private school

5 Questions to Ask Before Sending Your Child to Private School

Ashley Eneriz — Thu, 24 May 2018 08:30:47 +0000

Parents consider sending their children to private school over public school for several reasons, and while a private school setting might be best for your child's learning style, you need to evaluate the decision carefully before signing up. Here are five questions to ask yourself before deciding on private school for your child. (See also: 7 Times You Should Choose Private School Over Public)

1. Can I afford it?

Before you even consider how great a certain school is, you have to know whether you can afford it or not. Will you have to get another job? Will sending your child to this school put unnecessary financial stress on your family? What will you sacrifice to send your child to private school?

The national average private school tuition is about $10,302 per year, according to Private School Review, but of course this cost varies drastically depending on the area. For example, the average price of a private school in Iowa is almost $5,000, but over $16,000 in New York. Most private high schools cost more than private elementary schools, as well, so your cost will go up if you keep your child enrolled throughout their school life.

Yes, this school might be an amazing opportunity for your child, but is the cost truly worth it? I'm not talking about just the sticker price of the school. You also have to weigh the cost of working longer hours and spending less time with your family in order to make it work. Really consider if you can afford the school and the sacrifices you might have to make along with it. (See also: Here's How Late Starters Can Save for Their Kids' Education)

2. What are the hidden costs?

Unfortunately, the costs of sending your child to a private school don't stop at the monthly tuition bill. There could be several other hidden costs as well, such as the cost of uniforms, expensive textbooks, fundraising fees, field trips, and other special events. Of course, don't forget about sports, elective classes, or after school activities. If the tuition bill is already tipping your budget into the negative, then the extra fees might be too much for your family to handle. (See also: How to Save Money on Kids' Activities)

3. How does it compare to the other schools nearby?

There must be a reason why you're considering a private school rather than a public one, so make a list of those reasons. Is it because of safety? A particular sport your child plays? Is it because of your religion? Or perhaps because private schools tend to look better on college applications?

Once you have those written down, find out all you can about the private school versus the public schools in your area. For example, if safety is a main priority for you, find out how the private school maintains a safer campus than the other schools. What safety protocols do they have in place? How many incidents have there been in the past five years?

It's important to dig deeper into these issues because you might discover that behind the high price tag and fancy test scores, the private school you had your eye on isn't much safer or better at getting students accepted to top colleges than you thought. On the other hand, the private school you're interested in might have a huge lead over other schools in athletics or academics, which makes the tuition easier to justify.

4. What will this school do for my child?

No one knows your child better than you do, so evaluate potential schools for what they will offer your child. Don't get distracted by impressive stats the school might advertise, like having an unbeatable mathletes team or having the highest number of full college scholarships for basketball players. Make a list of your child's strengths and weaknesses and discover how the school can support both. For example, if your child is naturally talented in theater arts but struggles in math, will this school give him or her unique opportunities to act and learn more about theater? Does the school offer special classes or tutoring to strengthen math skills, or will they be thrown into an advanced math class and expected to stay afloat?

5. What is student life like?

School is more than just academics; it's the place where students learn to socialize and create strong friendships. A school that boasts high test scores, but has miserable students is not a healthy environment for anyone. When evaluating the school, ask how the school gets the students involved in their local community. Are the students encouraged to partake in activities that help others outside of the school?

You also want to learn how much time is given for breaks and socializing and how often the teachers encourage group projects and working together in the classroom. Most importantly, how does the school deal with bullying and other social behavior issues?

There is truly no right or wrong answer when it comes to choosing a private school or a public school for your child. You know your kid best, and you know what's the best for your family.

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This article is from Ashley Eneriz of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

7 Times You Should Choose Private School Over Public

Elizabeth Lang — Mon, 02 Feb 2015 18:00:11 +0000

Private school can be expensive, but it can also be well worth the cost, depending on your family situation. Some circumstances really do make private schooling more financially practical — and necessary — than you might think. Here are seven times you might choose private school over public school.

1. When Your Child Has a Special Gift

Some children are truly gifted in a particular area, and often, public schools can't foster that child's talents to their full potential. For example, some kids are unbelievable musicians, others have genius IQs, or excel at certain sports. If this is the case with your child, a private school that specializes in a particular area might be a better fit.

2. When Your Child Has a Special Need

Your child may have a special need that isn't accommodated as well in a public school. This may be anything from a learning disability, to behavioral challenges, being a pregnant teenager, or recovering from substance abuse.

3. When Your Child Is Too Young

States dictate the age at which kids can start public school. Some do offer free public preschool, but others don't start public school until kindergarten. It's generally best to start kids in preschool by the time they are three, and especially if you need full-time child-care for your child, an all day private preschool may be your only option.

4. When You Aren't in a Good School District (and You Don't Want to Move)

A major factor in our family's recent decision to move was the school district. Our elementary school district simply wasn't as good as we wanted. If you aren't in a good school district and either can't afford to or don't want to move, private school may be the best option.

5. When Vouchers Will Pay

School vouchers make private schooling possible for a lot of families that might not be otherwise able to pay for it. This chart provides a state by state comparison of school vouchers. If you're in a situation where vouchers (or a school scholarship) will pay for private school, this is a good reason to choose it over public.

6. When Your Family Has Strong Beliefs

If your family has strong beliefs — maybe you are particularly religious, or care exceptionally for the environment, or believe a different style of teaching is better — then you may want your child to be raised around others with similar beliefs. In this case, private school is going to be a better fit.

7. When You Want Your Child to Learn Something Specific

Every family is different, and you may want your child to learn something taught in a private school, even if your beliefs aren't strong or your child isn't the most gifted in that area. As a parent, you have the right to make decisions about what you think is best for your child. So maybe you want your kids to learn more about music, art, or a foreign language than you would get in a public school. If that's the case, consider private schooling — if it's within your means, of course.

Did you go to private school or public school? Which do you (or will you) send your child to and why?

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This article is from Elizabeth Lang of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

Are Private Schools Worth the Money They Demand?

Xin Lu — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 06:42:39 +0000

I admit it, I am a product of public schools from pre-school through college and I am quite proud of it. By going to public schools I helped my parents save a king's ransom and going to a public college is a big reason why I ended up with no loans and a good amount of savings. I married a man who loved his sixteen plus years of private education but it is hard for me to fathom how much money his parents had to spend over those years. One day we had a discussion about having kids and he said we would have to send them to private school, and I said I did not think it was worth the money because I got an excellent education in public schools. So he argued his case for private schools and I will list some of his points here.

1. Private schools give families the choice to live where they want

Generally families are assigned to public school districts by the location of their home. This creates expensive real estate in the towns that are supposed to have a good public school district. It is probably cheaper to pay for a private school for a few years than to pay for an extremely high mortgage in an expensive area with a good public school.

2. Families have a choice in the educational curriculum

For schools to be accredited they do have to have an approved core curriculum, but private schools can teach additional things like religion or design specialty programs that focus on math and science. Many people choose private schools for religious reasons and it is understandable to choose belief over money. My husband was able to choose a school that focused on engineering and he loved the projects he had in high school.

3. Students get more individual attention with smaller class sizes

I am not sure that this is true in all cases. I went to a very small public high school and I felt like I had a lot of attention from my teachers, but once I entered UC Berkeley I was a bit overwhelmed by the auditorium sized classes. So I do think that smaller class sizes are better and on average private schools do have smaller classes than public schools.

4. Equipment and resources are more abundantly available

This is probably true for the most part because private schools generally have more funding per student than large public schools. I remember that my science lab in high school was quite dilapidated and consisted of a few tables and sinks. I did tour a private high school once and they had the most beautiful art room and labs and I was awfully jealous.

After my husband made his points, I am not totally counting out private schools for my offspring now. The frugal part of me still is not completely convinced that it is worth spending over a hundred thousand dollars for private high schools. When it gets to the college level many state universities can be just as competitive as private institutions. I think ultimately it is up to our future children to excel in their own manner. If they are excellent students they will be able to get scholarships, and if they wanted to they can flourish in a public school. On the other hand, if they do not care about succeeding then it does not matter how much money I spend on them. Wise Bread readers, do you think that private schools give you an edge? Are they really worth the money if you had to pay full price?

This article is from Xin Lu of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread: