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mintccicecream t1_itgs1t8 wrote

Reply to comment by johnsonutah in CT got 3rd best school system after NJ, MA coming in first. by IndicationOver

Thank you! Would there be any benefit to sending kids to a private school if we did decide to settle down in one of those towns?

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fatherfatpants t1_ith3upy wrote

The only real difference (outside of religious schools) is that they are inevitably going to rub elbows and maybe even befriend the kid of someone with connections. Very often connections give people huge boosts in life.

That said public schools in those towns are great and I very much doubt that the level of education will be much, if at all, different.

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IndicationOver OP t1_ithuiun wrote

>Very often connections give people huge boosts in life.

100% true, I don't know why people downplay where one goes to University for this very reason.

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Time_Yam301 t1_itjq484 wrote

Because it really only applies to a few select schools. For high school, there are only a few in CT - but probably more than any other state. At the college level, also perhaps a few nationally. Maybe 20 at best.

If you go to Choate and Yale, great. But that's rare.

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76before84 t1_itm4wh9 wrote

That's the whole premise of ivy league schools and why I support a degree of legacy acceptance.

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mintccicecream t1_ith6e3w wrote

Both of your comments are great takes! To be frank, I feel that I am well connected considering my parents weren’t and I worked my way up(although you don’t know what you don’t know so I’m 100% sure there are much better connections out there). For now, I think it would be better to invest in extracurriculars and spend quality time with my future kids/guide them academically to ensure that they become good people. I think I would honestly be embarrassed to be the poorest parent at a private school, but maybe my opinion will change later.

Thank you so much for your insight!

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johnsonutah t1_ithcxbf wrote

If you settle in one of the Fairfield county towns I mentioned then no point to private school, as the public schools in those towns are among the best in the nation and better than many private schools. The only thing “better” IMO are elite New England boarding schools (eg Choate, Loomis Chaffee, Pomfret, Andover, Exeter etc). Those schools cost as much as college and your child most likely will not get the best experience unless they live there as a boarding student.

If you settle in Avon, Farmington, Glastonbury, Simsbury, West Hartford etc I would still argue that private school is not worth it because these are excellent school systems. An involved parent + these school systems + eyes wide open on how the college process works results in great education and optimal college outcome. I would definitely take these schools over generic private schools or religious private schools (from an education and community perspective).

Id also say that there are other towns with “average” school systems that are good relative to the rest of the country, and with involved parents kids will get a great education still and can indeed land at top colleges.

I saw someone below mentioned attending an Ivy League feeder private school - I also did. The education was great, but it cost so much that I couldn’t afford to attend an Ivy League and had to seek a scholarship elsewhere (just something to consider…)

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mintccicecream t1_ithdy6s wrote

Thank you :) that is great insight. Fairfield County seems like the perfect place to settle down honestly.

The people on this sub are great and so informative! I’m really grateful.

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IndicationOver OP t1_ithu8dr wrote

>Fairfield County seems like the perfect place to settle down honestly.

Literally probably one if not the best places to reside in USA.

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notbad2u t1_iti09m7 wrote

Yes it just costs a lot. It's like a Rolls Royce, it's great area car if you have the money but you don't want that used one from ebay.

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