Those of you who sent your kids to private school, did you come to regret it? Or felt it was too high an opportunity cost?

I can confidently say that it was the best decision we ever made. The smaller class sizes, individualized attention, and specialized curriculum were well worth the cost.

I did not regret sending my child to private school. The education and resources they received were top-notch and ultimately prepared them for success in college and beyond.

Sending my child to private school was a difficult financial decision, but in hindsight, I can say it was worth it for the opportunities and resources they received. I would say it was a high opportunity cost, but it was worth it.

Didn't regret at all. Honestly one of the best decisions my wife and I made. It's always a good idea to invest on your kids' education.

We had one in public and one in private. The public school child could handle a big school and thrived. Graduated from a top university. The private school kid has adhd and anxiety issues. She needed a smaller setting and we needed more responsive and interactive school personnel. It was a mixed experience and my child ultimately dropped out of college after the first year. We learned school just isn’t for her, at least right now. Yes, private school could be viewed as a waste of $170k but I do think she had a better experience there than she would have in public school. And we can afford that investment.

Best decision we've made. I initially didn't want to outlay the amoubof money we are doing, but the quality of education is not comparable vs even a top rated school in our area.

Both my kids went to public schools and went to top-10 private university, and graduated with top honors. They’ve had a good start to their careers. Honestly don’t know what I missed not sending them to private schools. I have to say though we worked with them throughout, in addition to what they learned at school.

Fwiw, I am one of three. I went to a private school because I needed it. My siblings went to public schools. We all went to good universities, but they actually went to better schools (T10). Regardless, years later, we have each achieved a similar level of professional success (7 figure income, etc). IMO, it's a personal decision depending on your schools district, your values, and each child. Our kids currently attend public school, and if they continue to do well, we have no plans of switching them to private schools.

I think it depends on the kid and the school, I have 3 and have done combinations of public and private. Some private schools are not worth the money. When you find one that fits with your kid it really is well worth it. Be aware however, if your only motivation is college admissions private school does not have a material advantage over highly rated public school any longer.

It's expensive to send them to private school. However, the pros outweigh the cons. Being that the pros include them meeting people that have their way paved for success. They are also given opportunities that kids in other schools don't have, and they are also given the attention they need by their teachers. Not regretting our decision to send them there

public vs private. in the end it’s a highly personal choice, and I don’t believe that there is empirical evidence supporting either side. most knowledgeable people, i think, would consider it a draw. Eventually you will convince yourself of the right decision. FWIW i went to public schools and feel that I’m doing just fine in career and life. not objectively better or worse than anyone else in this bowl. I did AP courses. business club. debate team. varsity sports. one can have similar experiences on either path.

based on extensive reading (no experience of having sent older kids through it, yet) i believe public schools offer the same (or more) dedicated resources as private schools for specialized, underperforming, or disadvantaged students. if anything, public schools might over-rotate so that they ensure an equitable experience for all students. furthermore, the qualifications and ongoing certification (cpe) requirements of public schools are mandated by the state whereas in many cases private schools can do as they see fit due to lack of regulatory oversight (e.g. it’s entirely feasible that some private educators have no formal instructional teaching background, for better or for worse).

so… do your homework. understand what you’re paying for (or where your tax money is going). maybe you desire the “community”, which can be had, or made, on either path. maybe it’s for a specially curated curriculum for specific student attributes. there’s no such thing as one size fits all, and “pay for what you get” doesn’t really apply to public v private. the stats back this up.

No one size fits all but in my experience, my son who went to Publix high school received a far better education and was better prepared for college than my daughter who went to an exclusive private school. Because of the small class size, she was able to play sports she otherwise would not have so that was good for her. But the quality of the administrators and teachers at many private schools are highly overrated IMO.

Expensive, but worth it.

My kids went to public schools but they are highly rated 10/10 on GreatSchools. The high school where I would have gone has a 3/10. I went to a private high school. My kids took a ton of AP classes got to participate in extracurriculars and got into colleges that are right for them (one at a large state school, one a large private school). In my area there really just one private school and it’s religious (a deal breaker for me) and I don’t think really any better academically.

If a kids needs special attention or out of the ordinary or speciak learning assistance then private school is there for that. Public schooling is somewhat of a mess. Kids who need special attention have great difficulties getting this attention in a public school.

I didn't regret it. I personally think some public school don't have enough resources to give all students quality attention that's tailored to their needs. Students have to either actively ask for it, or are completely ignored. Most kids focus way too much on stuff like popularity instead of educations.

I sent two to private school and do not regret it. It was a great decision. Smaller class sizes, high academic standards (for our chosen school) and the engagement of families created a strong community. It is a lot of money but if you find the right school, so worth it. The only drawback was sports. My two are very athletic, play AAU basketball and club field hockey and sports was really weak at our school. No other issues.

Only worth it if your kids go to Ivy League. Otherwise a top public school is equally good if you want to get into Georgia Tech or Notre Dame.

One other thing as a positive outcome, the school we send our child to is very community oriented and seems to be a better social net for parents to connect than public school from my observation.

We looked at many private schools and public ended up being the best option for us so we invested the money on a house instead in a district that's small and community based. Very happy with the route we went