D, E, F

Depth. Private schools pride themselves on having a deep curriculum. What does that mean? They have the resources to offer a rich variety of courses including advanced level courses.  While this is especially true in the upper grades, even at the lower grades, private school have the flexibility within the daily schedule for teachers, individually and across disciplines,  to delve deeper into a subject matter. This depth of academic experience positions private school students for academic success in college. All we need to do is to point to a young Bill Gates whose private school gave him access to an early computer rarely available to even colleges. 

Extracurricular activities. Private schools have the financial resources to offer a wide breadth of activities outside the classroom from sports to the arts to STEAM to community service. The value of these opportunities in enriching the private school students’ daily life and future academic pursuits is obvious. 

Future academic goals.  Parents may elect to send their children to private schools to gain a strong academic foundation, access to extracurriculars or even a community of well-connected alumni.  However, as I mentioned earlier, caution should be taken in choosing private school education as a conduit to admission to an elite college. 

ABCs of Private School Choice

Why you may consider sending your child to private school

There are many reasons to consider private school as an option for your child. Some reasons may be personal to you and your family.  Perhaps your family members have always gone to private school or are alumni of one of the schools you are considering. Maybe your child’s academic needs are better met outside of a public school environment. 

Other reasons may be external to you.You live in a district where the public school has a poor rating or has a good rating but is not available to you because of lottery considerations.

There are many valid considerations for choosing private education. One traditional consideration, elevating your child’s chances for admission to a highly selective college, is not “the slam dunk “ it once was. The admissions’ landscape for selective colleges has evolved in response to court decisions and a growing and diverse pool of applicants. Many colleges are looking to public and charter schools to fill class spots that once were held for private school students. 

Taking all of this into consideration, let's look at the 

ABCs of Why You May Consider Private School

Today we will start with A, B and C. 

Academic achievement and excellence. Private schools pride themselves on setting a goal of, and achieving,  strong academic results for their students. Just look at the school’s mission statement-most private schools prioritize academics. This is underscored by the fact that entrance exams and interviews are required for admission at all levels. 

Benchmarks. Schools have internal and external methods to measure students' progress across all areas. Private schools understand that parents are using these measures to make sure their children, and by extension, schools are achieving at a rate equal to and possibly superior to the “competition”. 

Commitment to community. Private schools emphasize community and parental involvement as part of their admission’s pitch. Parents, especially in the earlier years, often choose a school to build connections with other parents and families and private schools offer many such opportunities. Private schools host and informal activities and fundraisers to foster community spirit and engagement 

Stay tuned for D, E, and F.