The Pros and Cons of Sending your Kids to Private School

There are many famous schools that many people, most likely including you, have heard of including The Hill, The Lawrenceville, and The Hun, The George School, and many more. My mom wanted for me to go to ones of these world-famous schools very badly. She tells me, “Saudi Arabia Princes go here” or “If you went here, you could get into any college”. And I don’t doubt this, and I still do want to go, but ultimately my family knew that for us it was better to save the money for college, so I could go to the college of my choice. The dilemma between sending your child to a private or a public high school is a tough one, but also one many people around our country have to make. It comes down to your personal financial situation and your teen’s educational needs.

Pros

Generally Higher Educational Performance Your child may or may not get a better education. The teacher may be more qualified, and also have higher teaching standards.

More Competition for Higher Grades This pushes your child to be the best student he or she can possibly be

More Demanding Graduation Requirements Gives the student incentive to do well if the money you paid for school is on the line depending on their scholarly performance in the school

May Offer More Challenging Classes Both in quantity and quality one has the ability to choose more rigorous courses

Name Brand School on Resume and College Application Recognition for your kid’s hard work comes when applying for a job or college and your resume says the name of your high school

Could be Considered Safer This may be because it has more security around and a fenced-in campus

Can be a Religious-Based School This could include Quaker, Christian, Judaism, etc.  

Cons

Higher Cost Private school could cost as much as going to college itself. Is it better to invest this money for college?

Pressure to Get Good Grades you may have been an A student in your public school but with the higher educational expectation and tougher curriculum you might not have as good of grades. Can your child handle this and the stress to keep up with his or her peers?

Less Diverse Choice of Subjects that are Offered This may be tough, especially if your child is trying out different interests if he or she doesn’t know what career field suits himself or herself best

Out-of-Date or Not the Best Textbooks Available

Ask yourself these questions regarding your child and his or her education…

Does the public school in your area offer an adequate education for you to be able to save money?

Do you have the money to spare to access the advantages of going to a private school?

Do you have multiple children to feed, clothe, send to high school, or send to college?