What are the benifits of a privat high schoool vs. a public high school?

Question

I am trying to decide which would be the most beneficial for our child.

Answer 1

Depends on what public school and what private school. Many private schools are worse than publics and many publics are worse than privates.

I go to a Magnet Public HS(means you take a test and they will decide who they accept based on grades and test scores).

My school is above many privates because of its dedicated teachers, students, and faculty. This is what it comes down to. How good the people there are and how willing they are to work and succeed. Do research on each school. Many neighborhood public schools are horrible though, not just bad, HORRIBLE.

www.greatschools.net will help you a lot. I wish I'd knew about this tool when I was applying to HS as a 7th or 8th grader. This allows you to compare stats and read others opinions.

Good luck.

Answer 2

Carefully consider the size of the private school and what they are able to provide because of it. I attended a Christian college where many of my friends came from very small Christian high schools. Unfortunately, many of them were not well prepared in science because their high schools didn't have a laboratory for them to do real hands-on experiments.

Also, public schools might provide more elective classes (like foreign language or business or art) than what a small private school can provide.

On the private school side, the social atmosphere might be different - then again, many of my friends in private schools still knew about and had access to anything that we did in a public school. However, if the public schools where you are aren't known for academics and you are looking for better classes and more attention to the overall student, a private school might be a great asset. (For example, an inner-city school with lack of proper funding and overpopulation....)

I don't know where you are located, but in Pennsylvania, teachers at private schools are not required to be state certified. Therefore, most anybody could teach at a private school. I'm sure most do hire qualified people, but it's a good question to ask about the credentials of the teachers at the private school.

Be careful to analyze it financially as well....I know many people who send their kids to private elementary schools, but when they hit high school, the tuition becomes much higher.

Answer 3

The academic curriculum at private schools is more difficult and better preparatory material for college. There is a much higher rate of college (and ivy league) attendance amongst privately educated students.

Answer 4

I never attended a public school in my life, so I can only speak for private Catholic schools.

Pros:
structured learning
no arguing over clothes - we all had uniforms
better education
shorter school year
spiritual leadership

Cons:
not free!
stupid uniforms ;-)
longer school days
tendency to be very clique-y

Answer 5

better education! smaller classes, more interaction with teachers who aren't there for just a paycheck!

Answer 6

Your wallet will be a lot lighter.