Public vs Private Schools

Should you enroll your child in a public or private elementary school?  Let’s investigate our nation’s schools, the US schools, to help you with your decision.  Enrolling your child will, of course, cost you.  However, the real question before us at this time is the cost you will have to pay worth it. 


If your children attend a private school, their classes will be smaller than those of a public school.  The facilities of private schools are also much nicer.  However, private schools also have additional advantages. 

Advantages a Private School Offers

·      

    Private schools have a lower student to teacher ratio.  A lower student to teacher ratio means your child will get more attention than he or she would receive in a public school.  

·      Students have fewer problems with discipline in a private school.  One reason for this is that students attending a private school usually have a strong desire to learn.  In addition, a private school frequently has a code of conduct.  Knowing a consistent code of conduct guarantees that the student will always behave properly.

·      Parent involvement is always welcome in private schools.  In preschool and the early elementary grades, parent involvement in the form of suggestions for the classroom is taken very seriously.  After all, if parents don’t like the way classes are run, they will bring their children to another school.

   

·      Teachers in private schools don’t have to be certified.  If they aren’t certified, are they required to be college graduates?  No, they aren’t.  Are they trained to teach students that learn differently?  No, they aren’t. 

·      Private schools don’t have to teach students to prepare for government tests.  Therefore, your child’s teacher won’t be required to teach him or her what is on the test.  Instead, your child will be given experiences that will prepare him or her to think independently instead.

·      The academic standards are higher in private schools than those of public schools.

·      Culture including both the arts and music has a greater emphasis in private schools.

·      Options to board are offered at some private schools.

U.S. Department of Education Predictions 

In spite of the above advantages of private schools, the predictions are that by 2021 there will be fewer students enrolled in private schools.  Over the past 15 years, 12 percent of students in Kindergarten to grade 12 has reduced to 10 percent.  Furthermore, the prediction of the U.S. Department of Education is that the Kindergarten to grade 12 student enrollments in private schools will decrease further to 9 percent by 2021. 

In Conclusion

Let’s look at the facts.  The National Center for Education Statistics reports that as many as 50 million students are currently enrolled in public elementary and secondary schools in the United States. 

Private schools offer so much more to their students.  The classes of private schools are smaller assuring you that your child will have more individualized attention.  In private schools, you may believe your child will be offered more cultural courses in art and music.

However, the biggest advantage of public schools is that they are totally free.  In addition, some public schools such as charter schools also offer some of the same advantages as private schools.  They are exempt from the regulations usually required of public schools and their curriculum is more varied as well.  All of this is possible without their charging tuition. 

If high academic standards are what you seek for your children, perhaps you should consider magnet schools, but they do charge competitive admissions like private schools.  The class sizes of magnet schools are larger than those of private schools.  Likewise, their curriculums are lacking flexibility.  They must also follow the rules and regulations required by the bureaucratic red tape demanded by the government.

However, remember public schools are totally free since they don’t charge any tuition.  Also, public schools offer special education programs for students with learning disabilities, and the teachers in public schools are state-certified.  Remember, in spite of the advantages of private schools, the enrollment of students attending them is predicted to decline.

Should your children attend private or public schools?  The choice is yours.  It may depend on your income.  You may prefer they are educated with students with a more diverse background.