Moms Talk Q&A: Is Private School Worth the Expense on the South Fork?

show that public schools in the town of Southampton meet or exceed state expectations, and local public school students outperform the state average on most Regents Exams.

Southampton Town public schools have relatively small class sizes and have less incidences of violence than some up-island schools, where parents may be more inclined to send their children to private schools so their children are safer and receive a better education.

For some parents, it's not only about the quality of education. Catholic families who want their children to be educated in a religious atmosphere have in Southampton and in Sag Harbor to choose from locally. Once they reach high school age, they can continue their Catholic education at in Riverhead.

For a secular private education, there is in Bridgehampton, for children from pre-nursery through fourth grade. The , for fifth through 12th grade, is in East Hampton.

Some parents, after sending their children to private school through eighth grade, choose to send their children to public high school so they can take part in a sports program the private high schools don't offer.

This week's Moms Talk topic is: Considering the quality of local public school districts, is sending your children to private school really worth the expense?

Please feel free to share your thoughts, concerns and more in our comment section.

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