Each year the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is mandated to release a report on the state of education in the United States. The latest report was just released on May 26th and offered several eye-catching findings in regards to the private education sector.

The Connection Between Private Schools and Academic Achievement
Another key takeaway from this annual report is the direct correlation between private education and academic achievement. According to the report, a higher percentage (85 percent) of private school students had taken more advanced mathematics classes such as Algebra II and Trigonometry than students enrolled in public schools. The same could be said for science classes as private school students were more likely to have taken at least one credit in Biology, Chemistry, and Physics than public school students.

Private School Enrollment is On the Rise
One of the biggest findings in this report is that enrollment in private schools is on the rise. The latest data available for this study is for the 2013-14 school year, and it indicated an increase of approximately 100,000 private school students over the previous school year. When taking into account this increase, the private school share of all pre-K through 12 students in the United States is 9.7 percent.

There are a number of factors that could be contributing to more parents choosing to go the private education route with their children. Examples of such reasons include the desire to give children a religious education, a smaller class size, and better preparation for college. We recently wrote an article on our blog about what motivates parents to choose a private education, and we recommend that you take a look at it and see if you can relate.

More Teachers are Being Hired in Private Schools
To accommodate this increase in private school enrollment, the report from NCES indicated that the number of private school teachers increased by approximately 10,000 between the 2012-13 and 2013-14 school year. This makes the average student/teacher ratio in private schools nationally 12.2 students per teacher versus an average of 16.1 students per teacher in public schools. Again, a smaller student to teacher ratio that a private school setting can offer is one of the biggest driving forces as to why parents choose a private education.

More details about the latest NCES report can be found on the CAPE website.

If you’re currently considering a private education for your child, we invite you to take a tour of our campus at St. Barnabas Episcopal School to learn more about our mission, values, and unique approach to developing well-rounded students from pre-K to grade 8.

Our mission is to challenge each student in a supportive environment that promotes academic excellence, sound moral values, and high self-esteem within a framework of God’s love.