Private schools were the original education system in the United States and since society has been debating the advantages and disadvantages of private school and public school.  Many people today think it is wise to send their children to private schools, when referring to grades one through twelve.  This is commonly a result of the small class sizes, standardized testing scores, college acceptance rates and multiple other reasons.  Despite these advantages, public schools still may be the better option for some students, but why is it generally accepted that private schools are the better option?  Currently about forty-six million students are enrolled in public schools and six million are enrolled in private schools.  The six million students enrolled in private education receive certain benefits that the forty-six million public school students cannot receive as a result of their large population.  When looking at class size, academics, parental involvement, teachers and college acceptance rates, private schools provide students with an advantage which public school have difficulty offering.  

Since private schools are not mandated by law to accept all students, they naturally have smaller class sizes.  One advantage of private schools is that the small class sizes allow students to foster a relationship with their teacher and enhance learning.  On average, the student to teacher ratio is one to eleven.  This also provides each student with more individual attention.  In fact, according to a 2013 report from the Friedman Foundation for Education Choice private schools provide 39.3% more individualized attention (Catt). Therefore, smaller class sizes also provide a greater sense of community.  Not only do parents choose to send their child to private school for a strong knit community, but according to a data received from the National Center of Education Statistics teachers chose to teach in private schools for the same reason.  Evidence suggests that the differences in public and private school sense of community may be a result of differences in school size.  Therefore, there is a strong correlation between class size and sense of community within the education system.  Small class size also allows for increased discipline. Some students attend private school because they have more motivation to learn, therefore, they are less likely to act inappropriate during class. Secondly, private schools have strict codes of conduct which they operate by and they are greatly enforced.  According to Robert Kennedy, a private school parent, “One of the reasons we parents send out children to private school is because of discipline. We have grown concerned about our children being in large classes where the teachers spend much of their teaching time dealing with discipline issues”.   When you sign the contract to attend a private school, you are agreeing to abide by the terms, which include accepting any consequences for infractions of the discipline code.  Such discipline promotes an atmosphere for learning.  When a teacher is fighting for the attention of the class, he/she can’t teach.  Therefore, private schools provide such atmosphere where attention is focused on learning and if you are not interested, you may leave the school.  The difference in environments can have a great impact on a student’s future.   Lastly, according to Ann Dolin, an education expert, smaller class sizes allow for teachers to customize the curriculum for each student through the use of individual class attention and after school hours.  This results in students understanding the material presented to them rather than memorization to pass a test. 

Academics are one of the most important factors when comparing private and public education.  In general, the majority of society tends to believe private schools offer stronger academics and in fact this is true.  According to “The Council for American Private Education says graduates of private schools are significantly more likely to be ready for college-level work than graduates of public schools” (Cape).   This a result of private schools, on average, have a more rigorous course load and requiring more credits.  In fact, a basic high school curriculum includes four years of English and three years of social studies, science and math. The percentage meeting this standard is higher in private school graduates compared to public school graduates.  In fact, graduates of private school are more likely to have taken advanced courses, specifically math and science.  According to the 2012 ACT benchmark scores, 83% of private graduates exceeded the English national average, 68% exceeded reading, 60% exceeded mathematics, and 42% exceeded science (Laponsie).  Therefore, this demonstrates private schools provide students with greater college readiness for more challenging academics.  Greater college readiness could provide students with scholarships that could save them money in college tuition.  This suggests investing in private school early could potentially save you money in the future.  

Private schools are often recognized for strong parental involvement. Parents who decide to spend their income on private education demand results for their investment. For example, parent-teacher conferences, social events, and parent committees such as fundraising.  Although public schools also have parent teacher conferences, public schools have a much stricter budget than private schools which limit parental involvement. Parents that chose to send their children to private school tend to be wealthier and more educated.  Studies show that parents’ education is strongly correlated with the child’s success.  This demonstrates the role parents play in making the decision of which education system is best for their child.  Therefore, parents play a dominant role in shaping their child’s success.  Another factor parents play in private education is sharing similar values.  Private school parents share a similar vision for education.  Of course each private school is different, but this allows parents to choose which one fits for them and their family.  When I switched from public school to private school my mom kept emphasizing “I can’t wait to meet all the nice families.”  At first I didn’t understand what this meant, but as time went on I came to learn what she meant by “nice”.  “Nice” refers to families that want to be involved in their child education and surround themselves with people who have similar goals for their children.  Now, this is not to say public school parents don’t have goals for their child, but rather that private school parents demonstrate their passion and work together to push their children to their best ability.  

On another note, teachers are another main reason parents choose private education.  “In a study completed by the Fraser Institute in 2007, 91 per cent of parents surveyed said the dedication of the teachers was their main reason for choosing private school” (Orlin 1).  On average, private school teachers are more dedicated to their students and career.  This is evident through the involuntary after school hours available and accepting a lower pay than a teaching position in public education would pay.  This brings about another argument.  “Teacher compensation has become a key part of the public debate over American schools” (Orlin 1).   Why are public school teachers paid more than private school teachers?  Some conclude that public school teachers are overpaid, meanwhile others conclude private school teachers must be underpaid. Public school teachers earn $50,000 yearly on average and private school teachers barely earn $36,000 (Orlin 1). Therefore, with better paying public school jobs available why do so many teachers accept lower salaries in order to work in private education? According to Ben Orlin, a private high school teacher, one reason teachers chose private education is because they answer to principles and parents, rather than to principals, parents, and various levels of the government.  Orlin also mentions a survey conducted in 2013 by teachers nationwide concluding a high level of physical conflicts among students, verbal abuse of teachers, and lack and parental involvement all seen in the public education system.  When looking at the survey, private school teachers reported very low occurrences with these issues.  Therefore, private school teachers spend less time leaping over such hurdles and spend more time teaching.  This also contributes to the type of environment teachers ideally would like to work in.  For example, different school environments make for different work and, according to Orlin, many teachers find private schools offer a more rewarding experience.  

Some private schools provide the option of a single sex education and even today approximately 400 public schools now offer some form of single-sex education.  In 2002 No Child Left Behind Act was passed which allows government funded educational agencies to use funds to support same-gender schools.   “According to 2010 data from NCES and the U.S. Census Bureau, from prekindergarten to senior year of high school, male students outnumber female students significantly in public school classrooms: 54 percent to 46 percent in pre-K and 51 percent to 49 percent from first grade to 12th grade” (Private vs. Public Breakdown).  This disproportionate statistic suggests there are benefits to separating genders. One of the most common reasons parents claim to send their child to a single sex school is to limit distractions in class.  Leonard Sax, the founder of the National Association for Single-Sex Public Education, claims single-sex education enhances students’ success when teachers are able to use methods geared towards the gender of the students. Sax also says, “While simply separating boys and girls doesn’t guarantee success, schools that use best practices for gender-specific teaching may be more successful at teaching to boys’ and girls’ strengths” (Novotney 1).  Therefore, it is important to recognize the different learning styles seen in both males and females and cater to those needs in order to enhance student success.  Now this is not to say coed schools aren’t effective, rather that single sex education has many benefits to student success. Single sex schools allow for the termination of stereotypes.  For example, girls can feel free to excel in math and science, which are normally male dominated subjects.  The purpose of school throughout time has been to substantially educate children.  Therefore, one reason parents chose private school is because it offers a way that can potentially educate a child more successfully than a public school due to teaching techniques fit to gender.  

High school grades count the most when colleges consider an application. Colleges consider not only the student’s grades, but the academic rigor of the school’s curriculum.  This is based on the reputation of the school.  A private school in your local area may hold a better reputation than the public school.  Colleges need to know your school’s reputation when considering you as an application because it plays a role on the grades you receive, and generally private schools are held to a higher standard. This is a result of the college admission counselors knowing the difference in academic rigor of the school due to the fact 95% of private school students attend college while only 49% of public school students do (Niche).   Counselors in public high schools reportedly spend only 23% of their time on college- related counseling, meanwhile private school counselors spend about 54% of their time (Baker).  In fact, many private high schools have a counselor solely dedicated to college admission.  This is something public schools may not be able to afford due to the strict and limited budget.  Like previously mentioned before, private school students are more likely to be dedicated to learn.  Therefore, private school students are surrounded by highly motivated, college-bound peers.  As a result private high schools have a 99% graduate rate meanwhile public high schools only have a 73% graduation rate (NCES).

The argument of public vs private school is a reoccurring topic in this day in age.   Christopher and Sarah Lubienski, professors at the University of Illinois, researched nationwide data and argue that in fact public schools are the better option.  The Lubienski’s compared nationwide standardized testing data and concluded private schools have higher scores but once they controlled for factors like family income and race, they realized public schools, overall, we’re seeing better results. They specifically focused on math because math is considered to be the best measure of school effectives and reading which is influenced by family and outside factors.  They concluded that tests scored that are not called for student background result in private schools scoring higher, however this is due to higher proportions of disadvantaged students in public schools face.  The official report states, “Overall, the study demonstrates that demographic differences between students in public and private schools more than account for the relatively high raw scores of private schools. After controlling for these differences, the presumably advantageous ‘private school effect’ disappears, and even reverses in most cases” (Lubienski).  The Lubienski’s also argue that private schools are using outdated instructional methods to teach that aren’t as effective as the modern techniques public schools are using. Their research has been the most prominent when researching the pros of public education and they believe public schools are just as good as private schools. 

 Another common argument in favor of public schools is they employ more certified teachers, meaning they are exposed to the latest research.  Private schools do not require teachers to hold state certification, therefore, they do not need to meet professional development requirements to maintain certification.  Furthermore, many people use this to argue teachers in public education systems are more knowledgeable and up to date with current teaching techniques.  According to a study by the NCES in 2007, 42% of public school teachers have their masters meanwhile only 30% of private school teachers have their masters (NCES).  Therefore, many argue that public school teachers are more qualified and should receive higher pay.  The study also concluded that public school teachers had more teaching experience, on average, than private school teachers.  Lastly, public school teachers are more likely to participate in professional development activities.  Although teacher qualification is important, this does not mean private school teachers are any less of teachers than public school teachers.   Previously mentioned, some parents choose private education for their children as a result of teacher devotion.  Private school teachers stay after school and work with students one on one while receiving no pay.  This contributes to the success of the students and personal student teacher relationship.  

When looking at class size, academics, parental involvement, teachers and college acceptance rates, private schools provide students with an advantage which public school have difficulty offering.  Although there are some arguments that might make one consider public school being the better option, the majority of data speaks for itself.  Smaller class sizes allow for more individual attention which enhances learning.  Academics play a large role on choosing an education system meanwhile private schools provide a more rigorous course load preparing students better for college.  Parental involvement in private schools is seen more frequently compared to public schools which creates an environment for learning and motivation.   Also, private education provides the option of single-sex education which could further your child’s success and limit distractions.   Teachers are another reason to choose private education because, on average, they are more dedicated to their students.  Lastly, private schools are more geared towards preparing students for college. When looking at all of these factors, parents should highly consider private education for their child in order to broaden their opportunities for success in the future.   
