A Happy Ending, or A Happy Beginning?

Looks like everyone got what they wanted in first round! Hooray! :)

Saw this comment from SF K Files, well said.

Laurel Denver • 2 hours ago

I have five kids. I have been through this five times, Their ages are such that only once did I benefit from the sibling feature. I just want everybody to know that if you hold out till September, you will see one quarter to one third of the classes at the so-called "top schools" (like Clarendon and Lilienthal) being empty with all the private school kids not showing up Come September. Happens every year. Every. Year. If you think you are done at this point, then maybe you don't really want public school.

Also, the so called top schools really aren't any better than the next 20 down the list. I learned that by actually sending my kids to these schools, and also, ending up at a trophy school that wasn't. The teachers are all amazing at the SFUSD. They are at the top of their profession and are generally the better teachers than private schools. Shoot me: I said generally. The big difference among schools is the population of kids and class size. Look at the demographics, not the test scores.

I really need to repeat this, because parents make the same mistake/misunderstanding every year on this site: If you think you are done at this point, you don't understand this insane lousy system. The school on the other end of it will be terrific; the process to get there is awful. But the process is not the school. You will get a great school, almost definitely, if you stay with the process till the end, through the rounds. It's really rare to end up with nothing.

Every year, dozens of openings happen at Clarendon, Rooftop, Lilienthal and other totally overrated schools. Sherman, Yick Wo, Grattan, and other schools in the NE part of town only have a few on the waitlists each year. They are worth looking at.

Don't limit yourselves. You are talking about $25k+ per year for six years here, per child. If you are an actual working person without an inheritance, It ain't worth the sacrifice of time away from your kid and all the things you have to go without. The public schools are awesome. You need not go private.

Sorry, but I have to preach. I see parents make the same mistakes every year, and my friends ruining their lives paying for private school.... It is really hard coming up with that $ every year. It just isn't the best decision if money in the bank, staying in the City, having extras for your kids like travel, or owning your home, or primarily the extra stress-free time you have with your kids when you aren't writing checks for tuition--these are the priorities. The latter especially, because you don't have to kill yourself earning the extra money.

If you have the money to spare, sure, go private. But I am not sure you are getting what you think you are getting. Most of my friends who stayed public ended up in top colleges and UC Berkeley, UCLA, even the Ivies. Most of my friends who went private and sacrificed substantially for 13 years--well, their college choices weren't as good, frankly. Again, I am just sharing what I've seen over the years I've parented.

This is elementary school. Kindergarten. Not High School or College or Grad School or the Google job. Save the $ for all that, and expose your kids to a great education with the best teachers, especially in the early years. ANY public school in this town can give you that.

Sorry to anyone I've offended. But people who throw their hands up at this point, are not seeing the system realistically.