are public schools better than private schools?

Answer 1

It depends on your perspective. I went to a private, Catholic school. The concensus is that Catholic schools teach better English/spelling. But the school was small and the course selection limited.

My children went to public school. They had access to theater, music classes, and other classes that I did not. They also had more students, more variety in the people they met. On the flip side, there were more drugs (or so I'm told, but the time difference may also have been a factor).

All in all, schools are what you make of them. I grew up to become a Mechanical Engineer, my children are: a patent attorney, a financial analyst, and a graduate student in a Ph.D. program for Social work (respectively).

You need to weigh the pros and cons of each based on your individual needs and desires.

Good luck.

Answer 2

I does depend on the school. I don't know of any college or university that will deny acceptance based on what type of secondary education they attended (of course I could just be naive about other universities). If you are thinking about sending your children to a private school I would suggest making sure that that school is an accredited school. If not, universities will usually not accept the students unless the student has taken additional SAT exams (i.e. the SAT II). In nonaccredited schools the teachers are not regulated by any outside agency. This means that they are not pressured to give standardized tests (the positive). On the other hand, the teachers are not required to have a master's degree or any degree at all (unless required by the school and laws may vary from state to state). This means a math teacher could have no formal training about mathematics. This is practically the same as homeschooling. It works for some, but many find it useless. Also, the SAT II is the test they have to take to prove that they were actually learning something while at the school. At an accredited private or public school the accrditation and the SAT I would be sufficient. Note that most, if not all public schools are accredited.

Answer 3

Depends on the school. There are some very academically rigorous public schools that are excellent. There are also some Private schools that are great as well. The thing to know is that private schools don't' automatically mean superior to public. You need to do some research and visit schools to see for yourself.

I taught in both public and private. Two of the three private schools I taught at were no better at educating students than one of the public schools I worked at.

You also have to know too that private schools pick and choose who they educate. We turned away children who weren't academically up to snuff--even in Kindergarten. We also had the right to kick out problem kids who were disrupting our classes. You cannot do that in public school. I have to teach all my studnents--not just the best behaved or the brightest. So a comparison on that level is unfair.

Answer 4

I have taught in both private and public schools. You must be certified to teach in either place. I was paid much less in the private school; they did not have the funds. The low pay was not due to a lack of certification. No school will hire you if you are not certified.
The differences in the schools are not great. Both provide quality educations. Public schools may have a lower graduation rate, but we must take ALL children in the area. Private schools can refuse trouble makers, etc. They then come to us and sometimes do not graduate. They would not have made it either place.
I like the public school where I am now. We have more services for students and more extra curriculars. There are pros and cons to both. You just have to choose which works best for you.

Answer 5

I went to public schools until high school, where I attended a private Catholic school. By the time I was in 10th grade I was in classes with the seniors there, and I was at the top of the class. I graduated as valedictorian and really surprised alot of people (it was something about being the only black girl at a white school that got them, I think).

I think there might be a few private schools in this country that are better than the public schools in their area, but I think it's alot rarer than the private school families like to think. When you have to pay to go to a place that's not really any better than the free alternative, they have to rely alot on creating prejudice against their competitors.

Answer 6

The chief benefits of private school include selection and self-selection of the student body. In other words, the folks who tend to apply for and pay for private school are either students with motivation for academic achievement, or at least a family that values education. Private schools are under no obligation to teach stubborn, disruptive, mentally ill, or unmotivated students, or those whose parents can never seem to be located or contacted. Public schools are required to take and teach them all and make the best of it.

The best school for any individual student is going to depend on the student. A child may go through years of private elementary school, then transfer into a public school that discovers the child has a learning disability, for which early intervention would have been much more beneficial than late intervention. There are some kids who really would be fabulous students in just about any school, and other kids who will thrive in one school atmosphere and wilt or self-destruct in another. You may even have all of these kids in the same family.

Children themselves are often the best expert for where they should go to school, and sometimes the adults in their family listen to them. In Asia, I knew a family considering two junior high schools. One was a rigorous school famous for two things: striking the students, and students who passed the competitive exams to get into high school. The sixth grader knew students at both schools. She put her foot down and told her family she was not going to the famous school. She wanted to go to the Catholic girls' school instead.

The family agreed. I know another family with one child in private school and a sibling in the same grade in a public school. That's what the children wanted, and where each children thrived. Naturally, families are more likely to listen to the child's wishes if the student is known to make good choices in general.

Answer 7

Actually, many of these answers are incorrect. Private schools do not even have certified staff. The teachers there do not have to go through the rigorous training that public school teachers have to endure, nor do they have to pass the state certification exams. This is reflected in the salaries of private school teachers. As a matter of fact, college admissions offices are more reluctant to accept students from private schools.
Sure, they cost money, but they are not better academically. It's more of a status symbol than anything else.

Answer 8

No, public schools are free for a reason. Private schools are academically harder and usually very expensive, also there is a higher rate of private school graduates at Ivy league universities.

Answer 9

Can not generalize. Depends on staff. One teacher can make or break the life of a student. Depends on infrastructure and facilities such as a good library and laboratories. All things considered usually private schools are better equipped.

Answer 10

I think the first poster's remarks, poisoneva, sums up what kind of education she got at her private school. What a ditz.