sCHOOL bLOG

If you're a parent considering a private education for your child, you can find a plethora of information about schools simply by visiting their websites and reading through admissions materials. However, nothing can be more valuable during this process than physically visiting the school and the personal interactions that you have with the teachers, students, and parents of the school.

To help ensure that you are choosing the right school to give your child the best private education possible, we recommend walking through this checklist as you tour the school:

• 1) The school has a positive reputation in the community.
• 2) The mission and philosophy of the school align with my child's interests, needs, and passions.
• 3) The school will be flexible in working with our family.
• 4) The school fosters an environment for students to want to become lifelong learners.
• 5) The students at the school are friendly and seem enthusiastic about what they're learning.
• 6) The teachers and staff are experienced and take the personal development of students to heart.
• 7) The school offers a safe and secure environment, and these security measures are evident just from visiting the school.
• 8) Graduates seem to excel once they leave the school, whether it be admission to a respected private high school or scholarships to college.​

It's not uncommon for parents to wonder what the difference is between charter schools and private schools, so we wanted to take a moment to touch on this and provide a comparison of the two.

Charter Schools

In a way, you can think of charter schools as a hybrid between public and private schools. Just like a public school, the education aspect is free as charter schools are funded by the government. This also means that the school must be managed in accordance to the government body that provides the charter--the state, county, or district--and the school will be in jeopardy of losing its charter if test scores are unsatisfactory. For many established charter schools, fundraising becomes a significant source of income for the school.

One of the most difficult decisions that you will make as a parent is determining the educational path that your child will take. Many people often struggle as to whether they should enroll their children in the local public school system or choose private education. While there is not always one right answer, we wanted to take a moment to share some benefits of choosing the private education route:

1. Academic Excellence

Private schools earn an esteemed reputation in the community based upon the high standards that they set for enrolled students. If you review the standardized test results of both private and public schools, you will typically find that the scores are higher at a private institution. You will also often find that private schools offer more advanced level classes and have a higher percentage of students enrolled in these classes. This is because the teachers set high expectations for students, which therefore fosters a learning environment full of high achievers.