Living
Private Education
If you elect to send your child to a private school, you will pay heavily for that decision. One year’s tuition may cost more than your car, unless of course your child qualifies for a scholarship or grant. Tuition at the prestigious Harvard-Westlake school, for example, is $26,000 a year, plus out-of-pocket expenses of about $3,000. Many schools, especially those with religious affiliations, may be cheaper.
Parents decide to shoulder this cost for a variety of reasons, but most believe they are simply ensuring a better education for their children. Not only do private schools have impressive campus facilities and control class size and student-teacher ratio, but they also have more independence from state regulations regarding curriculum and budget, which allows for diversity that goes beyond the ‘basics’ of the LAUSD. Detractors argue the weakness of this freedom is that most private schools do not require teachers be certified beyond a college degree.
Your child must apply to private school, and acceptance will take into account both academic and social factors. He or she will face a process that includes school tours, testing, an interview and getting teacher recommendations. Testing for elementary school might include examination in a group setting, but if your child is in grade five to 12, he or she will likely need to take the Independent School Entrance Examination (ISEE), which costs $78. Most LA private schools will not assist you in getting a student visa for your child, but once he or she is here, they are not likely to ask you to show his or her residency papers either.
In most cases you will find private school admission highly competitive, with certain grades noted as ‘main entry points’, which means those are the years the school admits a bulk of the student body. This, however, is one place where being a newly arrived expat can come in handy. If a school is accepting as few as eight students to your child’s grade, LA newcomers are often considered first. In addition, most private schools are constantly struggling to enrol a diverse population – a foreign passport can only help those numbers. If you arrive in town mid-term or mid-year, your school of choice may even make a special case of your child. Many feel the selective process (and the money) of private schools ensures a safer and better environment. For better or worse, it may also create a relatively homogenous group of peers for your child.
Boarding schools are not very popular in LA, but there are some on the outskirts of the county. If you choose this option, it can cost an additional $10,000.
Parents decide to shoulder this cost for a variety of reasons, but most believe they are simply ensuring a better education for their children. Not only do private schools have impressive campus facilities and control class size and student-teacher ratio, but they also have more independence from state regulations regarding curriculum and budget, which allows for diversity that goes beyond the ‘basics’ of the LAUSD. Detractors argue the weakness of this freedom is that most private schools do not require teachers be certified beyond a college degree.
Your child must apply to private school, and acceptance will take into account both academic and social factors. He or she will face a process that includes school tours, testing, an interview and getting teacher recommendations. Testing for elementary school might include examination in a group setting, but if your child is in grade five to 12, he or she will likely need to take the Independent School Entrance Examination (ISEE), which costs $78. Most LA private schools will not assist you in getting a student visa for your child, but once he or she is here, they are not likely to ask you to show his or her residency papers either.
In most cases you will find private school admission highly competitive, with certain grades noted as ‘main entry points’, which means those are the years the school admits a bulk of the student body. This, however, is one place where being a newly arrived expat can come in handy. If a school is accepting as few as eight students to your child’s grade, LA newcomers are often considered first. In addition, most private schools are constantly struggling to enrol a diverse population – a foreign passport can only help those numbers. If you arrive in town mid-term or mid-year, your school of choice may even make a special case of your child. Many feel the selective process (and the money) of private schools ensures a safer and better environment. For better or worse, it may also create a relatively homogenous group of peers for your child.
Boarding schools are not very popular in LA, but there are some on the outskirts of the county. If you choose this option, it can cost an additional $10,000.
