Public or Private? How are you making the choice?

Northwest Journal Online recently posted a link on their Twitter page containing the stats, or "score card" for Washington Public schools . It was an interesting table, although not too shocking - Mercer Island is once again a high scoring district, and Bellevue seems to be holding it's own.  Not as high as I would have expected, however, after the national acclaim they have received in recent years.

After a bit of digging, I scrounged up this article and list (also presented by Northwest Journal Online)  reporting on a number of Washington private schools.  See their article below, or follow this link to their private school index.  So what's it going to be, - public or private? And how are you deciding?

"The Northwest Metroplex has a vibrant and growing community of private schools. The US Census reports that a third of first through twelfth graders participate in private education and Seattle has the highest rate of private school attendance in the nation. The growth spurt began in the 1990s. An average of 21 new schools each year were registering with the Washington State SPI‘s office. Today there are more than 500 state-approved private schools with more than 400 in Western Washington.

This makes for an extremely volatile environment. The wise family begins the process a year in advance. For many of the region’s most competitive programs, mostly in secondary schools, the requirements can include tests, interviews, school tours, student essays and mountains of paperwork. The application process can start as early as Halloween, with some of the earliest deadlines falling before Christmas.

At The Overlake School in Redmond, one in three applicants is admitted. At Lakeside School, 31% of applicants were accepted school wide but grade-level entries varied from 18% to 42%.

Why are parents flocking to private schools? For some, it’s the independent mission of the school. Others like a particular school’s code of ethics or desire for students to excel. At Lakeside in Seattle or Evergreen in Shoreline, parents want their child to be very well educated. Other parents choose Montessori because they like the different learning styles. There’s such a broad spectrum. Some believe private schools assure lower class size and higher graduation rates. Others are sure it locks in religious faith but keeps out bellybutton rings. This can be true, but as with any school you’re considering, do your research, including talking to lots of other parents and kids.

The cost of attending a private school in the Northwest is among the highest in the country. According to the Washington Federation of Independent Schools, the Washington State average annual privateschool
tuition runs about: $6,095 for first through fourth-grade students; $7,109 for fifth through eighth-graders; $9,249 for ninth through 12th-graders. These are statewide averages. Figures are higher in the Metroplex. Tuition for at least three Puget Sound area schools tops $20,000. Other expenses like transportation, application fees, books, lab fees, and athletic fees add significantly.

Costs don’t stop with tuition and fees. Fund-raising taps your wallet, too. All private schools rely on contributions and volunteer work, and these are pushed, if not required, at many. At Seattle’s award-winning Holy Names Academy, over 600 families of 9th through 12th grade girls supported last year’s $465,000 annual giving plan through fund-raisers to support students’ financial aid, staff and coaching-salary enhancements and building and school projects. Extra student activities
can add hundreds more.

Most schools offer some sort of financial aid, either through tuition breaks or scholarships; the smaller the school, the fewer the scholarships. At larger schools, it costs about $20 to apply for financial aid. Priorities for those who receive financial aid vary from school to school. At Lakeside, scholarships are “based on a family’s financial need rather than on a student’s academic ability, interests or talents.” At The Bush School in Seattle, where this year’s high-school tuition is $20,175, advisers work with families to find low-interest educational loans. While still eligible, parents must re-apply each year because family or income changes can affect the size of awards.

The application process begins in early October to mid-November. That’s when required appointment-only school visits begin for many private high schools and competitive-enrollment elementary schools. Starting in November applicants to fifth through eighth grades may take required Independent School Entrance
Exam (ISEE). Open-house tours for students and families take place in December as do tuition-information meetings. Financial aid requests are due at this time, as well. By January most application paperwork and fees are due. The moment of truth arrives in February-April when admission acceptance/rejection letters are mailed."