This is a snapshot of one parent’s school choice. You can read other parent testimonials and help other parents. Take five minutes to complete an anonymous survey to tell PSS and our readers about your school choice!
What school did you decide on? Henry Lea School
Calendar year your child entered 2011
Grade your child entered 3
What neighborhood are you in? West Philly
What schools did you consider? Friends Select, Germantown Academy, Charter Schools, Catholic
What factors were most important to you? Tuition, Location, Teaching Philosophy, School Performance (test scores, success of graduates), Teacher Quality, Principal Quality, Diversity, Special Programs (language immersion, music, etc.)
What first attracted you to the school? Diversity, the classroom teacher, the principal, the home and school association, art and science teacher, afterschool activities.
What were the critical factors that led to your choice? Diversity, the classroom teacher, the principal, the home and school association, art and science teacher, afterschool activities, and the bonus – it is within walking distance to school!
Did you relocate in order to choose this school? No
On the political spectrum, I consider myself to be Liberal
Please share anything else about your experience SAVE YOURSELF $24,000 A YEAR and still get your child a quality education. Go visit the Philadelphia public school in your area. You will be pleasantly surprised. I had my son in private school for two years. Lost a job and we took a chance on the public school in the neighborhood. He is doing better than ever! He attends school with kids who are intelligent, kind, interested in learning, and from all over the world. He is learning to play tennis at recess, and we just signed up for a free ice hockey camp sponsored by the school. They have writing workshops sponsored by PENN, and string lessons start this year. The list goes on and on. If there is something you want changed in the school – get involved and change it!
Save yourself from the thoughts of uprooting your family and moving to the suburbs, putting yourself on tons of charter school wait lists, and filling out the financial aid forms every year. Check out your public school!
This is a snapshot of one parent’s school choice. You can read other parent testimonials and help other parents. Take five minutes to complete an anonymous survey to tell PSS and our readers about your school choice!
The City Paper published an article last week entitled Urban Studies. The article highlights the risk that parents take in choosing to go the a Philadelphia public school in the current climate. Specifically, budget cuts and declining enrollment are forcing the district to close schools and change catchment boundaries. The result–parents that gamble by buying a house in a desirable catchment or choose to invest in their catchment school and forgo the lottery or private school application process could end up out of luck–their intended destination becomes overburdened with students from other schools being diverted in or worse, the school is simply taken away.
