if the public school is much more economically diverse than the private school. It it good for kids to spend time with others from a wide variety of backgrounds, and I think colleges appreciate kids who have been well educated in public schools. They know these kids were motivated and are adaptable.
Just my opinion.</p>