Many parents struggle with the decision to send, or not to send, their children to private school. Beginning with preschool, it has been found that children ages three to four who do attend a good preschool will score 21% higher when they take reading and math tests in kindergarten than do those children who never went to preschool. In addition, those children who have participated in a preschool program have academically surpassed those children who didn’t attend preschool.
On the whole, there are many tangible benefits of private school education. A private school is generally smaller than a public school, which lessens the amount of students in each class. This enables teachers to spend more time with each student for one-on-one assistance. Private schools tend to run smaller when looking at student population, most coming in at a total of 300 students in the school from K-12. Private high schools, for the most part, are only half the size of public high schools. Most parents when asked did say that they felt the private schools their children attend are safe. In addition, 80% of parents are satisfied with the academics in those schools. SAT scores among private school students are higher than those of public school students. In larger cities, private school enrollment is 1.5 more than enrollment in public schools.
Parents whose children are enrolled in both religious and other private schools who say they are very satisfied with their chosen school are in the 80 to 82 percentile. Private schools are schools are run by individuals and not by the government; therefore, parents pay per year for their children to attend. There are also sometimes scholarships available that will pay a part or all of the yearly tuition for certain students. Some other benefits of private school education are that statistically, 88% of private high school students will apply to attend college, while only 57% of public high school students will apply to college.
When sizing up the benefits of private school education the feeling of community within the school itself is right up there on top. Because of the small size of most private schools, communications between parents and teachers is usually more common, and the schools will often hold special events which welcome the parent’s attendance. There is more control by the school administration over what goes on inside the school building or buildings, as well as on the grounds themselves. Many parents of children in private schools believe that their children receive a higher quality of education largely because the teachers have more time to get to know each of the students. 91% of parents asked said that they prefer a private school education for their children because of the teachers’ dedication. Many private school students who have been interviewed right before or after graduation have attested to the fact that their school was like family, and that many of their friendships have lasted past their graduating year.
In essence, there are many different types of private schools, tuition based, but offering a good education to those who choose to attend. As a result, there are a wide range of benefits of private school education to be found in a variety of different classroom situations. Not every school, public or private, will fit every need of every student. For example, a Montessori school may not fit the needs of students who require a structured classroom; however, a good religious school may be just the right fit. By the same token, the benefits of private school education for a child who performs better in a more navigable atmosphere may be better found at a school that offers an open classroom.
When choosing the appropriate school for their child to attend, parents must be very aware of not only the child’s academic needs and abilities, but also their many personality traits, which may fit into several types of classifications.
