When it comes time to choosing a school for your child, you may be asking a question many parents ask: Should she go to a public or private school? There's no magical answer to the question. Rather, it's a decision you need to make based on a number of things, such as:
- Academic reputation
- Location
- Costs
- Class size
- Your religious beliefs
- Special education needs
When you take these into consideration, you'll be better prepared to make the right decision to get your child the best education possible.
Some Basics
It's a good idea first to understand some differences between public and private schools.
Public schools get money or "funding" from local taxes, the state the school's located in, as well as from the federal government. In most states, there are "school districts" within the various cities and counties, and there's at least one, but usually several, schools within each district. Any public school in the district where you live is required by law to let your child attend classes there. You simply fill out the paperwork and your child's "in."
Private schools get very little, if any, state or federal funding. Many private schools are associated with a religious organization, such as a church, but many aren't. Private schools aren't legally required to accept every student who may want to attend, either. For example, it can set an enrollment limit. Likewise, these schools can reject applicant for reasons such as admission test scores.
There are many more public schools and public school students in the US than there are private. According to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), in the 2006-2007 school year, there were about 99,000 public schools. In 2007-2008, there were about 33,700 private schools. Also according to the NCES, in the fall of 2009:
- Nearly 49.8 million students were expected to go to public elementary and secondary schools, compared with 5.8 million students in private schools
- Public schools were expected to employ about 3.3 million teachers, meaning there's a student-teacher ratio of 15.2 (this means there's 15 students for every 2 teachers, or 7.5 students for each teacher). The ratio is lower in private schools: 12.8
Factors in Your Decision
There are a number of things to think about when it comes to choosing your child's school. You may not have to consider all these things, and some of the points talked about here may or may not apply to the schools in your area. The purpose here is to give you a general idea what to look for and ask about.
Academic Reputation
There may be a big difference in academic reputations between public and private schools in your area. Some public schools are thought of as under-achievers, where students don't learn as much and at the same speed as students in private schools. These beliefs may or may not be shown by a school's report card, which measures the school's effectiveness at teaching its students.
Public schools are required to participate in the report card system, while only a handful of private schools do so.