OT - Need the Board's input on FW private schools

[Frog-in-law1995]

It is definitely part of it - as I said before, your kids are going to be greatly influenced by the kids they go to school with - more so their specific friends but in reality everyone they interact with.

and the "diversity' term is a PC way of saying your kids will get a lot of different experiences in a public environment vs a private one - and those will be both good and bad. I spend a lot of time at a private HS campus and at a public one - and there is a lot of difference in the overall atmosphere and what you see on a daily basis.

However, it is not all environmental either - there is a difference in the level of teaching and how it is taught between public and private. it is not all numbers but just like at the University level where a professor is going to teach differently in a class of 35 (TCU) vs a class of 150 (UT/Tech)

Same goes for other levels - 15:1 student teach ratios provides a lot different opportunity than 30:1 in elementary schools. Having the resources to each 5 different levels of math to a single grade opens up a lot of options vs 2.

Plus frankly going to a place where 100% of the kids are going to college after graduation vs 50% at best is just a totally different overall atmosphere.

But once again - if you child is self driven and strong academically - then the environment and academic capacity of the school will have a lot less influence.

My grandson that goes to Paschal is very self motivated and a little OCD, so he isn't really focused on what he is doing and doing it "right" in his mind - thus the external factors don't effect him much.

His sister is super social, loves drama and singing, is a good athlete but not great - however wants to play for the fun and friends aspect, and is a good student but not driven to go beyond in areas like math and science without some pushing - she is doing so much better at FWCD than she was when she was younger in public.

If it was my choice, they would probably all go to private - but that is because I would prefer to remove as many obstacles to their growth as possible and I know there are less things to be worried about, overcome, ignore or whatever at TVS, FWCD, etc than in public.

But once again - that is a statement across 8 kids - not for any single one.

Things to overcome aren't obstacles to growth. And don't kid yourself, private schools have just as many, if not more, things to worry about, overcome and ignore.

 

[flyfishingfrog]

Not sure. I would have gotten in now I think with 1300 Sat. Definitely with my dad being there.

My Gpa was still good despite me failing junior year . I still probably go to tcu because I probably graduate with honors instead of 3.45.

But that is my point - if you did today what you did in 2003, you would probably be going to University of North Texas not TCU - so going somewhere where they have the time and resources to push you more might have made the difference and as you said - graduated at the top of your class potentially

I just finished my second term on the Chancellor Advisory Council and I know from those discussions, it is harder than ever to get in today and little things make a big difference

For example, my senior grandson got accepted to the UT business school honors program with a scholarship and got accepted to TCU but with a small academic scholarship and no honors program.

 

[Realtorfrog]

And ideal if you're really into a 75-90 minute commute every morning and every evening. Dallas, Denton, and Waxahachie are all closer to Fort Worth than Brock is.

I see a lot more people wanting to live in Brock than I do the others you mentioned but yes it's understandable since our office is in Fort Worth ....and Brock is 40 minutes from my house in Arlington Heights.

 

[cdsfrog]

But that is my point - if you did today what you did in 2003, you would probably be going to University of North Texas not TCU - so going somewhere where they have the time and resources to push you more might have made the difference and as you said - graduated at the top of your class potentially

I just finished my second term on the Chancellor Advisory Council and I know from those discussions, it is harder than ever to get in today and little things make a big difference

For example, my senior grandson got accepted to the UT business school honors program with a scholarship and got accepted to TCU but with a small academic scholarship and no honors program.

Perhaps. Who knows

 

[Pharm Frog]

I think public schools can be great. I just think Heights sucks as does Monnig Middle. Ridglea Hills was great.

I know nothing about these schools but my experience is that rarely is a school "great" or "sucks". There are almost always pathways of excellent instruction and pathways of sub-optimal instruction. Some places there's just more excellent pathways than others. Sometimes many more. I would say that feeling unsafe would suck regardless of how many pathways of excellent instruction are available.

 

[flyfishingfrog]

Things to overcome aren't obstacles to growth. And don't kid yourself, private schools have just as many, if not more, things to worry about, overcome and ignore.

I am not kidding myself - I see the differences every day as I sit on a board at one and on a community support council at another in addition to having multiple grandkids at both types of environments.

I also understand private schools have obstacles - but sorry in my opinion there is no reasonable way to say they have as many or in general can be as difficult to overcome as public schools. Funding alone creates a totally different capability. faculty ratios, staff educational requirements, training availability, external academic programs, cross institution learning programs, campus access control both physical and acceptance related...

A well funded private school can do things no public school system can ever do, much less a metro area ISD

Once again - that doesn't make it better for everyone or even something all children would benefit from - but if money was not a concern, I fail to see where someone would honestly say that a small, overstaffed, well funded private school education would not reduce the obstacles to a child achieving their potential over an underfunded, understaffed, overcrowded public environment.

 

[ScottPatrick]

For what it's worth Brock is the new Aledo

Lipan is the new Brock

 

[jake102]

I would probably argue that Honors/AP classes at Pascal are pretty much the same "quality" academics/influences as private school.

IMO, the only real reason to go private is if you are determined to go Ivy, Stanford, Duke, Rice or Vandy. Those schools don't really have any interest in public high schools (unless certain boxes are checked) so you need to come from private.

 

[ScottPatrick]

I would probably argue that Honors/AP classes at Pascal are pretty much the same "quality" academics/influences as private school.

IMO, the only real reason to go private is if you are determined to go Ivy, Stanford, Duke, Rice or Vandy. Those schools don't really have any interest in public high schools (unless certain boxes are checked) so you need to come from private.

Completely disagree with the last statement. Son's class had 3 go to Harvard, 2 to Stanford, 3 to Vandy, 1 to MIT, 2 to Rice-all from one public school and not from Highland Park and those were just from his group of friends. Have no idea on the totals.

 

[jake102]

Completely disagree with the last statement. Son's class had 3 go to Harvard, 2 to Stanford, 3 to Vandy, 1 to MIT, 2 to Rice-all from one public school and not from Highland Park and those were just from his group of friends. Have no idea on the totals.

I would be curious to know more. Out of my class and my older and younger sister's (total 1,900 students), I think there were three kids who went to any of the schools I listed. Harvard, Stanford and Duke.

 

[flyfishingfrog]

I would probably argue that Honors/AP classes at Pascal are pretty much the same "quality" academics/influences as private school.

IMO, the only real reason to go private is if you are determined to go Ivy, Stanford, Duke, Rice or Vandy. Those schools don't really have any interest in public high schools (unless certain boxes are checked) so you need to come from private.

And you would argue it based in what? Have you audited both environments? Sent kids to both?

Not saying you are way off by any means - but a lot of opinions exist on what people hope or were told - not in reality

but you have made one point which is only honors/AP and despite what some think - just because you came from Tanglewood doesn't mean you get to be in that program so once again - it's largely for kids that would probably excel regardless but only parents can decide where they will best reach their potential.

And there is more to learning than core academic curriculum

 

[cdsfrog]

Guy I lived next door to was my best friend as a kid. Valedictorian and national merit finalist, perfect SAT etc.

He went to public school and it was my far the best for him I'm of course. He struggled for a long time to relate to those without an IQ north of 160 or so (definitely not me....). If you met him today you wouldn't think he was the same person as the kid I knew.

He went to rice, graduated Suma cum laude so he plenty of experience later in life around others just as smart and many smarter than him.

 

[Pharm Frog]

Completely disagree with the last statement. Son's class had 3 go to Harvard, 2 to Stanford, 3 to Vandy, 1 to MIT, 2 to Rice-all from one public school and not from Highland Park and those were just from his group of friends. Have no idea on the totals.

Did not realize that Boston Latin, Phillips Academy, Stuyvesant High School, Noble and Greenough School, Phillips Exeter Academy, or Trinity School NYC had become "public" (although Stuy is technically public). jk If the numbers above are accurate then that one high school graduating class may have had a more successful placement than some states.

 

[Frogcrates]

I think many wood argue that Tanglewood is the best private school in town.

 

[toad horny]

Almost 100% of the kids from Tanglewood in both of my kids' classes were automatically put on the pre-AP/Honors path at McLean. They may not all stay there, but the overwhelming majority do - all the way through Paschal.

I don't really have a dog in the fight; however, if my son or daughter went to a private school at those costs & ended up at Texas Tech or Texas State or SFA, I would be extremely disappointed. For the record, I have family members who attended all of those colleges & do just fine. My wife had a 2nd cousin who went TVS all the way through & could not get into TCU, but he's a weirdo. Had to go to TCC first & transfer in.

I see a lot of kids from private schools in Fort Worth ending up in lower tier state schools that are not difficult to get into. For me and my money, that seems to be a very poor ROI - in my opinion.

Most of my friends who send their kids to private schools here do so for other reasons.

 

[Deep Purple]

Lipan is the new Brock

Hico is the new Lipan.

 

[Realtorfrog]

My kids lucky..... his grandfather went to Harvard, legacy admission

 

[Genbukan]

Completely disagree with the last statement. Son's class had 3 go to Harvard, 2 to Stanford, 3 to Vandy, 1 to MIT, 2 to Rice-all from one public school and not from Highland Park and those were just from his group of friends. Have no idea on the totals.

I seem to notice a larger number of public school kids going Ivy league than I do the private school crowd. In general I see a large % of the private school types deciding they are tired of the small school, small classes thing and they end up at big state schools. UT and a$m of course but lots of the local kids go to OU, Arkansas and even Ole Miss, LSU and Bama. The $ec schools recruit the well to do DFW crowd hard - hoping to build their wealthy donor base I assume.

 

[Peacefrog]

Hico is the new Lipan.

Mexico is the new Texas.

 

[flyfishingfrog]

I see a lot of kids from private schools in Fort Worth ending up in lower tier state schools that are not difficult to get into. For me and my money, that seems to be a very poor ROI - in my opinion.

I seem to notice a larger number of public school kids going Ivy league than I do the private school crowd. In general I see a large % of the private school types deciding they are tired of the small school, small classes thing and they end up at big state schools. UT and a$m of course but lots of the local kids go to OU, Arkansas and even Ole Miss, LSU and Bama. The $ec schools recruit the well to do DFW crowd hard - hoping to build their wealthy donor base I assume.

Every private school in Ft Worth will happily tell you where the seniors in their latest class (and previous classes) 1) were accepted and 2) for most where they decided to attend.

Not sure what you consider "a large percentage" or "a lot" either, but I think you will both find that you are mistaken. There are kids going to some of the schools you just mentioned but its far from the majority. And if you removed kids that are getting full rides for academics and athletics, it is even smaller. Also, there are a ton of smaller, prestigious Universities in the list every year at FWCD, TVS, All Saints, etc.

Go drive by the upper school circle at FWCD or by the High School entrance at TVS and you will the signs for where the seniors are going this time of year.