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School Choice Tips
Private vs. Public Schools: What's the Difference?
Your goal is to find a school that will meet your child's needs. But how do you choose between a public school and a private school?
By GreatSchools Staff
Cost Public schools cannot charge tuition. They are funded through federal, state and local taxes. When you pay your taxes, you are paying for your child's education and the education of other children in your community.
Private schools cost money. Private schools do not receive tax revenues, but instead are funded through tuition, fundraising, donations and private grants. According to the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS), the median tuition for their member private day schools in 2005-2006 in the United States was close to $14,000 for grades 1 to 3, $15,000 for grades 6 to 8 and $16,600 for grades 9 to 12. The median tuition for their member boarding schools was close to $29,000 for grades 1 to 3, $32,000 for grades 6 to 12. Note that of the 28,384 private schools in the United States, about 1,058 are affiliated with NAIS. The Digest of Education Statistics 2005 from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) reports that for the 1999-2000 school year, the average private school tuition was about $4,700.
Parochial schools generally charge less. According to the National Catholic Educational Association, in their annual statistical report in 2005-2006, the average elementary school tuition for Catholic schools (in 2005) was $2,607; the average freshman tuition (for 2002-2003) was $5,870. Catholic Schools enroll more students (49%) than any other segment of private schools.
Admissions Public schools admit all children. By law, public schools must educate all children, including students with special needs. To enroll in a public school you simply register your child by filling out the necessary paperwork.
Private schools are selective. They are not obligated to accept every child, and in many private schools admission is very competitive.
Governance
Public or Private? The Debate Rages
Private school students typically score higher than public school students on standardized tests, but a study by the National Center for Education Statistics released in 2006 that took into account students' backgrounds told a different story.
Public school students in fourth and eighth grade scored almost as well or better in reading and math, except that private school students excelled in eighth-grade reading. (Downloading the PDF file of the study requires Adobe Acrobat Reader, which you can download for free if you click here.)
A Harvard University study challenged the results, using the same data but different methods. Researchers found that private schools came out ahead in 11 of 12 comparisons of students.
Earlier in 2006, an analysis of math scores by two University of Illinois researchers found similar results to the NCES study. The authors of Charter, Private, Public Schools and Academic Achievement found that "after accounting for the fact that private schools serve more advantaged populations, public schools perform remarkably well, often outscoring private and charter schools."
But as this dissenting view from the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation's Education Gadfly newsletter shows, the debate over which schools do a better job is far from settled.
Public schools must follow all federal, state and local laws in educating children. Such laws usually include specifics about funding, program development and curriculum.
Private schools are not subject to as many state and federal regulations as public schools. Since private schools are funded independently, they are not subject to the limitations of state education budgets and have more freedom in designing curriculum and instruction.
Curriculum Public schools offer a general program, designed for all children, which usually includes math, English, reading, writing, science, history and physical education. In addition to these key subjects, many public schools offer programs in music and art. In a public school, the substance of what children learn is mandated by the state and learning is measured through state standardized tests.
NOTE: The charter school movement is picking up momentum in many states; these schools are public, but many offer specialized programs and smaller classes.
Private schools have the flexibility to create a specialized program for students. For example, private schools may use art or science in all classes, or take children on extended outdoor trips that blend lessons across the curriculum. Private schools can create their own curriculum and assessment systems, although many also choose to use standardized tests.
Teachers Public schools: All teachers in a public school are usually state certified or, at a minimum, working toward certification. Certification ensures that a teacher has gone through the training required by the state, which includes student teaching and coursework.
Private schools: Teachers in private schools may not be required to have certification, and instead often have subject area expertise and an undergraduate or graduate degree in the subject they teach.
Students Public schools: The children at most public schools usually reflect the community. Students may be split up based on ability or interests, but in many public schools, there is a diversity of student backgrounds.
NOTE: In many states, if you are not satisfied with your assigned school, you may be able to send your child to another public school in the area. Start here to learn more information about these options.
Private schools: The student population at a private school is determined through a selection process; all students must apply and be accepted in order to attend. Although students may be from different neighborhoods, they will probably have similar goals and interests. This tends to create a fairly homogenous student body.
Special Needs Public schools: Due to special education laws, public schools must educate all children, and provide the necessary programs to meet their special needs. This means that most public schools have special education programs and teachers who are trained to work with students who have particular needs.
Private schools: Private schools do not have to accept children with special needs, and many choose not to (although there are a small number of private schools specifically designed for special needs children). As a result, most private schools do not have special education programs or teachers trained to work with students with severe special needs. Private schools will try to help all the students they admit, but extra resources may also come at an additional cost.
Class Size Public schools: Many states recognize the value of small classes and have provided funding to keep class sizes small in grades K-3. As students become older, class size tends to get bigger in public schools, especially in large school districts and urban schools.
Private schools: Private schools are generally committed to providing small classes and individual attention to students. Many parents choose private schools for this reason.
The Bottom Line There are a few fundamental differences between public and private schools, but here's the bottom line: There are great private schools and there are great public schools. The trick is finding the school that best fits your child's needs. You may also want to consider public charter schools or homeschooling. It's a good idea to research the schools that interest you and, to get a true picture of the school, visit in person.
Updated January 2008
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Comments From GreatSchools.net Users
10/8/2008:
"Friend of mine had her kid in the Public School, for a year, her kid change so much in the bad way, he starts argue all the time, don’t listening parents most of the time, screaming she didn’t know what to do with her kid. His teacher keeps calling them about his bed attitude, and so on. Then later on, somebody told her about Private School, she was afraid a little, plus it also cost a lot of money, and then she though, well if this school will change my kid in the better way, then I will pay as much money, as it need. Then next year, she put her kid in the Private School, believe it or not, she noticed that her kid start to change, and I mean big time, in everyway. Now she is so excided and so happy for him, plus he is doing so much better in school, and he love it so much. So she is saying: It’s worth it. So I think it’s not fear that we all have to pay for Public School and Private School. I think that this will be nice if in the near future we all have a c! hoice which school should our kids attend, because all of us I believe want the best for their kids."
10/6/2008:
"I was interested in this read, and struck, at the end of the article , by your recommendation to 'visit in person'. As my family considers a move to a new area, what are we to make of a public school that does not allow prospective parents to 'visit'? would love to hear your perspective on that"
09/24/2008:
"As valedictorian of my public high school 14 years ago, I can say that the public school system is superior to private schools. Obviously this is a biased assessment since I never attended a private school until I was in dental school. Now to be fair, in my school district growing up, I was able to go to a different high school than the one to which I was geographically assigned. But I think that a key component of my public school experience was tracking. In elementary school, I was put into the “Gifted and Talented� (GT) class in the sixth grade, the year the school started it. There were also after school programs in writing I participated in from the second grade, and extra math programs after school to compete in state-wide competitions. In Junior High (7-9 grades in this case), I was again in the GT track. This program had 30 students each grade year chosen from a population of ~300 per year. We all took the same advanced science, social studies, and English classes and participated in “Enrichment� projects other students did not. The 3 classes were blocked together at the end of the day, so that on Friday afternoons, we would have a combined GT class, all 3 grade years, all 3 class periods, called “Enrichment�. Sometimes this meant we went on field trips to museums, churches, government buildings, etc. Other days it meant we were involved in group projects, or had outside lectures coming in. Always, “Enrichment� day was exciting, and different, and a chance to bring the core subjects together. Math was not included in the GT program, but that enabled some of us skip ahead years in the traditional math layout. I also placed repeatedly in statewide math contests – contests in which bot! h public and private schools competed. By having the option to go to a different high school than the one I was “supposed to� due to overcrowding issues, I was able to go to a public high school with better academics and extracurricular programs. I took 8 AP classes in high school, which gave me enough college credits that I started college as a junior and it only took me 2 years to complete my undergraduate degree. After all of my years of education, I can say that the best teachers I had, the most caring teachers I had, were all from the public school system. I had teachers that came to my wedding that taught me in the fifth grade. I have teachers from school that when I am in the area I still go in to see because of the special relationship we had and the love I have for them because of their impact on my life. Now, if you are still reading this what may seem conceited appraisal of the public school system and smugly thinking that I am not talking about the average public school experience, but one which more closely aligns itself to a private school experience, I would have to say that I agree. I think that you could say that I went to a “private school within a public school�. I also claim this is the ideal model for a public school system that all should be compared against. What I have yet to discuss though, is why my experience is specifically better than private school. My parents looked at enrolling me in a private school. My father was particularly impressed when attending state award ceremonies in math contests in which I placed, that private schools seemed to be taking away more awards than the public schools, with one private school dominating. They wanted to enroll me at that school for high school, but I successfully fought them on this issue. While placing high in a state math contest is lovely, attending private school to make it more likely comes at the compromise to development of being a well rounded individual with the necessary life skills to live, cope, interact in, and truly succeed in a public world. Private school could not offer the extracurricular experience I had in public school. I was able to be in advanced band classes from the fifth grade, participating in district wide honors band programs in elementary, junior high, and high school. These were always after school programs or summer programs requiring audition. In younger years, we would travel around the state even during school hours to perform at assemblies for other schools. In high school, we toured the nation, every summer on a 2 week tour on yellow school buses, going as far from Utah as British Columbia one year, Ohio another, and (this time including a plane flight first) to Florida another. This experience is one which I treasure and no private school could ever offer. Starting in high school and through college, I started teaching private lessons to as many as 30 students at one point. This was my first self-employed business, and a huge help to me as a now self-employed dentist. It was only b! ecause of public school that I was able to develop the music skills to have this experience; the private school my parents wished to have me attend would have never given me these opportunities. It could have allowed me to become a skilled soloist, but never a true musician that appreciates the entire ensemble of a symphony orchestra and the intricacy of each part as it intertwines synergistically into something more beautiful than any of the individual parts; never could it have taught me how to musically interact with others to synchronize our wills to a greater cause than ours alone; never could it have taught me jazz improvisation, being able to create something new within a central theme or setting the stage for someone else to shine, while learning to play off each other, and making a final product more beautiful than a soloist could ever hope for. And herein lies a profound difference between the public and private student: a private student is as a soloist, which ! may excel at playing an instrument, while the public student i! s as a m ember of an ensemble that can excel in creating music. I also was the captain of my high school swim team my senior year. Private school would have afforded no chance of participating in any sport. Being able to participate in a public school sports team and compete in state competitions helped me develop in ways physically and therefore by connection mentally and spiritually, a private school could have never offered. And despite swimming being more an individual sport than a team sport, I would argue the team spirit was still there. A private school can’t offer this teaching in team mentality – the importance of the group over the individual; the desire to push harder not for your solo victory, but to win the relay, and win the swimming meet for your team. Sure I still could have become an excellent swimmer in a private setting, but never a teammate in the public. Some would argue that on these extracurricular fronts, a private school can still compete with offerings for participation in private programs that may or may not be connected with the private school. And there is a point here that I would like to counter that with, and also bring this all together as to why this public school experience, including the academics, is superior to any possible private school experience. A private school can never compete with a public one because it can only select its best from amongst those willing to or capable of paying for the high cost – financially and socially. Since public schools are free, a system set up for tracking within it, will have a much larger pool from which to find the most gifted students. By having to compete with everyone, this is also a more real world experience since in the real world you will have to compete with everyone, not just those that can afford it. To suppose that only the rich will produce intelligent minds is ridiculous. Thus private schools are limited in their ability to excel by the fact they are burdened with only the rich (and therefore sadly often, the snobbish and spoiled) being able to attend. While my parents could have afforded to send me to private school, albeit with a severe hit to their pockets, there is a greater reason why private school is inferior to public - the social cost. By alienating themselves from the rest of the public, private school students never develop the true social skills they need to be effectual members of society. Note my choice of words here – effectual and not successful. You could argue that a private school produces many successful individuals, if money is the only gauge, and money the most often definition of success in this country. But to be an effectual member of society you have to actually have interacted with society instead of being insulated from it. That means having learned to deal with the bullies in school that called you a nerd instead of being isolated from them. That means learning that there are people with amazing skill sets in music, sports, or drama that don’t necessarily have money or academic excell! ence, but are important and amazing people none the less and can prove to be amazing friends that teach you the life lessons a teacher or parent can’t. That means seeing those that choose popularity over excellence, and the compromise it makes in their achievement. It means learning to able to interrelate with people, understand their life, empathize with them, and develop a desire for charity for them (charity not as welfare, but charity as true love). I would argue that my public school experience has made me an effectual dentist in a way a private school would have only enabled me to be successful monetarily. I can actually relate to my patients and empathize with their troubles; understand their wants and needs better; be a better communicator and friend to them; and by all this be a better dentist, a more effectual member of society, and in general a better person. My patients are never seen through glasses painted with dollar signs – they are seen as people w! ith needs that I am able to hopefully help. And that I would ! argue is a mind only my public school upbringing could have given me. Maybe I would be richer, and therefore more “successful� if I had attended private school, but I would trade that all day for the endless gratitude and hugs and praise from my patients that know I am truly concerned about them and not what they pay me. Having learned in public school the importance of society as a whole and my place as a single musician within it, I understand by playing my part well within society we can create beauty and enrich the lives of each other. Private school would have taught me to be naught but a soloist stubbornly playing away, conceitedly thinking I am the only one playing, and certainly the best at it, or even putting in earphones to ignore the music others are trying to contribute on the stage of life. In short, private school can never teach you want public school can: that you are a member of the human race and live in a world that not only needs you to be the best that you can be for the betterment of all, but by which you can become a more capable person as you benefit from your interaction with others efforts to better the world you live in as well. Go to private school if you believe that you are all that is important and you don’t need the rest of the world to become “successful� because they probably come from a different socio-economic background, or a different race, or aren’t as academically intelligent, or believe in religious ideas you do not. Go to public school if you realize your ability to be an effectual member of society is dependent on your seeing yourself as a member of it. If money and power, and social networking with those that prioritize money and power define your goals, than private school may be for you. If becoming a truly successf! ul person – one that is caring, empathetic, charitable, humble, and altruistic – and one that recognizes the character you develop in this life is all you will ever truly be and all that anyone will ever define you by, and you recognize how you conduct your interrelations with others is the ultimate measure of success, then please consider public school as the best route for you. And if you happen to be somewhere the public school system does not allow the personal growth I have proposed is possible there, please work within it to strengthen it and don’t abandon it for private school at the cost of society as a whole which needs a strong education system to become a strong society. I realize there are bad schools out there, but only together can we make them better and build the next generation that will have a world better than what those before us have given us. Giving into the private school temptation will allow society to disintegrate around you, and leave you! a lone success in the midst of chaos. Make yourself and the ! world yo u live in a better place – support public school! "
09/18/2008:
"I'm in sixth grade and I've been going to a private Christian school since kindergarden. I think that some private schools are better than public because some teach students about the Lord. Don't you think that learning about God is important to kids? You also are in small classes so you get one on one attention with the teacher. In my school almost all of the subjects include God. Religion is important which is why im at a Christian school. I LOVE IT~ The teachers teach us hoping that we go to colleges. They actually care for us and pray for us. Private school rules!"
09/18/2008:
"Good, Smart, Focused, Well Rounded students will excel in any environment. It's not the schools that make the student, it's the students that make the school. Start early, be involved, recognize strengths and weaknesses and make adjustments, emphasize the value of education and your child will be a successfull student no matter what label is put on the school you choose."
09/18/2008:
"its just a great idea!"
09/17/2008:
"Your explanation of the difference between public and private schools is clearly slanted in favor of the public schools. The fact of the matter is, many of us who send our children to private school do so because we don't want our child's education damaged by either the right or the left. Just as No Child Left Behind is a disaster, so is forced 'celebration of diversity.' Most people are bullied by political correctness into keeping quiet, but I'm not: If my child is going to be in a bilingual environment, it will be one that encompasses English AND Hebrew."
09/17/2008:
"i thought that the information that u have given is very educational and it has made me see the difference in going to a private school than a public one... "
09/17/2008:
"'I go to public school but I like private school better'"
09/17/2008:
"Judging from the grammar of the last two comments, private schools need some work."
09/17/2008:
"I go to one of the largest high schools in Indiana, with over 4,000 students. We have so many programs, compared to other high schools, public or not. What classes, and levels really decides where you are with people. I'm in excel, but have one regular English class, everyone in excel class is nice, and there great friends, but the regular English class, its like the people are very different... not in a good way. So when people say private is better, I strongly disagree, its how you look at it and what you want. Plus private schools don't have as much social experience, and the sports are probably not as good. "
09/16/2008:
"I have always gone to a private school all my life and it is great with the teachers paying attention to you. "
09/4/2008:
"I go to a private school for 9 years and i like it.You get individual attention,nice teachers,and good friends. The education there is very good superior to public schools. "
09/3/2008:
"Parents, be a responsible Mom and Dad to your kid. If you are using the school to raise your kid, please, don't have anymore kids. What they learn at home is the most important lesson they will ever get in any school, Public or Private. I had my kids in a mediocre Lutheran school and now have them in a public school. There seems to be a corner being turned and now, many private schools are being left in dust as public schools are excelling in so many areas. But whatever school you choose, please spend time and make an effort to be a parent and not just a buddy to your kid. "
09/3/2008:
"This article stated the generic differences between public schools and private schools. Every state, every school district is different. Here in PA, in my district, the public school is basically free daycare for the projects and the inner city kids. So for me, the choice to send my son to a private school was easy. My mother lives in a different school district... if I lived there, my son would probably be in the public school. So this article was very well written considering there are 50 different states in the US with many hundreds of districts and no two are alike. But when it comes to which YOU should choose, you have to look VERY closely at YOUR area!! These are merely general facts."
09/3/2008:
"I'm a student at a public school and I LOVE it. We have great programs, and the private school kids seem kind of rude. The kids at our school are very inviting and open."
08/25/2008:
"In reading your private vs. public school comparison, I found your views to be very biased and short sighted. There are great public schools everywhere and there are poor private schools...everywhere.Your views would lead your readers to favor private over public anyday. Teachers that teach private school are often ones that were not able to qualify for public school employment due to teaching background or education qualifications. They settle for the lower salary due to these shortcomings. Perhaps if your article was based more on unbiased fact and not your own opinion, I would not feel obligated to write in response. I am a public school teacher and I am a great one. I have been teaching for 25 years and have recieved numerous awards and recognition for my work with children. I am happy to say I am not alone. Many of my colleages have been recognized for the same. So, needless to say, a school is only as great as the teachers. And from where I stand, public school teacher! s are great."
08/22/2008:
"Quit with the stereotypes, please! I'm a product of private schools, some mediocre and some amazing, and I stand by the fact that I'm getting by a lot better than my peers who are public school-bred. I wouldn't trade the quality education I have received from my private schools for anything in the world; if I happened to be more sheltered than someone who happened to attend private schools, than chances are I'll deal with my issues with a lot more class and dignity than that person ever will. Of course, private schools run the spectrum as much as public schools do, but there is no denying one big difference: private schoolers have a big advantage over public schoolers. Think of it as how Ivy League graduates tend to fare better in the workforce more than the grads from regular schools. "
08/20/2008:
"This forum was extremely informative as well as interesting. I am a product of both private and public school. My child attended a private elementary school and then went public from there. I am now researching the private versus public decision with one of my grandchild that I am now raising. So now that you know the background this is my opinion. RESEARCH!, RESEARCH! and do more research. You should start thinking about schooling when your child reach three and have made a decision about this delemma. There is more to learning then the reading and writing. Your child is in an social environment that has an impact on their learning. their feeling about their self as well as how they view others. Evaluate your child learning style and see where she fit in on this level. Private schools are great for parent involvement as well as the charter school. They welcome the opportunity for parents true input and the children come more with a sense of closeness to the school environment. Public school tend only to want parental involement in the PTA which is supposed to be a Parent and Teacher Association. I find that there is never a teacher in those meeting, just parents and they basically about fundraising and events. It is my experiencing that it is well worth the formative years to invest in the private sector. The advantage or the elite has their advantage and although I am not of that fortunate I like the taste of the better steak along with the influence. Do not hate on this as this should be a consideration point. Now there is an opposite. Although. not necessarily, private school generally excel in the academics, but it sure do not have the real world flavor to them. The children are sheltered so much more. So I agree with the writer (7/10) that public school produce more experiences of the real world. An example of this is that if your child was called a name in the public sector then it something that they deal with over time by being passive or aggressive. What action they choose will define the outcome. More than likely no one will go the extra mile to intervene and sit both student down to show them or let them know of alterntive behaviour and why this type of behaviour is unacceptable. The guidance counselor are flooded with a high ratio of students ( 1:300 ratio). In a private sector it is made a big deal an ms. prissy, ie: brawl their eyes out and thus something has to be done NOW! Well this is longer than expected so I going to go for the point. Determine if you have a soft child that needs more protection. There are bully in both sector, just the way that it is handle is different. Crime is crime to me, but society treat them diferently that why they try to diferentiate between a white collar crime and a blue color crime. If you steal from a corporation and shareholder out of billion it is a white collar crime, but it you steal the same amount from a bank you are percieve and dealt with as bieng the worst. Same with the private vs public. You learn those unspoken tools in each of its division. You know it was actually said that the smart one do not get caught. Other consideration is a broader diversity vs. one sided diversity. People who wants more limitation choose the privte sector. Both have the same level of intelligence in their population. So you have to determine which brings the most out. Smaller classroom?, yes for sure but there ! is homeschooling and public charter school as well as the private. There is no mistaken that smaller classroom offer more. Do the research and you will find this in the public sector as well. Don't forget the need for supportive services. Most public have them, fewer of the private. My grandchild needs these services to suceed. He excelled in a charter school although we had to go to the neighboring school for the actual services that was free. He bomb in the private sector as he is ADH, but high IQ and was lost in the public school system. So again research and determine what fits your child in the school that you want. Also check out special programs that might make a differece. AVID, IB, dual lanuage, AP as well local colleges that might accepted the talent. I am going to close on this note--my son in HS went to a public school that he bomb at. I pulled him out and homeschool him. Part of his curriculum was at a local community college. He was 15. All toget! her he was 'F' or failure at the public school, 3.3 av at the ! the coll ege with subject like psych, japanese, college algebra ( he flunked HS algebra, aced with a A in college), english 101 and stastics. So there--match the school or curriculum with the child. Do not be afraid to allow one go to one and another go to another and I think that you will find a perfect match. educational wise. We are not all millionaire, famous or outspoken, or other wise and like my mom told me 'there are just as many at the top as the botton when you MEDIAN it out. Wishing someone luck!"
08/19/2008:
"i am currently attending a private school and ive been going for nine years and i hate it i have no friends and im never gonna have a proper graduation and trust me the kids in my school are just as bad as public schools they cuss and talk about sex and drugs and they make fun of people too and trust me im a kid i should know and when igrow up im never gonna send my kids to private its a waste of money and trust me your kids will hate you for it!"
08/14/2008:
"I'm sending my kid to our local public school and we love it. I'm glad that many parents in our neighborhood are sending their children to private schools, because I don't want our child to be infected with their xenophobia and elitism."
08/14/2008:
"I have done both private & public for my children. The biggest difference in CA is ACCOUNTABILITY. In private, each school & administration makes up its own rules. Sometimes families that donate more $$ to school get more favorable treatment. If something isn't right, academic issues, bullies, etc. you don't have many options. In public school, very strict rules and places to go for remedies. Example: If you want your child tested for learning differences, a meeting must be set within 30 days. Many times, it's this accountability (academics as well as behavioral) that really protects the kids: they MUST do something, they MUST respond. It varies school-to-school, true, but overall we've had better luck in PUBLIC school (both my kids doing very well)."
08/14/2008:
"My children attend private parochial school in California. I believe each school is different and each community is different. Those that think private is better than public or visa versa must open their minds to the reality what's really best in their area. We moved from one area filled with Blue Ribbon schools with high API scores to another which doesn't perform as well. I did my research and discovered that the local parochial HS has students with the highest SAT scores in the area. Year after year. The kids come from the few parachial schools in the area. So... that's what I chose for my kids. If I stayed in my old town, they'd be in the public school system, which was excellent. Unfortunately, that's they way Calif is. I real roll of the dice when it comes to public education. It should be the same everywhere but it's not."
08/13/2008:
"I think it's misleading that you don't give information on the COST per student at a Public school. There is a cost, a very high one, and we all pay for it with less results than a Private school. Public school is NOT free. Citizens pay for it with their property taxes even if THEY themselves have no kids participating. The conversation about the HIGH cost and LOW productivity is not discussed. The conversation about paying Teachers with a Bonus or different tier according to the results they produce is not discussed either. And that is one of the problems with Public school. There is no accountability for my tax dollar. Magda "
08/5/2008:
"In my opinion, you can't definitively decide that either public or private schools are superior to the other. I personally didn't have great experiences at public school, so now I go to private school, and I get along fantastically. BUT it ALL depends on the school!!!!!!! Keep that in mind!!!!!!!! There are public schools near me that are wonderful, and there are public schools near me that are horrible. Same for private schools. You can't say one is better than the other. It depends on the individual school itself."
08/5/2008:
"Public school students talk about sex and sometimes drugs, they cuss and disobey the teachers, even make fun of anyone who is a little different. But thats life, and you need to learn how to deal with it at early stages."
07/29/2008:
" I used to send my two children to the private school where wae close to my house. They were offering really great electives like: Hip-Hop, Baton, Guitar, Krate, Ballet, Swimming....also, kids were tought advanced accademics. I always thought that I would keep my kids all elementary years at the private school then trnsfer them to the public school from the middle school....guss what I was really disappointed to the private school!! My both kids had been at the school since they were Kindergarten. They had been in 'Honer Roll' & results of the 'Iowa Test Basis Skill (ITBS)' were always above their grades. But I was not happy with result of 'Reading ',which I had dicussed with my sons teachers especially when my older son has become 4th grade. I was told that he was doing just fine....I shouldn't have listened . When I applied my 5th grader son to the one of the Magnet program in AISD he was asked to pick 5 topicks out of 7 & write about them at least 100 words. I was quickly realized that it would not be easy for my son. I talked to his teachers ( include Language Art teacher) & I was told he would be fine. I strongly disagree. Anyway, he did his best...he was not expected to the Magnet school. I understood & knew my son's reading& writing skill, which I had mentioned to his teachers & principal. Mean time, I visited to the pubric school where our school distric was not graded well on your web( I am not complaining about your site, I really appriciate it). I was surprised to see the students writings at the school. The third graders' writing was very much like my son's writing...when I read 5th graders' writings....wow....I should have known better for my son. After the Spring break my son started to have assignment to read & some writing so as 4th graders. Well...My son was already 5th grader & he should have tought when he was 4th grade!! I transfered my two children to the local public school, where they were able to take the 'TAKS' in late April 08. They passed all tests & some of the subjects were recognized but 'Reading'...they have to work on...I was told from both kids' teachers. My older son is going to the public school as 6th grade & second child, who is outrageously gifted is also attending to the 4th grade at the public school. I am still learning through my kids about school systems. Wish us luck.....I've already spent a lot of money for their elementary years...it was not so easy to send kids to the private school .We worked really hard & I thought I was supervising my kids' work & the school. I waited too long to realize..... I should have realized that public schools have much more opportunities to learn & get information. "
07/23/2008:
"My kids went only to private school and I have paid a lot of money for them. I am and was happy until this year when my child got to the school she is at now. XP. I find that the school is not parent friendly because the P and VP shut down/close their mind for improvement when a parent approach them it they way or the highway. We all want the best for out kids and it does take a village to raise a child but this school is not there for your child. Please look into this school before you attend. Changes needs to be made in the staff."
07/23/2008:
"One thing for sure public and private schools are build using the same materials , bricks, steel, and mortar. The government inside the schools are basically the same. So where is the breakdown when it comes to the learning process? Isn't the learning process the same? - Why is one better than the other? - Why do tax payers pays for both public and private? Now thinking outside the box ! Who's fought is it for both private and public schools are not meeting the needs of the children? Why do we have private schools if learning is free? and Does learning or education have anything to do with pride or prejudice? Makes me want to go back to the time of reading, writing, and arithmetic. "
07/22/2008:
"Public schools are superior in every way. Better academics, better community, freedom of (respectful) speech, racially integraded. Private schools are very dishonest about the quality of the education - pay the fee, get the B, but the grade inflation can help with college admissions. On the other hand, private school students are unprepared for college. Bullying by private school students and parents out of hand (watch the responses to this post if you doubt.)"
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