One of the biggest decisions parents face is how to best educate their children. There are so many factors to consider and so many comparisons to make that choosing where to send your children to school can be a very complex process. Private schools offer a number of benefits that public schools simply cannot due to government restrictions, so when it comes to deciding between the public school system and a private school environment, here are three reasons to pick a private school.
One of the major advantages that private schools offer is environmental in the form of small class sizes. Whether it’s at the elementary or high school level, the average ratio of students to teachers in a private school setting is ten to one, unlike public schools where the ratio averages 25 to 30 students per teacher. These smaller class sizes result in more individual attention and instruction, less distraction and fewer disciplinary issues, while also promoting better relationships between teachers and students.
Another significant reason that private schools are able to provide a better overall education is their source of funding. Because private schools are funded by student tuition and private donations, rather than the government, these institutions are not tied to a one-size-fits-all teaching methodology. Instead, public school teachers are encouraged to, and do, use a variety of curriculum and assessment models in order to meet individual student learning needs. Faculty at private schools aren’t required to teach to a test which frees them to teach students how to think rather than what to think.
Finally, according to the National Council for American Private Education, of the students who graduate from private high schools, 67% go on to attend four year colleges and universities. Private high schools provide counselors whose job it is to lead students through the labyrinth of post-secondary education. These counselors spend well over 50% of their time counseling students on college admissions, applications and tuition assistance as well as helping those students to find the college that is the right fit for them personally. Not only are private schools students educationally prepared for college, they receive the guidance necessary to navigate the admissions and financial aid processes.
Private schools focus on each child as an individual while promoting morality, integrity and responsibility. Students attending private schools receive not just an intellectual education but a social and emotional one as well. For more information on a private school in Sunnyvale, click here.
