School Choice

i wouldn't know i send my children to public school. My son in middle school gets a lot of art stuff because of his school. Good luck with whatever you decide you can afford in the end

You didn't mention accreditation. Is either of them? If I were a betting woman, I would bet that the cheaper one is not and the more expensive one is. That was our experience anyway. And the actual instruction in the classroom was reflective of that. We pulled our kids out of the cheaper one when we realized that the "teachers" were rapidly becoming SAHM mom's that decided to work to save money on their child(ren)'s tuition, and had no REAL training (or degree).

You don't mention what grade your daughter will be going to but I look at some more things about each school.

What kinds of trainings or certifications are the teachers required to have? How long have the teachers been teaching? What kind of certification does the school have? What kinds of colleges do the graduates get accepted to? how long has each of the schools been in existence?

As far as singing and learning a musical instrument, that can always happen as an extra curricular activity you pay out of pocket for after school hours.

I would want to know much more about the school beyond the building and curriculum. My son has attended several different schools along the way but has been in the same High School from the start. He's a senior and looking forward to college.

I love the idea of the fine arts program, I would go with that one simply b/c I find it so important. But, you also need to look at your finances and see what you can reasonably afford, I would be able to afford neither. I'm sure either school will provide an excellent learning environment.

If you can really afford it, like it will not be a major finance, then I would say put her in the one that is larger and more expensive. But, keep in mind that a lot of schools that are private, (even public schools) will expect you to pay for additional activites. My sister sent her daughter to a private school and she paid approx $5,000 a year and was sending money for fees, projects, extra stuff. Your daughter is smart. You want the best for her and I would just pay the extra and have her in a larger school, more social atmosphere... Good Luck!!!

Check accreditation as previously mentioned. If that is a nonissue, and I would imagine it's not, here's my experience:

I attended both types of schools: Large expensive baptist school through middle school and tiny (70 students grades 7-12) church of Christ school through high school - so small they didn't even have air conditioning.

My preference every time is for the smaller school. They didn't have the "opportunities" touted by others, or the facilities. But they had more where it counts the most. With 70 students and 12 teachers, classes were always small. small = individual attention. In that setting, you have to try REALLY HARD to fail at anything because of the copious amounts of individual attention and outside opportunities for help from very caring teachers. Beyond the usual, the teachers and staff prove how invested they are by merely being there. What can a small, inexpensive school not do? Pay well. So the staff and faculty that end up there aren't automatically lower ring, but rather extremely dedicated and loving. They WANT every child to find and live up to his potential - and with so few students they can afford the time and effort to exercise such a passion.

I got to write my class schedule - with so few students classes dont ever fill up so youc ant be denied a class. But where I went, when I finished the offered curriculum by Junior year, the teachers were able to add requested classes that others joined, and in one I was the ONLY STUDENT. (each teacher had a study hall so they taught the "elective" students while the study hall kids sat at the other end of the classroom.) I LOVED my small school - and the freedom it offered in so many areas - and how accommodating EVERYONE was, from the principal and board to the smallest kid. If you wanted something the school didn't offer, and could make a good argument for it, something that was encouraged (which is rarely welcomed elsewhere), the school would do everything in their power to find a way to offer it.

So few students....with so few comes MORE opportunity to "find yourself".... more opportunity for relationship, for challenges to one's academics and maturity, more room for individuality. At my son's public school, the teachers eavh have 154 students PER DAY through 6 periods - they just want them to sit down and shut up long enough to copy the homework assignment down bc at 35 min/period there's certainly not enough time to gain control of the classroom AND teach. but if you wind up with 10 kids in a class, or like my Sr level chem II - 3, or the 7 in my Sr. AP class, there's plenty of time to teach, to learn, to go over concepts individually if a student is having problems.... not to mention we also had opportunities you CANT have at a big school. Ours emphasized service to others through semester schoolwide projects, days off to build houses with Habitat or work with the homeless shelter down the road.

The basic human need is for relationship. And you can't find that at a large school - nobody has time. But if you fill that need, other things come much more easily, including learning academics.

In terms of college prep.... My small school prepared me for life in addition to college. I got to CLEP out of most Freshman classes. But I appreciated more for the LIFE prep I got - lessons on how to build healthy relationships, be a good citizen, a productive community member, how to deal with adversity and respect people that are different or that one doesn't even like. I learned perseverance and what was actually important in life.

If they don't offer a theater program, contact your local arts program and find somewhere that does (a church, a college, a local theater).... Most communities I'm familiar with offer a free/inexpensive student arts program through SOME other organization. it just takes a bit of work to find it and plug in.

Just my two cents.

My kids are at a smaller private school and I wouldn't change it for the world. They too use the Abeka system -- and you know what ... It works! And what I don't see them getting in way of 'extras' inside of school -- I make sure they get it outside if school. I've been in your same shoes -- and trust me -- bigger does not always mean better!!! My son was in this school for 12 years and my daughter has been here 5 years -- those teachers love and pray for them daily -- that ... I know ... Doesn't happen everywhere!!! Hope you make the right choice!!! Respond back if you have any specific questions from my experience!! Good luck!

Has your daughter visited the schools? She should definitely have some input. Some kids would prefer the smaller, more intimate environment, and others wouldn't.

What about the administration and staff at each school? Were they all friendly and welcoming? And were you able to see any student interaction, even just in the hallways? That can tell you something about what kind of school it is.

The most important thing is that your daughter enjoys going to school, and that she learns. She will learn better when she's comfortable. That's what I would be looking for.

It would come down to the quality of the teachers for me. I think that is much more important than class size. That is where I would spend some time. Which teachers are more passionate and engaging? How do they go above and beyond for their stuents? What sets them apart? Do they have parent visit days or a parent drop in day? Look at more than just the teachers for the grade your DD will be in this fall. Also retention says a lot. Talk to some parents with kids in a variety of grades. What kind of activities do the kids in the smaller school participate in outside of school? If your DD likes the arts, can you provide her these enrichment experiences outside the school community? I agree there is so much more to look at than the building facilities to find the best school.

$2,800 per year is only $53 per week. If you can afford the private school - send her to the more expensive one - which is obviously what you want.

Now if it's $28,000 less per year - write out a list of the pros and cons. Talk with each school and see what they say. What are the teacher qualifications? what is teacher turn over like at each of the schools? Stability and consistency matter education.

If they more expensive school has sports and music that your child will be interested in - then that will help in her education because she will WANT to go.

A.,
I have 3 sons, this past year we moved to an area that does not have a great school system and for the first time ever, my husband and I were faced with a search for schools. In the area we are in now, there are several "expensive" private schools here with all of the opportunities you are speaking of, but none of those felt right for us. I had prepared myself to homeschool the boys. Then I found a very small, church run, private school. It is Pre-K thru 12th grade, uses the Abeka curriculum, and is SMALL - less than 100 students total in the school, no extras like band or sports. The primary grades have Music and Art classes once per week and PE daily....in addition to recess. My children are thriving in the small, close knit, family/community environment of this school. My heart aches knowing that we will be moving from this school due to job relocation within the next year. As wonderful as this school is for our family and our needs, I know that it would not fill the needs of many people I know. I know several folks who have children in the larger, much more expensive private schools that have all of the extra offerings who wil say the same thing about their schools and their children's success.
Is your daughter just starting school or is she on up on the grades? For primary grades, I would hands down choose the smaller - the skills my kindergartner has in this school, compared to his two older brothers who were in larger, public school classes for kindergarten are much better. He can pick up a book that is typically on the 2nd grade level and read a good bit of it with minimal support, his math skills are on par with what my older two we're doing in 1st grade. I am attributing most of that success with the small class size and time the teacher can focus on each child's strengths and weaknesses. My older boys are 4th and 6th grade, and the smaller class size is benefiting them as well. As previously referenced, they have been in public school, we also did a year of homeschool. I have watched both of them grow in leaps and bounds this year in the smaller class environment. They are much more motivated to do their best work, they are challenging themselves and pushing themselves in ways I have not seen in previous years.

My best advice is to visit both schools, with your daughter and get a feel for which one will truly suit your family the best.

Best of luck to you as you go on the journey of your child's education!

T.

PS I completely agree with the post that speaks about relationship and how when that need is met other things come easily. I think Whitney C. has great perspective.

Please check that both private schools are accredited. I chose a small private school for my daughter the classes are small and I liked how they do things there. There are three charter schools near us that I felt were too large (23 kids in each of the 5 K class rooms) and the public school that was also large and had very low test scores.

There are advantages to the smaller class rooms, my daughter started K this fall and was behind. She didn't recognize all the letters or the sounds when she started, now she (and her class mates) are at first grade academic levels. The teacher is able to give each child one on one attention that they just don't get in larger schools. I visited three of the schools (the one I picked being one of the three) with my daughter and met with the principle and got a tour of the grounds and class rooms. You will want to pick the one that will be the best fit for your child.

I went to a small private/parochial school for K-8 and my parents didn't get what they paid for. We had one class for each grade. Many of the teachers were parents of kids in the school who had either never gotten their state teaching licenses or hadn't done any kind of continuing ed after having kids and dropping out of public school teaching, then got jobs there for the tuition break, or they had had kids in the school decades before and just never left. Teaching the same outdated stuff year after year. No differentiated instruction, no computer lab or language lab (or foreign language at all), no real science lab, no SPED, no reading specialists or speech and language pathologists, no school psychologist or adjustment counselor, music and art were subjects but were taught by regular teachers, no enrichment, and only 1 sport (basketball) and one activity (cheer leading). Students who finished classwork early were sent to the office to help the secretary make mimeographs (remember those LOL?), staple things or answer phones.

So...make sure to consider the above things. They may seem unimportant now, but IMO are an essential part of a good education. Make sure the teachers are excellent - many private school teachers don't have master's degrees and would not be qualified to teach in public school. Especially if you choose a K-12 school, make sure that there are good sports, music, theater and arts programs for the high school level. Make sure they have fully equipped science and language labs. Make sure they offer a robust selection of honors and AP classes or an IB program, because access to these types of things will be important when your kids are preparing for college admissions.

Good luck with your decision!