Why choose a private school? This is a fundamental question every parent must ask and answer for their child. Though a private school may be better for your child, is it worth the extra expense? Public schools are free. Do the benefits of private school justify the expense? This is a very personal question that each family must ask and answer for themselves. To help you quantify the difference a private school could make for your child, we have listed a few of the characteristics of private school:
Better Student Outcomes – If you look at the research, you will find that private school students are generally more prepared. According to the Council for American Private Education, students with diplomas from private schools are “considerably more likely to be ready for college.”
Small Class Sizes/Individual Student Attention – Private schools have a significantly lower student-teacher ratio than public schools. Smaller class sizes allow private school students the individual attention they need to achieve their academic potential. With continuing funding problems for public education, this gap will only get wider in coming years.
Appropriate Focus on Testing – Testing is important, but it is not everything in education. More than ever public school teachers are hamstrung by bureaucratic pressure to perform well on standardized testing. Without pressure to make numbers, private school teachers can focus on good instruction and learning.
Shared Culture and Values – Private schools are allowed to factor culture, values and even faith into the way they operate. The fact that private schools can be selective allows them to maintain a culture consistent with the values of families attending. Private schools can be a place where the values of a family are reinforced.
Choice – Your ability to choose a school for your child underlies all the positive reasons to select a private school for your child. In public education, you have no choice. In private education, you can select a school based on whatever combination of factors are important to you and your family.
The Tenney School is a small private school in west Houston featuring one-to-one classroom instruction. Contact us to hear more about our program and whether it might be a good fit for your child.