A good education is priceless. Almost everyone can agree that a good education is such an important building block in a child’s life — it’s the foundation on which their future is often built. Elementary, middle, and high schools are becoming more competitive, given the vast array of opportunities available for children these days and it can be difficult to decide where the best place for your child to attend can be. A child’s college education can often be decided or influenced by what primary school they attended, for example. Many parents decide that a private school education is the key to success, due to smaller classrooms, more rigorous curriculum, and high standards for admission. They feel that a private school setting challenges their child and exposes him or her to a higher standard of learning.
So Uh, How Many Kids Go to Private School Anyway?
There are just over 30,500 private schools in just the United States, which offer schooling to 5.3 million kids from Pre-K through 12th grade. Private schools (whether it’s an elementary school, middle school, or high school), comprise 24% of the nation’s schools and about 10% of students in secondary education attend a private institution. They’re known for their small class size — 86% of private schools have under 300 students in their system.
Although there’s long been a separation of the genders in private schools, in 2011-2012, 96% of private schools were co-educational, accepting both girls and boys, 2% were girls’ only schools, and 2% were boys’ only schools.
College attendee rates are also high for private high school students. Almost 100% of 12th graders who went to private school in the fall of 2010 had graduated by the following fall, and almost 65% of these students were in four-year colleges at that time. NCES data shows that just about 90% of students who go private schools apply for college, instead of alternative paths, as compared to under 60% of public high school students. That’s a pretty wide gap.
What Do Parents Find So Great About Private Schools?
Many parents feel that private schools give their child more attention and a more tailored curriculum, even from a young age. Private preschools do exist! This makes sense, given that the early years are important to a child’s development — their minds are like sieves, ready to be filled with knowledge, and a good head start in preschool can do wonders for their educational abilities.
For example, kids who attend preschool at all tend to do about 20% better on math and reading tests when they get to kindergarten. Apart from that though, the classrooms in private schools have a much smaller size than public schools. There’s one teacher for every 12.5 students, as compared to one teacher for every 15.4 students in a public institution. The students can often receive more one-on-one time with their teacher and the teacher can tailor a curriculum more around the talents and weaknesses of the class. And, given that most private schools have a higher standard for admitting students, the students are likely to all be operating on more or less the same educational wavelength.
Indeed, in 2007, the Fraser Institute ran a study that reported over 90% of parents went with a private school because they admired the teachers’ dedication. And 80% were happy with the academic rigor; many parents feel that there is a higher educational bar for private school students.
Certainly, safety in schools is an issue in a time when school shootings are sadly becoming more and more common. The same Fraser Institute study reported that over 70% of parents with children in private schools said they felt the school was safer than a public school would have been.
If your child is starting school soon, consider all your options before making a final decision. It’s important to be prepared for the often rigorous application process for enrolling your child in a private school, but there are also many advantages to enrolling your child in a private school right from the start of their educational journey.