News Briefs
Buying their way into another public school system
Apr 10, 2008 3:19 PM
In Washington, D.C., where public schools range from the excellent to the execrable, some families are paying as much as $14,000 in tuition for their children to attend public schools in nearby states. It’s perfectly legal, as long as parents pay the out-of-district fee, and as long as the schools have space. Shipping your kid to an adjoining state is also cheaper than private schools, which in the D.C. environs can reach $30,000 at top schools.
It’s not a huge number now that are studying out of the city. Just 20 D.C. children are enrolled in Virginia’s Fairfax County, and a handful are scattered in Maryland counties. (There’s even some reverse commuting, with suburbanites paying to attend a handful of specialized high schools in the District, including the prestigious Duke Ellington School of the Arts.)
But critics say the trend could be ominous. Instead of staying to fight and work with teachers to improve inner- city schools, D.C. parents with disposable incomes are buying a better school, while the suburban school system creams the best students. Plus, the suburban school districts save money in the process through the fees they charge out-of-state students.
Washington Post, March 30
