Every single year countless parents face one of the toughest decisions they will ever make. Parents must decide the type of school they want their child to attend. Parents must pick whether or not they want their child to attend advanced preschool programs, which is difficult within itself. Then parents must decide if they want their child to attend a public school, or if they want their child to attend their private school
On the surface, the difference between private schools and public schools may seem insignificant. Here are some of the distinctions that make private schools different than public schools.
Right now in the United States, there are 30,861 private schools that teach 5.3 million students from Preschool to 12th grade. Private schools account for about 24% of the nation’s schools while also enrolling 10% of all students from Preschool to 12th grade. Most private schools are quite small in comparison to public schools, as 86% have fewer than 300 students.
Of all the 305,832 private high school students that graduated in 2010 and 2011, 64% attended a 4-year college by the fall of 2011. 96% of all private schools were coeducational in the year of 2012. In comparison, 2% enrolled only girls and 2% enrolled only boys. If you are inclined to do so, you can even send your child to a private preparatory academy.
Private high schools on average are going to be less than half the size of public schools. Private schools are smaller than public schools, with about 12.5 students for each teacher as opposed to public schools which contain 15.4 students per teacher. The smaller classrooms are one of many benefits or private schools. More often than not, private schools contain some of the top summer programs.
80% of all parents who send their child to private schools state that they are happy with the academic standard upheld at the school. In the year 2011, 98% of all 12th-graders enrolled in private schools enrolled in school in 2010 went on to graduate in 2011. According to data collected by the National Center of Education Statistics (NCES), 88% of all private high school students will apply to a college, compared to 57% of all public high school students.
In a study completed by the Fraser Institute in the year of 2007, about 91% of all parents said that one of the main reasons they chose a private school was because they believed their teachers were dedicated to the students. In that same study, 72% of all respondents believed that private schools are very safe.
In conclusion, if you have an interest in sending your child to a private school, you should seek out help and information. There are many benefits for sending your kid to a private school for their education. However, that decision is one that belongs to the parents and the parents only. Only a parent will be able to understand what school is best for their child. The culture of private schools can be quite different than public schools, the same way that academics may be different between public schools and private schools. Make sure you get all of the information that you can, and make the right choice.
