Private Education vs. Public Schooling
Private schools benefit students by fostering academic excellence and high achievement, educating the whole child within a values-based setting, and preparing youngsters for success in life. If you want a caring, challenging, nurturing, safe and secure environment for your child--a place where he/she can learn and succeed--consider a private school.
Private schools are known for the high standards they set. They engage students and spark the desire to learn. Teachers expect excellence from students, and students tend to live up to those expectations. The high expectations and academic rigor help account for above-average levels of student success, including higher college-going rates. If you're looking to help your child reach his/her potential in a school committed to excellence, consider a private school.
Graduation requirements and coursework levels are notably higher at private schools, according to the U.S. Department of Education study. The study found that private schools required an average of 3.1 years of math and 1.5 years of foreign languages, versus 2.7 and 0.5 years for public schools, respectively. In another notable trend, about 40 percent of private schools required some form of community service for students to graduate, versus 10 percent for public schools.
In a report titled Private School: A Brief Portrait, the U.S. Department of Education had this to say about the academic performance of private schools:
Private school students scored well above the national average in the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). NAEP scores provide an immediate measure of student achievement, but the report also presents a long-term measure: attainment of a college degree. Students who had attended private school in 8th grade were twice as likely as those who had attended public school to have completed a bachelor's or higher degree by their mid-20's (52 versus 26 percent).
Private schools are known for the high standards they set. They engage students and spark the desire to learn. Teachers expect excellence from students, and students tend to live up to those expectations. The high expectations and academic rigor help account for above-average levels of student success, including higher college-going rates. If you're looking to help your child reach his/her potential in a school committed to excellence, consider a private school.
Graduation requirements and coursework levels are notably higher at private schools, according to the U.S. Department of Education study. The study found that private schools required an average of 3.1 years of math and 1.5 years of foreign languages, versus 2.7 and 0.5 years for public schools, respectively. In another notable trend, about 40 percent of private schools required some form of community service for students to graduate, versus 10 percent for public schools.
In a report titled Private School: A Brief Portrait, the U.S. Department of Education had this to say about the academic performance of private schools:
- Private school students generally perform higher than their public school counterparts on standardized achievement tests.
- Private high schools typically have more demanding graduation requirements than do public high schools.
- Private school graduates are more likely than their peers from public schools to have completed advanced-level courses in three academic subject areas (see table).
- Private school students are more likely than public school students to complete a bachelor's or advanced degree by their mid-20s (see table).
Private school students scored well above the national average in the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). NAEP scores provide an immediate measure of student achievement, but the report also presents a long-term measure: attainment of a college degree. Students who had attended private school in 8th grade were twice as likely as those who had attended public school to have completed a bachelor's or higher degree by their mid-20's (52 versus 26 percent).
For students from the lowest quartile of socioeconomic status (SES), the advantage of having attended a private school was even more pronounced. Those students were nearly four times more likely than their public school counterparts to have attained a bachelor's or higher degree (above table). Private school attendance even seems to overcome a parent's low-expectations for a child. "For students whose mother's expectation (in 8th grade) was for them to attain an associate's degree or less, those who had attended private school completed a bachelor's or higher degree at a rate about four times that of public school students (30 versus 7 percent)."
The report explains that students from a low SES family who had "completed a calculus course in high school were much more likely than those who had not studied calculus to earn a degree by their mid-20s." It also notes that students in private schools "are more likely than those in public schools to take challenging courses like calculus, and private schools are more likely to require them." Specifically, private high schools require more courses for graduation than public high schools in math, science, social studies, foreign language, and computer science, and the coursework is more likely to include advanced courses in science (chemistry, physic, advanced biology), mathematics (trigonometry, precalculus, calculus), and foreign language (a third year or more).
The report explains that students from a low SES family who had "completed a calculus course in high school were much more likely than those who had not studied calculus to earn a degree by their mid-20s." It also notes that students in private schools "are more likely than those in public schools to take challenging courses like calculus, and private schools are more likely to require them." Specifically, private high schools require more courses for graduation than public high schools in math, science, social studies, foreign language, and computer science, and the coursework is more likely to include advanced courses in science (chemistry, physic, advanced biology), mathematics (trigonometry, precalculus, calculus), and foreign language (a third year or more).
According to National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) data, 88 percent of private high school students apply to college, compared to 57 percent of public high school students. And reports from the College Board indicate that SAT scores for private school students are well above the national average.
Also according to the NAEP, private school students scored higher on average across all subjects. This trend starts on the first round of NAEP testing, which begins in the fourth grade, and continues through tests that take place in eighth and 12th grades. Students in private schools score higher on this assessment in all subjects tested, including reading, math and science [source: NCES].
When it comes to challenging students to stretch their capacity, private schools do an exceptional job. Statistics from the College Board and NCES show that for high school seniors, 24.2 percent of private school students took AP exams in 1998, while 9.4 percent of public school students did so. Private schools, which account for only 7.5 percent of all high school students, produced 20 percent of 12th graders who took AP exams in 1998 and 22 percent of those who scored high enough to have the advanced courses count for college credit.
Also according to the NAEP, private school students scored higher on average across all subjects. This trend starts on the first round of NAEP testing, which begins in the fourth grade, and continues through tests that take place in eighth and 12th grades. Students in private schools score higher on this assessment in all subjects tested, including reading, math and science [source: NCES].
When it comes to challenging students to stretch their capacity, private schools do an exceptional job. Statistics from the College Board and NCES show that for high school seniors, 24.2 percent of private school students took AP exams in 1998, while 9.4 percent of public school students did so. Private schools, which account for only 7.5 percent of all high school students, produced 20 percent of 12th graders who took AP exams in 1998 and 22 percent of those who scored high enough to have the advanced courses count for college credit.