Private School at York Region

What level of private schools are your referring to? A Montessori for elementary school or St. Andrews type of secondary school?

Pros:
It is a big plus if your kids is heading for some specialized area like Arts or Sports.

Cons:
My general feedback is since the public school system in York region is ranked No.1 in the country, it may not that worthwhile.

The biggest cons for me (as an immigrant), children has less exposure to your original culture in private school, which is a big minus from my cultural background. Of course, this is a plus for certain group.

Availability of school bus is also a factor, please don't just assume bus is going to cover your area.

timeoninternet wrote: ↑ Just wondering if your children are currently going to private school that you like and continue instead of going to public schools. What are the pros and cons for the school? Any good commendations.

I don't have kids, but I once heard of a fantastic story where the parents used the money that would've been spent on private school for other learning opportunities, such as extracurricular activities and vacations.

QuicKi7 wrote: ↑ I don't have kids, but I once heard of a fantastic story where the parents used the money that would've been spent on private school for other learning opportunities, such as extracurricular activities and vacations.

+1

Or even use that private school money to buy a condo.
After 18 year or so years when the children finish university, he is already a home owner.

I do believe part of the reason when a student is smart and do good is self discipline, willingness to learn, their IQ etc.....Private school "may" help push a little bit, but not a key of success.

Childhood/Adolescent counselling is probably worth its money, as well. Unfortunately, it has a negative connotation, but it's about teaching them to think and behave appropriately while they're still young and learning, not when things have settled and they have to unlearn it in their 30s or 40s.

Just think of all the adults who have problems with their mental health or don't know how to manage their emotions and behaviours (think anger management, inner children, issues with the ego, etc).

QuicKi7 wrote: ↑ I don't have kids, but I once heard of a fantastic story where the parents used the money that would've been spent on private school for other learning opportunities, such as extracurricular activities and vacations.

That story sounds stupid. Nobody said that once some money is used for private schools that there's no money left for other things. Do you honestly believe most parents who send their kids to private schools have no money left for extra-curriculars and vacations? Yeah, nobody takes student trips while attending private schools /s

Also, parents who can't really afford private schools can have the cost offset by financial aid/bursaries.

Parents can also prioritize education for their kids by paying for private school but cutting back elsewhere without compromising "learning opportunities". For example: dining out, booze, driving a cheaper vehicle, etc.

Statistics Canada published research explaining why private school students perform better, on average, than their public school counterparts.

Private high school students score significantly higher than public high school students on reading, mathematics, and science assessments at age 15, and have higher levels of educational attainment by age 23. Two factors consistently account for these differences. Students who attended private high schools were more likely to have socio-economic characteristics positively associated with academic success and to have school peers with university-educated parents. School resources and practices accounted for little of the differences in academic outcomes.

https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/11f ... eng.htm#a2

So, I guess the argument can be made that, unless you want your kids to be around a specific group of peers and families, if you have the means to afford private school, you likely already have the factors most-associated with success in school. Funny how that works. If you’re able to afford it, you likely don’t need it.

SonyCanWoes wrote: ↑ That story sounds stupid. Nobody said that once some money is used for private schools that there's no money left for other things. Do you honestly believe most parents who send their kids to private schools have no money left for extra-curriculars and vacations? Yeah, nobody takes student trips while attending private schools /s

Also, parents who can't really afford private schools can have the cost offset by financial aid/bursaries.

Parents can also prioritize education for their kids by paying for private school but cutting back elsewhere without compromising "learning opportunities". For example: dining out, booze, driving a cheaper vehicle, etc.

Maybe the kids wanted private tennis lessons from a tennis superstar or they liked spending all summer in Bora Bora. I don't know how they managed it, but I imagine they crunched the numbers and it worked out better for them.

OntEdTchr wrote: ↑ Statistics Canada published research explaining why private school students perform better, on average, than their public school counterparts.

https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/11f ... eng.htm#a2

So, I guess the argument can be made that, unless you want your kids to be around a specific group of peers and families, if you have the means to afford private school, you likely already have the factors most-associated with success in school. Funny how that works. If you’re able to afford it, you likely don’t need it.

I've always argued that if your child is a typical (ie. average) learner, then there may be no real benefit to a private school, at least from an academic performance point of view. But if your kid has any special learning needs, or is "gifted" in any way, then the equation changes dramatically.

Having experience both in a high quality public school setting as well as in a private school, I found the big difference wasn't the teaching quality, but the school' policies, procedures, and parental communication/involvement. I appreciate the flexibility that our kids' private school has over the local public system, both to address academic and socio-developmental concerns. So our goal in sending our kids to private school is not necessarily to ensure our kids "succeed" academically, but to ensure they don't fall through the cracks (which was starting to happen in their previous public school).

So yes, not everyone who can afford private school likely needs it, but it's a blessing to be able to access such alternatives if/when you do.

Not sure if it really counts... but my son has been in montessori (private) daycare from 18m up until SK. Due to covid, the school is offering 'grade 1' this year so it will be his 6th year at this school. He was suppose to start SK in public school last september and due to covid, we continued with the private school. His class size was 15 for the 2020/2021 year and looks to be 5-10 for 2021/2022.

He has 2 cousins who are both the same age as him and they were both in public school. One of them pretty much wasted last year due to the virtual learning being useless for that age. She can barely read at 5.5 yrs old. The other one which had emergency daycare/school due to parents being frontline workers did much better but still not as advanced as my son.

He is very academically advanced for his age and I believe a lot of it had to do with private school where he is able to receive the attention to excel. I am also worried that once he does go to public in grade 2, he may fall through the cracks due to the large class sizes and decrease in attention each student receives.

But then my daughter is also in the same school... she will be going into her 3rd year (starting JK) and she is nowhere as academically advanced compared to when my son was starting JK so I am not sure if its my son or if its the school... I forgive her because she is at that super cute toddler age and I let her off much easier than her brother.

Didi_beee wrote: ↑ I am also worried that once he does go to public in grade 2, he may fall through the cracks due to the large class sizes and decrease in attention each student receives.

Ontario has a cap of 23 students per class at the Grade 2 level but the average across a board has to be even lower than that at the primary level. The classes are not that large at all.