They also have to be grafted and pruned. That makes them more expensive. If you want to save money on Japanese maples, get whips (seedlings) and grow them out.

It isn't a true Japanese maple if a bird can't fly through it. It's important to keep them open and airy. Some (varieties) require more pruning than others. Some are nicer if left as mounds of leaves, looking more like shrubs.

Very few of them are not recommended for container growing. But you have to take care of them as they get older. You have to put them in larger containers or they get root bound.

When young they have to be babied and cared for and that runs up the cost.

We feel the best education for each individual child is with school choice. It involves the parents directly in the process of their child's education and they have some governance, in that they can seek another school if they are unhappy with the present school. And historically, our kids do well at whatever school they attend.

After talking to the different school committees and studying their responses, we feel we can't endorse any one school over all the others.